Human life as we know it was created 200,000 years ago. Despite being vulnerable, we humans have conquered swathes of territory, like no other species before us. After 180,000 years of nomadic living, thanks to a more clement climate, humans settled down in environments that are abundant in water, fish, game and wild plants. There, where land, water and life combine – The Tropical Countries. With the materials at our disposal, we built houses adapting to our climatic needs. This was what came to be known as “Vernacular architecture”.

Sandwiched between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn at 23 degrees north and south of the Equator, the Tropical countries are rich in resources. The different ecosystems have defined food chains and generate optimum circumstances for life to thrive in each of these habitats. Some of these Tropical countries and territories include India, Vietnam, Mexico, Madagascar, Indonesia, Peru, Bali, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, etc.

From kurinji (mountains) to mullai (forest) to marutham (cropland) to neithal (seashores) to paalai (deserts), the Tropical countries have an array of landscapes. Houses in tropical regions reflect their respective topographies through their architectural designs.

It is common for people to associate tropical architecture with a certain aesthetic. Our imagination wanders to resort-like mansions or cozy timber huts. But Tropical architecture is more than that. As the name implies, tropical architecture is concerned with the study of the tropical climate, its impact on the surrounding environment, or its influence on the tropical surroundings. It boils down to achieving thermal comfort without the use of mechanical systems by focusing on passive design.

In the eyes of an average person, architecture is the art of building a shelter that is hospitable. The core goals of the field are indisputable.However, to an architect, shelter should also be environmentally friendly while keeping in mind the elements like demographics, aesthetics, building orientation and accompanying complexities. Satisfying these elements is what leads to climate-responsive architecture.