home design for hot humid climates

Home design in hot humid climates should favor 1) Natural and ceiling fans ventilation; 2) Heat gains control; 3) Outdoor living areas like verandahs and 4) Quick cooling construction materials

Home design for ventilation

Because tropical hot humid climates have high… humidity, air movement is crucial. And to get it, natural ventilation should be maximized through…

- Windows at the opposite of each other (they allow cross-ventilation); prefer casement windows, louvers and openings able to provide good airflow; avoid awning windows and sliding and hopper windows (Note: keep west and east windows small, to avoid lower sun heat gains).

- Open-plan living areas… Avoid subdivisions or plan them carefully, to avoid them to block the breezes.

- High ceilings: they favor air movement and will reduce radiant heat.

- Elevated house floors, unless in areas prone to cyclones; elevated house structures are good to catch breezes;

- Elongated and narrow floor-plan for bedrooms; they will make bedroom ventilation easier to get, improving sleeping comfort, which is crucial.

Note: extra-ventilation from ceiling fans and other mechanical devices will not be excessive. Consider it, also.

Outdoor living areas

Verandahs and other outdoor living areas are highly desirable and advantageous. They allow homeowners to benefit from the climate, in favorable conditions; and they also provide shade and shelter from the rain…

Air conditioning

Air-conditioning in hot humid climates is expensive to operate, and should only be considered selectively, for a small part of the house, during selected periods of the day.

The air-conditioned rooms should be small, protected from drafts and benefit from high insulation levels and double-glazed windows.

The air conditioning role and the home design approach to implement it, should follow the principles indicated for other hot climates.

See: Air conditioning for Hot Climates

Landscaping in hot humid climates

Landscaping is crucial to minimize heat gains in hot-humid climates. Use palms and other high-tall trees to get shade without blocking breezes. The garden landscape shouldn’t block them either.

Use vegetation to block the western or east lower sun, but take into account the breezes path: that vegetation shouldn’t block the breezes.

Low mass-thermal materials

High thermal construction materials (concrete, brick…) hold the heat longer, making interior night temperatures higher, which is a disadvantage in climates with very small night-to-day differences of temperatures…

Low thermal construction materials (like timber…) will cool quicker at night, making bedrooms and other living spaces more comfortable…

Home design for Heat gains control (Hot humid climates)

Since hot-humid climates are warm all year round, bet on heat gains control. Shading the walls, the windows or the roof is important, but there are other intertwined features to consider like orientation, window size, colors, reflective insulation and the type of roof.

Orientation: the long axis of the house should be oriented for cross-ventilation but also for sun-protection. See: Home Orientation

Windows: windows should be large enough to allow effective cross-ventilation, but east and west windows should be kept to a minimum, to avoid lower sun impact;

Shading the windows and the walls: consider carefully the use of verandahs, shutters, canopies, eaves, overhangs…

Reflective insulation: common insulation isn’t advantageous or desirable, unless in air-conditioning strategies. It will prevent cooling down during the night, which is disadvantageous. However, reflective insulation is crucial to reflect sunshine…

Colors: use light colors for walls and also for the roof.

Roofs: bet on the ventilation of the roof space; fly-roofs are a good option. Ventilated roofs will reduce heat build-up. Metal roofs can be a good option (they cool rapidly at night) but they demand a good reflective coating on their underside to minimize daytime heat gains.