Spend five minutes in humid Ho Chi Minh City and you’ll probably be running for cover into the nearest air-conditioned refuge.
Stay in the sultry Ho Chi Minh City for 5 minutes, and you will probably be eager to go to the nearest air-conditioned place for the summer.
In the Vietnamese city — and many developing subtropical countries across Asia, such as Indonesia and the Philippines — air conditioning (AC) is increasingly being considered a necessity.
In this city of Vietnam, as well as many subtropical developing countries in Asia, such as Indonesia and the Philippines, air conditioning is increasingly regarded as a necessity.
But one architecture firm is advocating a different way to keep cool.
However, a construction company is advocating a different way to keep cool.
T3 Architecture Asia, which has offices in Vietnam and France, specializes in back-to-basics "bioclimatic architecture", which it says could make energy-guzzling AC units redundant.
T3 Asia Construction Company, which has offices in Vietnam and France, is mainly engaged in returning to the original "bioclimate building", claiming that this kind of building will make air conditioners that consume a lot of energy redundant.
By harnessing the local topography, climate, and vegetation, as well as cleverly manipulating a building’s orientation, the firm can naturally create a comfortable indoor climate.
By skillfully using the orientation of a building and rationally using the local topography, climate and vegetation, the company can naturally create comfortable indoor climate conditions.
Charles Gallavardin, director of T3 Architecture Asia, first forayed into bioclimatic architecture in 2005. In cooperation with the World Bank, he built an affordable apartment building in Ho Chi Minh City, which houses 350 families in an impoverished neighborhood where AC bills were to be avoided.
Charles Garavadin, manager of T3 Asia Construction Company, first set foot in bioclimatic architecture in 2005. He and the World Bank jointly built an affordable housing building in Ho Chi Minh City, which can accommodate 350 families and was built in a slum area that could not afford air conditioning.
"You don’t need to spend money on air conditioning, even in a hot climate like Ho Chi Minh, as long as your building is well designed," Gallavardin tells CNN.
Garavadin told CNN: "As long as the building is well designed, even in a hot place like Ho Chi Minh City, you don’t need to spend money on air conditioning."
Covered open-air corridors, ventilated roofs, fiber-glass insulation and the use of natural materials meant the Ho Chi Minh City units offered both natural light and ventilation.
The use of closed open-air corridors, ventilated roofs, glass fiber insulation walls and natural materials means that this building in Ho Chi Minh City has good natural lighting and ventilation conditions.
"We try to avoid big glass facades facing east or west, because that would make the building like an oven in a tropical climate," he says.
He said: "We try to avoid the large glass wall facing east or west, because it will turn the building in tropical climate into a big stove."
"If you work with the main wind stream and have smart sun protection, you can do it — you really can design buildings that need no air conditioning in a hot place like Vietnam."
"If you make good use of the main vents and do a good job of sun protection, you can design a cool building without air conditioning in such a hot place in Vietnam."
Gallavardin explains that a typical bioclimatic T3 building is naturally about 41 Fahrenheit (22 Celsius) cooler than the outside temperature, with natural ventilation and the odd ceiling fan doing the rest of the work.
Garavadin explained that the natural temperature in a typical T3 bioclimate building is 41 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius) lower than the outdoor temperature, and only natural ventilation and several ceiling fans are needed to keep it cool.
Since that first project, Gallavardin has built several luxury bioclimatic hotels in Cambodia and Myanmar, a concept restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, and even his own green office for the T3 team.
Since this first project, Garavadin has built several luxury bioclimate hotels in Cambodia and Myanmar, a concept restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, and even built his own green office building for T3 team.
Other architects are also experimenting with this style of building.
Other architects are also trying this style of architecture.
In Indonesia, Andyrahman Architect’s Biophilic Boarding House was shortlisted in the World Architecture Festival’s Building of the Year 2016 competition, praised for its perforated walls that help the building stay cool in tropical Surabaya, a congested port city in East Java.
In Indonesia, the pro-biological boarding apartment of Andy Raman Construction Company was shortlisted for the 2016 World Architecture Festival annual architectural competition. The apartment is located in the tropical city of Surabaya, a crowded port city in East Java. This apartment is appreciated for its porous walls to keep the building cool.
In China, American architecture firm Perkins & Will took a bioclimatic approach to the new Shanghai Natural History Museum — while the building provides air-conditioning in gallery areas to protec t the artwork from humidity, it also has automated windows and skylights to naturally ventilate public areas.
In China, the American architectural firm Perkinwell designed the new Shanghai Museum of Natural History with the method of bioclimatology. Although the museum has air conditioning in the gallery area to protect the works of art from moisture, it also has automatic windows and skylights, so that the public areas can be naturally ventilated.
The museum saves 15% on energy consumption compared to a standard-design museum.
Compared with the standard design museum, the new Shanghai Museum of Natural History consumes 15% less energy.
English source: CNN
Translation & Editor: Dany