Priyanka Kochhar, et. al.

International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications

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ISSN: 2248-9622, Vol. 12, Issue 9, September 2022, pp. 43-50

RESEARCH ARTICLE OPEN ACCESS

Case Studies on Green Institutional Buildings in India

Priyanka Kochhar*, Mandeep Singh**
*(PhD Scholar, Department of Architecture, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi
Email: [email protected])
** (Professor and former Head, Department of Architecture, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi
Email: [email protected])

ABSTRACT
Resource efficiency is a prerequisite to sustainability in the built environment. Various codes, standards,
manuals used by public agencies for design and execution of projects, and educational curriculum for graduate
studies require integration of green building principles. However, detailed case studies on prevalent building
envelope and energy system design strategies in the Indian context are required for education of students and
practitioners. This paper documents envelope and energy system details of three public sector institutional
buildings in the composite climate zone of India. Since these are government buildings, their environmental
performance has been evaluated using the GRIHA green building rating system. The information is published to
provide an education tool for various stakeholders.
Keywords - case studies, green building, GRIHA rating
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Date of Submission: 01-09-2022 Date of Acceptance: 12-09-2022
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architects may attempt to understand and advance
I. INTRODUCTION for their own academic or real-life projects. While
Detailed green building case studies serve several case study publications by the Central Public
as an important education tool for students and Works Department (CPWD) -an authority within the
practitioners, and allow for future project planning, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government
and data collection ahead of time. This paper of India, and GRIHA Council provide information
documents building envelope and energy system on the design approach, highlight overall strategies
design strategies implemented by three government for GRIHA compliance and provide guidance for
GRIHA rated institutional buildings in New Delhi. projects in India- detailed specifications, and
GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated examples to help learn and facilitate code
Habitat Assessment) rating framework is an compliance is not available. Popular media articles
evaluation tool for measuring and rating a building‟s repeatedly publish and highlight the same buildings,
environmental performance. It facilitates design and which accentuates the need to dissimilate
evaluates a project through its life cycle including information about green building projects that have
pre-construction, building planning and construction, not been documented so far.
and operation and maintenance stages. In addition to In this paper, project case studies include
reducing the greenhouse gas emissions from details include building specifications (building size,
buildings, GRIHA helps projects to optimise level of performance as per GRIHA rating, year of
electricity consumption while meeting comfort construction and occupancy, and cost of the project),
requirements, reduce dependence on fossil fuel- and green building features (architectural design,
based electricity and reduce stress on natural building materials (envelope and interiors), and
resources. Other benefits of GRIHA rated buildings building energy systems (visual, thermal, and other
include direct health benefits like reduced air and systems). All three projects are in the composite
water pollution. climate zone and provide useful insights into the
Green building case studies are prevalent sustainability linked practices in the Indian
instrumental in providing information for enhanced construction sector.
understanding, increasing the body of knowledge,
and disseminating information on design strategies II. METHODOLOGY
around resource efficiency in the built environment. To meet objectives of the paper, approach
They often outline new solutions to meet various towards case study selection, data collection, and
building and energy codes, which students and scope of research is provided below.

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Priyanka Kochhar, et. al. International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications
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ISSN: 2248-9622, Vol. 12, Issue 9, September 2022, pp. 43-50

Case study selection has been done on the basis such buildings as per categorisation in the CPWD1
that (i) the building area is more than 20,000sqm (ii) Maintenance Manual 2019. Since three out of four
projects are code compliant and have received shortlisted projects have been described, the paper
environmental clearance and GRIHA rating, (iii) provides useful insights into the prevalent envelope
located in composite climate zone, (iv) day use, and energy system linked strategies used to achieve
public sector, institutional projects, and (v) more resource efficiency in the buildings.
than 40% of occupied built up area is air Table 4.1 describes key information about these
conditioned. buildings. Subsequent sections describe the detailed
Four projects located in Delhi meet the above- building characteristics, level of GRIHA provisional
mentioned criteria, however data was available only rating, year in which the project was completed, and
for three shortlisted projects. total project costs incurred. To systematically
Data collection for selected buildings is based on: understand the case study buildings, their details
 Review of primary documents (for have been presented in two sections:
construction and operation) including (i) tendered  Building specifications: Explains the
Bill of Quantities (BOQ) issued by the government building‟s size, level of performance as per GRIHA
agency, (ii) final agreement between government rating, year of construction and occupancy.
agency and contractor, and (iii) final bill under  Green building features: Details the
agreement between contractor and government architectural design, building materials (envelope
agency. and interiors), and building energy systems (visual,
 Questionnaire based interviews conducted thermal, and other systems). This section also
with green building consultants and concerned provides information on compliance with various
government officials of each project. components of the Energy Conservation Building
Code (ECBC) 2007 namely, U value for wall
Broad categories for project data collection include: assembly, external window assembly and lighting
 General project details including cost power density.
 Envelope details
o Wall, fenestration, and roof Table 1: Key information about the case studies;
 Internal lighting Source: Compiled by Priyanka Kochhar
o Connected lighting load, type of lamp, Date
Buil Built-up Total Project Salient
Compl
fixtures, and ballasts, and lighting controls ding Area Cost
eted
Features
 Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning •GRIHA 5
o Total tonnage, HVAC design parameters, Star
type of HVAC system (provisional)
• Optimal
 Electrical system design North-South
o Total connected load, capacity of DG set, orientation
and building management system (BMS) • WWR=
17%
• Daylight
While several parameters contribute to achieving integration
Rs.199.88cr
resource efficiency in any given project, this study • Self-shading
31,400 (Rs.63,670/sq
focuses on documentation of active and passive • EPI:
m2 m)
39.29kWhr/m
design strategies that contribute to climate change Buil  G
2/annum
mitigation and adaptation. Other parameters ding +7  Civ 2014
• 930KWp
1 3 il:63.45cr
included in GRIHA rating towards sustainability but rooftop solar
basement (31.74%)
excluded for the purpose of this study are outdoor power plant
s Elec.:23.51cr
• Chilled
lighting, power related infrastructure (transformers (11.76%)
beams for air
etc.), renewable energy, landscape/ site works, water conditioning
saving measures during construction, water works • Geothermal
inside the building/plumbing, rainwater harvesting, heat exchange
system
and waste management. • LED
fixtures+
III. RESULTS/FINDINGS sensors
This section describes the three government • Robotic car
parking in
institutional projects in Delhi identified for detailed
case study for the purpose of this research. These
1
buildings represent „Normal Office‟ non-residential Central Public Works Department, Government of
India responsible for execution of public works for
Government of India

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Priyanka Kochhar, et. al. International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications
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ISSN: 2248-9622, Vol. 12, Issue 9, September 2022, pp. 43-50

basements The superstructure includes a committee

• Energy room, seven conference rooms, an auditorium with
saving
regenerative 125 seating capacity, a roof garden, gymnasium,
lifts yoga room for recreation, a cafeteria, kitchen, and
• Pervious executive dining hall. It also supports a roof top
paving solar power plant of 930kW capacity. The basement
• Flyash
based includes a fully automated robotic parking for 330
construction cars and services, including the air conditioning
material plant, electrical substation and transformers,
• GRIHA 4 firefighting pump house, sewage treatment plant,
Star
(provisional) diesel generator sets and uninterruptible power
• North-South source (UPS).
orientation With longer sides facing North and South,
• WWR= the front and rear blocks of the building are
23.5%
Rs.115cr • Daylight separated to create a large courtyard. The two blocks
(Rs. integration are connected at the 4th floor level with corridors.
45,761m2 25,130/sqm) • Strong There is a huge entrance atrium, with a clear height
Buil  G shading of four stories on the front block. The building has
ding +4  Civ 2015 strategy
2 1 il:100.6cr • EPI: large span trusses at the terrace, and space frame in
basement (87.47%) 59.06kWhr/m the central courtyard to support solar panels.
Elec.: 3.35cr 2/annum
(2.91%) • 5MWp solar
system on
campus
• CFL and T5
fixtures
• Flyash
based
material
• GRIHA 5
Star
(provisional)
• WWR=
35.4%
• Daylight
Rs.405cr integration Figure 1: building 1 image; source: Priyanka
(Rs. • EPI:
76,188m2 Kochhar, assisted by Kanika Trivedi
53,160/sqm) 43.5kWhr/m2
 G
Buil /annum
+5
ding  Civ 2017 • 202KWp 3.1.1 Building specifications
3
3 il: 137cr rooftop solar The fabric of the building was designed to be highly
basement
(33.82%) PV
s
Elec.: 66cr • LED
insulated, and the architectural design promoted
(16.29%) fixtures+ passive design. Narrow floor plates, connected by
sensors atriums and cut-outs, created an interconnected and
• Pervious open environment, provided deep natural light
paving
• Flyash
penetration, and enhanced natural ventilation by
based creating a stack effect. Fabric U-values (W/m2K)
material were as follows: Wall: 0.37; Window: 1.40; Roof:
0.26; and design airtightness was 5 m³/hr/m² @ 50
3.1 Building 1 Pa.
Building 1 is the office building for one of HVAC systems design
the Central Ministry, Government of India. The Heating was designed to be primarily provided by
eight-storey office building with three basements is heat pumps that can produce simultaneous heating
approximately 31,400 m2 and is in Jor Bagh, New and cooling and was distributed to the building via
Delhi. It is a new building completed in 2013, and heating and cooling buffer vessels. The heat pumps
occupied in 2014, designed primarily to house open- were also designed to satisfy the cooling needs of
plan offices with meeting rooms. Built at a cost of the IT server room. But the heat pumps only
approximately Rs. 200 crores, 64% of the super operated if there was a heating demand in the
structure is air conditioned and occupied by 600 building. In the absence of heat demand, a free
employees, including two Ministers. cooling chiller satisfied the cooling needs, via a
chilled water buffer vessel. When the amount of heat

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Priyanka Kochhar, et. al. International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications
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ISSN: 2248-9622, Vol. 12, Issue 9, September 2022, pp. 43-50

produced by the heat pumps was insufficient for the  Wood and PVC work for fenestrations
building heat load, in the event of low external All windows in the building are Un-plasticised Poly
temperatures, then the additional heat needed was to Vinyl Chloride (UPVC) windows with double
be provided by modular condensing gas-fired boilers glazed units. UPVC windows use recycled material,
which were designed to meet peak loads and give have low embodied energy, and low thermal
full back-up. When working in heat transfer mode, conductivity. The hermetically sealed double-glazed
the heat pumps had a maximum combined COP units (made of 6 mm thick outer toughened offline
(40% cooling / 60% heating) of 6.5. The energy coated advanced solar control and thermal insulation
efficiency ratio (EER) (cooling mode, full load) was glass + 12 mm dehumified air gap + inside 6 mm
2.75 and Heating COP (full load) was 2.31. The thick heat strengthened clear float glass) provide
boiler seasonal efficiency was 95.6%. high visual transmission and lower the heat gain.
There were two heating loops planned, one constant To meet the GRIHA rating requirement of heat load
temperature loop that ran at a fixed flow temperature reduction and achieve 40% energy savings, the U-
of 45°C and weather-compensated variable value of external window assembly is 1.5 W/m2K
temperature loop that ran at a maximum of 65°C (ECBC 2007 requirement: 3.3 W/m2K). The visual
during boost time. Underfloor radiant heating was light transmittance (VLT) is 0.59. With a Solar Heat
provided in circulation and communal areas and Gain Coefficient (SHGC) of 0.31 of double glazing
trench heaters supplied heating to all offices and and appropriate shading design, achieved SHGC of
meeting rooms. Cooling for space conditioning, only fenestration is 0.25.
provided for meeting rooms, was supplied by chilled  Roof
beams. The roof assembly in the building has been provided
Natural ventilation was the primary form of with a three-layer insulation system, bringing down
ventilation and was provided by vents which were the U-value of the assembly. After laying the
controlled via a BMS, based on CO2 concentration conventional brick koba treatment on the roof top,
and air temperature. A night-cooling strategy was the surface is subsequently covered with PUF (Poly
specified to keep the open-plan offices cool in Urethane Foam insulation) and heat reflective tiles.
summer. Manually openable vents were also A terrace garden to slow down run off, keep the
provided. Toilets and other enclosed occupied building cool and ameliorate the urban heat island
spaces had dedicated mechanical exhausts. effect is also provided on the 7th floor of the
3.1.2 Green features of the building building.
Building material Building energy systems
 Brick work for walls  Indoor lighting and control sensors
All the outer walls on Northern and Southern sides The lighting system of this building is designed with
of the building are double wall units with rockwool LEDs, T5 lamps and sensor controls, in such a way
insulation in between. The outer walls are made of that the Lighting Power Densities (LPDs) in all
AAC (Autoclaved Aerated Concrete) blocks and the spaces are much less than the benchmark values
inner walls with FaLG (Flyash Lime Gypsum) specified in ECBC 2007. Daylight sensors (lux level
bricks. 50mm thick rockwool insulation is provided sensors) are provided in all areas along the outer
between the outer and inner walls. building envelope where daylight is available most
The outer walls on Eastern and Western sides of the of the time. Occupancy (motion) sensors are used in
building (where most of the non-occupied spaces all areas located away from the outer building
and select offices are located as thermal buffer) are envelope, where natural daylight is not available. All
made of single walls with rockwool insulation on the the workstations and toilets in the building are with
inner side, covered with gypsum board. occupancy sensors with turnoff time of 5 minutes in
All other outer wall facing the internal courtyard are steps of 1 minute, covering a functional radius of 6m
single walls with AAC blocks to provide better for each sensor.
thermal insulation. The internal walls and those Luminous efficacy of each type of LED lamp fixture
around the service shafts are provided with FaLG used is varying from 50 to 87 lm/W against the
bricks to ensure adequate fixity for doors, windows, GRIHA benchmark of 50 lm/W and that of T 5
and service lines. lamps is 57 to 85 lm/W.
The entire vertical building envelope is thermally  HVAC
insulated, and all filler walls are fly ash based. The 64% of the building superstructure is air conditioned
U -value of wall assembly of the insulated building and designed for both cooling and heating. The air
envelope is 0.37 W/m2K (ECBC 2007 requirement: conditioning load is estimated to be 400 TR for
0.44 W/m2K). which two water cooled screw chillers (1 working +
1 standby) of 240 TR each and one 200 TR water

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screw chiller have been installed for chilled beam multi-storey (B+G+5) building is a composite
system. structure of RCC and structural steel. It comprises
The chilled beam system is designed to heat or cool lecture halls with 500, 300, 150, 60 and 30 seating
large buildings where pipes of water are passed capacities, laboratories for physics, chemistry,
through a “beam” (i.e. heat exchanger) suspended a biology, applied mechanical, computers, humanities,
short distance from the ceiling of a room. As the and design studio along with an auditorium with 500
beam chills the air around it, the air becomes dense seats, and conference rooms. The building is divided
and falls to the floor. It is replaced by warmer air in 5 blocks, A, B, C,D & E by construction/ seismic
moving up from below, causing a constant flow of expansion joints and has been designed to
convection and cooling the room. Heating also accommodate all undergraduate and post graduate
works similarly. students.
This is the first time that chilled beam air
conditioning is provided in any government building
in India. The technique has lower operating costs, is
noiseless, requires reduced air distribution duct
networks and less ceiling space as compared to
forced air HVAC systems that lead to less building
height.
The vertical closed loop system of geo-thermal heat
exchange has been used to bring about load
reduction on the HVAC system. The geothermal
cooling system utilises the advantage of difference
between ambient temperature and the temperature
below ground level. It is a vertical loop system with Figure 2: building 2 image; source: Priyanka
a network of 32mm diameter HDPE (high-density Kochhar, assisted by Kanika Trivedi
polyethylene) U-loops lowered into 180 bores (80 m
deep) spread along the building premises, resulting The whole building is on raft foundation of
in reduction of 160TR load on cooling tower with RCC and designed as compact building to save
subsequent reduction in use of water. energy. It is centrally air conditioned and meets
This technique has been adopted for the first time in GRIHA 4 Star compliance on energy and other
a government building in India. standards. Select features of the building are as
 Electrical follows:
The total electrical load of the building is 830kW.  RCC framed structure with shear walls
There are two 1000KVA dry type transformers and  Cavity walls and double-glazed glass
one step up dry type transformer of capacity 1250  Aluminium doors and windows
KVA provided to supply power from solar panels to  External dry cladding in sandstone
NDMC2 grid to make it net zero building.  Fire resistant structural glazing and
Two 500 kVA, 415 volts, 50Hz, radiator cooled aluminium composite panel
diesel generator sets for emergency power are  Vitrified tile in labs, kota stone in corridor
provided. Further, UPS power has been provided to and granite in foyer
support critical service such as emergency lighting,  Acoustic treatment of lecture halls
power points for workstations, security system and  Fire alarms, sprinklers, and wet risers
building automation system and NIC server room.  Adequate number of lifts in three blocks
Three 120kVA in parallel and one 60kVA UPS have  Centrally air-conditioned classrooms and
been provided for server equipment. labs
An integrated building management system to  Smart classrooms with projectors and audio
control and monitor the building‟s mechanical and video facilities
electrical equipment such as HVAC, power system, Block A comprising central foyer and entry area has
lift, indoor air quality etc has also been provided. a double height (10.75m) opening. This block is
circular in shape and the RCC structure has circular
3.2 Building 2 beams that are curved in plan along with circular
Building 2 is an important building in an columns (10.75m height).
autonomous public research and engineering Block B is circular in shape and comprises the
institute located in Hauz Khas in South Delhi. The lecture halls. Due to the long spans of lecture halls
(24.3mx21.15m), structural steel plate girders that
2 rest on shear walls have been provided. Built up
New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is the
municipal council of the city of New Delhi. sections of structural steel are used as primary and

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ISSN: 2248-9622, Vol. 12, Issue 9, September 2022, pp. 43-50

secondary (beams) members. Primary members brick clad with thick stone on the external side and
(plate girders) are supported by RCC shear walls. It plaster on the internal side, resulting in U -value of
consists of 3 lecture halls of 300 capacity on the 0.766 W/m2K (ECBC 2007 requirement: 0.44
ground floor, 4 lecture theatres of 150 capacity and W/m2K).
student lounge on the first floor, 4 lecture theatres of  Wood and PVC work for fenestrations
150 capacity and student lounge on the second floor, 24 mm thick double glazed hermetically sealed
4 lecture theatres of 150 capacity and 3 classrooms windows are provided in the Northwest/ Southwest
of 60 capacity on the third floor, and 9 classrooms of sides of the building. Sun louvers are also provided
60 capacity and 9 classrooms with 30 people to reduce the cooling load. Glazing U-value for air-
capacity on the fourth floor. conditioned area: 1.9 W/m2 °K and for common/
Block C is the laboratory block which is an RCC non-air-conditioned area is 5 W/m2 °K. Glazing
structure in rectangular shape (45.08mx17.65m). Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) for air-
The height of each floor is 4.2m, where the main conditioned area is 0.28 and for common/ non air-
structural members are beams and columns. There conditioned area is 0.43. Glazing Solar Coefficient
are 5 laboratories on each floor. for conditioned area is 0.32 and that for
Block D has a composite structure of structural steel common/non-conditioned area is 0.49. the total
and RCC. Due to the long span (42.04mx20.74m), window to wall ratio is 23.5%. To meet the GRIHA
height (8.54m) and circular shaped auditoriums, rating requirement the visual light transmittance
built up sections of structural steel have been (VLT) is 0.39.
provided as primary and secondary members. Plate  Roof
girders are supported by shear walls. It comprises an The roof assembly has been provided with
auditorium of 500 capacity on the ground floor (up reinforced cement concrete slab, with 50mm fibre
to mezzanine floor roof slab), an auditorium of 500 glass wool insulation and 150mm brick coba.
capacity on first floor (up to second floor roof slab) Building energy systems
and 2 laboratories on the third floor.  Indoor lighting and control sensors
Block E consists of ramp area in between C&B The lighting system of this building is designed with
blocks and B&D blocks. T5 lamps with electronic ballasts and CFLs to
achieve Lighting Power Density (LPD) of 1.5 W/ ft2
3.2.1 Building specifications for Lecture Theatre/Classroom; 1.0 W/ ft2 for
Built on a 19,690sq m site inside the 320 acres Equipment Room and 0.5 W/ ft2 for Miscellaneous
campus, the building has been designed to Areas and meet ECBC 2007 recommended levels in
accommodate a floating occupancy of 2200 students all spaces.
and faculty. It has a total built up area of 45,761sqm  HVAC
out of which about 40% is air conditioned. Building 40% of the building superstructure is air conditioned
envelope U-values (W/m2K) were as follows: Wall and designed for central cooling. The air
(thick stone cladding+230mm flyash brick+115mm conditioning load is estimated to be 550 TR for
flyash brick+plaster): 0.766; Window (i.e. glazing in which 3x275 TR variable air volume with water loop
air conditioned area): 1.9 with VLT of 0.39 and chiller system (2 working+1 standby) have been
SHGC of 0.28; Roof assembly (RCC slab with installed.
50mm fibre glass wool +150mm brick coba): 0.596.  Electrical
The building design ensures daylight to 51.6% of The total electrical load of the building is 1271kW.
occupied areas and artificial lighting is provided Two diesel generator sets (500kVA+750kVA) are
using T5 lamps with electronic ballasts and CFLs. used for emergency purposes or during power
The LPD achieved is better than ECBC failure.
requirements. The HVAC systems have been There are three 2000KVA dry type transformer and
designed to maintain a room temperature of 24 ± one 1000kVAtransformers provided on site.
1°C. The total cooling load is 550TR, where 3x275 Further, UPS power (100kVA) and integrated
TR variable air volume with water loop chiller building management system has been provided.
system (2 working+1 standby) have been used. The
total load of electrical systems is 1271kW, and an 3.3 Building 3
integrated building management system is also Building 3 is an Indian public sector banking and
provided. financial service company, with its headquarters in
3.2.2 Green features of the building New Delhi, India. It is a Public Sector Undertaking
Building material (PSU) working under Central Government of India
 Brick work for walls regulated by Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 and
The outer walls of the building comprise a cavity Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
wall made of 230mmflyash brick and 115mm flyash

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ISSN: 2248-9622, Vol. 12, Issue 9, September 2022, pp. 43-50

0.22 of double glazing and appropriate shading

design, achieved SHGC of fenestration is 0.23.
 Roof
The building has a unique roof design. The roof
plane is broken into four panels, comprising two
lower side panels that reflect the slightly tilted
geometry of the building plan below, and two raised
panels that cover the atrium.
The roof assembly has been provided with 250mm
reinforced cement concrete slab, with 75mm XPS
Figure 3: building 3 image; Source: Priyanka
insulation and tiles finish.
Kochhar, assisted by Kanika Trivedi
Building energy systems
3.3.1 Building specifications
 Indoor lighting and control sensors
Built on a plot size of approximately
The lighting system of this building is designed with
5acres, the office has been designed for about 1650
LEDs and sensor controls, to achieve Lighting
employees, covering a built-up area of 76,188m2
Power Density (LPD) of 0.60W/ft2 for office floors
across six floors and three basements. About 70% of
and meet ECBC 2007 recommended levels in all
the superstructure is air conditioned. While it was
spaces. Daylight sensors (lux level sensors) and
designed as a net-zero building, the final project has
occupancy (motion) sensors have been installed in
received GRIHA 5 Star (provisional) rating.
the building.
The building is composed around the central axis
that emerges from the metro station through the park  HVAC
into the centre of the site. Bridged floors across the 69% of the building superstructure is air conditioned
axis are created at ground and top levels for and designed for central cooling. The air
corporate floor, café, and multipurpose halls. The conditioning load is estimated to be 660 TR for
opening up of the entire centre of the building breaks which three water cooled chillers (2 working + 1
down the scale of the large building into smaller standby) of 375 TR each and one 100 TR chiller
elements. There is a six-storey high circular glazed have been installed.
cylinder at the end of the axis that accommodates the  Electrical
building gallery, VIP lounges and special conference The total electrical load of the building is 2195kW.
rooms. Opening of the centre creates a strong Electricity is sourced from BSES Rajdhani Power
venturi effect that draws the south-west winds into Limited3. Diesel generator sets are used for
the atrium, making natural cooling effective for emergency purposes or during power failure.
several months through the year. 200kWp solar rooftop plant has also been installed.
There are three 1000KVA dry type transformer and
3.3.2 Green features of the building four DG sets with rating 2x1000kVA (gas based),
Building material 500kVA (diesel based) and 380kVA (diesel based)
 Brick work for walls capacity.
The outer walls of the building are double wall units Further, UPS power has been provided to support
with extruded polystyrene as insulation in between. critical service such as emergency lighting, power
The outer walls are made of 200mm AAC points for workstations, security system and building
(Autoclaved Aerated Concrete) block and the inner automation system and server room.
walls of 100mm AAC block. 30mm extruded An integrated building management system to
polystyrene is provided between the outer and inner control and monitor the building‟s mechanical and
walls, resulting in U -value of 0.39 W/m2K (ECBC electrical equipment such as AHUs, TFAs, chillers
2007 requirement: 0.44 W/m2K). and electrical system has also been provided.
 Wood and PVC work for fenestrations
3.4 Summary of Case Studies
All windows in the building are Un-plasticised Poly
3.4.1 Building Envelope
Vinyl Chloride (UPVC) windows with double
A summary of building envelope specifications of
glazed units.
the three case study buildings is provided below:
To meet the GRIHA rating requirement of heat load
reduction, the U-value of external window assembly
is 1.48 W/m2K (ECBC 2007 requirement: 3.3
W/m2K). The visual light transmittance (VLT) is
0.49. With a Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) of 3
A Joint Venture of Reliance Infrastructure Ltd. &
Govt. of National Capital Territory of Delhi.

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Priyanka Kochhar, et. al. International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications
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ISSN: 2248-9622, Vol. 12, Issue 9, September 2022, pp. 43-50

Table 2: Case study building envelope compliance with relevant section of the ECBC
specifications; Source: Compiled by Priyanka including U-values for external wall and window
Kochhar assemblies, and lighting power densities.
In summary, the research paper documents
three building case studies to achieve the following
objectives:
• Provide an education tool for students and
practitioners, and
• Showcase envelope and energy system
details, vis a vis compliance with ECBC, building
performance and level of GRIHA rating.

3.4.2 Building Energy Systems V. CONCLUSION

A summary of building energy systems of the three Given that sustainability is an important part of
case study buildings is provided below: design and construction of public institutional
projects, and that relevant parameters are dovetailed
Table 3: Case study building energy system details; and implemented in the Works Manual for all public
Source: Compiled by Priyanka Kochhar projects, detailed documentation of project case
study for educational purposes is recommended.
Openly available information on envelope (including
wall, window, and roof), energy systems, and
building performance shall enable a clearer
understanding and may facilitate incorporation of
further details during invitation of tenders and
encourage bidding teams to propose the most
environmentally effective options for
implementation.
In addition to information on envelope and energy
IV. DISCUSSION systems, strategies for renewable energy, water
Based on the description of three management, and sustainable building materials may
government institutional projects in Delhi, this paper be included for documentation of future case studies.
provides information on prevalent building envelope
and energy system design strategies in the composite Acknowledgements
climate zone of India. Corresponding information on We are grateful to CPWD, the GRIHA Council and
Energy Performance Index (EPI) and level of SPA Delhi for facilitating data collection.
GRIHA rating for each case study building is also
presented in Table 4.1. REFERENCES
Active and passive building design features [1]. https://cpwd.gov.in/Publication/Work_Manual
incorporated in Building 1 (completed in 2014) in _2019_20032019.pdf
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incorporate GRIHA rating requirements in 2007 Efficiency Parameters and Capacity Building
when the project was initiated. Design and of Professionals‟; New Delhi: The Energy and
construction of the building paved the way for Resources Institute. p.p : 53 [Project code
several GRIHA rated green buildings to be 2011HH11]
constructed by the government and private entities [3]. https://cpwd.gov.in/Publication/Green_rating_
towards meeting India‟s climate change manual_april_2019.pdf
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Active and passive principles of design _0.pdf
followed by Building 2, including reduced air-
conditioned area, may be adopted by other upcoming
academic buildings as well. While active and passive
principles of design followed by Building 3 may be
adopted by other financial institutions and
multinational organisations.
From an education perspective, the paper
provides details of various components and indicates

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