NEED OF CLIMATE RESPONSIVE MEASURES FOR BUILDINGS

PRESENTED BY:Sukhneet Kaur12165121314/5 B.Arch., 7th SemesterGSA, GITAM University

GUIDED BY:Ar. Partha Sarthi Mishra

LET FORM FOLLOW INFORMATION

PRE- THESIS SEMINAR

DESIGN, BUILD AND LIVE SUSTAINABLY

INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS CLIMATE RESPONSIVE DESIGN?

A core philosophy to harmonise the building form and fabric with the site and climate therebyreducing ecological impacts and achieving energy efficiency whilst providing,

•Human health and Comfort

•Creating opportunities for social interaction

•A productive learning environment.

In simple words,

Climate-responsive design is not only more sustainable from an environmental perspective, but it

also increases occupant comfort and workplace satisfaction. Designing within the climatic

envelope means the building will be quieter because it doesn’t need as many noisy mechanical

systems, will be more comfortably lit with appropriate daylighting rather than electric lighting,

and will be healthier due to the presence of fresh rather than recycled air.

Considering climate sensitivity leads to a sustainable design which in turn

leads to

A

SUSTAINABLE

DESIGN

1. Sun shading devices allow winter

sun to enter the building while

shading during summer.

2. Solar panels gather energy to

offset electric costs.

3. Operable vents in skylight help

cool the house.

4. Open vertical circulation creates

a light well allowing daylight in

to the interior.

5. Strategic window placement

enhances natural ventilation to

help cool the building.

6. 6” of rigid insulation with an air

gap.

7. Shipping containers are re used

resource, making them highly

sustainable.

8. Super efficient radiant floor

heating system provides

comfortable warmth for the

home.

.

FACTORS THAT

NEED TO BE

CONSIDERED

HOW DID IT START?

Right from the era when primitive building techniques evolved, depending upon thevernacular predominant climatic character of a place, a variety of guidelines for sensitiveclimatic building design were usually developed inclusive in the design of buildings for theparticular place including the use of

a) shaded space and sun control

b) passive cooling through cross ventilation

c) lightweight exterior construction of low thermal capacity to avoid the accumulation andre-radiation of heat.

A key objective was that all new buildings comply with the north east/south west orientationand be “designed to produce comfortable interior environments with minimal interferencefrom artificial climate controls

For instance, the vernacular style of Kerala as evolved over a

period of time is a perfect setting for the prevalent and changing

climate of Kerala.

Hence, it is very much climate responsive.

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT?

Fact: Buildings account for 39% of the CO2emissions per year, more than either thetransportation (33%) or the industrial fields(29%)

With buildings contributing close to half of theenergy use and energy use being the numberone contributor to global warming, an obviousmeans to mitigate climate change is to designlow or no-energy use buildings.

To do so means going back to basics andlooking carefully at how to design a buildingto optimize the particular features of aspecific site and minimize the potential ofextreme energy use.

Just as flora and fauna adapt to their

surroundings and create sustaining ecosystems,

we too shall learn how to design buildings that

respond to their climate and are living rather

than consuming.

1. Green buildings use 26% less energy

2. Green buildings have 13% lower

maintenance costs

3. Green buildings have 27% higher occupant

satisfaction

4. Green buildings have 33% less greenhouse

gas emissions

WE NEED TO CONSIDER IT BECAUSE IT IS A WIN/WIN FOR USERS AS WELL AS THE ENVIRONMENT

The integration of climatic data is a driving factor in the design of new buildings, as wellas in the renovation of existing buildings.

This new focus on ‘location, location, location’ embraces climate responsive design bystarting first with a deep understanding of the physical location’s environmental data—sun, wind, light and rainfall—which then drives architectural design.

So rather than starting with building massing or an architectural form, we should firstanswer questions about the building’s location like:

•“What is the sun’s position in the sky at a given time and season?”

•“What effect will the wind have on occupant comfort surrounding the building?”

•“How much rain falls on the site each season?”

Beginning with climate data rather than architectural sketches turns the typical designprocess upside down.

WHERE WE WENT WRONG AND WHAT CAN WE DO?

•For the last 50 years, buildings have been designed mostly the same way.

•The process starts with architects designing a building form that relates to its context andaccommodates the client’s program, then progresses through increasingly detailed designphases.

•In thinking about climate-responsive buildings, we shall begin to question how we couldexpect different results if we kept doing things the same way.

•The answer is to rethink the traditional design process by not starting with architecture. Tomove this concept forward, we shall begin approaching our work from a genuinelysustainable perspective, striving to create buildings that respond directly to their uniqueplace.

“TUNING” A BUILDINGWORKING ON THE FACADES

For instance, During renovation of Portland’s Edith Green – Wendell Wyatt FederalBuilding (EGWW) as an example, Design Architect James Cutler didn’t draw anything untilSustainability Resources Group gave him information on how each of the building’s façades had toperform to meet the energy saving opportunities.

Cutler then custom-designed each façade differently to respond to its specific environment. From adesign perspective, the basic idea exemplified by EGWW is that although each façade worksdifferently, the overall building has a unified aesthetic.

start with an overall idea of what will

work

meld the different

façades to respond

directly to the environmental forces on each

side

end up with a cohesive

building with variations on each façade.

ACHIEVING CLIMATE SENSITIVE DESIGN BY PLANNING THE SITE REALLY WELL

The site planning principles that form the basis of the designs are

1. To orientate the buildings to minimise solargain

2. Reduce density and modify the building massing to increase airflow though the site.

3. Relatively high wind speeds are needed to

achieve cross ventilation with rates of 1 m per

second to achieve indoor comfort conditions.

4. High humidity is a key climatic constraint of

this site which needs to be controlled

5. Topography

IN A NUTSHELL, DESIGNERS WILL NEED TO:

Perform a site analysis.

Determine the weather patterns,climate, soil types, wind speed anddirection, heating degree days andpath of the sun. Look at the waterflows, habitat and geology of thesite. Document each with a qualifiedteam of professionals to understandthe ramifications of building in thatspecific place.

Layout the building on the site.

Using the general program, throughan integrative team process, use a basicmassing of the building layout to determinespecifically on site the most optimal locationfor the building to be situated. Factors toconsider here are access to infrastructure,staying at least 100 feet clear of anywatershed, not building within a floodplainand/or in a habitat with endangeredspecies.

Ask: what trees and other existinggeological features should be avoided?How does the water flow across the sitedictate the location of the building?

It’s all about the sun: orient the buildingbased upon cardinal directions.

The goal here is to maximize the amountof sun that heats the space in the winter(hence using less energy to mechanicallyheat) and decrease the amount of sun thatcooks in the summer (hence using lessenergy to mechanically cool).

Select the appropriate window areas andglazing types based on orientation.

South facing facades should utilize a windowarea appropriate to its orientation andglazing should utilize a double or triple panedglass with a low-e coating to minimize theamount of heat transmitted into the space inthe hottest months, while keeping heat insideduring the cooler winter months. For example,a south facing glass window wall will cook theoccupants inside during the hot summer monthsif care is not taken on this façade.

Building envelope design varies greatly by geographic area.

When designing the envelope of the building, factors such as insulation, vaporbarriers and air barriers will vary radically depending on whether the project is inthe cold, snowy north, the HOT and humid south or the arid desert.

Minimize the building footprint.

Question the true needs of the program – do you really need that much space? Arethere ways that spaces can become multi-functional? Do we really need that manyprivate offices if some staff can telecommute occasionally and share offices? Onceyour team is set on the minimize program, take a look at the size of your footprint. Isit possible to add extra stories to make the footprint smaller? That way, the buildingwill have less excavation cost, and more wall area that can benefit from thewarming effects of the sun and an increase in natural daylighting.

Design for natural ventilation.

Since warm air rises, a building can be cooled by designing for stack ventilation by drawingcooler air from openings low in the building, while carrying heat away through openings in thetop of the space. The rate at which the air moves is a function of the vertical distance betweenthe inlets and outlets, their size and the difference in temperature over the height of the room.

Perform multiple iterations.

If at first you don’t succeed - try again! It willtake the design team multiple passes of justthese basic layouts in your pre-design orschematic design phase to hone in the lowestenergy use possible, optimized for yourspecific site.

However, it’s better to spend more time in theearly phases of design to model the projectwhich is far less costly than making changes inthe field or later on in the design process.

Keep at the trials and eventually yourbuilding will be responding directly to theclimate specific to the project site! Congrats!

BUILDING INFORMATION MODELLING (BIM)

With climate-responsive design and computerized Building Information Modelling (BIM), thedesign process takes less time because the project is on the right path from the beginning.

In a traditional sequential design process, the team would not start a building energy modeluntil the Design Development or even Construction Document phase—which would either makeit too late to integrate necessary changes or would push out the schedule for redesigntime. But today the process is more overlapped and less sequential, which works much betterto integrate the layers of data necessary to increase energy and water savings

What is BIM?

Digital representation of

physical and functional

characteristics of a facility

Augmenting the three primary spatial dimensions (width, height and depth) with time as the

fourth dimension (4D), cost as the fifth (5D) and finally sustainability as the sixth (6D). It

covers spatial relationships, light analysis, geographic information, and quantities and

properties of building components.

WHY BUILD GREEN IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR?

1. Lead by Example. Promote local market transformation by using best practices in construction,operation and maintenance of government owned or leased buildings.

2. Reduce Operations and Maintenance Costs Over the Life of a Building. Energy and waterefficient design paired with green operations practices reduce operations and maintenance costsover the entire life of the building.

3. Extend Infrastructure Capacity. Green buildings lessen the demands on infrastructure throughwaste and storm water management efforts.

4. Reduce Staff-related Overhead and Relocation Costs. Improved indoor air quality, natural lightand flexible design can contribute positively to staff satisfaction and productivity, reduceabsenteeism, improve employee retention and reduce the costs associated with employeerelocation.

The Government of USA has taken initiatives like “ TheROADMAP to GREEN Government buildings” whichobjectifies to build, renovate and maintainGovernment buildings of the USA sensitive to theenvironment.