I M.

Arch (Sustainable
Architecture)
Batch: 2022 - 2024

SARA5131 - CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF

SUSTAINABILITY

Tutor – Ar. Seetha Visalakshi. K

Department of Architecture
SIST, Chennai
 Syllabus UNIT I: INTRODUCTION
Definitions of Sustainability- Various types of sustainability- Pillars of
Sustainability- Circle of Sustainability- Need for Sustainability- systems and their
sustainability- sustainability in the built environment context.
UNIT 2: CONCEPTS OF SUSTAINABILITY
Early man lifestyles- History and development of sustainability- Present day - Scale
and context of sustainability. Current Issues and Solutions of sustainability-
Vernacular architecture and its relevance. National and International policies and
Regulations on sustainability. Green Buildings -Difference between Green and
Sustainability- Climate Change, Global warming.
UNIT 3: PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY
Political Sustainability, economic sustainability, cultural sustainability, social
sustainability, building sustainability- Corelationship between all - Driving factors of
sustainable change- Engineering principles of Sustainability - Systems approach to
sustainability.
UNIT 4: APPLICATION IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Concepts of green buildings, climate responsive building - Reduction of energy
consumption, direct and indirect methods - Reduction of water consumption,
direct and indirect methods- Carbon footprint and eco footprints of buildings- New
concepts and trends in green buildings, national and international.
UNIT 5: COMPREHENSIVE LEARNING
Exercise on Feedback Loop, Carrying Capacity of a system, energy principles of
sustainability, Carbon Foot print and eco foot print calculations.

SARA5131 – CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLITY (2022 - 2023 , SEM – I) Ar. Seetha Visalakshi. K
Department of Architecture, SIST, Chennai
 Unit 1: Introduction Sustain + Ability
1. the ability to be sustained, supported, upheld, or confirmed.
2. Environmental Science. the quality of not being harmful to the
environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting
long-term ecological balance.
*Dictionary Definition

Sustainability is a process which is Dynamic , Cyclical and

Interdependent. All these are maintained in equilibrium (balanced).
Definitions of Sustainability Sustainability is a Process.
Maintaining & Restoring the Equilibrium.

Sustainability is the ability of to meet the needs of the present

without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet
their own needs.
. It contains within it two key concepts:
 The concept of 'needs', in particular the essential needs of the
world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and
 The idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and
social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and
future needs.
* Brundtland report 1987

SARA5131 – CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLITY (2022 - 2023 , SEM – I) Ar. Seetha Visalakshi. K
Department of Architecture, SIST, Chennai
 Unit 1: Introduction
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 Sustainable architecture uses a conscious approach to

energy and ecological conservation in the design of the
built environment.

The idea of sustainability, or ecological design, is to

ensure that our actions and decisions today do not
inhibit the opportunities of future generations.
* Wikipedia

SARA5131 – CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLITY (2022 - 2023 , SEM – I) Ar. Seetha Visalakshi. K
Department of Architecture, SIST, Chennai
 Unit 1: Introduction

Human Sustainability means maintaining

human capital. It is the private good of
individuals and not the society as a whole.
Types of Sustainability
Human
Economic Human life is relatively small when compared
Environmental
to institutions. Promoting health, education,
Social
skills, knowledge , safe environment and
access to services are important.
Robert Goodland World Bank,
Washington, DC, USA

SARA5131 – CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLITY (2022 - 2023 , SEM – I) Ar. Seetha Visalakshi. K
Department of Architecture, SIST, Chennai
 Unit 1: Introduction
Economic sustainability is maintaining the
capital or keeping the capital intact. the
amount one can consume during a period and
still be as well off at the end of the period –
can define economic sustainability, as it
Types of Sustainability devolves on consuming value-added.
Human
Economic
Environmental
Economics values things in money terms and
Social not in resource terms such as air and water.
Nevertheless, sustained economy is important
for any human settlement.
Robert Goodland World Bank,
Washington, DC, USA

SARA5131 – CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLITY (2022 - 2023 , SEM – I) Ar. Seetha Visalakshi. K
Department of Architecture, SIST, Chennai
 Unit 1: Introduction
Environmental sustainability is the ability to
maintain rates of renewable resource harvest,
pollution creation, and non-renewable
resource depletion that can be continued
indefinitely.
Types of Sustainability
Human
Economic
Humanity must learn to live within the
Environmental
limitations of the biophysical environment.
Social Environmental Sustainability means Natural
Capital must be maintained, both as a
provider of inputs, and as a sink for wastes.
Robert Goodland World Bank,
Washington, DC, USA

SARA5131 – CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLITY (2022 - 2023 , SEM – I) Ar. Seetha Visalakshi. K
Department of Architecture, SIST, Chennai
 Unit 1: Introduction Social sustainability is the ability of a social system,
such as a country, to function at a defined level of social
well being indefinitely.

Shared values constitute the part of social capital that

Types of Sustainability needs to be sustained, to increase bonding between
Human individuals who contribute a society and decrease high
Economic levels of violence and mistrust.
Environmental
Social Social capital requires maintenance and replenishment.
Humans need to maintain and replenish a healthy
community by shared values and equal rights, and by
Robert Goodland World Bank, community, religious and cultural interactions.
Washington, DC, USA

SARA5131 – CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLITY (2022 - 2023 , SEM – I) Ar. Seetha Visalakshi. K
Department of Architecture, SIST, Chennai
 3 pillars of Sustainability – TBL ( Triple Bottom Line )
People ----- Equity (Social )
Planet ----- Environment
Unit 1: Introduction Profit ------ Economy

Pillars of Sustainability
Social The three pillars of sustainability are a powerful tool for
Environmental defining the complete sustainability problem. This consists of at
least the economic, social, and environmental pillars. If any one
Economic pillar is weak then the system as a whole is unsustainable.
The three pillars have served as a common ground for
numerous sustainability standards and certification systems in
recent years.
Environmental justice is as important as is sustainable
development. The economy is a subsystem of human society,
which is itself a subsystem of the biosphere, and a gain in one
sector is a loss from another. This perspective led to the nested
circles figure of 'economics' inside 'society' inside the
'environment'
SARA5131 – CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLITY (2022 - 2023 , SEM – I) Ar. Seetha Visalakshi. K
Department of Architecture, SIST, Chennai
 Unit 1: Introduction
Circles of Sustainability provides a way of achieving
sustainability, vibrance, and resilience. It combines qualitative
with quantitative indicators. It sets up a conceptual and
technology-supported framework. And it provides guiding tools
for investigating problems faced by communities.

The aim is to do so in such a way as to be flexibly applicable

across the very different contexts of a city, community, or
organization.
Accordingly, the approach is particularly sensitive to the need
for negotiation from the local level to the global.
Circles of Sustainability
Ecology All of this challenges most of the existing approaches to
sustainability, including the dominant Triple Bottom
Economic
Line approach. Existing approaches are problematic to the
Political extent that they treats economics as a domain outside of social
Cultural life. They tend to characterize ecology as either an externality
or a contextual resource.

SARA5131 – CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLITY (2022 - 2023 , SEM – I) Ar. Seetha Visalakshi. K
Department of Architecture, SIST, Chennai
 Unit 1: Introduction

Circle of Sustainability
Ecology
Economic
Political
Cultural

SARA5131 – CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLITY (2022 - 2023 , SEM – I) Ar. Seetha Visalakshi. K
Department of Architecture, SIST, Chennai
 Unit 1: Introduction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx04Kl8y4dE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZIrIQDf1nQ

https://www.circlesofsustainability.com/about/about-
References our-approach/

SARA5131 – CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLITY (2022 - 2023 , SEM – I) Ar. Seetha Visalakshi. K
Department of Architecture, SIST, Chennai

Unit 1: Introduction
Need for Sustainability
SARA5131 – CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLITY (2022 - 2023 , SEM – I)
Urban Population:
In 1950: 74.6 Crore out of 259 Crore
(28 %)
In 2014: 390 Crore out of 725 Crore
(53 %)
In 2050: 640 Crore (Estimate)
Cities with a Population of 1million
In 1950: 5 Cities
In 2014: 498 Cities
100 in China | 60 in India | 40 in USA
•Population explosion
• Vehicular increase (private &
commercial)
• Underdeveloped Public
Transportation
• Emission and Pollution
• Poor Waste discharge
management
• Safety and security issues
• Water supply and sanitation
• Reduction in green cover
• Infra structure deficiency
• Toilet and sewage collection
Ar. Seetha Visalakshi. K
Department of Architecture, SIST, Chennai
Unit 1: Introduction
CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY
Need for Sustainability
“It is estimated that we use about 40% more resources every
In a modern, consumerist and largely
urban existence, we consume a lot of
natural resources every day. In our
urban centers, we consume more
power than those who live in rural
settings and urban centers use a lot
more power than average, keeping our
streets and civic buildings lit, to power
our appliances, our cooling systems
and other public and household power
requirements
Department of Architecture
Faculty of Building and Environment
sa
year than we can put back and that needs to change.”
Sustainability and sustainable development
focuses on balancing that fine line between
competing needs - our need to move forward
technologically and economically, and the
needs to protect the environments in which
we and others live. Sustainability is not just
about the environment, it's also about our
health as a society in ensuring that no people
or areas of life suffer as a result of
environmental legislation, and it's also about
examining the longer term effects of the
actions humanity takes and asking questions
about how it may
Unit 1: Introduction

CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY sa

Eco-Systems and Sustainability
Eco-system is a very tight knit
ecosystem is in existence, where
disruption of even one factor could lead
to a disruption in the whole ecosystem
Examples:
Amazon rainforest, Harapan rainforests,
Congo rainforests, Madagascar
rainforests
Common Characteristics of an
ecological system
1. No waste- Everything is recycled
2. No monocultures- Wide diversity
across various levels of detail
3. Rich network of connections and
interdependability
4. A niche for every organism and a
role to play in the system
5. Constant shift in energies and
material- Dynamic Equilibrium
Unit 1: Introduction
CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY
Eco-Systems and Sustainability
The total resources in any ecosystem is
limited. This is also termed as the total
available natural capital or finite capital.
These natural resources are vital for the
sustenance of life. They are of great
economic value and are currently being
consumed at an alarming rate.
Department of Architecture
Faculty of Building and Environment
sa
Natural Ecosystems are self regulating- if any
resource is in excess then consumers emerge- if
any resource declines then population of
consumers recedes. Hence, there no one given
point of time when the resources and the
consumers are equally matched. However, there is
a constant shift as they both try to match each
other- This is another way of expressing the
concept of DYNAMIC EQULIBRIUM IN A SYSTEM
Unit 1: Introduction

CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY sa

Eco-Systems and Sustainability

Concept of Natural and finite capital

The total resources in any ecosystem is limited. This is also termed as the total
available natural capital or finite capital.
Natural Ecosystems are self regulating- if any resource is in excess then consumers
emerge- if any resource declines then population of consumers recedes. Hence,
there no one given point of time when the resources and the consumers are equally
matched. However, there is a constant shift as they both try to match each other-
This is another way of expressing the concept of DYNAMIC EQULIBRIUM IN A
SYSTEM

These natural resources are vital for the sustenance of life. They are of great economic
value and are currently being consumed at an alarming rate.
Department of Architecture
Faculty of Building and Environment
Unit 1: Introduction

CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY sa

Eco-Systems and Sustainability
Assignment | Seminar 2
How does a natural
eco-system sustains
itself? Bring out the
features that can be
utilized in human
interference.

 Submit a report
indicating same.
 Present the report as
seminar in class.
Take assistance from
Tutor

Department of Architecture
Faculty of Building and Environment ASSIGNMENT
Unit 1: Introduction

CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY sa

Eco-Systems and Sustainability
Carrying Capacity of a system
The population limit to which any given system can support
its dependants infinitely with the available resources within
the system

Desert Island Example:

If all three of you are shipwrecked on a desert island- to

survive you need to consume only so many resources as can
be replenished by the natural environment of the system. If
you live within the carrying capacity- you can live forever

If you exceed the carrying capacity and consume more

resources- the environment will degrade, resources will
become scare and eventually you will be left with nothing

Department of Architecture
Faculty of Building and Environment
Unit 1: Introduction

CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY sa

Eco-Systems and Sustainability
An illustration of how quickly the carrying capacity of a system
can be exceeded

Imagine a community of bacterium in a Petri Dish- A single

bacteria was placed in a nutrient solution on the dish at
midnight. The Bacteria population doubles every hour. At
1.00am there were 2 bacteria; at 2.00am there we 4
bacteria and so on. At noon- 12 hours later, the food supply
ran out. At what time of the day was half their food used
up?

Department of Architecture
Faculty of Building and Environment
Unit 1: Introduction

CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY sa

Green Buildings

Green building refers to both a

structure and the using of processes
that are environmentally responsible
and resource-efficient throughout a
building's life-cycle: from siting to
design, construction, operation,
maintenance, renovation, and
demolition. In other words, green
building design involves finding the
balance between homebuilding and
the sustainable environment.

Department of Architecture
Faculty of Building and Environment
Unit 1: Introduction
CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY
Green Buildings
Strategies
The main strategies to achieve a green
building include:
 Reduced energy consumption
 Water conservation
 Recycling waste.
Well designed green buildings will save
money, increase comfort and create
healthier environments for people to
live and work, using improved indoor
air quality, natural daylight, and
thermal comfort. Build Green's focus is
on reducing building energy usage and
increasing occupant comfort.
Department of Architecture
Faculty of Building and Environment
sa
This requires close cooperation of the design
team, the architects, the engineers, and the
client at all project stages. The Green Building
practice expands and complements the
classical building design concerns of economy,
utility, durability, and comfort.
Green buildings are designed to reduce the
overall impact of the built environment on
human health and the natural environment by:
 Efficiently using energy, water, and other
resources
 Protecting occupant health and improving
employee productivity
 Reducing waste, pollution and
environmental degradation
Unit 1: Introduction

CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY sa

Green Buildings
Assignment | Seminar 3
Taipei 101
tallest and largest green building

List out the major international

and national bodies governing
Green Buildings.
Make a overview of check list for
attaining Green rating for
buildings.

 Submit a report indicating same.

 Present the report as seminar in
class.
Take assistance from Tutor
Department of Architecture
Faculty of Building and Environment
CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY sa
Introduction

Unit 1: Part B

 Difference between Green and sustainability

 Climate Change | Global warming
 National and International policies
 Regulations on sustainability

Department of Architecture
Faculty of Building and Environment
Unit 1: Introduction

CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY sa

Green v Sustainable
The words sustainable and green are
often used interchangeably. But being
"green" and being "sustainable" is not
the same thing.
“Meeting the needs our own vs
meeting the needs of the future”

Products and services that reduce
health and environmental impacts
compared to similar products and
services used for the same purpose are
considered to be green.
Sustainability, on the other hand, can
be represented with a three-legged
stool having a leg for environmental,
social and financial responsibility .
Department of Architecture
Faculty of Building and Environment
Using green building products doesn't necessarily
mean that a structure is sustainable or energy
efficient. If it's energy efficient, it's not a given
that it is sustainable either. The best approach to
sustainable architecture, that is also
environmentally sensitive and reduces energy
use over the life of the building, is to adopt a
program designed to meet all three objectives
environmentally, socially and financially.
Unit 1: Introduction

CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY sa

Green v Sustainable

In ecology the word sustainable describes how

biological systems remain diverse and productive over
time. For humans it is the potential for long-term
maintenance of wellbeing, which in turn depends on
the wellbeing of the natural world and the responsible
use of natural resources.

Sustainable products reduce the impact on the

environment by using responsibly-sourced products-
those that are either completely renewable or
sustainably harvested. A sustainably harvested source
material is gathered in a way that doesn’t mar the
Don’t protect the
surrounding area, pollute the air, or permanently environment.
reduce the supply. Create a world where
Department of Architecture
environment doesn't need
Faculty of Building and Environment protection
Unit 1: Introduction

CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY sa

Unit 1: Introduction

CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY sa

Example of a modern Product

It’s a “green” product, but is it

sustainable? Not really, if it’s made in a
plant somewhere overseas and it takes
a lot of fuel to get to you. Also, the
electricity that charges that iPod has to
come from somewhere- usually from a
coal- or nuclear-fired power plant. For
it to be truly sustainable, the
manufacturing, shipping, and powering
would all have to be done in a way that
doesn’t deplete resources or harm the
environment.

Department of Architecture
Faculty of Building and Environment
Unit 1: Introduction
CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY
Green v Sustainable Architecture
Sustainability is focused on the distant
future. Any actions taken under the
name of sustainability must address
the impact of present actions on
conditions likely to prevail in that
future time frame.
In designing the built environment, the
emphasis has often been on the
present or the near future, usually in
the form of capital- or first-cost impact.
As is apparent when life-cycle costing
analysis is applied, capital cost assumes
less importance the longer the future
period under consideration.
Department of Architecture
Faculty of Building and Environment
sa
This emphasis on the distant future can
differentiate sustainable design from ”green
design”. Whereas green design addresses many
of the same characteristics as sustainable design,
it may also emphasize near-term impacts such as
indoor environmental quality, operation and
maintenance features, and meeting current client
needs. This, green design may focus more on the
immediate future. Sustainable design is of
paramount importance to the global
environment in the long-term while still
incorporating features of green design that focus
on the present and near future.
Unit 1: Introduction

CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY sa

Global Warming

Global warming is primarily a problem

of too much carbon dioxide (CO2) in
the atmosphere—which acts as a
blanket, trapping heat and warming
the planet. As we burn fossil fuels like
coal, oil and natural gas for energy or
cut down and burn forests to create
pastures and plantations, carbon
accumulates and overloads our
atmosphere. Certain waste
management and agricultural practices
aggravate the problem by releasing
other potent global warming gases,
such as methane and nitrous oxide.

Department of Architecture
Faculty of Building and Environment
Unit 1: Introduction

CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY sa

Global Warming

CO2 survives in the atmosphere for a
long time, up to many centuries. So its
heat-trapping effects are compounded
over time. Of the many heat-trapping
gases, CO2 puts us at the greatest risk
of irreversible changes if it continues to
accumulate unabated in the
atmosphere—as it is likely to do if the
global economy remains dependent on
fossil fuels for its energy needs. To put
this in perspective, the carbon we put
in the atmosphere today will literally
determine not only our climate future
but that of future generations as well.
Over the last century, global average
temperature has increased by more than 1°F
(0.7°C). The 2001-2010 decade is the warmest
since 1880—the earliest year for which
comprehensive global temperature records were
available. In fact, nine of the warmest years on
record have occurred in just the last 10 years. This
warming has been accompanied by a decrease in
very cold days and nights and an increase in
extremely hot days and warm nights.

Department of Architecture
Faculty of Building and Environment
Unit 1: Introduction

CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY sa

Climate change

Boosting energy efficiency | Greening Transportation

Reviving up renewability | Phasing out fossil fuel electricity
Managing forests and cultivation
Developing and deploying low carbon and zero-carbon technologies
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Ensuring sustainable development
Faculty of Building and Environment
Unit 1: Introduction

CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY sa

Policies on Sustainability

Some International Treatises “Treatises on Sustainability”

1. Agenda 21- Developed by the United nations
Some National Treatises
in 1992, Comprehensively addresses
sustainable development 1. Environment Protection Act 1986
2. Montreal Protocol- Substances that Deplete 2. Wildlife Protection Act
the Ozone Layer- In force from 1989. 3. Environmental Impact assessment
3. Kyoto Protocol- 1997 (Effective 2005)- Based Notification
on the United nations Framework convention 4. National Green Tribunal Act of 2010
on climate change- Holds Clean Development
Mechanism as its basis
4. United Nations World Summit on Sustainable
Development- 2002-

Department of Architecture
Faculty of Building and Environment
Unit 1: Introduction
CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY
KYOTO Protocol
Key resolution: Designed to reduce emission levels
of Green House Gases by setting binding emission
reduction targets for various countries. Offers
reduction methods through International emissions
Trading, Clean Development Mechanism, Joint
Implementation.
Progress: The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in
Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997 and entered
into force on 16 February 2005. Its first
commitment period started in 2008 and ended in
2012. As per DOHA amendment New
commitments for Annex I Parties to the Kyoto
Protocol who agreed to take on commitments in a
second commitment period from 1 January 2013 to
31 December 2020.
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sa
“Reasons for Failure”
1. Holds climate change as a basis which
as diverse and wide reaching
consequences
2. Over simplification of the solutions
3. Did not take into note the effects on
the economy of developed countries
4. No emission reduction targets for
developing countries
5. Rewards for planting trees, but no
rewards for conservation or
preservation of existing systems
Unit 1: Introduction

CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY sa

Montreal Protocol

Key resolution: Designed to reduce the “Reasons for Success”

production and consumption of ozone
depleting substances in order to reduce 1. Flexible Protocol which allows for quick
their abundance in the atmosphere, amendments based on emerging scientific
and thereby protect the earth’s fragile developments
ozone Layer. 2. Adoption of Market based approach to
phasing out CFCs.
Progress: The ozone layer has not
3. Legally binding controls for 191 signatory
grown thinner since 1998 over most of
nations
the world, and it appears to be
4. Only Small number companies of highly
recovering because of reduced
developed nations were producing CFCs and
emissions of ozone-depleting
Ozone Depleting Substances
substances. Antarctic ozone is
5. Single Feedback loop with measurable
projected to return to pre-1980 levels
results
by 2060 to 2075
Department of Architecture
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