Architecture Is A Concept That Was First Defined By Victor...

Bioclimatic architecture is a concept that was first defined by Victor Olgyay in 1963 (Bondars 2013, 84) and describes the relationship between humans, the climate and the architectural design of a structure. Bioclimatic design analyses the relationship between a favourable microclimate inside a structure that is in synergy with the surrounding macroclimate and thus requires minimal mechanical heating or cooling to achieve the microclimate for habitation (Larasati and Mochtar 2013, 823). Since the publication of Olgyay’s findings in the book â€Å"Design with Climate: Bioclimatic Approach to Architectural Regionalism (1963)†, design principles of bioclimatic architecture have become extensively discussed. However, the practical application of†¦show more content†¦Architects are now called upon to create designs that provide social change, improve the health of a building’s inhabitants, increase equality and in general improve social life (Dutton and Mann 1996 in Woodward 2007, 3). Bioclimatic design falls within this brief as it priviledges designs that are at one with the surrounding climate and produce a harmonious microclimate for the inhabitants, thus improving health and providing social change. However, until recently technical aspects of producing bioclimatic designs were ceded to specialist-trained engineers in the field of Bioclimatics (Altomonte 2009, 13). Thus, keeping architectural education focused on its long-held tradition s of culture, emotion and improving the landscape. This ensures that there is a continued gap between the traditional education of new architects and the education of principles of bioclimatic design. Which makes it difficult for architects to incorporate bioclimatic principles into their final designs. Njuguna (1997, 356) further confirming this, finding that 95% of students believed that their education did not prepare them for a climate responsive design. Citing that the conventional approach to their architectural education was at fault. The conventional educational approach to architecture, which sees components such as bioclimatics taught in parallel or even in competition to traditional architecture simply does not provide an adequate preperation for