Climate and Architecture in Asia The Climatic Regions of Asia

The Relation between Climate and Architecture

Architecture for Arid Zones in Asia

The Hot and Humid Climate Architecture in Asia

The Architecture of the Earthquake Prone Areas in Asia

Asia, the largest Continent on the planet, is as diverse as vast. There are several climatic regions in the Continent and concurrently several cultures that have been able to co-exist with each other. History has it that the culture is often defined by the climate. The food people eat, the clothes people wear and the lifestyle and livelihood of people is directly dependent on the weather and climate of the region.

The architecture of a region is also directly dependent on the climate. Architecture directly is related to the people and the way people feel about the use of building houses and other architectural structures. People build houses to stay safe and particularly from the weather elements, be it cold, hot or rains. Therefore the type of house that people builds depends on the climate of the region. This has been the historic relation between climate and architecture any region.

The architecture and architectural culture develops directly from the weather and indirectly from the culture of the region. For example, a culture that has a general trait of art inherent in the culture affects the way architecture designs houses keeping both the weather elements as well as the esthetic element in mind. In this paper we look into how the varying climate in Asia has affected the culture and the architecture of the various regions of the Continent. Ensuring that the buildings would stand and provide protection against the elements is the primary aim of the mechanical side of an architect's work.

The Climatic Regions of Asia

There are several climatic regions in Asia. The Continent of Asia extends from the Middle East countries in the west to Japan in the East and Mongolia and parts of former Russia in the North. The weather and climate varies significantly within this region.

The weather in most of the Western regions of Asia is dry and arid. In some parts it is desert like and dry and hot for most time of the year. Other regions have extreme climate where it is very hot during the day and very cold during the night.

A major part of the Asian Continent is hot and humid with an equatorial climate. The temperatures for most time of the year remain around 30 degree Centigrade and there is quite heavy rainfall with high humidity for most of the year. This has had a great effect on the local culture and the architecture.

There are also certain areas especially those regions along the China Sea and the Indian Ocean that are prone to seasonal hurricanes and typhoons. The architecture especially in these regions is quite different with a different aim with regards to constructing buildings. The primary aim is to keep out the inclement weather whenever it happens.

There are other regions of Asia like parts of the Himalayan rage countries and Japan that are prone to regular earthquakes. The culture and especially the architecture of such regions are very closely related to safety from the threat from the earthquakes.

There are some other regions particularly in the northern region of Asia which face cold weather for most part of the year. Therefore the life and life style of the people are designed to combat the inclement weather. The architecture of these regions too is related to designing structures that are aimed to keep out and resist the cold and inclement weather.

The Relation between Climate and Architecture

Certain easily observed effects on architectural forms are produced by climates. There are many examples of such climatic effects on the architecture in various regions of Asia. For example as one move toward the equator, the proportion of window area to wall area becomes less. People shun the glare and heat of the sun in warm areas which is evident from the diminishing size of the windows (Shaw, Pulhin and Pereira, 2010). To meet the problems caused by excessive heat, for example in the subtropical and tropical zones there are more distinctive changes in architectural form. Deep loggias, projecting balconies and overhangs that cast a long shadow on the walls of the buildings are found in the architectures of hot regions like some in Egypt, Iraq, India, and Pakistan. Other architectural changes that are evident is the existence of wooden or marble lattices...

Apart from generating comfort, such architectural designs and strategies also help to exhibit a certain form of aesthetic satisfaction (Nazafati Namin, 2012).
Architecture for Arid Zones in Asia

The architectural form and fabric of sustainable architecture and living style is significantly affected by climate as has been seen already form the above discussions. The indigenous architectural styles of various regions and areas in Asia are more influenced by the environment and the climate than the less by the national frontiers and boundaries.

For example, the arid and the dry and hot regions of Asia see a distinctly predominant similarity in the basic architecture of the buildings that are built in these regions. The major aim for following such style of architecture is to keep out the hot and inclement weather and create a comfortable environment for the people. This basic architectural design is evident in the structures that are built in the arid and dry regions of Asia irrespective of the national boundaries (Mofidi, 2007). Such architectural designs include features like the introverted building morphology in the form of a courtyard or atrium so that the heat is reduced and more air is able to circulate in the building complex, the construction of internal open space in order to reduce the structure's exterior surfaces in proportion to the interior volume so that the walls are able to absorb the minimum of outside heat and the construction of rooms around the courtyard with the aim of enabling the circulation of cold air and drainage of hot air during nighttime.

In modern day architecture in these regions in Asia the buildings including the multistoried buildings are so constructed that they have minimum exposure ot the sin during the day and maximum allowance for cold air to circulate inside the building during the night. This is enabled by using shiny surfaces in the buildings on the outside of the building so that the sun's rays are reflected away along with the heat (Rajapaksha and Hyde, 2012). Such arrangements are made despite the increasing use of air conditioners in modern architecture. The architecture is done in such a way that there is greater efficiency in the circulation of air within the functional spaces of the buildings. This allows for the maintenance of a pleasant environment within the building and reduces the need for cooling. Even for many modern structures, the architectures often are seen to design the roofs in the shape of domes and vaults for closed and semi-open spaces which increases the volume of air trapped in the building thereby increasing the insulation of the building even as such structures add an aesthetic element to the construction (Mofidi, 2007). The use of rough building surfaces is often used in order to decrease heat gain and to increase the contact with air movement so that the inmates of the building remain comfortable.

The Hot and Humid Climate Architecture in Asia

Tropical climate is generally associated with high temperatures and very high humidity. There is also significant amount of rainfall during a portion of the year. As such the culture of the people in such regions of Asia is very different from other parts of the Continent. The people here are more tormented by the humid climate as well as the seasonal heavy rains. Large parts of South East Asia experiences this type of a climate. The climate also affects that way and what clothes people wear and the food they eat and the eating habits. The culture and the architecture of this region is completely again dependent on the climate of the region. The buildings are so designed so that they are able to mitigate the climatic discomfort (Harimi, Ming and Kumaresan, 2015).

The buildings are also reflective of the economy of the region. The basic personal skill of how to behave and to understand the world was part of the education that people of the region got from the process of making buildings. Therefore the houses and the architecture of such regions adequately reflect the feelings of the people generated from the culture which is again a by-product of the climate. In a way that is similar to the basic architecture of the arid and dry regions for construction. The buildings in the equatorial or tropical regions are so constructed to provide comfort from the heat as well as from the very high humidity. Added to this is the…