What is it about?
Why Earth Buildings work so well in hot climates? - In hot tropical regions, many traditional buildings are made from earth, like adobe or bahareque, with thick walls that take a long time to heat up or cool down. This idea, known as thermal mass, helps slow down how quickly heat moves through the walls, which can keep the inside of the building more comfortable. Some experts have questioned whether this works in tropical climates where it stays warm all day and night. To find out, we studied six earth buildings in two tropical climate regions of Costa Rica. We measured indoor and outdoor temperatures during both the rainy and dry seasons. What we found is that these old buildings did a surprisingly good job. On average, they lowered extreme heat by about 5°C and helped keep the temperature inside more stable and comfortable. This means that traditional building techniques like thermal mass can still be a smart, low-energy way to deal with heat in tropical areas—especially important as we face a warming world.
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Photo by Maria Lupan on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Old building methods still have something to teach us. Traditional earth buildings can naturally keep indoor spaces cooler without relying on air conditioning. That makes them a low-cost, low-energy way to stay comfortable in hot climates. This also challenges the belief that such methods don’t work in the tropics, showing instead that local, time-tested techniques can offer smart, climate-friendly solutions for today’s warming world.
Perspectives
I’ve always admired old earth buildings for their simplicity and comfort, especially in the tropical heat. They’re easy to repair, made from local materials, and naturally cooling. With this research and after participating in an earth building workshop, I gained a deeper appreciation for these traditional methods. What excites me is the potential to revive this green technique, combining it with new technologies like robotics and 3D printing. It’s reassuring to see data confirming that these buildings stay cooler inside, often more so than newer ones—a reminder that the best solutions may have been with us all along.
Dr. Jan-Frederik Flor
Taylor's University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Thermal Performance Assessment of Vernacular Earth Buildings in Tropical Climates: A Case Study in Costa Rica, January 2023, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-24208-3_2.
You can read the full text:
Resources
La casa de adobe de Santo Domingo de Heredia
"The adobe house of Santo Domingo de Heredia" (2018). A television program recording ('Giros Repretel') by Repretel Television Representations SA.
Casas de Adobe en Costa Rica
"Adobe houses in Costa Rica" (2011) presented by the state-owned television broadcaster 'Canal 13', part of the National Radio and Television System of Costa Rica. - The television program offers a rich cultural and historical exploration of Costa Rica's adobe houses, highlighting their significance as symbols of national heritage and rural identity. Through a journey across various towns, it examines the construction, evolution, and sociocultural value of these traditional homes, which were originally influenced by both indigenous practices and Spanish colonial techniques.
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