Housing designed according to bioclimatic principles is becoming an important part of achieving sustainable ecological development. The term “bio climatic “has traditionally been associated with the relationship between climate and organisms, or the study of bioclimatology. In buildings in general, and housing in particular, it relates to the third element in the relationship between organisms and climate: the form and structure of buildings. The attempt to redefine bioclimatic housing is best examined in practice, not theory, and an important part of this can be seen in architectural works (see Figure 0.1).
In the current environmental era, where sustainability is emerging as a key issue for society, it is argued that achieving a balance between the needs of organisms, housing, and climate is necessary (see Figure 0.2). However, the material and living systems (energy, water, waste) and the lifestyles of building users form an integral part of this relationship. This complex relationship creates the need to redefine bioclimatic housing in terms of its form and fabric.
About the Book
This book is extremely timely as we grapple with the growing challenge of keeping Housing cool in a rapidly warming world. Alarm bells are ringing as the pace of climate change accelerates and temperatures around the world break records daily. 2005 was the hottest year in Australia since records began in 1910.
Record high temperatures persisted in South Asia, Southern Europe, North Africa, and the American South west, while the Horn of Africa, the American North west, and many parts of Australia experienced prolonged drought.
Many parts of Australia have been affected; in2005, these droughts caused severe food shortages in many parts of the world.
As designers, the media coverage of such devastation rarely resonates deeply with us. What does have an impact is when these facts are reflected in housing design standards, when we hear about the extreme temperatures experienced in cities around the world, such as the55°C recorded in Kuwait in 2005, the 54°Crecordedin Karachi and Basra, and the 52°C recorded in Islamabad. We must reflect that fact in the design standards of our buildings.
In Islamabad, the temperature was 52°C. In such climates, we begin to think about how to keep people cool in doors.
This book is the result of the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) five-year solar heating and cooling program, Task 28 on Sustainable Housing with Solar Thermal Energy. A number of experts who make up the “Cooling Group, “representing countries whose climate requires building cooling strategies, participated in this task.