ABSTRACT
This chapter helps readers to appreciate various building examples from different tropical regions and describe the typology and morphology of tropical buildings. In an architectural context, the external elements will influence the characteristics of the building in terms of its design and the materials used. Traditional buildings in tropical climates were designed for natural ventilation, as are many newer residential and small scale commercial buildings. The evolution in building form in tropical areas has seen an initial shift away from vernacular forms to the more generic international styles and technologies, although there is now a trend for reversal towards bioclimatic design adopting passive environmental control features. The chapter generates an understanding of the general characteristics of buildings in response to tropical climates according to their anatomy in particular roofs, main and supporting structures. According to the Javanese philosophy, the shape of roofs represents the hierarchy structure of Javanese community from the lowest to the highest: kampung, limasan and joglo roof.
