Sunday, January 31, 2010

Building Materials and Climate

It was brutally cold the other day. The temperature was around single digit but the wind chill registered at below 10 degrees. So it was really really cold. And Wifey was not very impressed. I couldn't blame her because she was not used to that kind of weather.

Wifey is from the Philippines which is a tropical country in Asia. Being a tropical country, the Philippines experience only 2 kinds of season - wet and dry. They don't have fall and winter.
The Philippines being a tropical country is a good place to do one of my favorite hobbies - scuba diving. But this post is not about scuba diving. I will surely share about it here in the future because this post is about building materials.

As a builder, we certainly build houses or buildings based on different factors. And one of the factors that we consider in the construction of a house or building is climate.

To state the obvious, we use building materials that are compatible to the kind of climate where the establishment will be built. We need to consider climate in choosing the right materials simply because the weather will affect the total functionality of the building.

In the Philippines, where the climate is humid, the major building material they use in building construction is concrete. Most houses and buildings are built using concrete materials simply because it is tough with rain. The country experience about 20 typhoons a year and flooding is inevitable specially in the city and lower elevation.

There are 15 different kinds of building materials available to use in the construction of a building. But having the knowledge of the kind of weather or climate does a place have is the initial step in deciding which building materials are appropriate in the construction of the of the building. Climate is a major consideration a builder should take to be able to build effectively and efficiently.

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