CLIMATE

Introduction

Climate is a major issue in building design. As in all other tropical countries in Sri Lanka climatic factors such as Wind, Sun, Rain, controls the design of a building. Sri Lanka is generally a hot and humid country. In this context designers promote cooling by natural ventilation and cooling by water or soil masses, discourage heat inflow to make buildings thermally comfortable followings are few design strategies to make a building thermally comfortable. Followings area few of the strategies those could be adopted.

Minimize Reflectivity of Ground and Building Surfaces Outside Windows Facing the Hot Sun

Ground, east and west walls of a building are the drastic receivers of sun radiation. The radiation reflected from the ground into windows and external walls can add significantly to the cooling requirements of the building. Selecting exterior surface materials of low reflectivity therefore is a mean of minimizing the heat gained from the hot sun.

Terraced geometry of shrubs or Bern minimizes reflection.

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