ABSTRACT
This chapter helps readers to appreciate the influence of the choice of materials and construction techniques on whole life performance of tropical buildings. It identifies the various technical solutions to the formation of structures, building elements and internal environments in tropical climates. The chapter describes the connection between design factors and integrated building design. High to medium-rise building form in tropical environments would differ little in building form between hot and humid and hot and dry areas. The Bakossi tribe are a hill people of Cameroon and build conical shaped buildings of timber and leaves. The subject of urban morphology has been described with respect to the individual building. Concrete foundations, due to their high cost, are not always used for domestic buildings and quite often stone slab or dense concrete blocks are used as a footing bearing plate for the foundation in cohesive soils.
