January_1968 — Page 34

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Fig. 2. Hong Kong's contemporary architectural diversity

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Ous quarters, notably

notably Huntington (1924 and 1945), Mills (1944) and Markham (1947). One general pre- mise put forward implies that where man has been preoccupied with con- trolling his environment, his develop- ment in other directions has been re- tarded. By the same token, we may conclude that the different building styles as they occurred through the various periods of history can be taken to be reflections of the degrees of building technological achievement in the continuing problem of provid- ing shelter from the natural elements.

Beginning with primitive man who first clothed himself in animal skins and lived in a cave to mitigate the effects of the natural elements, man has ceaselessly strived to develop more varied and complex forms of shelter to counter the influences of different climatic conditions and wea- ther. Building design with respect to climate is therefore as old as crea- tion.

Climatic Design

This old art was first comprehen- sively dealt with as early as the third century. Vitruvius, whose monumental work "On Architecture" contained sections, often quoted, on climatic considerations, earned for himself the distinction of being the first architec- tural climatologist. The architect, he said "must know the art of medicine in its relation to the regions of the earth (climata); and to the characters of the atmosphere, of localities wholesome and pestilential, of water supply. For apart from these con- siderations, no dwelling can be re- garded as healthy

The influences of climate on build- ing design can best be illustrated from the housing forms of indigenous people in various parts of the world. We notice similar building styles or trends occurring in widely scattered but similar climatic regions, although the types of available building ma- terials and the degree of technical skill impose limitations on their in- dividual character.

From the igloos of the eskimos in freezing Alaska to the thatched huts of the pigmies in steaming Africa, we can point out one distinctive, com- mon quality: the close attention and adaptation paid to the respective climates. In fact, the styles of indi- genous architecture are pure products of the environment, This is the thesis put forward by Olgyay in his latest work: "Bioclimatic Approach to Architectural Regionalism", and is a summation of the full scope of the implication of climatic design.

The Approach

Climatic considerations should therefore form an important factor in architecture, and climatic control should be the primary object for all building design consideration7.

Buildings should not be designed without regard to the external phy- sical environment as if in a meteoro-

Far East Architect & Builder January, 1968