energy

sun wind water

Buildings as they are designed, contribute to serious environmental concerns since they
consume excessive energy and other natural resources. The close connection between energy usage in buildings and environmental damage arises because intensive energy solutions, sought to construct a building and meet its exorbitant demands for cooling, ventilation, lighting, and heating, cause severe depletion of invaluable environmental resources. However, the architecture of buildings can be made energy efficient in terms of materials, technology, service provisions and most importantly the design without compromising on the required levels of comfort or aesthetics. In this respect, the utilization of renewable energy sources to meet the building energy load can and has proved to be useful. Various sources, thus, include solar, tidal, and wind. However, in context of this part of the country, solar energy proves to be the most vital resource because of its untapped abundance. Also, apart from other added benefits, incorporation of low energy materials and methods can reduce the high cost of construction. India lags far behind in adopting energy efficient systems. A lot has to be done to make people aware of the need of the hour for a sustainable future. Of late, various institutions of research and development in this field have come up.

sustainable

Solar Energy Center at Allahabad aims at propagating and encourages the use of solar energy systems in the larger perspective of achieving energy efficiency. Hence, it is proposed that this Center in its design should be an example of energy efficient architecture. Located in the Teliarganj area of Allahabad, the site covers 5 acres of land and is very close to River Ganga (only 50m away). It is close to the Curzon Bridge (railway) and Road Bridge over the Ganga River linking Phaphamau to Allahabad city. The most distinctive feature is the L shape of the site and a drop in level across the longitudinal axis of the site. It is approached from the Lucknow-Allahabad Highway on the transverse eastern side of the site. Keeping in view the scope of the thesis, the design elements that have been addressed were: plan form, orientation of different activities, ratio of built to open spaces, building envelope, and fenestration, the nature of vegetation and the incorporation of water bodies.

As such, a compact and linear building form was considered ideal with minimal openings in the E-W direction. All openings of buildings had controlled exposures. The courtyard typology was made to act as a climate modifier. As far as the functional divisions were concerned, the Center comprised of office areas, exhibition spaces (semi-covered and covered) and residential guesthouses. All these were planned as individual building blocks arranged on the site in accordance with the degree of required publicness. The slight tilt of the guesthouse block was to break the rigidity of the site layout. An interesting solution was evolved out of the site topography. The office block and the guesthouses positioned themselves across the contours in order to negotiate the level difference so as to have space that went one floor below the other side and would be cooler portions because of the surrounding earth. Thus, the building section proved to be an advantage. Polyurethane board were proposed in wall and roof sections for insulation apart from cavity wall construction.

SIDE ELEVATION

FRONT ELEVATION

SECTION THRU THE SITE

Solar radiation was to be tapped though photovoltaic cells to generate electricity for the complex. The quantum, placement and angle of these installations were properly analyzed and then applied. Energy efficiency in lighting and daylight integration with controls helped to cut down the electrical load. The design also involved careful planning of the air distribution system and was achieved by circulation of naturally conditioned air using earth air tunnel system that was capable of maintaining a comfortable temperature between 20oC to 30oC. The tall standing chimneys that were a part of this system, served as architectural elements unifying the campus architecture.

photovoltaic

Water bodies, located in front of the buildings, were to assist in taking out large quantities of heat through evaporation and thereby effected significant cooling. Other informal spaces on the site were dealt interestingly through landscape and features like pergolas, trellises, sit-outs, etc. On the whole the design proposal attempted to evolve an energy efficient solution that tried to balance all aspects of energy utilization in such buildings.

SITE PLAN