Climatic Significance of Colonial House Forms in Surabaya

Abstract

The present study explores the morphological characteristics of colonial houses in Surabaya. Four houses are included as the subject, and physical features of the building are recorded through field observations. Basic drawings of the building are made and used for the morphological exploration. Formal and topological characteristics of the house are then analysed and its climatic response as well as climatic adaptation potentials are evaluated. Principles of climatic adaptation and findings from previous studies on the subjects are used as the basis of the evaluation. The study found that the colonial houses in Surabaya have a great potential in terms of climatic adaptation. Despite the compact shape, the layout of the building allows internal spaces to poses high connection to outdoors, and hence increases its degree of connectedness. The colonial houses show moderate degree of exposure and have high degree of porosity due to the configuration and size of windows and doors of the building. All of these formal characteristics contribute to the significant climatic response of the building.