Ground gutters.

Ground gutter, Good Hope [c. 1760], Jamaica.

Ground gutter, New Seville [c. 1745], Jamaica.

I don't know if it's because it's raining buckets here everyday, but ground gutters seem to be cropping up a lot in my explorations around Jamaica. It makes sense - get the water to the ground and away from the building as fast as possible. The ground gutters only work, though, if they have eaves or scuppers that throw the water into the gutter - and there seem to be a wide variety of eave depths here in Jamaica, ranging from extremely deep [8' or so over a porch] to almost nonexistent. It would be interesting to tie in the eave depths to specific [ie conscious] strategies for water and sun mediation.

It's on my list of things to do to look into the annual rainfall here in Jamaica; I know the hurricane season is upon us, but how does the rainfall occur over the course of the year? Understanding this will give clues as to why these gutters were set up this way, and could shed light on cistern sizes, when and how cisterns were used, if other water sources were needed, etc. Maybe others have already determined these things, but I've been gradually coming to this as a trajectory in this research - combining field observation and sketching with quantifiable data. In other words, what does the carrying capacity of a cistern against the annual rainfall patterns tell us about how people utilized and sourced water [and perhaps still may utilize and source water]? And further, how could that combination of information inform design strategies in the post-MEP world? 

Side note: I'm trying to come up with a better term than "post-MEP" - what I mean by that term is "the world after air conditioning, mechanical systems, electricity, or electrically assisted running water." I tried "post mechanical," but that leaves out amazing mechanical strategies like the 18th century water mill here in Falmouth. And I tried "post grid-tied," but that also narrows the definition of "grid," assuming an electrical grid, and nosing out complex grid systems like the Inkas' pan-mountain urban planning strategies I saw in Peru. And finally, I've tried "post-HVAC," but that's too narrow too. So, I guess I'll keep thinking on that one. 

In any case, it's finally stopped raining [for now], and I'm being serenaded to sleep by the tree frogs and reggae music from Club Nazz next door.