The Influence of Urban Design on the Micro-climate of the Floating Communities in the Hot-Tropical Region of Hagonoy in The Philippines

Abstract

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) ’s 2021 report, the recent sea level rate has nearly tripled in the last few decades compared with 1901-1971. It estimates that the sea levels may rise by 20 cm in the next thirty years or up to 80 cm by the end of 2100. The increase in sea levels poses serious questions and challenges to the housing infrastructure in flood-prone areas. Two locations that have been severely affected by the tidal and fluvial floods and typhoons are the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga in the Philippines region. There is a ground level subsidence of up to 5cm per year because of the uncontrolled ground-water level conditions prevalent worsening the floods. The high levels of stagnant waters causes unsanitary conditions in these areas. In 2017, Pieter Ham, co-founder of Finch Floating Homes, developed a floating house model suitable for the Philippines’ climatic conditions. After the prototype construction was proven successful, they are now venturing into creating a floating neighborhood in Hagonany, located on the island of Luzon. This research topic aims to study the urban physics context of the floating homes neighborhood. Alazne Enchaniz Jurado, as part of her master thesis in 2021 at Delft University of Technology, designed resilient coastal neighborhoods for the city of Hagonoy, Philippines. After extensive research on the geographical, social, and cultural context, she designed floating neighborhood models suiting the needs and requirements of the people. However, the urban physics parameters of these concepts are to be further studied to determine the thermal and wind comfort of the occupants in the outdoor areas. This is because of the high-temperature tropical climate present in that region. Therefore, the primary focus of the present project, this MSc thesis, is to understand the role of urban physics in floating community development. It focuses on the influence of vegetation and urban form configurations on the outdoor thermal comfort and outdoor wind comfort of the open spaces, as they serve as the primary gathering locations for the residents. After analyzing the results, it concludes that increasing vegetation decreases the daytime temperatures, thereby improving the comfortability index. Additionally, the urban form also significantly plays a role in influencing the micro-climate of the region.