The main pushes in understanding climate and model it come from the need of weather forecast, for hundred of applications, from agriculture and hydrologic risk management to air transportation safety. Recently, the risks related to climate change and its effects gave a special impulse in modeling long term climate evolutions. If you want to deepen what climate is, how the sun and the complex interaction between water (hydrosphere + cryosphere), the earth crust (lithosphere) and its atmosphere works, at a local as well as a global level, you can refer to some basic refs \cite{wikipedia}\cite{oke1987}\cite{mcilveen2010}.
Our point of view is particular. We deal with architecture and its design.
In any cases, since the most diffused Climate classification is not building-related, we start from it. 

Climate classifications

Before Köppen

The analysis of climate patterns started mainly for the study of biological life, with a main interest in understanding how to support agriculture and develop crop production. The first maps of climates come in the 19th century, thanks to Augustin Pyramus de Candolle, a Swiss botanist, who is considered the father of phytogeography. Just remember that the "inventor" of isotherm mapping is Alexander von Humboldt, well known explorer, scientist and biologist.