Climatic Zones

PASSIVE RESILIENCE

Recorded by Elizabeth Donovan, images by Essi Nisonen and Veera Saastamoinen

KEY READINGS 

• Climate and Architecture. Torben Dahl. Routledge

• Designing for the climate emergency, a Guide for Architecture Students. Pelsmakers, S., Donovan, E., Hoggard, A., Kozminska, U. RIBA

• Lo-TEK: Design by Radical Indigenism. Julia Watson. TASCHEN

• Climates: Architecture and the Planetary Imaginary. The Avery Review: Columbia Books on Architecture and the CIty

• This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate. Naomi Klein. Simon & Schuster

INSPIRATIONAL BUILT EXAMPLES

• Centre for Earth Architecture. Kéré Architecture. Mopti, Mali

• The Modern Village Office. Ho Khue Architects. Vietnam

• Niamey 2000 Housing. Atelier Masomi. Niamey, Niger.

• House in Regensburg. Thomas Herzog. German

CLIMATIC ZONES

This talk is about the relationship between climate and architecture, and how understanding the climatic zones can help inform the design of a building. The northern and southern hemispheres, as well as the Equatorial zone, have unique environmental conditions that influence the design of spaces, the architectural approach, and the materials used. The global wind directions are largely influenced by the Earth's rotation and the unequal heating of the Earth's surface by the sun, and the distribution of land and water masses across the planet. Examples of wind directions include the trade winds, westerly winds, and polar easterlies. It is important to consider these climatic factors when designing a building, as the solar radiation and global winds can have a significant impact on the amount and intensity of solar radiation that a building receives.