SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE

SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE is architecture that seeks to minimize the

negative environmental impact of buildings by efficiency and
moderation in the use of materials, energy, and development space.
Sustainable architecture uses a conscious approach to energy and
ecological conservation in the design of the built environment

SUSTAINABILITY - Meeting the needs of the present without

compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs.

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN Reduces the negative impact

on the environment and human health, thus improving the
performance during a building’s life cycle. Careful consideration is
given to water, energy, building materials, and solid waste.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
 Is development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs. Sustainable development has continued to evolve as that
of protecting the world’s resources while its true agenda is to
control the world’s resources.

 Environmentally sustainable economic growth refers to economic

development that meets the needs of all without leaving future
generations with fewer natural resources than those we enjoy
today.
  The aim of sustainable development is to balance our economic,
environmental and social needs, allowing prosperity for now and
future generations.

 Sustainable development consists of a long-term, integrated

approach to developing and achieving a healthy community by
jointly addressing economic, environmental, and social issues,
whilst avoiding the over consumption of key natural resources.

NEED FOR SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE

With the help of sustainable architecture , a green design can
successfully merge beauty and functionality together to save the
planet.
 Increase of population day by day .
 People migrating from rural to urban with hope.
 Depletion of natural resources.
 High energy and natural resources are consumed due to huge
population.
 Effect on bio diversity.

METHODS FOR ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE

DESIGN
Economy of Resources
 By economizing resources, the architect reduces the use of Non-
renewable resources in the construction and operation of
buildings.
 There is a continuous flow of resources, natural and
manufactured, in and out of a building.
  This flow begins with the production of building materials and
continues throughout the building’s life span to create an
environment for sustaining human well-being and activities.
 After a building’s useful life, it should turn into components for
other buildings.

Life Cycle Design

 The second principle of sustainable architecture is life cycle design
(LCD).
 This “cradle-to-grave” approach recognizes environmental
consequences of the entire life cycle of architectural resources,
from procurement to return to nature. LCD is based on the notion
that a material transmigrates from one form of useful life to
another, with no end to its usefulness.

Humane Design
 While economy of resources and life cycle design deal with
efficiency and conservation, humane design is concerned with the
livability of all constituents of the global ecosystem, including
plants and wildlife.
 This is deeply rooted in the need to preserve the chain elements
of the ecosystems that allow human survival.

ELEMENTS OF SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE

Green roof:
 A green roof can lower the temperature in your house, improve
local air quality and help add green space in urban areas where
concrete is the major material.
  Green roofs can be as simple as a couple of types of ground cover
or include a beautiful mix of moss, succulents, ground cover, and
even herbs and plants.
Solar shingles:
 Solar panels are an excellent way to save energy and reduce
energy bills.
 Solar shingles are a bit pricier to install than traditional solar
panels, since they not only help power the building, but they're
actually roof shingles.

Cob houses:
 Cob is an ancient building material that's basically wet earth and
straw mixed together and rolled into loaf-sized pieces or cobs.
 The mixture is very similar to clay, and what makes cob houses
unique and beautiful is the organic shape.

Shipping container buildings:

 Like with cob houses, shipping container buildings address the

high impact associated with traditional building materials.
 Instead of using new materials that have to be manufactured,
shipping container homes reclaim old shipping crates and use
them to create prefabricated structures. Shipping crates can be
stacked vertically or lined up side-by-side to create residential or
commercial buildings.

Rainwater harvesting

 The basic idea behind a rainwater harvesting system is to capture

water to irrigate your garden and sometimes to use in the home.
  To install any sort of rainwater harvesting system, it's important
to check local laws first. Some areas don't allow any rainwater
harvesting.

3 BASIC CONCEPTS
It are involved in sustainable measures

 Living within certain limits of the earth capacity to maintain life

 Understanding the interconnections among economy, society and
environment
 Maintaining a fair distribution of resources and opportunity for
this generation and the next.
 Sustainability issues as being classified into three categories:
social/political, environmental, and economic issues. These three
classes of issues are arranged as vertices of a triangle- depicted as
Munasinghe’s triangle. And imply that achieving sustainability
involves finding solutions which balance the importance and
impacts of each of the three categories.
 A redefined concept is of the community as whole system, made
up of three concentric circles: the economy is found within
society, and both the economy and society exist within the
environment. Sustainability indicators are therefore said to
attempt to measure the extend to which these boundaries are
respected.

RENEWABLE ENERGY
GENERATION
Solar panels
 Active solar devices such as photovoltaic solar panels help to
provide sustainable electricity for any use. Electrical output of a
solar panel is dependent on orientation, efficiency, latitude, and
climate—solar gain varies even at the same latitude.
 Roofs are often angled toward the sun to allow photovoltaic
panels to collect at maximum efficiency.
 Solar panels can produce adequate energy if aligned within 30° of
south.

Wind turbines

 The use of undersized wind turbines in energy production in

sustainable structures requires the consideration of many factors.
 In considering costs, small wind systems are generally more
expensive than larger wind turbines relative to the amount of
energy they produce.
 Building integrated wind turbine performance can be enhanced
with the addition of an aerofoil wing on top of a roof mounted
turbine.

Solar water heating

 Solar water
 heaters, also called solar domestic hot water systems, can be a
cost-effective way to generate hot water for a home.
 They can be used in any climate, and the fuel they use—
sunshine—is free.
 There are also two types of circulation, direct circulation systems
and indirect circulation systems.
  Direct circulation systems loop the domestic water through the
panels.
 Indirect circulation loops glycol or some other fluid through the
solar panels and uses a heat exchanger to heat up the domestic
water.
 With the use of solar collectors, the energy use is cut in half.

GREEN BUILDING
Green building is the practice of increasing the efficiency of buildings
and their use of energy, water, and materials, and reducing building
impacts on human health and the environment, through better sitting,
design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal — taking
into account every aspect of the complete building life cycle.

Sustainable development and sustainability are integral to green

building. Effective green building can lead to:
 Reduced operating costs by increasing productivity and using less
energy and water.
 Improved public and occupant health due to improved indoor air
quality
 Reduced environmental impacts by using sustainable resources.

TYPES OF GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE

BUILDINGS:
Any type of building can incorporate green and sustainable design
principles.
Depending on the function of the building, consideration is given to
efficiency in materials, mechanical systems, and operating cost in the
design process.
  Homes.
 Schools.
 Commercial and public buildings.
 Laboratories.
 Health care facilities.

Sustainable buildings examples:

 CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre, Hyderabad.
 Infinity Benchmark, Salt Lake City, Kolkata.
 Patni (i-GATE) Knowledge Center, Noida.
 Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai.
 ITC Royal Gardenia, Bangalore.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

In 2012, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
met to discuss and develop a set of goals to work towards; they grew
out of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) that claimed success
in reducing global poverty while acknowledging there was still much
more to do.
GLOBAL WARMING
Global warming is the observed rise in the average temperature of the
Earth's climate system.
Natural Causes of Global Warming:
 Rotation of the sun that changes the intensity of sunlight and
moving closer to the earth
 greenhouse gases
 Volcanic eruption.
Human Influences on Global Warming:
 industrial revolution
 Mining
 Deforestation
Effects:
 heat waves,
 droughts
 heavy rainfall with floods
 heavy snowfall
 ocean acidification
 species extinctions due to shifting temperature regimes

GLOBAL WARMING PREVENTION

Renewable energies
The first way to prevent climate change is to move away from fossil
fuels. What are the alternatives? Renewable energies like solar, wind,
biomass and geothermal.
Energy & water efficiency
Producing clean energy is essential, but reducing our consumption of
energy and water by using more efficient devices (e.g. LED light bulbs,
innovative shower systems) is less costly and equally important.
Sustainable transportation
Promoting publictransportation, carpooling, but also electric and
hydrogen mobility, can definitely help reduce CO2 emissions and thus
fight global warming.
Sustainable infrastructure
In order to reduce the CO2 emissions from buildings - caused by
heating, air conditioning, hot water or lighting - it is necessary both to
build new low energy buildings, and to renovate the existing
constructions.
Sustainable agriculture & forest management
Encouraging better use of natural resources, stopping massive
deforestation as well as making agriculture greener and more efficient
should also be a priority.
Responsible consumption & recycling
Adopting responsible consumption habits is crucial, be it regarding food
(particularly meat), clothing, cosmetics or cleaning products. Last but
not least, recycling is an absolute necessity for dealing with waste.

NATURAL RESOURCES
 Natural resources are resources that exist without any actions of
humankind.
 This includes all valued characteristics such as magnetic,
gravitational, Electrical properties and forces, etc. On Earth, it
includes sunlight, atmosphere, water, land (includes all minerals)
 along with all vegetation, crops, and animal life that naturally
subsists upon or within the previously identified characteristics
and substances.
 There are various methods of categorizing natural resources,
these include the source of origin, stage of development, and by
their renewability.
On the basis of origin, natural resources may be divided into two types
 Biotic Resources
 Abiotic Resources
Biotic resources are obtained from the biosphere(living and organic
material), such as forestsand animals, and the materials that can be
obtained from them. Fossil fuelssuch as coaland petroleumare also
included in this category because they are formed from decayed
organic matter.
Abiotic resources are those that come from non-living, non-organic
material. Examples of abiotic resources include land, fresh water, air,
rare- earth elements, and heavy metals including ores, such as gold,
iron, copper, silver, etc.

Considering their stage of development, natural resources may be

referred to in the following ways:
 Potential resources — Potential resources are those that may be
used in the future—for example, petroleum in sedimentary rocks
that, until drilled out and put to use remains a potential resource
 Actual resources — Those resources that have been surveyed,
quantified and qualified and, are currently used—development,
such as wood processing, depends on technology and cost
 Reserve resources — The part of an actual resource that can be
developed profitably in the future
 Stock resources — Those that have been surveyed, but cannot be
used due to lack of technology—for example, hydrogen
Considering their renewability, natural resources may be referred
to in the following ways:
Renewable Resources
The resources which cannot be exhausted even after continuous
utilization is termed as renewable resources. Examples of renewable
resources are the sun, wind, and tidal energy.
Non-Renewable Resources
The resources which cannot be immediately replaced once they are
depleted is called Non-renewable resources. Examples of Non
renewablere sources include rare minerals typically found in
meteorites and fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum and natural gas.
GREEN HOUSE EFFECT
Some incoming sunlight is refl
reflected
ected by Earth's atmosphere and
surface, but most is absorbed by the surface, which is warmed.
Infrared (IR) radiation is then emitted from the surface. Some IR
radiation escapes to space, but some is absorbed by the
atmosphere's greenhouse gases (especially water vapour, carbon
dioxide, and methane) and reradiated in all directions, some to
space and some back toward the surf surface, where itt further warms the
surface and the lower atmosphere. This phenomenon is called green
house effect.
 SPACE SHIP EARTH CONCEPT
Spaceship Earth or Spacecraft Earth is a world view term usually
expressing concern over the use of limited resources available on
Earth and encouraging everyone on it to act as a harmonious crew
working toward the greater good.
WHY IS THE EARTH CALLED A GLOBAL SPACESHIP?
The Earth is called a global spaceship since it is suspended in space. It
rotates on its own axis while revolving around the sun.
WHAT IS THE MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SPACESHIP AND
SPACESHIP EARTH?
 Spaceships & space stations can be refueled and resupplied
from the home planet.
 There is no other planet in the foreseeable future that can
rescue, resupply, or serve as refuge for the inhabitants of
Planet Earth.
 The critical difference between the spacecraft of the space
programs & science fiction with Spaceship Earth is simply that:
we live on a spaceship that must resupply itself from itself.
 This is why we need to understand that we are crew not
passengers.

ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS
An ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS is any phenomenon known to affect a
given ecosystem's probability of self remediation. In other words; an
irreversible negative impact that needs human intervention to mitigate
the effects from spreading to nearby ecosystems, having always the
chance of absolute zero probability to reverse the situation, in cases
like the Chernobyl meltdown and its consequential radioactive leak, or
the microplastics biomagnification and its food chain pollution driven
by consumer demand on single use plastics.
It may be of two types:
 Immediate natural or human-induced disasters causing large scale
threat to human health and/or environment (Seveso, Bhopal,
Chernobyl, Exxon Valdez, Aurul gold mine cyanide spill, Songhua)
 Problems that accumulate over time leading to human health
problems and/or severe environmental degradation.
The main features of environmental crisis include:

CLIMATE CHANGE: anthropogenic climate change due to pollution of

the atmosphere by greenhouse gases (and other contaminants) is
now regarded as one of the major global environmental issues. It
occurs largely as a result of the combustion of fossil fuels, emissions
from agriculture and pastoralism, and land-use changes that
accompany the destruction, clearance and burning of forests.
Climate change already has observable ecological and social effects,
and its projected impacts could potentially result in profound
changes in global mean surface temperature, sea level, ocean
circulation, precipitation patterns, climatic zones, species
distributions and ecosystem function.
STRATOSPHERIC OZONE DEPLETION: the depletion of stratospheric
ozone due to the pollution of the atmosphere by halocarbons (such
as chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs) is another serious environmental
issue. It is a significant concern because the lack of protective ozone
at high altitudes results in increased levels of harmful solar
ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation reaching the earth's surface, causing a
range of health-related and ecological impacts.
DEGRADED AIR QUALITY: other forms of air pollution are also
significant, particularly at regional and local scales, as they may
seriously degrade air quality; worldwide, approximately one billion
people inhabit areas - mainly industrial cities - where unhealthy
levels of air pollution occur. Many air pollutants are responsible for
the degradation of air quality, but some key pollutants include
particulate matter (such as soot), tropospheric ozone, oxides of
nitrogen, oxides of sulphur, lead and various aromatic compounds
(such as benzene). Many air pollutants may cause or aggravate
respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses; some are known
carcinogens; and some can cause damage to vegetation and, in turn,
produce a range of ecological effects.
DEGRADED WATER QUALITY: similarly, water quality can be
seriously degraded by contamination with pollutants, giving rise to a
range of health-related and ecological effects (such as the
degradation of coral reefs). A major source of water pollution is the
terrestrial run-off to inshore waters that occurs in many coastal
locations; such run-off may contain significantly elevated levels of
nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural land and from human
settlements. Many other human activities lead to water pollution,
including mining and industrial processes, which may create toxic
effluent. Oil spills, accumulation of plastics and the bioaccumulation
of persistent organic chemicals are some of the other causes of
serious degradation of the marine environment.
SCARCITY OF FRESH WATER: besides the pollution of freshwater
sources, there are a variety of other reasons for the scarcity of fresh
water for drinking in many parts of the world - many of which are
related to poor water resource management practices. For instance,
the over-abstraction of water from rivers results in water shortages
and problems of salinisation downstream. Irrigation practices may
also be responsible for the depletion of local water sources and the
salinisation of irrigated land. Vast differences in water security exist
at the global scale, reflecting both demand for fresh water and the
scale of public and private investment in water supplies, treatment
and distribution.
LAND CONTAMINATION: land contamination occurs as a result of
chemical or radioactive pollution, especially by long-lived (persistent)
chemical species that enter the soil. Land contamination may cause
profound ecological effects and it presents severe constraints to
development, since contaminated land must typically be
rehabilitated before it is safe to use for agriculture, construction or
recreation.
DEFORESTATION: it has been estimated that around half of the
world's mature forests have been cleared by humans. Deforestation
occurs for a variety of reasons, but the majority of deforestation now
occurs when tropical forests are cleared for agriculture and
pastoralism; other reasons include the destruction of trees for
charcoal production and the selective logging of forests for timber.
Whilst tropical forests cover only around 6% of the earth's surface,
they are an essential part of the global ecosystem and of the
biosphere: they help to regulate climate; they protect soils from
erosion; and they provide habitats for a vast number of plant and
animal species. One estimate suggests that around 90% of the
world's species are found in tropical forests (Park 2001).
SOIL EROSION AND DEGRADATION: concerns about soil erosion, soil
degradation and the problem of desertification have become
acute.In part, these concerns are based on the historical experiences
of dramatic soil erosion and transport in New World countries
including the USA (during the 'Dust Bowl' of the 1930s) and Australia.
Whilst analyses of the problems of soil erosion and degradation have
become more sophisticated, recently, it is clear that these problems
continue to have important consequences for agricultural and
 pastoral productivity as well as for the functioning of natural
ecosystems.
LAND USE CHANGE AND HABITAT LOSS: these issues overlap with
others, such as deforestation, but they are broader and include the
clearance of forest for agriculture and pastoralism, the
transformation of land during urban growth, the development of
new infrastructure (such as roads), the drainage of wetlands, and the
destruction and removal of coastal mangrove forests.
BIODIVERSITY LOSS: many plant and animal species are threatened
with extinction, due to the spread of disease, the destruction and
degradation of their habitats, and direct exploitation. In 1999, UNEP
(1999) estimated that one- quarter of the world's mammal species
and around one-tenth of the world's bird species faced a significant
risk of total extinction. Threats to biodiversity are not confined to
terrestrial ecosystems; serious concerns have been raised about the
future of marine and coastal wildlife species as a result of the
pollution, over- exploitation and acidification of ocean and seas.

GREEN BUILDING
BENEFITS OF GREEN BUILDINGS
Effective means to achieving a range of global goals, such as:
 Addressing climate change
 Creating sustainable and thriving communities
 Driving economic growth
FEATURES OF GREEN BUILDING

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
 Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions(33
emissions(33-40%).
 Generation of energy
 Enhancement and protection of biodiversity and ecosystems.
 Energy savings (24--50%) and energy efficiency
 Improving air and water quality
 Saving potable water (40%)
  Reduction in solid wastes (70%)
 Conservation and restoration of natural resources
Economic benefits
 Savings on energy expenditure
 Reduce operating costs
 Create, expand and shape markets for green product and services
 Improvement of occupant productivity
 Optimise life cycle economic performance
 Increase in asset value of buildings
Social benefits
 Enhanced occupant comfort and health, especially cognitive
scores.
 Heighten aesthetic qualities
 Minimise strain on local infrastructure
 Improve overall quality of life

Standards and certifications

 A standard is a set of guidelines and criteria against which a
product can be judged. ISO defines a standard as: "a document,
established by consensus, approved by a recognized body that
provides for common and repeated use as rules, guidelines, or
characteristics for activities or their results.“
 A certification is a confirmation that a product meets defined
criteria of a standard. ISO defines certification as: "any activity
concerned with determining directly or indirectly that relevant
requirements are fulfilled."

International Green Rating Systems

 Mitigation of direct and indirect environmental impacts of built
environment, through the encouragement, measurement and
recognition of sustainability performance.
 Measure relative levels of compliance or performance against
goals and requirements to create projects that are
environmentally responsible and use resources efficiently
throughout the project lifecycle.
 Started with the creation of Building Research Establishment's
Environmental Assessment. Method (BREEAM), the first green
building rating system in the U.K.
 In 2000, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) developed
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating
system for new construction for buildings and neighbourhoods.
 Green Product standards from 1980’s.
RATING SYSTEMS OF INDIA
Currently India has three rating systems.
 LEED India Rating System
 TERI- GRIHA Rating System
 BEE- Rating System
LEED and GRIHA rating systems are green building rating systems
whereas BEE rating is meant for energy efficiency.

LEED INDIA RATING SYSTEM

 Version of the LEED rating system administered by IGBC (Indian
Green Building Council)
Council)-set up in 2001 Effective in India from 1st
Jan 2007
  LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Rating is
voluntary.
 Framework for assessing building performance against set criteria
and standard points of references
 Internationally accepted benchmark for design, construction and
operation of green buildings.
 Encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green
building and development practices .
Case Studies:
 CII- Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre, Hyderabad: Sohrabji
Godrej Green Business Centre isthe first LEED Platinum certified
building in India. Designed by architect Karan Grover.
 ITC Maurya, New Delhi: ITC Maurya is one of the first and largest
LEED Platinum rated hotels.

GRIHA
 GRIHA is India’s National Rating System for Green buildings.
 The system was initially conceived and developed by TERI (The
Energy & Resource Institute) as TERI-GRIHA which has been
modified to GRIHA as National Rating System.
 Endorsed by the MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy).
 It is based on nationally accepted energy and environmental
principles.
 It takes into account the provisions of the National Building Code
2005, the Energy Conservation Building Code 2007 announced by
BEE and other IS codes, local bye-laws, other local standards and
laws.
  GRIHA attempts to minimize a building’s resource consumption,
waste generation, andoverall ecological/ environmental impact by
comparing them to certain nationally acceptable limits /
benchmarks.
GRIHA attempts to quantify aspects, such as:
 Energy / power consumption (in terms of electricity consumed in
kWh per square meter per year)
 Water consumption (in terms of litres per person per day)
 Waste generation (in terms of kilograms per day, or litres per day)
 Renewable energy integration (in terms of kW of connected load)
CASE STUDIES
ITC Maurya, New Delhi: ITC Maurya is the first GRIHA 5 star rated
hotel.
Suzlon One Earth Pune: Done by architect Christopher Beninger, this
building is a GRIHA five star rated building of India.

Principles of Rating System

It adopts the five ‘R’ philosophy of sustainable development, namely
 Refuse – to blindly adopt international trends, materials,
technologies, products, etc. especially in areas where local
substitutes/equivalents are available
 Reduce – the dependence on high-energy products, systems,
processes, etc.
 Reuse – materials, products, traditional technologies, to reduce
the costs incurred in designing buildings as well as in operating
them.
 Recycle – all possible wastes generated from the building site,
during construction, operation and demolition
  Reinvent – engineering systems, designs, and practices such that
India creates global examples that the world can follow rather
than us following international examples.

BEE RATING SYSTEM

 To institutionalize energy efficiency in the country, the
Government of India enacted the Energy Conservation Act in
2001.
 Under the EC Act 2001, the Government of Indian established
Bureau of Energy
 Efficiency (BEE) in March 2002, a statutory authority under the
Ministry of Power (MoP)to enact and enforce energy efficiency
policies through various regulatory and promotional measures.
 BEE has developed the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC)
which provides minimum energy performance standards for
energy efficient commercial buildings with a connected load of
100 kW and above.
 The ECBC is currently a voluntary programme, with a number of
states adopting it as a mandatory requirement.
 Five categories of buildings - office buildings, hotels, hospitals,
retail malls, and IT Parks in five climate zones in the country have
been identified for this programme.
 Initially, the programme targets the following 3 Climatic zones for
air-conditioned and non air-conditioned office buildings:
1. Warm and Humid
2. Composite
3. Hot and Dry
It will be subsequently extended to other climatic zones.
 LEED and GRIHA rating systems have adopted ECBC as a minimum
compliance requirement.
  BEE has developed a Star Rating programme for buildings which is
based on the actual performance of a building in terms of its
specific energy usage in kwh/sq m/year.
 This programme rates office buildings on a 1-5 Star scale, with 5
Star labelled buildings being the most efficient. The scheme is
propagated on a voluntary basis.
 It is applicable for a period of 5 years from the date of issue.
 A standardized format is developed for collection of actual energy
consumption: data required includes building’s built up area,
conditioned and non-conditioned area, type of building, hours of
operation of the building in a day, climatic zone in which building
is located, and other related information of the facility.
Case Studies
1. The Reserve Bank of India’s buildings in Delhi
2. Bhubaneshwar, the CII Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
 Energy efficiency means ““utilizing
utilizing the minimum amount of energy
for heating, cooling, equipment and lighting that is required to
maintain comfort conditions in a building.”
 An important factor impacting on energy efficiency is the building
envelope. This include
includes all of the building elements between the
interior and the exterior of the building such as: walls, windows,
doors, roof and foundations.
 Energy efficiency is a measure of how well a device ttransfer
ransfer
energy into the form we want -i.e. useful energy.

 Energy efficiency
iency is a term that is used in different ways,
way
depending on the context and possibly on n the person using the
term. In strict technologi
technological
cal usage, energy efficiency is the ‘ratio
of the output to the input of any device’ i.e.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN BUILDINGS
 Energy use & efficiency in buildings iiss generally characterized
along end-use
use categories such as space heating, cooling,
coolin lighting
etc.
 Energy Efficiency in these end
end-use
use categories is generally
determined by the design & construction (w (which
hich includes the
materials and components used) of a building & by the technical
efficiency & operational management of a building’s energy-
ene
consuming devices.
 Energy consumption is further influenced by variations in building
function, climate, energy pri
prices, billing methods,
thods, and human
behaviour.

WHAT IS ENERGY CRISIS?

 The energy crisis is the concern that the world’s demands on the
limited
ited natural resources that are used to power industrial society
are diminishing as the demand rises.
 An energy crisis is any significant bottleneck in the supply of
energy resources to an economy.

CAUSES OF THE ENERGY CRISIS

Overconsumption: The energy crisis is a result of many different strains
on our natural resources, not just one. There is a strain on fossil fuels
overconsumption – which then in turn can put a strain on our water
and oxygen resources by causing pollution.

Overpopulation: Another cause of the crisis has been the steady

increase in the world’s population and its demands for fuel and
products. No matter what type of food or products you choose to use –
from fair trade & organic to those made from petroleum products– not
one of them is made or transported without a significant drain on our
energy resources.

Poor Infrastructure: Aging infrastructure of power generating

equipment is yet another reason for energy shortage. Most of the
energy producing firms keep on using outdated equipment that
restricts the production of energy.

Unexplored Renewable Energy Options: Renewable energy still

remains unused is most of the countries. Most of the energy comes
from non-renewable sources like coal. It still remains the top choice to
produce energy.

Delay in Commissioning of Power Plants: In few countries, there is a

significant delay in commissioning of new power plants that can fill the
gap between demand and supply of energy. The result is that old plants
come under huge stress to meet the daily demand for power. When
supply doesn’t matches demand, it results in load shedding and
breakdown.

Wastage of Energy: In most parts of the world, people do not realize

the importance of conserving energy. It is only limited to books,
internet, newspaper ads, lip service and seminars. Unless we give it a
serious thought, things are not going to change anytime sooner.

Simple things like switching off fans and lights when not in use, using
maximum daylight, walking instead of driving for short distances, using
CFL instead of traditional bulbs, proper insulation for leakage of energy
can go a long way in saving energy.

Poor Distribution System: Frequent tripping and breakdown are result

of a poor distribution system.

Major Accidents & Natural Calamities: Major accidents like pipeline

burst & natural calamities can also cause interruptions to energy
supplies. The huge gap between supply and demand of energy can raise
the price of essential items which can give rise to inflation.

Wars and Attacks: Wars between countries can also hamper supply of
energy specially if it happens in Middle East countries. That’s what
happened during 1990 Gulf war when price of oil reached its peak
causing global shortages and created major problem for energy
consumers.

Miscellaneous Factors: Tax hikes, strikes, military coup, political events,

severe hot summers or cold winters can cause sudden increase in
demand of energy and can choke supply. A strike by unions in an oil
producing firm can definitely cause an energy crisis.

IN INDIA, WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF THE ENERGY CRISIS

The causes and reasons responsible for the present power crisis in India
areas follows:
 Demand is more than supply and this is the main cause of present
power crisis. During the five year plans stress was given on the
development of industries. But to cope with the industrial
development, equal stress was not given on the development of
power.
 Most of the power stations of India are of thermal origin.
Frequent breakdown of machineries hampering the production of
power.
 Raw materials for thermal power sometimes do not reach the
stations in proper time.
 Low grade raw materials hampering production.
 Lack of proper transmission facility is also responsible for this.
 Internal sabotage hampering production.
 Frequent strikes and labor troubles are hampering power
production.
 Power theft is another cause of power crisis.
 Water resource of this country is not fully utilized.
 Frequent theft of pillars etc. disrupts production.
NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
• Nanyang Technological University is one of the largest
public universities in Singapore which boasts a 200 hectare
campus.
• The building is a green building designed and built by CPG
consultants which caters to the environment by means of
passive design relative to the tropical climate and is
recognised by Singapore’s Green Mark System.
NATURAL AND MAN MADE FACTORS
“ Components that affecting the comforbality of the building “

• Dense voysiamatrella grass turf : The grass turf helps to

absorb Singapore’s intense sun which decreases the
temperature of the air surrounding the university.
Moreover, thus eco-friendly attribute enhances the
outdoor gathering spaces of the university

• Exposed Façade: The facade of the building is an expansive

curtain wall facades of high-performance, double-glazed
glass. It is longitudinally oriented east-west and more
north and south exposures.
The combination of high insulation frame, twin
compression seals and double glazed units gives a level of
 thermal efficiency that is unsurpassed. Double glazing is
designed to minimize heat transfer.

• Almond Shape Courtyard : It provides natural light into

interior spaces as well as in providing cooling properties
from the water attributes exuding a serene environment
and emanating a refreshing breeze that cools the
courtyard.

• Raw Concrete Materials and Finishes :Concrete is high

energy efficient. Its thermal mass or ability helps in
absorbing and retaining heat which helps in cutting
heating and cooling bills.

• Curved Green Roof: The curved green roof that casts in

heavily ribbed, reinforced concrete which also forms the
double curve layout. The green roof reduces solar gain and
slows run off during Singapore’s frequent downpour. The
turfs are irrigated using rainwater collected in the storage
tank.

CLIMATE ANALYSIS
Humidity: Singapore’s climate is characterised by uniform
temperature and pres- sure, high humidity and abundant
rainfall. Buildings constructed in high humidity locations need
to have dehumidification capability to avoid moisture buildup
inside the building, causing discomfort and moulds.
Temperature: The average temperature is between 23 degrees
Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius. In terms of building design,
exposed heavy construction materials with low heat
conductivity materialsis highly favourable such as concrete
which reduces heat gain into the build- ing and store cooling
energy.
SUN ANALYSIS
As it is situated far from the main city, there is no natural
shading from the surrounding building except for thelocation
natural vegetation. Thus, the consultants built this building with
a proper orientation by placing the facades facingnorth and
south to minimize solar gain. After achieving the right
orientation for building, the facade is fixed with glass curtain.
The purpose of almond-shaped courtyard in the middle of the
building is to provide natural lighting into the interior. Next, the
consultant took advantage of the sun orientation by designing a
green roof.
WIND ANALYSIS
The northeast monsoon season, from December to the
beginning of March, is when north-easterly winds prevail. the
location of Nanyang Technology University which is relatively
near to the sea, the amount andspeed of wind flows are higher
and faster compared to the other months and locations. The
sliding doors and opened windows have also allowed the air
ventilation to flow throughout the building. Winds are
incorporated onto the roof and also the courtyard to allow
students to feel cooled.
THERMAL ANALYSIS
The main green feature of the building still remains the iconic
curved green roof.
The glass curtain wall is an- other feature which adds on to the
thermal comfort of NTU.
Some key features playing a role in the efficient thermal
comfort of the building
•The building is oriented with its facades facing north and
south to minimize solar gain. During the day, the sun shines
mostly on the green roof from east to west.
• High efficiency discharge lights are adopted throughout the
building, more light less heat gain.
• High-performance double-glazed glass wall in place
• The rain water collection system is fitted on the green roof for
irrigation, this further keeps the coolness of the roof/inner roof
area
• The rain sensors are installed on the green roof to automate
the irrigation process whereby irrigation is ceased when it rains.
•The curved building is embracing a courtyard with water
features and plants. The reflection of the trees and nature can
been seen on the all-glass exterior.
CONCEPT ANALYSIS