2 What impact does a construction of a new building have on environment

Construction contributes to environmental damage both on a global scale, as well

as locally. It is important to learn what impact construction causes in order to scale
back damage. Here are five ways to help limit environmental impact during your
construction project.
1) Limit Fuel Usage
Construction firm’s biggest negative impact on the environment is caused by the
burning of fossil fuels, like gas and diesel. Every construction project results in
these gas emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other waste products that
pollute the air and are believed to contribute to global warming. In order to limit
fuel usage:
 Minimize haul distances
 Reduce vehicle idling time
 Use greener, alternative fuel sources
 Use hybrid equipment
By striving to limit your construction project’s fuel usage, you can help decrease
negative emission and pollutants and improve air quality.
2) Reduce Noise
Construction noise is a major source of noise pollution. Most of this noise is
produced by machinery in site preparation, demolition, and landscaping. Many
construction sites are located near homes and businesses and can noise complaints
might be likely. Be sure, when beginning a construction project, to be considerate
and adhere to any local construction time restrictions. Many people might not
appreciate work and loud construction noises beginning at six A.M. on a Saturday.
Another good idea is to send a letter to neighbors before beginning work to alert
them to how long the project will last and what to expect.
3) Properly Dispose of Waste
In 2014, there was over 534 million tons of construction material waste in the
United States. Demolition waste makes up 90% of total debris, and much of this
waste is disposed of in landfills or through incineration. Both these methods harm
the environment. By salvaging, reusing and recycling existing materials, you can
cut down on materials harming our precious earth. Hardware, appliances, and
fixtures can be recycled or reused. These can be used on future projects or donated
to those who need them. Brick and concrete can be recycled and used as fill or
driveway bedding, and metals and wood are valuable commodities that can be
recycled.
4) Utilize Reusable Technology
There are a lot of green building options that help you decrease a negative
environmental impact. For example, inflatable water dams help combat erosion,
water runoff, and prevents sedimentation. While sandbags and
traditional dewatering solutions are costly and time-consuming, inflatable water
dams are reusable and take up little space. They are easier to install and
environmentally friendly by using existing water already on your worksite.
5) Expedite Your Project
By accelerating your construction project, you reduce traffic disturbances and also
reduce associated emissions and fuel costs. Establish firm completion goals and
implement these measures to stay on track. Expediting the construction process
helps reduce noise pollution, as well as cutting back on traffic duration and
improves safety zones.
3 Describe the concerns of an Architect from the perspective of climate change

Buildings can be vulnerable to climate change. In the future there may be an increase
in the risk of collapse, declining health and significant loss of value as a result of more
storms, snow or subsidence damage, water encroachment, deteriorating
indoor climate and reduced building lifetime.
Architecture has always played a huge role in climate change. We know that
buildings contribute to nearly half of the nation’s CO 2 (carbon dioxide) emissions –
which is a huge part of the problem, but the good news is, it’s a huge part of the
solution. When we add the fact that transportation accounts for another third of CO2
emissions, and, together, buildings and transportation account for over 75% of the
energy consumed in North America, we realize the impact a well designed, dense,
environmentally responsible city can have on our climate.

Architects can lead the climate change movement by designing the greenest,
healthiest buildings and environments. The very best in technical advancements
needed to produce climate-saving buildings have been put in place over the last few
decades – for example, the LEEDTM (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design) rating system is marked for excellence in green building and used in over
150 countries. And LEED TM is only one of many systems to track and record
sustainability. While new technologies and designs help lower emissions and
generate energy, today’s sustainability experts were not the first to consider the
importance of utilizing renewable resources. Architects have been leaders in
environment-friendly building for years – harnessing natural energy and using local
resources long before advancements in construction.

Thousands of years ago, ancient civilizations worked with earthly materials to power
their buildings and homes. The Persians knew how to make use of natural elements;
they were known to engineer windcatchers for natural ventilation. These structures
regulated temperatures indoors and allowed lower level rooms to stay cool during hot
days, also serving as early refrigerators, keeping food cool. Aboriginal people in
North America used their resources carefully; today we see a resurgence of interest
in low carbon footprint, sustainable food production and a move away from the
consumerism that dominated the 20 th century.

While global warming is making more individuals conscious of how over-consumption

and inefficient construction practices are hurting our planet, there have been other
moments in history that caused people to be more considerate. The pre-Baby
Boomer generation might remember needing to stockpile certain materials or avoid
using some items altogether in order to save resources during World War II. The
economic boom in the 1950s lead to an increase in the amount of garbage being
produced due to the growing popularity of single use items. So you can imagine it
wasn’t long before people began to realize their environmental impact and the role
they play through their direct actions. No longer is planetary health seen as someone
else’s problem.

Today’s environmental challenges have brought sustainability to the forefront of our

design practices. Many architectural firms are now very concerned with creating the
eco-friendliest structures. Learning from our past and present trends can help future
architects and designers determine which methods work best for creating sustainable
buildings that can both survive and actually help lessen the effects of climate change.
Recognizing that the decisions weA make today to create a high quality, dense urban
environment, even at the scale of smaller towns and villages, reduces transportation
energy needs and CO 2. And that investing in architecture, to create those high quality
spaces, results in lower energy use, and better investment over the lifecycle of the
building, leaving a legacy for our children.

4 As an Architect which approach would you consider for designing a community housing –
resilient strategies or sustainable strategies ( describe the strategies and why)

Resilient Design Strategies

Resiliency is not any single solution, concept or perspective. Resiliency is a multifaceted lens which
balances proactivity and reactivity to inform solutions to disruptions. Resilient Design is taking that lens
and using it to rethink the built environment. Below are practical elements that begin to provide that
strategic perspective

Achieving Resilience at the Community Scale

 Build or facilitate social structures that strengthen the fabric of community. This could include
community gathering places, dog parks where residents get to know their neighbors, central
mailbox locations, and community bulletin-boards with rideshare notices and other postings.
The Japanese “Koban” may provide a useful model.
 Design communities to minimize dependency on transportation fuels sourced from far away;
provide for human-powered transportation options to access key services.
 Deliver food security through reliance on local or regional food systems and strategies for long-
term, low-energy food storage. Work to achieve the potential for 50% reliance on local food
production, as follows: within 10 miles of communities up to 10,000 residents; within 25 miles
of communities from 10,000 to 100,000 residents; within 50 miles of cities from 100,000 to 1
million residents; and within 100 miles of cities larger than 1 million residents.
 Design vegetated roofs and rainwater bioswales to reduce the urban heat island effect and
manage stormwater.
 Design and build (or rebuild) physical infrastructure, such as culverts, storm sewers, roadways,
and bridges, to handle increased stormwater flows.
 Rely on natural, biological erosion-control solutions that will grow stronger over time.
  Create community facilities (resilience hubs) that can serve as gathering places during
emergencies and interruptions in services, and outfit such facilities with access to key services,
including water, electricity for charging cell phones, etc. Such capabilities could be integrated
into schools and other existing community facilities.
 Work to ensure the resiliency of cell phone towers so that communications can be maintained
during times of emergency. Educate residents about the benefits of texting rather than calling
during emergencies to use less bandwidth.
 Consider potential extreme weather events and climate change in determining locations of
critical facilities and systems.
 Foster strong community education programs that will build greater understanding of energy,
water, and other natural resource systems as well as the functioning of buildings and
community infrastructure. Build such capacity into public education systems.

7 Describe various passive design strategies in hot and humid climate/ hot and dry climate/ cold
climate to reduce energy consumption and improve thermal comfort

Adopt passive architectural design strategies in building design to create climate sensitive buildings
which have reduced energy consumption while maintaining occupant comfort.
Following are a list of passive design strategies commonly prevalent for various climatic zones.
Demonstrate through sketches/photographs/drawings how these features have been incorporated in
your building design. Identify the climate zone for your building as per NBC 2005 or ECBC 2007. The list
of passive measures are given on the following pages.

•Use of low-energy or passive heating/cooling measures helps to ensure that the overall energy
consumption of the building is reduced while ensuring good thermal comfort conditions for the
occupants. Highlight the use of low-energy or passive heating/cooling measures. Few examples of the
same are given below:

–Desert coolers and fans

–Earth Air tunnels
–Passive Downdraught Evaporative Cooling
–Direct/Indirect Evaporative cooling
–Solarium
–Trombe Wall

Composite
Solar Chimney/Wind Tower
Courtyards
Water bodies for evaporation
Reduced solar access
Building/Site planning to increase cross ventilation (layout of
windows in the rooms and building for wind flow)
Earth berming
Thermal mass to reduce heat gain/loss
Dense vegetation cover to moderate micro-climate
Cavity walls
Terrace Garden/Green Roof
Roof insulation using clay pots(mutkas)
Design according to site slopes
Light shelves
Internal distribution of spaces to be carried out such that
buffer spaces like store rooms, staircases, toilets etc. are
located on the eastern and western facades
Cool roofs in the form of terrace gardens/roof ponds etc. (high
reflective paint finish would not be accepted here)
Geothermal cooling/heating
Ventilators

Cold
Trombe walls
Solarium
Heat capturing wall panels
Sun spaces
Solar wall
Solar heat collector based ventilation/thermal system
Direct solar gain in rooms
Earth berm
Maximum openings on positioned in order to bring in more
heat
In-direct solar gain
Air lock to prevent heat loss
Thermal Mass
Glass covered atrium/central spaces
Design according to site slopes
Orientation of the building
Geothermal heating/cooling

Warm & Humid

Building/Site planning to increase cross ventilation (layout of
windows in the rooms and building for wind flow)
Internal distribution of spaces to be carried out such that
buffer spaces like store rooms, staircases, toilets etc. are
located on the eastern and western facades
Earth berming
Solar Chimneys
Terrace gardens/Green roofs
Thermal mass
Ventilators

Hot & Dry

Design according to site topography
Courtyards
Wind towers
Thermal Storage
Earth berming
Internal distribution of spaces to be carried out such that buffer spaces like store rooms, staircases, toilets etc. are
located on the eastern and western facades
Passive evaporative cooling structures
Cool roofs in the form of terrace gardens/roof ponds etc. (high reflective paint finish would not be accepted here)

Geothermal heating/cooling
Building envelope designed such that wind flow helps reduce the heat gain inside the building
Ventilators

8 How do you consider wind flow in your building design inorder to create thermal comfort.

From design primer for hot climate pg no 52-57

9 Landscape and natural vegetation forms an integral part of building design considering the following
factors what strategies will you adopt in building design – a. green building rating systems, b. thermal
comfort inside and outside the building, 3. Sustainability.

10 From the perspective of sustainability what are the factors to considered while selecting a structural
as well as interior building material?

Although concrete is a core component in homes, public buildings, and bridges, it’s not the
most sustainable building material out there.

Commercial concrete production releases tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere every year,
contributing to environmental pollution and climate change. Fortunately, there are more sustainable
construction materials that present a greener alternative to concrete in both residential and
commercial projects.

1. Straw Bales

Straw bale building is a nod to the days when we built our homes from natural and locally-sourced
materials. Instead of relying on technology and manufactured materials, we use what the earth
provides. Straw bales are used to replace concrete, plaster, gypsum, and other building materials in
walls. When sealed properly, they have a high insulating ability. As a renewable resource, straw is
both sustainable and affordable.

2. Bamboo

The recent popularity of bamboo amenities such as furniture and utensils may make it seem trendy,
but it has been used in construction for millennia. Its combination of light weight, tensile strength,
and renewability make it an ideal replacement for expensive imported materials and an alternative
to rebar and concrete construction, especially in areas with easy access to locally-sourced bamboo.

3. Recycled Plastic

Plastic is emerging as one of the more sustainable construction materials. Instead of sourcing,
mining and milling new components, researchers are producing concrete made from ground-up trash
and recycled plastics. This practice reduces greenhouse gas emissions and provides a positive new
use for plastic waste that would otherwise be clogging landfills.

4. Wood

Wood, a tried and true construction mainstay, retains many advantages over concrete, steel, and
other industrial building materials. Trees absorb CO2 as they grow and don’t need to undergo
energy-intensive procedures to be converted into a construction product. When a forest is properly
managed it is also renewable, resulting in a biodiverse habitat.

5. Rammed Earth

Another natural technology, rammed earth has been used by human civilization for thousands of
years. Not only does it last a long time, when pressed tightly in wooden forms, it creates walls that
have a similar feel to concrete. The rammed earth buildings being produced today can be fortified
by bamboo or rebar for added safety, and mechanical tampers cut down on the labour needed to
produce sturdy walls.

6. Ferrock

A newer building material, ferrock uses a wide range of recycled materials, such as steel dust, to
create a building material that resembles concrete but is actually even stronger. In addition, this
innovative material absorbs and seals carbon dioxide as part of the drying and hardening procedure.
Ferrock is therefore not only less CO2-involved than concrete, it is also carbon neutral.

7. Timbercrete
 An intriguing material composed of concrete and sawdust, timbercrete is lighter than concrete and
the sawdust component both recycles a waste material and replaces some of the more energy-
involved ingredients in traditional concrete. It also reduces transportation emissions. Timbercrete
can be shaped into pavers, blocks, and bricks, making it both versatile and sustainable.

11 As an Architect you have been assigned to design a 3 BHK residential complex in Rajkot city, discuss your
strategies for material selection in your design.
The selection of green building materials and products represents one important strategy in the design of a green
building. Green building materials offer specific benefits to the building owner and building occupants and are
follows:

o Reduced maintenance/replacement costs over the life of the building.

o Energy conservation.

o Improved occupant health and productivity.

o Lower costs associated with changing space configurations.

o Greater design flexibility.

Building and construction activities worldwide consumes 3 billion tons of raw materials each year or 40 percent of
total global use. Using green building materials and products promotes conservation of dwindling nonrenewable
resources internationally.

In addition, integrating green building materials into building projects can help reduce the environmental impacts
associated with the extraction, transport, processing, fabrication, installation, reuse, recycling and disposal of these
building industry source materials.
 Selection criteria for green material:
A) Resource efficiency:
1. Recycled Content: Products with identifiable recycled content, including post industrial content with a preference
for post consumer content.
2. Natural and renewable: Materials harvested from sustain ably managed sourced and preferably have an
independent certification (e. g. certified wood) and are certified by an independent third party.
3. Resource efficient manufacturing process: Products manufactured with resource-efficient processes including
reducing energy consumption, minimizing waste (recycled, recyclable and or source reduced product packaging), and
reducing greenhouse gases.
4. Locally available: Building materials, components, and system found locally or regionally saving energy and
resources in transportation to the project site.
5. Salvaged, refurbished, or remanufactured: Includes saving a material from disposal and renovating, repairing,
restoring, or generally improving the appearance, performance, quality, functionality, or value of a product.
6) Reusable or recyclable: Select materials that can be easily dismantled and reused or recycled at the end of their
useful life.
7) Durable: Materials that are longer lasting or are comparable to conventional products with long life expectancies.
B) Indoor Air Quality (IAQ):
1. Low or non -toxic: Materials that emit few or no CFC’s, reproductive toxicants, or irritants as demonstrated by the
manufacturer through appropriate testing.
2. Minimal chemical emissions: Products that have minimal emission of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Products
that also maximize resources and energy efficiency while reducing chemical emissions.
3. Moisture resistant: Product and systems that resist moisture or inhibit the growth of biological contaminants in
building.
4. Healthfully maintained: Materials, components, and systems that require only simple, non-toxic, or low-VOC
methods of cleaning.
5. Systems or equipment: Products that promotes IAQ by identifying indoor air pollutants or enhancing the air quality.
C) Energy Efficiency:
Material, components, and systems that help reduce energy consumption in building and facilities.

D) Water Conservation:
Products and systems that help reduce water consumption in building and conserve water in landscaped areas.

E) Affordability:
Building product life-cycle costs are comparable to conventional materials and are within a project-defined percentage
of the overall budget.

12 As an Architect you have been assigned to design a 3 BHK residential complex in Rajkot city, discuss
your strategies to achieve sustainability in your design

Mid sem (principal of design)

To educate architects to meet this goal of coexistence, Jong-Jin Kim et.al have developed a
conceptual framework. The three levels of the framework (Principles, Strategies, and Methods)
correspond to the three objectives of architectural environmental education: creating
environmental awareness, explaining the building ecosystem, and teaching how to design
sustainable buildings The overall conceptual diagram for sustainable design is shown in Figure We
propose three principles of sustainability in architecture. Economy of Resources is concerned with
the reduction, reuse, and recycling of the natural resources that are input to a building. Life Cycle
Design provides a methodology for analyzing the building process and its impact on the
environment. Humane Design focuses on the interactions between humans and the natural world.
These principles can provide a broad awareness of the environmental impact, both local and
global, of architectural consumption.

Each of these principles embody a unique set of strategies. Studying these strategies leads
students to more thorough understanding of architecture’s interaction with the greater
environment. This allows them to further disaggregate and analyze specific methods architects can
apply to reduce the environmental impact of the buildings they design.

Principle 1: Economy of Resources

By economizing resources, the architect reduces the use of nonrenewable resources in the
construction and operation of buildings. There is a continuous flow of resources, natural and
manufactured, in and out of a building. This flow begins with the production of building materials
and continues throughout the building’s life span to create an environment for sustaining human
well-being and activities. After a building’s useful life, it should turn into components for other
buildings. When examining a building, consider two streams of resource flow (see Figure ).
Upstream, resources flow into the building as input to the building ecosystem. Downstream,
resources flow out of the building as output from the building ecosystem. In a long run, any
resources entered into a building ecosystem will eventually come out from it. This is the law of
resource flow conservation. For a given resource, its forms before entry to a building and after exit
will be different. This transformation from input to output is caused by the many mechanical
processes or human interventions rendered to the resources during their use in buildings. The
input elements for the building ecosystem are diverse, with various forms, volumes, and
environmental implications.

The three strategies for the economy of resources principle are energy conservation, water
conservation, and material conservation. Each focuses on a particular resource necessary for
building construction and operation.

 Energy Conservation: After construction, a building requires a constant flow of energy input during
its operation. The environmental impacts of energy consumption by buildings occur primarily away
from the building site, through mining or harvesting energy sources and generating power. The
energy consumed by a building in the process of heating, cooling, lighting, and equipment operation
cannot be recovered. The type, location, and magnitude of environmental impacts of energy
consumptions in buildings differ depending on the type of energy delivered. Coal-fired electric
power plants emit polluting gases such as SO2 , CO2 , CO, and NOx into the atmosphere. Nuclear
power plants produce radioactive wastes, for which there is currently no permanent management
solution. Hydropower plants each require a dam and a reservoir which can hold a large body of
water; construction of dams results in discontinuance of river ecosystems and the loss of habitats
for animals and plants.

 Water Conservation: A building requires a large quantity of water for the purposes of drinking,
cooking, washing and cleaning, flushing toilets, irrigating plants, etc.. All of this water requires
 treatments and delivery, which consume energy. The water that exits the building as sewage must
also be treated.

 Material Conservation: A range of building materials are brought onto building sites. The influx of
building materials occurs primarily during the construction stage. The waste generated by the
construction and installation process is significant. After construction, a low-level flow of materials
continues in for maintenance, replacement, and renovation activities. Consumer goods flow into the
building to support human activities. All of these materials are eventually output, either to be
recycled or dumped in a landfill.

Principle 2: Life Cycle Design

The conventional model of the building life cycle is a linear process consisting of four major phases: design;
construction; operation and maintenance; and demolition (see Figure 6). The problem with this model is that it is too
narrowly defined: it does not address environmental issues (related to the procurement and manufacturing of
building materials) or waste management (reuse and recycling of architectural resources). The second principle of
sustainable architecture is life cycle design (LCD). This “cradle-to-grave” approach recognizes environmental
consequences of the entire life cycle of architectural resources, from procurement to return to nature. LCD is based
on the notion that a material transmigrates from one form of useful life to another, with no end to its usefulness.

Operation and
Design Construction Demolition
Maintainance

For the purpose of conceptual clarity, the life cycle of a building can be categorized into three phases: pre-building,
building, and post-building, as shown in Figure 7. These phases are connected, and the boundaries between them are
not obvious. The phases can be developed into LCD strategies that focus on minimizing the environmental impact of
a building. Analyzing the building processes in each of these three phases provides a better understanding of how a
building’s design, construction, operation, and disposal affect the larger ecosystem.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a "cradle-to-grave" approach for assessing products, processes, industrial systems, and
the like. "Cradle-to-grave" begins with the gathering of raw materials from the earth to create the product, and ends
at the point when all materials are returned to the earth. LCA evaluates all stages of a product’s life from the
perspective that they are interdependent, meaning that one operation leads to the next. LCA enables the estimation
of the cumulative environmental impacts resulting from all stages in the product life cycle and, as a result, allows
selecting the path or process that is more environmentally preferable.

LCA approach has developed over decades coming from product-oriented model used to evaluate environmental
impact to a bigger framework that elaborates on a wider environmental, economic, and social scale. At the current
stage, LCA is being transformed into Life Cycle Sustainability Analysis (LCSA), which links the sustainability questions
with the knowledge and research needed to address them.

LCA helps decision-makers select the product, process, or technology that results in the least impact to the
environment. This information can be used with other factors, such as cost and performance data to find optimal
solutions. LCA identifies the transfer of environmental impacts from one media to another (for instance: a new
process may lower air emissions, but creates more wastewater, etc.) and between different lifecycle stages. The
diagram below illustrates the main lifecycle stages to be considered in LCA:
 Figure: The main stages and typical inflows and outflows considered in lifecycle
assessment.
Credit: Mark Fedkin

As you can see in the diagram above, any product or technology would require input of some raw materials and
energy at all stages: from acquisition to manufacturing, operation, and finally disposal. All of the mentioned lifecycle
stages may produce atmospheric emissions, waterborne and solid wastes, simply because the efficiency of material
use and energy conversion is never 100%. There are losses and by-products, which sometimes can be highly
undesirable. LCA helps to keep track of all useful and harmful outcomes, and the diagram in Figure 2.3 provides a
guideline to LCA mapping.

A typical LCA project plan includes the following main stages:

 Goal definition and scope. Identify a product / process / technology; establish context and system
boundaries.

 Inventory analysis. Identify and quantify energy, water, and materials as inputs as well as environmental
releases as outputs.

 Impact assessment. Assess the potential human and ecological effects, quantify metrics.

 Data interpretation. Compare data from Inventory Analysis and Impact Assessment stages to select or
recommend a preferred product, process, or technology.

LCA Limitations:
LCA thoroughness and accuracy will depend on the availability of data; gathering of data can be problematic; hence a
clear understanding of the uncertainty and assumptions is important.

Classic LCA will not determine which product, process, or technology is the most cost effective or top-performing;
therefore, LCA needs to be combined with cost analysis, technical evaluation, and social metrics for comprehensive
sustainability analysis.

Unlike traditional risk assessment, LCA does not necessarily attempt to quantify any specific actual impacts. While
seeking to establish a linkage between a system and potential impacts, LCA models are suitable for relative
comparisons, but may be not sufficient for absolute predictions of risks.

Even for relatively small systems, LCA is a comprehensive task that requires interdisciplinary knowledge in the
technical and economic areas. Hence, LCA projects are typically assigned to teams of experts and can rarely be
performed by a single person with sufficient accuracy.

Pre-Building Phase

This phase includes site selection, building design, and building material processes, up to but not including
installation. Under the sustainable-design strategy, we examine the environmental consequences of the structure’s
design, orientation, impact on the landscape, and materials used. The procurement of building materials impacts the
environment: harvesting trees could result in deforestation; mining mineral resources (iron for steel; bauxite for
aluminum; sand, gravel, and limestone for concrete) disturbs the natural environment; even the transport of these
materials can be a highly polluting activity, depending on their weight and distance from the site. The manufacturing
of building products also requires energy and creates environmental pollution: for example, a high level of energy is
required to manufacture steel or aluminum products.

Building Phase:

This phase refers to the stage of a building’s life cycle when a building is physically being constructed and operated.
In the sustainable-design strategy, we examine the construction and operation processes for ways to reduce the
environmental impact of resource consumption; we also consider long-term health effects of the building
environment on its occupants.

Post-Building Phase:

This phase begins when the useful life of a building has ended. In this stage, building materials become resources for
other buildings or waste to be returned to nature. The sustainable design strategy focuses on reducing construction
waste (which currently comprises 60% of the solid waste in landfills (figures from 1998)) by recycling and reusing
buildings and building materials.

Principle 3: Humane Design

Humane design is the third, and perhaps the most important, principle of sustainable design. While economy of
resources and life cycle design deal with efficiency and conservation, humane design is concerned with the livability
of all constituents of the global ecosystem, including plants and wildlife. This principle arises from the humanitarian
and altruistic goal of respecting the life and dignity of fellow living organisms. Further examination reveals that this
principle is deeply rooted in the need to preserve the chain elements of the ecosystems that allow human survival. In
modern society, more than 70% of a person’s lifespan is spent indoors. An essential role of architecture is to provide
built environments that sustain occupants’ safety, health, physiological comfort, psychological well-being, and
productivity.

Because environmental quality is intangible, its importance has often been overlooked in the quest for energy and
environmental conservation, which sometimes seemed to mean “shivering in the dark.” Compounding the problem,
many building designers have been preoccupied with style and form-making, not seriously considering environmental
quality in and around their built environments .

Remember the performance factor of design. When a product saves energy, does it perform as well as what it is
replacing? And how does it affect the performance of building occupants.

The following three strategies for humane design focus on enhancing the coexistence between buildings and the
greater environment, and between buildings and their occupants,

Preservation of Natural Conditions

An architect should minimize the impact of a building on its local ecosystem (e.g., existing topography,
plants, wildlife).

Urban Design and Site Planning

Neighborhoods, cities, and entire geographic regions can benefit from cooperative planning to reduce energy
and water demands. The result can be a more pleasant urban environment, free of pollution and welcoming
to nature.

Human Comfort

As discussed previously, sustainable design need not preclude human comfort. Design should enhance the work a
productivity, reduce stress, and positively affect health and well-being.

13 What factors should be taken into consideration while designing fenestrations/shading devices.
Discuss various types of fenestrations/shading devices and their characteristics.
 Shading denotes the partial or complete obstruction of the sunbeam directed toward a surface by
an intervening object or surface. The shadow varies in position and size depending upon the
geometric relationship between the sun and the surface concerned.
Shading devices are essentially a second link between daylighting and the thermal performance of
perimeter spaces. Thus, an integrated analysis should be carried out in order to take into account
the interactions between the different parameters and to attain optimal results. However, with a
few exceptions, an integrated façade analysis is not applied at the early design stage, when critical
decisions with small economic impact could lead to significant energy savings during the lifetime of
the building, and a simultaneous improvement in interior conditions [36]. Li et al. [37] studied the
effect of daylighting and energy use in heavily obstructed residential buildings in Honk Kong. They
simulated the daylighting performance of high rise buildings by varying five parameters for assessing
daylight availability, and they found limits for external obstructions, in order to reach satisfactory
internal levels of daylighting. Ho et al. [38] analyzed the daylight illumination of a subtropical
classroom, seeking an optimal geometry for shading devices; they also evaluated the lighting power
required to improve the illuminance condition within the classroom.

Shading is the fractional or imperforate barrier of sunrays directed to a surface. This varies in
position and size depends on the geometric relationship of the sun and the building’s façade. An
analysis should be carried out to measure the integration between these two elements. A simulation
of the daylight performance could be carried out at the design stage to enable the designer have a
fore knowledge of the daylight assessment of the building. The roof is an integral part of the shading
elements as it is the overall cover of the building and its overhangs provides shade around the
building therefore protecting the building envelope from unwanted heat [6]. Materials with low
thermal capacity should be used near opening so that they quickly cool down after sunset, so as not
to return their heat back into the building

14 Explain one building rating system with respect to major criterias stated in the published document.
according to
SVAGRIHA
15 Discuss differences between various green building rating systems like LEED, GRIHA, CABSE,
BREAM, BEE.
1) Comparative analysis of systems shows IGBC system covers additional domains like local building
regulations and basic facilities for construction workforce. It shows site selection is a critical criteria and
need to verify through maximum aspects as prescribed in IGBC rating system.

2) This comparison demonstrates a clear distinction regarding consideration of role of ozone depleting
material in deciding energy use in built environment. IGBC considers ozone depletion substances as a
mandatory requirement while GRIHA denies its contribution in system. IGBC also signify importance of
commissioning plan for building equipment and systems which will further assist in improving energy
monitoring. USGBC is more descriptive and also focuses on refrigerant management and emission
reduction.

3) Above comparison GRIHA and IGBC covers common aspects with both systems taking post occupancy
responsibility of rating program in sustaining its rating like Post occupancy waste management. Details
of on-going consumables are also included in USGBC.
4) IGBC criteria is distributed in specific requirements as shown while GRIHA considers general
requirements, this major head of rating system is to be evaluated under post occupancy stage.

5) GRIHA provides extra Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for their projects achieving 4-Stars or above ratings. IGBC
and USGBC uses slightly more descriptive approach and projects are internationally recognized.