I grew up in a tropical country called Malaysia. I was born and live in the city of Kuala Lumpur, where modern steel and concrete cover the city skyline. Why do I love Tropical Architecture? You might think because I am an Architecture Designer residing in a tropical country. Well that half is right; the other half is because it is the original architecture form in this part of the world. Malaysia is near the equator where it is hot, sunny and humid 365 days. Plenty of downpours and sun.  Our architecture adapts to the climate, showing the ingenuity of our predecessors.

Every design element has a function, and a traditional meaning. The design also thinks of the future, by adapting to flood seasons and monsoon season. And of course our culture heritage, where the design adapts to the family needs and religious purposes. Sounds like a smart, modern home of the 21st century!

Above all, it is resilient and humble in nature. You can walk past it without knowing that it is the smartest kid on the block. It does not scream "look at me", but rather asks quietly "what I can do for you”, or, better still, "how can I serve you better".

 I share with you some examples of what I think are some of the finest examples of Tropical Architecture in this region.

Tropical regions are nations that are located near to the equator. More accurately — the countries that are located between the Tropic of Cancer (Northern Hemisphere) and the Tropic of Capricorn (Southern Hemisphere). The tropics make up about 40% of the planet's surface area, which houses 40% for the entire world. It is estimated that by 2030, 50% of the world population will be living in the tropical region.

Tropical climate means it is warm all year long. Majority of the countries have dry season and wet season, when their annual rainfall occurs. However, not all countries have the same climate — the Sahara Desert and the Australian Outback.  Both are located within the tropics, but they are classified as "dry". Like any other regions in the world, the ecosystems in the tropic region are diverse.

The tropics have 168 countries. Starting from Algeria to Zimbabwe and include Australia, India, China, Chile and many others.

Let us begin with Australia, The Land Down Under. During the 19th century, Australian Architecture style was heavily influenced by their European and British roots. This is the time when architecture styles such as Georgian, Gothic Revival, Victorian and Italianate Architectures were popular. Later in the 20th century, Federation Architecture style started to form with the idea of "style of our own", and with the intention to depart from historicism.

One of the important element that show Australian Architecture adapting to the local climate, and departing from the European and British roots, is the introduction of "Verandah".

A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open air walkway or porch that is attached outside of a building. It is either fully open or partly close with half wall or railing.

Ever since then, the Australia Architecture scene started to take more of an "avant-garde" approach to design, and the results are that many buildings have emerged with a truly unique style showcasing Australian values and culture. Today architects and designers in Australia have started to focus on International Modernism. That brings us to Australian Tropical Architecture style. Which I would say is a modern and chic version of Tropical Architecture.

One of the great examples of Australia Tropical Architecture, in my opinion, is from Woods Bagot architecture firm. They focused and adapted to the local tropical climate and native culture with the help of modern technologies. Their design is intended to celebrate the rainforest setting and enrichment of the place experience. With focus on micro climate ecologies, on evolving landscape skin, and on the quality of the surrounding environment.

Mark Damant, in an article, mentioned, how can we deliver an alternative tropical architecture rather than the norm, with six main factors to study:

Biodiversity, Grid, Organization, Place making, Territory, Porous

Biodiversity: The tropics have plenty of biodiversity showcasing evolution. The evolution of the tropics has values like death, decay, recycling and re-growth. All are legible, obvious and visible. Correspondingly a building can demonstrate low carbon features, rain water harvesting and natural ventilation.

Grid: Square-cornered and rigid grid is an outdated idea. With the tropics, we need to establish a grid that flows with the landscape, making the design one with the site, and the surrounding environment. For example The Cairns Institute was designed by following thorough landscape and place analysis of the campus and landform.

Organization: the common organization elements are square, rigid and right-angles, while nature organization is fluid, organic and informal. While designing in the tropics one must consider these points, and the design should be more fluid and adaptive. And the relationship between man-made and nature must be coherent.

Place making: one must define where the private area starts and the public area ends. Designing a place-making in the tropical area needs close study of the tropic’s complex micro ecologies. One example I can think of is Cairns Botanic Gardens Visitors Centre where the students can coexist with complex tropical ecologies, enabling them to study their ecology in real time without making a field trip or stuck in a greenhouse.

Territory: the building location impacts the surrounding environment and ecology. So, choosing a suitable location is most important in tropical architecture design.

Last is porous:  porous simply means the air movement or air flow in one design. Remember we are in the tropics where mosquitoes and other insects love to suck our blood. Giving a natural breeze in a home will help keep the insects at bay, but most importantly, give natural comfort to the occupant. You can see it everywhere in Australia where they have huge open windows, deep verandahs and high ceilings to allow the air flow easily through the house.

Australian tropical architecture has come a long way, and with the aid of technologies we will see more exciting and fresh takes in the future.

References

1. Architecture of Australia - Wikipedia

2. List of Tropical Countries - Carmo

3. Tropical Countries 2020 - worldpopulationreview.com

4. Designing for the tropic - Australian Design Review, Jun 1,2011

5. Images from Archdaily website