Environmnet

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Our development plans should be based on the biological potentials and comfort zones that we infer from the local environmental factors.

The trade winds come in from the NE, jump over the cape and this causes some condensation above the hills to the West.

The warm, moist continental breezes come in from the SE and follow the straight openings caused by fault lines, out towards the NW, and to the sea.

Over the year, solar radiation has its peaks in April and August, followed by maximums in temperature, then in rainfall and wind.

The wind usually blows from the SE or NE and rarely from the West. So cross-ventilation will be planned along an East-West axis.

In the wet season, we can benefit from the low morning sun which comes from the East. On the other hand we want to shade the openings facing West.

This recap of the wind direction, frequency and strength, the moisture content, and the solar patterns, enables us to orient facades and size openings to best advantage.

Conditions on the site are drier and with better ventilation around december, whereas there is more heat and moisture towards the summer.

Surface runoff is reduced by evaporation and percolation according to slope, soil granularity, ground cover and heat load.

On the ridges the terrain is rockier as opposed to the hollows where soils accumulate and biological potential increases.

In response to this combination of physical factors on the site, a biological community develops which is calibrated to produce optimum biomass.

Shrubs and trees grow on the soil and support a diversified community of animal species. These in turn affect and control the physical factors.

We must maintain the high diversity of lesser animal species. The large herbivores enhance the vegetation. The top predators are felines, foxes and raptors.

Each level of the trophic pyramid is supported by the ones below, but also regulates them in a way that optimizes overall biomass.

A sparse human population has its traditional patterns of gathering, planting and building, which meshes closely with the natural habitat.

THe Puerto Frances Environment; Biological Factors.