Leh, ladakh - climate and architecture

LEH, LADAKHCOLD AND SUNNY CLIMATE

Mountainous region Little vegetation Considered to be a ‘Cold Desert’

LEH

COLD and SUNNY type of climate is experienced here.

TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS• Summer during day : 17 - 24°Cduring night : 4 - 11°C• Winterduring day : 7 - 9°Cduring night : -14 – 0 °C

Relative humidity – consistently low : 10-50% Winds – occasionally intense Sky is fairly clear throughout the year Cloud cover is less than 50%

CLIMATE

DESIGN CRITERIA AND FEATURESOBJECTIVES

PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION

Resist heat loss Decrease exposed surface area

Increase thermal resistance

Increase thermal capacity (Time lag)

Increase buffer spaces Decrease air exchange rate Increase surface absorptivity

Promote heat gain Reduce shading Utilize heat from appliances Trapping heat

Orientation and shape of

building. Use of trees as wind barriers

Roof insulation, wall insulation and double glazing

Thicker walls Air locks/ Lobbies Weather stripping Darker colors

Walls and glass surfaces

Sun spaces/ green houses/ Trombe walls etc

TREES –wind barrier

Roof & wall insulation

Thick walls

Heavy walls (mud) and a well insulated roof (timber & mud) dampen the variations of indoor temperatures.

Use of glass and trombe wall – heat is stored in the building mass during the day and warm during the night

City of some 25,000 inhabitants

Population triples in size during summer tourist season

OLD LEH• 200 stone, mud and timber houses sandwiched between thick rammed earth walls

• Most well-preserved traditional Tibetan city in the world

• Most significant ensemble of historic Tibetan architecture

• One makes the walls for the first floor, piling up stone and sun-dried brick, • and then places wooden beams and floor joists across the walls to support the second floor walls above them, • and repeatedly adds more wooden beams across them. • Floors and roofs are made of mud treaded on wooden boards. • Roofs are basically flat, being unnecessary to waterproof, since it scarcely ever rains.• Columns are needed midway across larger spans

• First floor - used for stables • Second floor – for family rooms, such as a sitting room, a kitchen, bedrooms, and a Buddhist altar room • A larger house often consists of three floors. 

Porch

Kitchen

Dining

Bedroom