The Bidani House in Faridabad, India responds to the composite climate through its form and design. Located in a climate with large seasonal temperature swings, the house is oriented north-south with a central courtyard acting as a heat sink. Living spaces are wrapped around the courtyard to maximize southeast exposure. Buffer spaces are on the overheated southwest side. The form allows solar penetration to be eliminated or allowed according to the season, providing thermal comfort year-round.
The Bidani House in Faridabad, India responds to the composite climate through its form and design. Located in a climate with large seasonal temperature swings, the house is oriented north-south with a central courtyard acting as a heat sink. Living spaces are wrapped around the courtyard to maximize southeast exposure. Buffer spaces are on the overheated southwest side. The form allows solar penetration to be eliminated or allowed according to the season, providing thermal comfort year-round.
The Bidani House in Faridabad, India responds to the composite climate through its form and design. Located in a climate with large seasonal temperature swings, the house is oriented north-south with a central courtyard acting as a heat sink. Living spaces are wrapped around the courtyard to maximize southeast exposure. Buffer spaces are on the overheated southwest side. The form allows solar penetration to be eliminated or allowed according to the season, providing thermal comfort year-round.
The Bidani House in Faridabad, India responds to the composite climate through its form and design. Located in a climate with large seasonal temperature swings, the house is oriented north-south with a central courtyard acting as a heat sink. Living spaces are wrapped around the courtyard to maximize southeast exposure. Buffer spaces are on the overheated southwest side. The form allows solar penetration to be eliminated or allowed according to the season, providing thermal comfort year-round.
A residential building that responds to climatic needs to provide comfort
General description: Very often it is stated that it is possible to design climatically responsive buildings on a larger site, but in most urban situations where the sites are constrained by their small size and of fixed orientation, it is not possible to develop such a design. The Bidani House is a project that demonstrates a situation where a climate -responsive form and design was achieved in an existing urban situation with a fixed site size and orientation.
Faridabad, located in the composite climate zone, has large climatic swings over the year, i.e. very hot and dry period of almost two and a half months and a colder period of a shorter duration. The hot dry period is followed by a hot humid, monsoon period of about two months with intervening periods of milder climate.
Design Features:
The site
Located in Faridabad, near New Delhi, this house has been designed and built in the composite climatic context. The site of about 1000 square metres had a plan area in the ratio of 1:3 with the shorter side facing the road and oriented north.
Planning in response to climate
The demand on building design is to respond to the extremes: eliminate (minimize) heat gain in hot dry period, maximize ventilation in hot humid period from zones/areas designed as heat sinks and maximize heat gain in the cold period. This has been achieved in this house entirely through the form and fabric of the building. A courtyard facing and opening onto north-east has been designed as a heat sink. 1 Bidani House, Faridabad Climatic Zone: Composite The entire house form has been developed around the courtyard with all the main living spaces wrapping around it and having maximum south-east orientation that is the ideal exposure for this context. A large volume living space designed as a double height space is wrapped around the courtyard. Buffer spaces like the toilets and stores are located on the overheated south-western exposure to eliminate heat gain in summers.
The three-dimensional form of the building is generated to eliminate or allow solar penetration according to seasonal changes. Large volume spaces and their coupling with the courtyard also allow good ventilation from the courtyard (the heat sink). The plan and three-dimensional form of the building has, therefore, been developed entirely in response to solar geometry.
Diurnal swings in temperature are attenuated by judicious design and placement of thermal mass, utilizing local stone as the major material of construction.
The resultant building provides a comfortable environment with the temperatures, humidity, and airflow levels remaining in the comfort zone during all seasons of the year.
At a gl ance Project details
Proj ect name Bidani House, Faridabad Site area 10, 000 square metres Climate Composite Building type Residential Architect Dr Arvind Krishan and Kunal Jain
Design features
House form developed around courtyard (acts as heat sink) Large volumes of spaces coupled with courtyard for ventilation Buffer spaces located on the overheated south-western exposure Form of the building allows solar penetration according to seasonal changes 2 Bidani House, Faridabad Climatic Zone: Composite Pergola and louvers cut off unwanted radiation Local stone used as major construction material, which provides thermal mass for attenuation of diurnal swings in temperature