Fig2. Polish Log Home (Inside)
2. Malindi
The climate of Malindi lies along the equator, between 23° and -23° latitude and can be distinguished by hot humid conditions. Mean annual temperatures reach a maximum of 30°C during the day and 24°C at night. Humidity levels vary between 60% - 100% and a tropical climate is accompanied with a high level of rainfall, during rainy periods where annual mean rainfall can exceed 1000mm. The main stresses of this climate are high humidity levels, temperatures and solar radiation. Humidity reduces cooling via evaporation as the air is already saturated, so by ventilating a space, the saturated air is removed, increasing the rate of evaporation and convection that dissipates heat from the body, building structure and fabric. As we can see in Malindi, the locals, knew these strategies and applied them in their construction. The picture below is a very nice example that portrays clearly the concept of ventilated roofs in the use of natural materials in one and metal sheets in the other. Both materials are waterproof and do not absorb much of the solar radiation. Note that in Malindi the solar radiation mostly hits the horizontal surface due to its location around the equator.