ARCHITECTURE AND ENERGY

SOLAR SYSTEM AND EARTH

SOLAR SYSTEM AND EARTH

Earth is the third planet from the sun and the fifth largest in the solar system. Earth's diameter is just a few hundred kilometres larger than that of Venus. The four seasons are a result of Earth's axis of rotation being tilted more than 23 degrees. The only planet known to support life, Earth is a complex system of air, water and land. Its blue expanse of ocean, its thin yet dynamic veil of atmosphere, and its brown and green jigsaw of continents, all give Earth a vitality unknown anywhere else in the universe.

Oceans at least 2.5 miles (4 kilometres) deep cover nearly 70 percent of Earth's surface. Fresh water exists in the liquid phase only within a narrow temperature span (32 to 212 degrees Fahrenheit/ 0 to 100 degrees Celsius). This temperature span is especially narrow when contrasted with the full range of temperatures found within the solar system. The presence and distribution of water vapour in the atmosphere is responsible for much of Earth's weather.

RENEWABLE SOURCES OF ENERGY

Any energy resource that is naturally regenerated over a short time scale and derived directly from the sun (such as thermal, photochemical, and photoelectric), indirectly from the sun (such as wind, hydropower, and photosynthetic energy stored in biomass), or from other natural movements and mechanisms of the environment (such as geothermal and tidal energy). Renewable energy does not include energy resources derived from fossil fuels, waste products from fossil sources, or waste products from inorganic sources. This includes SUNLIGHT, GEOTHERMAL HEAT, WIND, TIDES, WATER, BIOMASS This energy cannot be exhausted and is constantly renewed.

A (VERY) SHORT HISTORY OF GREEN BUILDINGS

Nearly all pre-industrial buildings were designed using local materials and labor, to be responsive to climate, site and culture. Beginning in the 1930s, the advent of new materials such as reflective glass, reinforced concrete, and steel, new technologies such as air conditioning, large HVAC units, and world wide transportation networks, combined with cheap fossil fuels, allow designers to ignore the context and climate of buildings. In the 1970s, the energy crisis and concerns about the degradation of the environment spark interest in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and natural building materials. The movements does not revolutionize building practices as hoped, due primarily to the return of cheap energy prices. Mainstream interest in environmentally responsible buildings emerged in the late 1990s, and gained momentum as suburban sprawl, peak oil, global warming got widely reported.

SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

What can be learnt from history? In the past, human beings lived in harmony with their environment Comfort requirements were different Small population meant ample space, modest requirements, low energy needs and emissions Waste products mostly recyclable & bio-degradable Mobile communities Low threat to the environment

These typical Kerala (India) houses use rainwater harvesting methods and pitched roof for shading

Well Articulated windows in Hawa Mahal, Jaipur provides cool breeze in a desert area

Nomadic life & sparse requirements drove the architecture of the past and made it sustainable

ECOLOGICAL BUILDING
Buildings in cold climates characterized by: Small windows that allowed little light into spaces resulting in minimal heat gains/loss and cooling/heating loads Building mass with high thermal storage capacities Low standards for heating and sanitary systems

These castles in Europe use small fenestrations to minimize heat loss

ECOLOGICAL BUILDING

Buildings in temperate zones characterized by: Tendency to locate living areas underground to utilize coolness of the earth and create ventilation through buoyancy Small window & roof elements minimizing heat transfer Use of narrow courtyards to promote ventilation Fine grained cities that cause mutual shading Use of water as an architectural element

ECOLOGICAL BUILDING
The Industrial Age is characterized by: Migration of ever increasing population from rural to urban areas Extremely poor living conditions for most people Industrialization & rapid advances in technology Increased demands for energy met through use of coal & gas Sharp increase in emissions; indiscriminate dumping of wastes No efforts to protect environment, conserve natural reserves Beginning of an environmental calamity

Alarming number of industries, poor living conditions, deteriorating environment mark the industrial era

ECOLOGICAL BUILDING

New York the city of skyscrapers

The early & mid 20th century is characterized by: Urbanization, technological development, industrialization, concentration of labor in cities at a frantic pace Concentration of workplaces in small areas Shortening of distances for communication & information Maximized utilization of available spaces An architecture & technology that pays no respect to the environment & energy consumption A false sense of Man has overcome nature Skyscrapers, fully automated climate control

ECOLOGICAL BUILDING
Late 20th century architecture characterized by: Renewed search for elegant architectural solution with respect to energy use, environment & ventilation Facades designed for natural ventilation Creation of climate buffer zones (halls and atria) Improved heat insulation & sun protection Implementation of energy recovery & waste treatment systems Major energy crisis in 1973 Architects, engineers & clients turn to ECOLOGICAL BUILDING DESIGN Menara Mesiniaga by Ken Yeang in Malaysia is a revolutionary high-rise building design using sustainable principles

Commerzbank headquarters in Germany by Architect Norman Foster uses garden terraces every 12 floors

THE GREAT BLASKET ISLAND, IRELAND

THE GREAT BLASKET ISLAND, IRELAND

Although there is evidence of prehistoric dwellings in the exposed western parts of the island, the historical village was built on the side of the island facing the mainland. The little houses huddle against the hillside for shelter, with their gable walls facing the sea.

MESA VERDE TREE HOUSE, COLORADO

Mesa Verde National Park's archaeological sites span over 700 years of Native American history. The renowned cliff dwellings, the height of the Puebloans' architecture, include more than 600 units.

MESA VERDE TREE HOUSE, COLORADO

The great Mesa Verde is 25 miles long with cliffs that reach 2,000 feet above the Mancos and Montezuma valley floors. Located in south-west Colorado, Mesa Verde National Park contains over 600 cliff dwellings, with adobe pit houses, pueblo structures, and stone towers, and an additional 4,100 archaeological sites. Many of these sites, such as Spruce Tree House, Square Tower House and Fire Temple, were built towards the end of the Ancestral Puebloan occupation of the mesa. Hidden under large cliff overhangs, it is clear that they provided protection from the elements and were likely defensive postures. Each cliff dwelling was adapted to the topography of its alcove, making the hundreds of archaeological sites unique.

HAVELIS IN SHEKHAWATI, RAJASTHAN

Internal courtyard with high building mass all around it leads to induced ventilation, lowering of temperatures by convective cooling and natural lighting Since the inner courtyard generally has some vegetation (generally Tulsi) while the outer courtyard generally has hard surface, the inner one would be cooler as compared to the outer. In between the two is a transitory space with deferred entry and a small opening. It induces draft of cooler air from the inner courtyard. Thus the transition space always received cool air draft and and is the favourite place to sit during day and rainy season

HAVELIS IN SHEKHAWATI, RAJASTHAN

Climate responsive features of Shekhawati Havelis: Compact settlement plan Narrow street with tall buildings around Courtyard Planning Construction Technology Small openings with tick shutters, jali screens and jharokhas Wind Towers Ceiling Heights Materials and Construction Light Colored iexternal facade

CONTEMPORARY TRENDS
HIGH PERFORMANCE ENVELOPE

Cavity Walls, Double Glazed Units, & Roof insulation

CONTEMPORARY TRENDS
GREEN ROOFS & WALLS

CONTEMPORARY TRENDS
ENERGY MODELING & DAYLIGHT SIMULATION

CONTEMPORARY TRENDS
RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS

CONTEMPORARY TRENDS
RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS

The building reinforces archetypal elements of traditional Arabic architecture: the interior, the treatment of light and filters through racks and overlapping frames. The southern front is the best example of this dual loyalty because it reinterprets a number of commonly used geometric figures in the Arab culture, giving them a contemporary form of mobile lenses, very similar to those of a camera. The game of space-related expansion and contraction; a hall that evokes the great mosques, and a deep sense of the use of reflections, refractions and the effects of light, provide some magic to this place.