Tropical architecture, a term widely used in architectural discourse, lacks a consistent definition. The adjective ‘tropical’ relates to the zone between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, which covers more than 40% of the earth’s surface. Heat is possibly the only shared characteristic of this belt. The tropical zone holds a range of climates from arid to wet, as well as a variety of geographic, social, and economic contexts. Unlike in temperate or arctic zones, a single umbrella term is used to describe the architecture of the tropics.
‘Tropical architecture’ implies that regional construction is solely driven by climatic conditions and geographical location. While this is true, cultural contexts, economic factors, and local materials in different countries equally determine regional architectural forms. The form of architecture is based on intense integration between the built environment and its natural context.
The Architecture of Monsoon Asia
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Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the southern parts of India come under Monsoon Asia. Here, temperatures remain nearly constant between night and day as the heat from the equatorial sun is tempered by the surrounding oceans. Humidity levels also remain constant and seasons are marked by the monsoon winds. These ecosystems account for about 20% of the carbon stored in land ecosystems. Clearly, Monsoon Asia is of critical importance to the understanding of the impact of humans and changing climates on the functioning of the biosphere.
The countries of Monsoon Asia share similar climates, topographies, and ecosystems, and yet differ in architectural traditions. Malaysian houses are lightweight timber structures surrounded by verandahs and topped by sloped roofs, its raised height encouraging ventilation. Architecture in Bali regularly features a group of single-storey pavilions on plinths within a walled compound. In Sri Lanka, heavy earth walls enclose rooms structured around a central courtyard. Each typology was greatly influenced by history, culture and beliefs rather than practical considerations of technology or climate.
Tropical Modernism in Monsoon Asia
As the shortcomings of International Modernism became evident, localized versions began cropping up across the world. In Monsoon Asia, regional modernism - which later came to be known as tropical modernism - was used as a tool for identity-building in post-colonial eras. Ideas brought from architects educated in Western countries, such as Le Corbusier and Geoffery Bawa, took form in these countries. Tropical Modernism was a design aesthetic that seemed to homogenize building practices across Asia. Cubist forms, low pitched roofs with overhanging eaves, perforated walls, and excessive use of concrete characterized the newer architecture. The trope of the tropical had become a part of a more globalized notion of sustainable architecture.
Tropical modernism allowed Asian architects to decolonize architecture in their home countries. As they sought alternative identities for their modern societies, a balance between modernism and regionalism was gradually arrived at. Contemporary environments in Monsoon Asia have been undergoing rapid transformation from their post-colonial eras to the present. While favoring culture, beliefs, climate, and geography in architectural work, present-day Asia is faced with new priorities.
Urbanization in Asian economies has shifted traditional practices in architecture. In relation to the region’s aggressive global positioning, architecture in Monsoon Asia seeks to be at par with its Western counterparts. Luxury high-rises and detached non-communal housing have cropped up to meet the independent and wealthy middle class’ needs. A neo-tropical modernism that experiments with local building materials - particularly bamboo - to fulfill contemporary societal demands is on the rise.
The goal of most major locations in Monsoon Asia is to retain social and cultural nuances in the built environment while attaining the status of a ‘global city’. Growing urban metropolises call for sustainable ways of embracing local identity in high-rise and high-density structures. Monsoon Asia is at a turning point where tropical architecture takes a focus on ecology, technology and local traditions.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on April 17, 2023
