Source: http://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design/passive-cooling
Are you designing or building a house soon? If you live in a hot, humid, tropical climate, you seriously need to incorporate passive cooling design principles.
This resource from the Australian Government will help you in doing this.
Here's an example of the numerous design guidelines from the article:
Design responses consider shading, air movement, insulation and construction methods.
Shading
- Permanently shade all walls and windows to exclude solar access and rain.
- Consider shading the whole building with a fly roof.
- Shade outdoor areas around the house with plantings and shade structures to lower the ground temperature and thence the temperature of incoming air.