ADVANCED BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN BUILDINGS

Kavya Nambiar
Soumini Dhar
4D 7th Semester

Introduction

Sustainability and Architecture: Exploring a Systems Approach

40 % of energy consumption is by the building sector.

The systems theory states that:

➢ Everything is connected

➢ Environment is not the only component

➢ Urban ecosystem is the bigger picture

The quality of a building can be defined by:

➢ Competitive to attract

➢ Enhance city’s image

➢ Implication on resources

Thus, a system’s boundary is formed by:

➢ Its ecological consequence

➢ Technology beyond energy and waste management

➢ Sustainable consumption and production

➢ Minimise footprint while maximising city’s metabolism

Which leads to an ecological consciousness to make the city more productive.

Ecosystem of Stakeholders: "Create! Not buildings but opportunities for social

impact."

Product: 3 market system that influence/ get influenced by the design to create a positive

spiral effect.

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 1. Occupies market to catalyse cities knowledge based economy.

2. Developers market to accelerate shift towards low carbon development.

3. Investors market to revive or regenerate local economy.

Process: to maintain a balance between technology, behavioural aspect and financial

model

1. Design and plan

2. Development and construction

3. Operation and maintenance

4. Disposal (retrofit, redevelop)

Systems thinking

● Design invisible: culture visible

● Design to solve serious problems

● Design to streamline four stages

● Shelf life of design: is it dynamic?

● Tangible and intangible aspects of design: design and response

Design dilemma: to increase the built form for happier cities.

● Inclusiveness versus gentrification

● Optimising land resource versus increasing burden.

● Redevelopment versus retrofitting

● design for sustainability versus sustainability of design

● Rating versus comprehensive performance

● Signature versus catalyst

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TERI

Located at Vasant Kunj in South Delhi, the TERI university campus has been

planned to provide a setting that enhances learning and showcases the concept

of modern green buildings.

- Sanjay Mohe, MINDSPACE: Design Principal

TERI (also known as The The Energy and Resources Institute) is a recognised indian

research institute, based in New Delhi. The TERI University (institute of advanced studies) is

a non-profit, independent research institute which was set up by TERI itself and is recognized

globally for its contribution to scientific and policy research in the realms of energy,

environment, and sustainable development campus, which is located in the south of Delhi.

The objective of the TERI school of advanced studies is to build capacity around various

themes of sustainable development adopting an interdisciplinary approach and

incorporating the most contemporary, research-based evidence into the curriculum.

The University building already has features that contribute to ~40 per cent energy

savings vis-a-vis a conventional building. For energy conservation, the campus is equipped

with three types of cooling systems; earth air tunnel (EAT) used for free cooling/heating of

the building, variable refrigerant volume (VRV) air-conditioning system, similar to an efficient

version of a split air conditioner and thermal mass storage (TMS), which involves storing

energy when available and using it when required (Pant and Jain, 2010). Insulation of external

walls is done with rock wool and that of terrace is done with vermiculite and puff insulation

topped with high Solar Reflective Index (SRI) material for efficient heat reflection. Usage of

material like double glazing window units help in reducing heat gained by the building. Also,

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the campus is designed to receive ample amount of daylight. Building design and lighting

arrangement support use of daylight. Building direction and design also prevents heating

during summer. The solar water heating system is being used in the hostel block to save

energy from grid. The compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are used in the entire campus.

Building Design

“An exemplary example of combining traditional values of conservation and

preservation of energy while building a state of the art campus.”

- Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, Former President of India

The TERI University is a green campus with is well equipped with exceptional

infrastructure facilities and consists of energy efficient designs. All these elements all

together possess the concept of modern green buildings.

A. Building Specification

Site area : 1.8 acre (80,000 sqft)

Building type : Green Building

Height : G+3

Orientation : East-West axis to have maximum exposure along north and south

Code : Adheres to ECBC (Energy Conservation Building Code)

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 Material : stone cladding over Brick masonry

Client : TERI

B. Infrastructure facilities
Being a green building TERI university maximises the use of natural and renewable

resources to a high extent and consists of the following facilities, which is considered

sustainable :

➔ Passive design technology

➔ Solar water heating system

➔ Manual sun shading device ( Hunter and douglas louvers)

➔ Double insulated glass shading

➔ Earth air tunnel system

➔ Variable refrigerant volume (VRV) systems

➔ Thermal mass storage

Components that make this building a sustainable development :

1. Passive design corridor spaces and atriums

The form of the entire built mass responds to the environment. Spaces have been

made porous in such a way that it facilitates the movement of wind.Taking the

direction of wind into account, the spaces are designed such that it initiates a

maximum windflow into the spaces The hot air from outside moves into the central

court where it passes over the water body and fountain. The air thus gets

humidified and becomes cooler. The central atrium acts as an air funnel defined by

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 the other buildings. The outside air and channelizes it through a narrow stretch of

the block before releasing it into the central court area.

Spaces designed to facilitate wind movement

Open spaces designed according to the orientation of wind

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 ➢ All the linear blocks are oriented in the East-West direction with shorter facades facing

the sun.

➢ Wherever possible, openings have not been taken on South-West face

➢ The building has been designed with adequate shading device and fenestration has

been decided to cut of summer sun and let in winter sun.

➢ The external walls are also shaded adequately with red stone and deciduous creepers

and trees along the walls add to the insulation and help evaporating cooling.

➢ On the western façade, rock wool insulation is also provided in the wall. Energy

efficiency is further enhanced by Vermiculite insulation in parts of the roof slab.

➢ South facing walls are mounted with aeroscreen louvers (Hunter Douglas) fixed at an

angle of 35 degrees which welcomes winter sun and blocks the summer sun.

➢ The use of louvers in front of the glazed walls also reduces the heating up of the glass

facade

➢ The design of the building ensures natural light penetration deep into the interior

spaces as well as pores provided in the basement for the entrance of light.

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 2. Earth air tunnel system

This technology uses the heat sink property of earth to maintain comfortable

temperatures inside the building. Supplementary systems have been used for

extreme conditions (monsoon). In such a system energy savings of nearly 50%

compared to conventional system can be achieved. At the campus, this system is used

for providing comfort for the rooms in the hostel block. It reduces 50% of energy

consumption compared to conventional methods.

➢ This is a dual heating-cooling system using the heat sink property of the earth

to maintain comfortable temperatures inside the building. Air which passes

through the buried pipes gets cooled in summer and heated up in winter

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 ➢ A heavy amount of research went into the design of this system. Airtron, the

Air-conditioning consultants for the project in collaboration with faculty of

Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore simulated the system and refined it to

perfection.

➢ On continuous uninterrupted use in extreme heat conditions as in Delhi, this

system faces the problem of the earth around the tunnel getting heat

saturated and reducing the effectiveness of cooling.

➢ A recovery time is required for the earth to dissipate the heat from the

immediate surroundings. After rigorous experiments and simulations a

second loop of tubes was created and the two loops used alternately to

provide sufficient recovery time to the earth around and maintain the

performance effectiveness of the system.

An earth air tunnel system underground

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 3. Thermal mass storage

Thermal mass storage is used in the classrooms. It involves storing energy when

available and use it when required. In the proposed arrangement, cooling of the

thermal mass is done during the night (when ambient temperatures are lower).

During the daytime when ambient temperature is high, the thermal storage is used

as a sink for the fresh air requirement. Estimated energy savings of up to 40% can be

achieved with this system.

➢ Thermal mass is crucial to good passive solar heating design. Objects with

high thermal mass to absorb and retain heat, slowing the rate at which the sun

heats a space and the rate at which a space loses heat when the sun is gone.

Without thermal mass, heat that has entered a space will simply re-radiate

back out quickly, making the space overly hot with sunlight and overly cold

without.

➢ The area is a Large surface area of thermal mass, with sufficient solar

exposure. A rule of thumb is a mass surface-to-glass area ratio is 6:1.

4. Lighting component

The campus has an efficient artificial lighting system designed for minimizing the

energy consumption without compromising the visual comfort in the building. The

system takes advantage of day lighting wherever available. Efficient lamps with high

lumen output fixed with mirror optics reflectors and bat-wing louvers for glare free

uniform illumination have been installed. All fixtures have energy saving electronic

ballasts. With efficient designing the lighting loads have been reduced from 2W/m2

to 1 W/m2.

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 The building is planned in such a way that the rooms receive ample amount of solar

light which is glare free. The south west walls are protected by pergolas and projected

balconies, and have been exposed to minimum areas for windows. The east and west

facades of the building have minimum glazing.

➢ In areas where daylight is available, fixtures have been fitted with continuous

dimming electronic ballasts. That are controlled by light sensors which

respond to available light conditions and automatically regulate the connected

fixtures to achieve the desired level of illumination.

➢ In areas with non- uniform illumination, occupancy sensors have been

installed that can turn off the lights when the space is unoccupied.

➢ This kind of lighting system has a potential of saving 70% lighting energy

demand

➢ Use of efficient double glazing window help significantly reduce the heat

gained through window glazing in the summers and the heat lost in the

winters.

➢ Coloured louvers have been provided at certain places to enhance the beauty

of the building

➢ For basement ventilation, punctures were given in the building and covered

by glass panels to let in light.

5. Water Management

To reduce the water demand, buildings on campus have been provided with low flow

fixtures such as dual flush toilets, low flow taps and sensor taps that would result in 25%

savings in water use. Further, the wastewater generated from the hostel building equivalent

to 8 KL/day will be treated through efficient biological process using a combination of

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microorganisms and bio-media filter. The treatment system requires low area and energy.

The treated water meets the prescribed standards for landscape irrigation. Rainwater run-

off from roof and the site would be used for recharge of aquifer. This would enhance the

sustainable yield in areas where over-development has depleted the aquifer.

The water tank as seen in TERI university consists of a capacity of about 2Lack litres.

Approximately 25 percent of water savings is due to use of low flow fixtures on campus.

Treatment of wastewater generated in the hostel block of the University is used for

landscaping purposes. Entire campus including roofs and floor area is under rainwater

harvesting system. Entire water collected during the monsoon season as well as cleaning of

floors is used for aquifer recharge on campus.

Rainwater harvesting is also an important concept which contributes to efficient water

management. Rainwater run off from the roof and the site are tapped to recharge the

aquifer.The excess surface water is also conserved and stored for future requirements. The

external flooring of the university also consisted of grooves that allowed the flow of

rainwater into the rainwater pit, which was located nearby the area.

6. Variable refrigerant volume systems

The VRV system is a modern air-conditioning system, similar to an efficient version of

a split air conditioner. The VRV system is highly efficient under partial load conditions

and therefore, has been used in areas with varying occupancies such as the office

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 block, laboratories, administrative block and recreation & dining areas of the hostel

block. It features customized control of individual zones. Depending on the cooling

demands of the building, variable refrigerant volumes circulate through the chillers.

The VRV system also eliminates the requirement of a plant room; piping & ducting for

chilled water; and contributes to 15% energy savings as compared to a conventional

air conditioning system.

7. Features that are components of green architecture

● Insulation on terrace done with vermiculite and puff insulation topped with

China mosaic for efficient heat reflection

● Double insulation synergy azur glass is used in external façade with aluminum

glazing

● Earth Air Tunnel, Thermal mass and VRV system for cooling the building

● Hunter Douglas louvers and pergolas are used in the building for controlling

the intensity of incoming sun rays

● Solar water heating system

● Waste water recycling with STP

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 Use of efficient double glazing window units helps significantly reduce the heat gained

through window glazing in the summers and the heat lost in the winters without

compromising on the day lighting integration and the levels of visual comfort.

The energy saving of the buildings can increase with simple measures, such as

reduced use of blinds to reduce the artificial lighting usage as it is evident from

daylight analysis using Radiance that the building receives ample amount of daylight.

Placement of louvers (at an inclination of 90 degrees) can reduce HVAC load especially

in buildings with high WWR (example cafeteria block 40%) can help in energy demand

reduction, which allows sufficient daylight and reduce the glare and heat gained

(Husin and Harith, 2012).

The walls that are exposed to the harsh solar rays have a stone cladding which is fixed

to the wall by channels. The air gap between the wall and the stone cladding by itself

acts as an insulation layer. On the facades rock wool insulation is also provided in the

wall. Energy efficiency is further proposed to be enhanced by insulation in the roof

slab

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