Unit 5

Landform, vegetation and water bodies

design strategies

Factors influencing microclimate

The local micro-climate and site factors will affect

the actual environmental conditions of the building.
The important site-related factors should be
considered when making the climate analysis
Topography - elevation, slopes, hills and valleys,
ground surface conditions.
Vegetation - height, mass, silhouette, texture,
location, growth patterns.
Built forms - nearby buildings, surface conditions.

Land and heat

The climate near the ground is
what governs the interaction
between most organisms and
the environment.
Dramatic changes in
microclimate can
occur over a distance of a few
meters.
When the sun is shining, the
ground may
be too warm to walk on with
bare feet.
Surface temperatures may
exceed 65 deg
At head height, the temperature
may only
be 30deg C, and Similar variations
can be found in wind speed and
humidity

Absorption of radiant energy is sensitive to the

nature of the surface. Conditions such as
surface roughness,
water content,
topography and
slope
aspect all affect the interaction of the surface
with the atmosphere.

As the soil surface gets hotter by absorbing

solar radiation, the layer of air in contact with
the soil gains heat by conduction.
This air becomes less dense than the
surrounding air, so it rises and carries heat
with it. Cooler air moves in to take its place,
and in turn, is heated by the surface.

Landform and climate

LANDFORMS
Topography or modulations of earth either in
natural undisturbed state or as manipulated
by man, has the ability to modify, ameliorate
or accentuate climatic variations in different
ways

Landform variations and the

microclimate

Flat site experience little

variation.
air speed increases up the
slope and decrease down it.
Depression valleys experience
lower air temperatures. They
have little air movement unless
they lie in the direction of
airflow.

Landforms and micro climate

The landforms may be :
(i) Large Landforms
Mountain ranges are
diverters of air masses.
They affect the flow of
moisture-laden air and
cause rain shadows for the
areas in their lee.
Temperature decreases
with the rise in height and
cold air flows downhill and
settles in valleys.
Airflow pattern vary
diurnally in the areas with
large variation in landforms.

(ii) Smaller Landforms

Smaller landforms can be involved in either
solar radiation interception or in wind control
through interception, deflection or
curtailment.

Design with smaller landforms:

Creation of small landforms in

larger ones provide better
orientation or site conditions
for utilization or interception of
solar radiation

Adjustment in major landforms

can be helpful in picking up
maximum solar radiation

In hilly areas where sun is

necessary but wind needs to
be curtailed landforms can
block unwanted wind

Occasionally, it may be
advisable to locate
solar collection devices
away from the building
utilizing the solar
energy gathered by the
collectors. In such

Landform and different climatic types

Landform
optimization in hot
climates: building in a
depression and
shading from heat
and wind minimizes
heat gain and
discomfort

In humid climates our

primary concern is
maximizing air
movement. We must,
therefore, place our
building on the top of
the windward slope
where the air speed
would be the highest.

Microclimate Above Vegetation

The microclimate becomes more complex

when vegetation is present, because not all
the radiant energy is absorbed on a single
surface.
Some radiation is absorbed by the top of the
vegetation canopy, some penetrates into the
canopy where it is absorbed, and some
reaches the soil surface.

VEGETATION
Vegetation can control the suns effect by
filtration of direct solar radiation in the
following ways
(i) By controlling the amount of heat radiated
from ground surfaces, by obstruction and
control of reflected radiation.
(ii) Through the control of winds by Obstruction,
Filtration, Deflection and Guidance

Vegetation and heat

Vegetation areas designed

to fulfill these general
functions are usually
classified as windbreaks
and shelterbelts.
Windbreaks generally
consist of a single or double
row of trees.
The term shelterbelt refers
to extensive barriers of
trees. To be effective,
shelterbelts require a much
more careful layout then
simple windbreaks.

Vegetation and air movement

Careful placement of trees and hedges can

direct and increase air speeds.
This is achieved by planting trees and
hedges so as to make a narrowing 'path' for
the air. This reduction of area increases air
speed.
The placement of trees and hedges cause
minor pressure differences which marginally
changes the air path.

Role of vegetation in air movement

Vegetation increasing,
decreasing and
directing airflow

Vegetation in different climatic types

In hot-dry climates where heat gain
is to be minimized,

trees can be used to cut off the

east and west sun.
Hot breezes can be effectively cut
off.
Planting deciduous trees is very
useful in hot dry climates. They
provide comforting shade in
summer and shed their foliage in
winters allowing sun.

In cold climates

Evergreen trees can be used to

cut off breezes.
However, they would also absorb
solar radiation and, thereby, cool
the place.

In warm humid regions

vegetation can be employed to

maximize airflow. However, if they
are not planted carefully they
would end up reducing air speeds.
Trees and vegetation would also
increase humidity levels. This
needs to be considered when
employing trees in hot-dry and
warm humid regions.

Water

Water absorbs relatively large amount of radiation. They also

allow evaporative cooling.
As a result, during the daytime areas around water bodies are
generally cooler.
At night, however, water bodies release relatively large amounts
of heat to the surroundings. This heat can be used for warming
purposes.
Water bodies absorb much heat during the day and reradiate it at
night

Breeze flows from the

water body onto the
shore during the day
and vice versa at night.
This natural airflow
pattern may be utilized
and controlled for
natural ventilation and
energy conservation

Water and different climatic types

In hot-dry climates,
water/ water bodies can be used both for
evaporative cooling as well as minimizing heat gain.
Taking into account wind patterns and vegetation
they can be used to direct cool breeze into the
house.
A roof pond minimizes heat gain through the roof.
In warm-humid regions
water bodies are best avoided.
The minimal benefit provided by evaporative cooling
would be offset by the heightened humidity levels

In cold climates,

water bodies are beneficial only if

their heat gain and loss can be
controlled. This would happen only if
the water body can be enclosed by
the building.

The leeward side of the water body

will always be cooler since the wind
is cooled as it moves across the
surface of the water body.

Therefore, it is necessary that areas

or activities, which need to be
naturally cool, should be located on
leeward side of the water bodies
and functions or areas, which need
extra heat or warmth, on the
windward side of the water body

Ground Character

Different ground materials reflect, store and absorb heat to

different degrees
Depending on the ground surface, incident radiation can be
absorbed, reflected or stored and re-radiated later.

The color and texture of a material's surface

determines its reflectivity.
The lighter the color and smoother the
surface, more the reflectivity of the material.
The darker the surface and rougher it is, the
lower the reflectivity.
Such materials would store more heat and
reradiate it at a later time. This re-radiation
mostly takes place at night when the
surroundings are at a lower temperature.

Different climates and ground cover

In hot climates
ground surfaces preferably should be green in order to minimize
heat gain.
Where hard surfaces and paving are unavoidable they should be
rough but not very dark. This would make the ground less
reflective but not highly absorptive.
In cold climates
heat gain would be maximized by reflecting the heat or storing it.
Ground surfaces should preferably be paved dark but smooth.
This would increase absorptivity and reflectivity.
In humid conditions
ground character is of consequence only when it can absorb
moisture.

Street widths and different climates

Street widths in hot climates: narrow

north-south streets minimize eastern
and western radiation.

In hot-dry climates,

the prime need is to minimize heat

gain.

This could be achieved by cutting off

the sun.

Small street width to building height

ratio ensures narrow streets and ,
thereby, shading. In particular,
streets running north-south should
be narrow.

This would enable mutual shading

from the horizontal morning and
evening sun.

East-west streets are avoidable as

they allow uncomfortably low sun in
the mornings and evenings.
However, if unavoidable, they too
should be narrow.

In cold climates,

Wide streets, especially the

east-west streets allow
buildings to receive the south
sun.
However, the need here is not
just to gain heat but also
conserver that which is
received. So settlements
should be compactly planned.
North-south streets should be
narrow.
Low building heights are
preferred. This would enable
heat gain from the roof to be
maximized. However, heat
loss also has to be minimized.

Street widths in cold climates. Wide

east-west streets maximize the
scope for south winter sun.

In warm-humid climates
the primary need is for
air movement. Streets,
should therefore, be
oriented to utilize the
natural wind patterns.

Arrangement of building blocks to

maximize airflow in warm humid
climates

Open spaces in between buildings in

different climatic types

In hot-dry climates,
compact planning with little or no open spaces would minimize heat gain as well
as heat loss.
When heat production of the buildings is low, compact planning minimizes heat
gain and is desirable. This is how traditional settlements were often planned.
However, in modern cities, buildings produce much heat of their own. In such
cases heat loss becomes important. In fact, the phenomenon of heat build up in
cities leads to the formation of heat islands. The size and scale of open spaces
must, therefore, be optimized.
If the open space is too large, then there can be too much heat gain. If it is too
small, then there may be insufficient heat loss at night.
Further, surface characteristics are important. The ground should be soft and
preferably green.
Building surfaces should not be very reflective.
Shading by trees or buildings would also reduce heat gain. Since the hot-dry
climate might also have a cold season, trees should be deciduous so as to allow
winter sun.

Absorptive surfaces and smaller open spaces radiate less heat to buildings around

Greater the exposure of the walls and ground to the sky, the more the heat loss.

Compact planning in the modern context: Large heat production of modern buildings makes compact
planning inappropriate in hot regions due to the decrease in heat loss capacity.

Open spaces in between buildings in

different climatic types

In cold climates open spaces should be small. Surfaces could be hard and
absorptive. Compact planning is, of course, preferred. They should allow the south
sun into buildings. Trees, if any, should be deciduous.

In humid climates buildings should preferably not be attached to one another.

Streets and the open spaces should be oriented with respect to wind patterns. The
open spaces and the funnel effect can be used to maximize airflow within the
complex.

Urban scapes- urban heat island

The buildings, concrete, asphalt, and the human and industrial activity
of urban areas have caused cities to maintain higher temperatures than
their surrounding countryside. This increased heat is known as an
urban heat island. The air in an urban heat island can be as much as
20F (11C) higher than rural areas surrounding the city.

The formation of a heat island is the result of the interaction of the

following factors:

the release (and reflection) of heat from industrial and domestic buildings;
the absorption by concrete, brick and tarmac of heat during the day, and its
release into the lower atmosphere at night;
the reflection of solar radiation by glass buildings and windows. The central
business districts of some urban areas can therefore have quite high albedo
rates (proportion of light reflected);
the emission of hygroscopic pollutants from cars and heavy industry act as
condensation nuclei, leading to the formation of cloud and smog, which can trap
radiation. In some cases, a pollution dome can also build up;
the relative absence of water in urban areas means that less energy is used for
evapo transpiration and more is available to heat the lower atmosphere;
The absence of strong winds to both disperse the heat and bring in cooler air
from rural and suburban areas.