SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT

Energy Efficient Buildings:

A Comprehensive and Integrated Design Approach
Priya Choudhary, Madhura Rathod and Sonal Fuke

A perspective towards adopting in integrated approach for environmental conscious design

PREAMBLE
Since prehistory, man, unlike any other animal made the environment adapt to suit to his needs. Mans increasing needs made him invent new things and led to new discoveries. After Industrial Revolution, progress caught speed, our needs increased leading to increased industrial production and it did not strike us that whatever earth has to offer, will finish, if all used up. These are the non renewable resources.

When we talk about man and his basic needs, we often mention food, clothing and shelter. Here we fail to remember the element air. Air that we breathe, is getting polluted badly by the gases that are released by the factories. The industry emitted gases not only spoil the air, but also forms an impenetrable envelope around the earth. The rays of the sun that reach earth everyday do not get reflected back as they should, nor did a couple of centuries

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ago. As a result, the temperature of earth is on the rise what we call today as Global Warming. Global warming, gives rise to many complicated issues such as melting of the polar caps, the rise of sea water level, extinction of several species, increased vectors for new infections, etc. In other words, it leads to imbalance of the ecology. It is the responsibility of every single human being to contribute at the individual level, for their own future generations. Saving energy, using biodegradable material in everyday life could be a simple but very important contribution by an individual regarding this issue. We as architects also need to understand the urgency of the issue and develop methods to contribute towards saving the environment through our professional practice. In this paper the focus is on the relationship of buildings and global warming, and the possible means and methods of conveying the responsibility of an architect towards our environment through architectural education.

Source: Earth and Space research organization. The CO2 concentrations are recorded in the Law dome (Antarctic) ice core and at the Mauna Loa monitoring station in Hawaii (1999).

1. ENERGY AND BUILDINGS

1.1 RELATION OF RISE IN CO2 LEVELS AND TEMPERATURES From the figure above it is evident that there is significant rise in the CO2 levels accompanied by the rise in temperatures and the rise is drastic in the last 100 years. The figure shows that architecture or building industry consumes about 48% of the energy which includes operational and embodied energy, and 46% of CO2 emissions by building industry. Thus we the designers have a huge role in contributing towards the issue. Edward Mazria, a US based architect mentions that Rather than depending solely on technology to bring down building energy use, Mazria believes design strategies concerned with siting,

World Energy Consumption, Source:RSA journal,october1994;available at www.rsg.org.uk/index.asp

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fenestration, and material selection can go a long way toward energy efficiency.

2. CONCERNS FOR ARCHITECTS

The issue of energy crisis and sustainability approach to deal it is wide encompassing all walks of life. But certainBuilding plan and view of Bidani House, ly, we the designers all Faridabad. Zone:Composite various kinds of physical environs have a major role to play. There is already a good load due to extensive use of glass. amount of discussion and emphasis by Naturally the energy saved by day lightarchitectural fraternity to environmen- ing will be much smaller component to tal concerns. Yet, there is certainly a added energy use on air-conditioning. need to look at this issue from holistic This is happening mostly because of and realistic point of view. Nowadays it superficial understanding and westernhas become a marketing tool and most ized outlook that we all are adopting to of the time it is very superficial, deal with this issue. We need to train presapplied approach to sustainability ent and future generations to look for which is evident and hence there is a more generic and inherent design soluneed to make future architects under- tions for energy efficient buildings so that stand the real meaning of sustain- they are appropriate to the context. ability in architecture. An appropriate Energy efficiency and Sustainability decision-making process with inherent are well rooted in Indian traditional or inbuilt approach to human comfort architecture and Indian culture. Its not through built form design would always the use of hi-tech solutions always be sustainable. which will lead to energy efficiency but If we see the present scenario about if one while designing looks for context environmental concerns for architects specific solutions with emphasis on and designers, one thing that has decentralization, then the issue can be emerged are the various myths related to resolved quite easily. That means we the issue. For example , using solar cells is need to develop our own Indian stanthe best possible option for converting dards for designing and evaluation. solar energy to electrical energy. There Though the rating systems such as TERI are certainly better options such as solar GRIHA and regulations such as ECBC are bowl or using geothermal energy. being devised, the basis to all that is Secondly, most of the time the approach still not very indigenous. by designers is very fragmented and they Third major concern for us is the prihardly think about implications of one oritization process that we need to decision on other aspect of energy effi- adopt while taking design decisions. ciency. Use of glass will certainly be help- Everything cannot be achieved and ful in reducing energy use for lighting but hence we need to trade off between what about increase in air-conditioning decisions by taking into consideration,
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the importance of one decision in terms of affecting energy efficiency visa-a-vis other decisions. Thus there is a need to device and adopt an integrated approach for achieving energy efficiency in buildings.

3. INTEGRATED APPROACH FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN BUILDINGS

As a result the architects must seek opportunities to excel the design of a building to participate fully in the design and the development of larger environments. Sanoff says (1992), our environments are designed by a few and affects many. The approach towards sustainable architectural design helps to establish positive and appropriate contributions to social environment. It has small ecological footprints and the energy efficiency in buildings is affected by decisions to be taken at all the stages mentioned below: 1. Design, 2. Construction (materials and techniques), 3. Maintenance and management. 3.1 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY: Design is all about optimum resource usage. Sustainability need not have some extra efforts to be put in but it has to be

intrinsic in designs. Solar radiation and wind are two important aspects that could be favorable or unfavorable with respect to the context. These are the aspects that can be taken care of by appropriate orientation 3.1.1 Orientation: The most significant design consideration is the placement of the building with regard to the solar radiation and wind. In customarily cold regions, buildings should be oriented to maximize solar gain; the reverse is advisable for hot regions. In regions where seasonal changes are distinct, both the situations may arise sporadically. For a cold climate, an orientation slightly east of south is favoured (15 degree east of south), as this exposes the unit to more morning than afternoon sun and enables the house to begin to heat during the day. This can be noticed in Bidani House at Faridabad (Refer Fig.3 ) where the climate is composite in nature. The form corresponds to the climate of site and maximizes heat loss in summer and heat gain during winter. The design shows maximum exposure to south east of living spaces and buffer spaces on the south west to eliminate heat gains during summer. Wind can be advantageous or objectionable. Quite frequently, compromise is required between sun and wind orientations with careful design. Shading and reflecting devices can be incorporated to rule out the sun or redirect it into the building, just as wind can be diverted or directed to the extent desired. 3.1.2 Built form: The volume of space inside a building that needs to be heated or cooled and its relationship with the area of the envelope enclosing the volume affect the thermal performance of the building. This parameter called as the Surface Area /Floor Area ratio is determined by the building form.
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American Institute of Indian Studies, GurgaonZone:Composite, The walls are angled at 45 degrees to the site boundary, which allows N/S orientation for the walls thus reducing heat gain through windows.

Fig:3 Sections of Bidani House, Faridabad. During summer and winter respectively.

Fig: 4 Perimeter to Area ratio

Comparing the heat gain and SA/FA , Surface area to floor area for different configuration with increasing number of storey.

For any given building volume, more compact shape, is less wasteful in gaining/ losing heat. Hence, in hot and dry regions and cold climates, buildings are compact in form with a low Surface/ Volume ratio to reduce heat gain and losses, respectively. Also, the building form determines the airflow pattern around the building, directly affecting its ventilation. The depth of a building also determines the requirements for artificial lighting. Greater the depth, higher the need for artificial lighting. Perimeter/Area indicates Radiative gains or losses and efficient ventilation. Low P/A ratios are suitable for hot-dry climates. Plan form, which enhances ventilation, is not an important issue in hot-dry climates, as the breeze is often warm. The P/A ratios for various shapes are shown in the adjacent figure . 3.1.4 Effect of size and shape of building The heat gains calculated for 4mx4m to 64mx64m configuration sizes and with 5 percent fenestration have been presented in a graphical manner for single and multi-storied buildings. The curves of
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heat gain and SA/FA for the configurations are found to be exactly equivalent to each otherwise show that SA to FA ratio for a given building is a good index for arbitrate its thermal performance. The SA/FA ratio decreases rapidly with the increase in the perimeter of configuration and tends to become almost constant after 28mX28m and heat gain curves also follow the same prototype. Refer adja-

cent figure.Thus while playing with the three dimensional forms the designer can surely evaluate the options with regard to the SA/FA ratio and the P/A ratio to understand the implications of chosen built form on heat gain. In case of design of Office building of the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency, Kolkata. (Zone: warm and humid) as shown in the figure below, one can observe how the design decisions affect energy efficiency of the building. The building plan has been envisaged to be rectangular facing east and west to reduce heat gain. The areas which are not frequently under use like store, toilet and staircase are located on east and west to act as buffer against direct solar heat. The air conditioned areas are planned towards north of the building. The ground towards east and west are designed to cover with grass or water to minimize heat gain from surrounding. Non air conditioned areas are composed on the south to take advantage of the prevailing wind during hot and humid period. Southern face of the wall is protected by overhangs. The water body is placed towards south, to best utilize the

Office building of the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency, Kolkata.

Plan and sketches of concept evolution of building design.

amount of energy embodied in the structure of a building. True low energy building design will consider this important aspect and take a broader life cycle approach to energy assessment. Merely looking at the energy used to operate the building is not really acceptable. Operational energy consumption is dependent on the occupants. Embodied energy is not occupant dependent - the energy is built into the materials. Embodied energy content is incurred once (apart from maintenance and renovation) whereas operational energy accumulates over time and can be influenced throughout the life of the building. 3.2.1 Building materials and the environmental impacts The materials we use to build our homes have many unseenadverse environmental impacts. A building industry that depends on diminishing resources will ultimately become more costly as the resources will continue to be depleted, and would pose a negative environmental impact. The building industry in the future needs a decision system for selecting environmentally responsible materials and construction technology. The underlining principle assumes that at all stages in the life of the material, right from the raw material extraction, manufacture and transportation to the installation, operation, maintenance and the recycling and waste managementcause, some degree of environmental impact needs to be evaluated. The elements affecting the performance of a building envelope are: Sustainably managed materials Structural elements Fenestration and Shading Finishes The building envelope, structure and services contribute fairly equally and account for about three-quarters of total initial embodied energy. The finJune 2009 ARCHITECTURE - Time Space & People 41

prevailing south breeze. It has in turn uplifted the aesthetic value of the design concept. The south breeze blowing over the water body gets trapped at the bottom of the building and the same is vented through the building with suitable cut outs, ventilators, windows, so that the cool south breeze can blow up to the deepest portion of the building . Space planning, landscaping, ventilation, day lighting strategies, insulation, glazing system, use of renewable energy system are the important parameters that are well integrated together so as to produce an energy efficient building . Thus in brief, we as a designer should be conscious enough to handle the issue of energy efficiency in every design we proceed with. We should try to incorporate as much approaches as possible to generate energy efficient building. However, Sustainability need not have some extra efforts to be put in but it has to be intrinsic in design. Buildings consume energy for heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, equipment and appliances. This is the Operational Energy. And this type of energy requirements is greatly affected by appropriate design considerations. The other type of energy is - Embodied energy.

Embodied energy is the energy consumed by all of the processes associated with the production of a building, from the acquisition of natural resources to product delivery. This includes the mining and manufacturing of materials and equipment, the transport of the materials and the administrative functions. Embodied energy is a significant component of the lifecycle of a building. Every building is a complex combination of many processed materials, each of which contributes to the buildings total embodied energy. Renovation and maintenance also add to the embodied energy over a buildings life. 3.2 MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY It was thought until recently that the embodied energy content of a building was small compared to the energy used in operating the building over its life. Most effort was therefore put into reducing operating energy by improving the energy efficiency of the building envelope. Research has shown that this is not always the case. Embodied energy can be the equivalent of many years of operational energy. Choices of materials and construction methods can significantly change the

Average Total Embodied Energy 4.82 GJ/m2

ishes, which represent only 13% of the embodied energy initially, typically account for the highest increase in recurring embodied energy. Embodied energy may not be significantly different between building systems (e.g., wood versus steel versus concrete), however, the environmental impacts associated with one material versus another can be dramatically different. Structural- 25% of the total initial embodied energy (Mj/m3) Aggregate Stone (local) Concrete block Concrete precast Brick Steel recycled Steel 251200 150 2030 3180 2780 5170 37210 251200

3.2.2 Achieving Energy efficiency in buildings through materials and construction techniques Energy efficiency can be achieved by taking the appropriate design decisions at various levels of the design problem starting from the site planning and zoning level to the orientation of the building, to the use of construction materials and techniques Non Structural- envelope, finishes, construction; Energy in (Mj/m3)

adapted, to the provision of heating and cooling systems matter as far as consumption of energy is concerned. Eco friendliness is not an added on feature but an inherent quality of the building and it can be achieved with different solutions for various typologies of the buildings, may it be a low rise urban building or a high rise high technical urban building. The solutions will change per the context, and the requirement. Thus ecofriendliness cannot be a standardized solution. Not all aspects of sustainability can be achieved at the same time. Evaluation must be done as to what matters most in that situation and design decisions must be made as per the context, site, and typology of the building. In architecture, aesthetics and form of the building is always at the forefront, but consciousness and awareness of the difference that the building can make at a global level if it is energy efficient will help the architect approach the design problem in a more efficient way. External wall is left without any treatment. Insulation layer on domes is with broken fire bricks and other locally available materials. Outdoor paving is done with terracotta tiles, cudappah stones and granite slabs. CASE STUDY: 3.2.3 AUROVILLE VISITORS CENTRE Materials ~ Structural elements ~ Fenestration and shading devices~ finishes The Auroville building centre is a research cum training organization in appropriate building technology. The building material used here is manufactured locally using a manual press. The soil used is excavated on site and the resulting ditch is used as waste recycling pond.

Gypsum wallboard 5890 Particle board 4400 Recycled aluminium 21870 Plywood 5720 PVC 93620 Copper 631164 Aluminium 515700 Zinc 371280 Brass 519560 Paint 117500 Glass 37550 Carpet 84900 Source: http://www.architecture2030.org/regional_solutions/materials.html
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3.2.4 Laurie Bakers approach Use of sustainable materials As a design For the structure For energy efficiency STRUCTURAL SYSTEM FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY: 1. Extensive use of locally available material. 2. Jaalis as a cavity wall for thermal insulation 3. Openings spanned by locally made brick arches. 4. Use of jaalis instead of windows. 5. Minimal use of RCC.

building, but also reduces the operational cost required to cool and illuminate the internal spaces SUSTAINABLE DESIGN: Innovative patterns of jaali designs impart a peculiar character to Laurie Bakers design.

1. Openings are spanned by arches in compressed earth blocks. 2. All pillars, arches and walls are in compressed earth blocks, which are cement stabilized with 4-5% cement content as required. 3. RCC is avoided as far as possible. The modular grid has reduced the structural costs significantly and construction has been simplified.

Creative use of broken terracotta or ceramic tiles, and reuse of waste materials such as bottles, etc. is predominantly seen in the designs. 3.2.5 ECO FRIENDLY TALL BUILDINGS Ken Yeang is a pioneer in the passive lowenergy design of skyscrapers, what he has called bioclimatic design. Yeang has spent his career refuting the conventional wisdom that tall buildings are inherently destructive to the environment. His bioclimatic techniques, include vertical landscaping, external louvers to reduce solar heat gain, extensive natural ventilation and lighting, and an active Intelligent Building system for automated energy savings.

Use of jaalis as a design element and as a means of ventilation and indirect light. Use of such jaalis not only reduces embodied energy of the

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Less energy intensive construction techniques Maintenance: waste water recycling, solid waste management, use of Renewable energy as against electricity, adaptability, flexibility to changes. Rainwater harvesting, recycling systems, self sufficient sewage disposal systems are also a part of Ken Yeangs design. 1. Cover against hot Sun, 2. Retractable and movable shading device 3. Intermediate landscape as windbreakers 4. Generation of form responsive to the climate 5. Meaningful cladding, not just an added on aesthetic element. The project: Green Architecture, office building at MIHAN 2007 Sustainability: An Inherent Approach For Evolution Of Built Form It is a building for Maharashtra Airports Development Company, which is a implementation agency for MIHAN(Multi Modal International Hub Airport) at Nagpur. The project, MIHAN is expected to generate tremendous potential for development of Nagpur which may change the face of Nagpur. The building of MADC is the first one to come in MIHAN and its architecture no doubt will start a trend to be followed by others. Though it is a small building as far as built up area is concerned but it is very essential to generate an appropriate vocabulary through its design. 4.1 THE PROCESS: Stage I: Interaction with the client The students were taken to the MADC office and the site of MIHAN to acquaint with the project MIHAN, the role of MADC in its implementation and the site allocated to MADC building. Stage II: study 1. Understanding of Green Architecture 2. Levels at which concept of Green can be incorporated: Design: Through built form, orientation, site planning, landscaping, design of openings, passive cooling techniques. Construction: materials and technology Eco-friendly materials: recyclable, reusable with less embodied heat Stage III: Evolution of Built form through Model making and assigning a north, scale to model

Here, again the specific process of microclimate analysis; advised by Centre for Environmental Studies, Bharti Vidyapeeth, Pune has been adopted. With the designed model, students evaluated w.r.t. sun and wind; modified the model as per analysis and again evaluated. This iterative comparative evaluative process was continued till the satisfactory form was achieved.

To inculcate these values of energy efficiency in future generation of architects, a design approach adopted to achieve it is discussed here.
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Documentation of shadows Modifications Final built form

Stage IV: Site analysis and understanding the user

Stage VI: Material and techniques, design of openings, formulation of architectural vocabulary, services: The design project with the adopted methodology has made students aware and conscious about the following facts : The sustainability approach in evolution of built form has to be inherent aspect of decision making. As far as energy efficiency in built environment is concerned; the solutions are always simple and simple solutions are more effective than the applied, superficial and hi-tech approach. A comparative evaluative approach

is what is required for arriving at ultimate solution. Such projects and the process aim at developing a sense of social, moral and ethical responsibility amongst students towards their designs.
SUMMARY

It is important to note that eco friendly architecture does not mean compromise on modernization, development, aesthetics, convenience or growth. Eco friendly architecture does not mean only use of mud and other local materials or vernacular architecture.

Site zoning, site development Its impact on built form: change and modification Detailed design programme Defining service area and served area Design of service core Modifications to built-form

Stage V: Detailed design of floors Floor plans, sections and Modifications to built form.
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Eco friendliness is not an added on feature but an inherent quality of the building. Design decisions made at various levels starting from site planning and zoning level to the orientation of the building to the use of construction materials and techniques, to the provision of heating and cooling systems matter as far as consumption of energy is concerned. Thus an integrated design approach is necessary rather than compartmentalized approach.

5. Dr. Srla Sahu(Nov2006) , Solar Heat Gain to Buildings,A+D 6. Vikki Miller, Buildings (2006) issue 44. 7. Edward Mazria (Feburary 2004), Architecture week 8. http://www.architecture2030.org/ regional_solutions/materials.html 9. Design studio work of eight semester(2006-07) of Smt.M.M.College of Architecture,Nagpur. 10. Sustainable Building Design Manual Vol-1(2004), The Energy and Resources Institute,New Delhi,India. 11. Sustainable Building Design Manual Vol-2(2004),The Energy and Resources Institute,New Delhi,India. 12. Raven and Berg(2004), Environment Hermitage Publishing Services.

13. Christian Schittich(2003), Solar Architecture, publishers for Architecture Baasel, Switzerland 14. Paola Sassi(2006), Strategies for sustainable Architecture, Taylor and Francis. This paper is based on the work done by students of M.Arch.(Architecture Education) for an elective, Environmental Issues in Architecture at Smt. Manoramabai Mundle College of Architecture, Nagpur.

REFERENCES
1. Mujumdar Mili(2001), Energy Efficient Buildings in India TERI,New Delhi. 2. Yeang Ken (1948), The Green Skyscraper,Prestel 3. Yeang Ken(2001), The Ecology of the Sky,The Images Publishing GroupPvt.Ltd. 4. Gautam Bhatia(1994),Laurie BakerWorks,life and writings,Penguin books.

Priya Choudhary is an architect, planner and Asstt. Professor at Smt. Manoramabai Mundle College of Architecture, Nagpur and Madhura Rathod is an architect and lecturer at Smt. Manoramabai Mundle College of Architecture, Nagpur and Sonal Fuke is an architect and visiting faculty at Smt. Manoramabai Mundle College of Architecture, Nagpur Photographs: Courtesy the Authors.

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