Tensile structures in Kochi.

Designing for Kochi

The climate sets the details.

We do not use a city wind figure off a list. The design wind pressure for your structure is worked out for the exact site under IS 875 (Part 3), from its terrain, height and exposure.

• Around 3,000 mm of rain a year, most of it between June and September.

• Humid all year, with salt-laden air off the backwaters and the Arabian Sea.

• Strong south-west monsoon gusts, and long spells of sustained rain rather than short bursts.

Ground

Laterite on higher ground, soft marine clay and backwater silt closer to the water. Piled foundations are common where the fill is deep, and the soil investigation decides it.

What drives the design

Rainwater volume above everything: falls, gutters and outlets are sized for a monsoon that does not let up, then corrosion detailing for salt and humidity together.

Membrane

PVDF-lacquered PVC throughout, with stainless fixings as standard; PTFE-glass where the structure is permanent and exposed.