CLIMATIC ASPECTS OF HIGH DENSITY URBAN HOUSING IN THE WARM - HUMID TROPICS : With Particular Reference to Dacca „ Mohammed Abdul

This thesis attempts to investigate systematically the climatebuilt form relationships relevant to the criterion of human physical comfort in an indoor space and express those in convenient forms to be useful in design. The architectural problem under consideration is high density urban housing in a warm-humid climate with particular reference to Dacca. The research involved inquiries into a number of different areas. Firstly, the problem of urban housing in the tropics was examined with particular reference to the conditions in Dacca. It was found that high density developments, especially in the urban housing sector, was highly imperative from the view points of the rapid urbanization and the scarcity of land available for urban use. Also from an appreciation of the given constraints it was found that a flat-type development with rectilinear geometry was appropriate under the given conditions. Secondly, the requirements for human physical comfort in an in¬ door space and the methods of defining a comfort zone were investigated. It was found that the bio-climatic chart was a useful and convenient way of defining a comfort zone. Accordingly, the bio-climatic chart for the tropics reconstructed by Koenigsberger et al. (1974) with re¬ vised values according to the Australian CEBS findings v/as used for defining the comfort zone for Dacca. Thirdly, the interactions between climatic forces (the sun and the wind) and the built form were analyzed in relation to human physi¬ cal comfort in an indoor space. Through these analyses a set of relevant performances of the form and their measures as well as a set of appropriate descriptors of the form and their measures were formulated. Fourthly, the form-performance relationships, i<>e„ variations in the values of the measures of the performances of the form corres¬ ponding to variations in the values of the measures of the descriptors of the form were investigated. As far as the solar radiation was concerned, the investigations were carried out on a theoretical basis* For the wind, however, experimental investigations in a wind tunnel were carried out in addition to the theoretical treatment of the form-flow relationships. The results of the experiments, pre¬ sented in a simple graphic form, not only conveyed useful information for the design problem we are concerned with but also indicated that the experimental approach was worthwhile for further investigations involving more variations in the parameters of the form and the flow characteristics. Finally, the design applications of the form-performance relation¬ ships (i.e. the design aids) were discussed and illustrated in relation to the given problem demonstrating the usefulness and convenience of the aids in practice. The point, however, was made that architecture today is expected to respond not only to climate but also to a series of other complex requirements which often dominate design decisions. The ultimate responsibility for the form rests with the designer be¬ cause he is the one who conceives a possible solution in the first place, verifies and modifies it in stages, making compromise decisions whenever necessary and reaching ultimately to the proposed solution.