CONTENTS
1.10 CONSIDERATION FOR SUSTAINABLE BUILDING DESIGN Sustainability, in context of building and habitat design, has multidimensional
1.9.4.1 KEY SUSTAINABLE FEATURES
• Passive design strategies ensuring visual and thermal comfort).
• Majority of building facades face North, South, North-west and South- east enabling adequate day lighting and glare control.
• Glazing on the first and second floors has been shaded from direct solar radiation using louvers.
• Break out spaces have been created in the form of terraces and pavil- ions, which have been interspersed within building profile.
• The interior integrates the user needs and enhanced productivity with optimized day light harvesting.
• The landscape incorporates the principles of Xeriscape with efficient water management systems.
• Use of higher ration of native and naturalized plant species to sustain and enhance local ecology.
• High efficiency mechanical systems integrated with the efficient build- ing envelope.
• All the workstations are equipped with task lighting, which is governed by motion sensors turning (Teri, 2013).
1.10 CONSIDERATION FOR SUSTAINABLE BUILDING DESIGN
FIGURE 11 Sustainable aspects of habitat design.
1.10.1 SITE SELECTION AND ANALYSIS
Sustainable site planning begins with the assessment of the building site.
Analysis and assessment of the site characteristics—in terms of its capacity to provide natural resources, such as light, air, and water, and the extent to which the existing natural systems will be able to support the construction (Table 1).
TABLE 1 Site characteristics affecting the site and building design elements.
Site characteristics Building design element Site design element Geographical latitude and mi-
croclimatic factors such as wind loads
Building a layout for solar orientation
Location of windows, en- trance, and loading docks Location of air inlets Architectural elevation Surface to volume ratios
Location of green and paved areas
Selection of vegeta- tion and integration with the native landscape Biodiversity Use of landscape ele- ments such as buffer zones
Site characteristics Building design element Site design element Topography and adjacent land-
forms Building proportions
Wind loads
Architectural elevations Drainage strategies
Gravity-fed sewer lines
Land filling Naturaliste features for rain/storm water drainage
Location of ground water detention ponds
Solar access Building position for day
lighting, photovoltaic’s, and solar passive techniques Construction of walls Selection of building materi- als and finishes
Location of energy- efficient features such as solar ponds Placement of selec- tive species of trees such as deciduous trees on the south- side
Geologic and seismic data Foundation type
Structural specifications Structural consid- erations for site landscaping, such as retaining walls, fixed seating’s, etc.
Soil type, textures, and load-
bearing capacity Foundation design and loca-
tion Site-grading proce-
dures that minimize erosion
Plant selections as per soil type
Air movement patterns Placement of wind towers Location of fenestration on the basis of pressure differ- entials, passive solar cooling design
Site layout of build- ing structures to trap wind for ventilation
Neighboring or proposed future
developments Design flexibility for future
extension Location of utility
and infrastructure for future extension Source: Sustainable Building Design Manual, Site Planning, p. 19.
1.10.2 EFFICIENT WATER AND WASTE MANAGEMENT
The increased demand and limited resource availability make it essential to have an efficient water management system as well as strategies for efficient TABLE 1 (Continued)
water reuse. Major water resources include surface water, groundwater, and precipitation.
Portable water is required for bathing, toilet flushing, drinking and cook- ing, washing and gardening. The water supply requirements for various build- ing categories in India are given in Table 2.
TABLE 2 Water supply requirement (as recommended by the National building code).
S. No. Category Quantity (liters per
head per day)
1. Residences
<20,000 population 70–100
20,000–100,000 100–150
>100,000 150–200
2. Hospitals
>100 beds 450
<100 beds 340
3. Hotels 180
4. Offices 45
5. Restaurants 70*
6. Cinema, theaters, recre-
ation centers 15*
7. Schools
Day school 45
Boarding school 135
*Indicates water consumption per seat Source: Bureau of Indian standards.
1.10.3 SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
Increasing urbanization and consequent rise in the generation of solid wastes in cities has made solid waste management an important area of concern. The environmental impacts associated with improper management along with an increased awareness on the resourceful potential of wastes has created an ur- gent need to develop systems for recovery of useful resource as well as safe disposal of wastes.
1.10.4 PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN
The main objective of a climate-sensitive approach is to provide a high stan- dard of comfort quality, which also results in energy saving with environmental benefits. ‘Comfort’ can be defined as the optimal thermal condition in which the least extra effort is required to maintain the human body’s thermal bal- ance. Factors that effect human comfort are broadly divided into two types.
1. Environmental factors
• Air temperature
• Temperature of surrounding surface
• Relative humidity
• Air velocity 2. Physiological factors
• Clothing
• Activities
• Age
• Gender
The above factors play an important role in deciding the building design.
The building also has certain aspect, which play an important role in solar heat gain, which are as follows.
• Orientation-East and West receive the maximum solar radiation during summer. Southward orientation has radiation during the winters. It also affects the daylight factor.
• Surface type weather opaque, translucent or transparent, this greatly af- fects the interior environment greatly.
• Shading devices
1.10.5 BUILDING MATERIALS
Building industry has been dependent on a seemingly endless supply of high quality material, supplies, and energy resources. Rarely has this practice been judged with respect to the environmental impact of using these material;
the environmental ‘costs’ that go into extracting, producing, manufacturing, transporting, installing, and recycling these materials. Architects and design- ers should take a judicious call while selecting material for projects keeping all the above aspects into mind.
1.10.6 BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES
The climatic and cultural diversity manifests itself in variety of basic materi- als and construction systems used, and in the manner each region has de- veloped unique ways of using local building materials, such as stone, timber, bamboo, and soil (mud, adobe, and baked bricks). The material industry is fast developing newer and better performing material. The build- ing technology also evolves to the challenges of sustainable practice.
1.10.7 ASHRAE AND US GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL GUIDELINES FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE GREEN BUILDINGS ASHRAE and US Green Building Council have laid down 189.1–2011 guide- lines for designing high performance green buildings. The guidelines cover aspects related with the following:
• Site selection
• Water Use Efficiency
• Energy Efficiency
• Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)
• The Building’s Impact on the Atmosphere, Materials, and Resources
• Construction and Plans for Operation