Tropical Architecture Is Sustainable Architecture

In many ways, tropical architecture is a form of sustainable architecture. They are a lot of factors that go into creating sustainable architecture. However, I think tropical architecture that responds to its climate can address several sustainable design features.

Many of these sustainable building design strategies are easy to add to your tropical home.

What Is Sustainable Architecture?

Sustainable architecture is a form of building design that seeks to reduce the damaging impact buildings can have on nature. They try to mitigate the modern built environment’s issues on the natural environment and its resources.

Architecture that uses sustainable strategies has several layers and responses. It focuses on ways that make a building more efficient in its energy uses and water consumption. 

The life cycle and environmental impact of materials are also essential factors.

Tropical Architecture And Sustainability

Tropical architecture is a building design that focuses on and responds to the tropical climate and environmental conditions. It is more than traditional looking houses with thatched roofs and wrap-around verandas.

In contemporary applications, modern tropical architecture is creating more encompassing approaches and strategies. They consider low impact strategies that respond to their climate, environmental resources and even socio-economic conditions. 

Therefore, tropical architecture creates sustainable design without the need for high-tech solutions. It considers principles that may seem primitive but are ideal for building a cool and comfortable house in tropical climates.

Several of these strategies relate to sustainable design practices.

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Here are some ways tropical architecture can be sustainable.

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Energy Efficiency Through Passive Design

One of the main principles of designing a tropical home is creating a thermally comfortable indoor environment using passive design strategies.

Tropical architecture has traditionally relied on low impact strategies to ventilate the home naturally. 

It is important to orient your home on the site in ways that take full advantage of natural breezes entering the house. This strategy minimises or eliminates the need for mechanical ventilation systems like air-conditioning.

Shading devices and strategies reduce the heat gain in your home, which is a primary concern of any homeowner in a tropical region. Plants and trees are also great for shading your home from direct sun.

The types of windows you use and their location also promote airflow into your home, which improves thermal comfort.

Passive design strategies can also encourage the introduction of natural light inside the rooms of your house. These strategies reduce the reliance on artificial lighting during daylight hours.

All these strategies reduce electrical energy consumption making it more sustainable.

In addition, they are ideal in situations when using alternative or renewable energy sources. When using renewable energy systems in your home, it is essential to minimise energy consumption first. This reduction ensures that you size and manage your system correctly and efficiently.

Minimising Impact On The Land And Environment

Lush vegetation represents tropical landscapes and is why we look like a paradise to millions of visitors across the globe.

Tropical architecture is often more sensitive to the terrain of a site. In many ways, they attempt to have a minimal impact on their site. This approach allows the land to remain in its natural state as much as possible. Therefore, more natural vegetation can grow around the home, which creates a more sustainable environment.

Large trees near your home are ideal for providing shade by preventing direct sunlight from impacting your walls. Trees also assist passive ventilation by cooling the air around a house before the breeze enters.

Having plenty of natural vegetation in and around your home and community will also improve the air quality of your region.

Also, I think it is a great idea to incorporate food-bearing plants as part of your landscaping. Our climate facilitates growing most food plants all year, unlike temperate regions. 

Growing up, I remember seeing far more tropical fruit trees than I do now. They grew wild around homes and villages. But as our neighbourhoods become more formal and suburban, we lost a lot of this.

Designing our homes and neighbourhoods with a more intentional approach to tropical living encourages better land usage. Hence, we can increase the amount of food-bearing trees and plants. 

Outdoor Living And Connecting With Nature

Outdoor living is a significant aspect of a tropical house and lifestyle. 

Finding a cool area in the shade where gentle breezes can pass through is one of the things that makes the tropics a paradise. 

Verandahs and patios provide useable areas where you can spend time outside. They are a fundamental part of traditional tropical architecture and provide shade to interior rooms. Hence, this reduces the need for air conditioning.

Also, if these outdoor spaces accommodate functional activities, like dining or sitting, they can reduce the size of your house. Building a smaller and more efficient home that use more outdoor spaces promote greater sustainability.

Making a strong connection between your rooms and the natural environment is an essential aspect of tropical design. 

Large windows and doors to the outside promote a lot of natural light and ventilation. Hence naturally creating better indoor air quality. They can also build strong relationships with the natural environment. This relationship encourages good biophilic design, which can have sustainable benefits.

Photo: Hiroyuki Oki

In addition, green roofs are more popular. These provide an additional outdoor space to enjoy and do some gardening. They also replace some of the earth that the house takes up.

Managing Water Scarcity

Water scarcity is a prime concern across the globe. Climate change has created irregular rainfall patterns and increased drought conditions in many tropical regions.

In addition, some of the fastest-growing cities in the world are in the tropics. This rising population in tropical regions is increasing the demand for freshwater.

As such, planning for water scarcity issues has become a crucial aspect of tropical architectural design. Strategies that minimise the consumption of potable water are necessary. 

Harvesting rainwater for non-potable uses has also become a regular aspect of tropical design for better sustainability.

Use Locally Available Materials And Skills

Have you ever noticed that most developed countries seem to be in temperate climatic regions? They are the countries that drive the world economy and manufacturing.

More than half the countries in the world are partially or entirely in tropical regions. Most of them are also developing countries and are mainly low- and medium-income economies.

This situation may not be directly related to the climate of the tropics. However, the socio-economic conditions of countries in tropical regions are fundamental factors to consider. They affect several aspects of living in the tropics. These aspects include architectural design and construction practices.

Traditional architecture in tropical regions has typically used locally available materials, skills and constructions practices. These were often natural materials such as wood, stone and earth. Dry vegetation like straw and palm branches were also typical. 

Initially, these were perhaps for more pragmatic reasons. Lack of shipping routes made materials from outside regions expensive and inaccessible.

Today, faster and easier methods for transporting materials increases the popularity of other foreign products and materials. However, where possible, tropical architecture tries to use materials and skills from local sources.

If we do this, we will spend less money on shipping raw materials and products. Hence, reducing the use of fossil fuels and carbon emissions.

It also employs local artisans. They tend to use less energy-consuming methods in their work and manufacturing processes. 

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Successful tropical architecture should inherently be sustainable. It creates good spatial relationships and comfort-driven environments rather than high-end products, materials and finishes.

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Conclusion

Architecture across the world needs to become more sustainable. Tropical architecture methods are intrinsically sustainable. They respond to climatic, social and economic conditions of their regions.

Using passive design strategies are energy efficient and less harmful to the environment. Minimising the impact of the site is also suitable for creating more comfortable and beautiful surroundings.

In addition, creating outdoor spaces and strong connections with nature promotes good sustainable design.

Issues of water scarcity is a primary concern and have a significant impact on our region. 

Addressing this as a fundamental part of our design is essential. Sourcing local materials and skills also minimises the need for importing materials from foreign regions.

Tropical architecture design strategies can create a beautiful, comfortable, and sustainable home for you and your family to enjoy.

Featured image by Bernard Hermant on Unsplash