HIMALAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

AFFILIATED TO TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY

CHYASAL, LALITPUR

REPORT ON GREEN BUILDING

IN JOMSOM, MUSTANG

PREPARED BY: ALISHA PRADHAN (073/ B.ARCH/ O1) SUBMITTED TO: AR. ARJUN BASNET
SUBMISSION DATE: 2078/ 05/ 20 DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my deepest appreciation to all those who provided me the possibility to
complete this report.  A special gratitude I give to my Green Building Design teacher, Ar. Arjun
Basnet, whose contribution in stimulating suggestions and encouragement, helped me to
coordinate my project.

I could not have achieved my current level of success without a strong support group. First of
all, my parents, who supported me with love and understanding. And secondly, my friends and
teachers, each from whom has provided patient advice and guidance throughout the research
process. Thank you all for your unwavering support.
ABSTRACT
Green building is a building which helps to reduce the negative effects in its design and
construction by efficient use of energy, water and other resources to create a healthy
environment. The building can be green if it effectively uses the features of the site to create
better environment where the cost to operate the building also decreases. Several case studies
of Siddhi Poly clinic, Nepal, National Library, Singapore and Manitoba Hydro Place are studied
before designing the building. The studied projects cases taught us the importance of
orientation, ventilation, shape of the building, use of materials, water features, solar energy,
wind patterns which helps to create a healthy indoor environment with minimum use of other
energies. As the chosen site is in Jomsom, Nepal which is extremely cold place, a tourist
information centre is proposed where to mitigate the effect of wind, rainfall and cold, maximum
use of south heat and light was preferred and use of air lock system, sloped roof, clerestorey
windows, solarium, timber cladding, stone construction traditional techniques are preferred.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................5
1.1. GREEN BUILDING.......................................................................................................................5
1.2 GREEN BUILDING RATING SYSTEM:......................................................................................5
2. CASE STUDIES...................................................................................................................................6
2.1. SIDDHI POLY CLINIC..................................................................................................................6
2.2. NATIONAL LIBRARY, SINGAPORE:.........................................................................................7
2.3. MANITOBA HYDRO PLACE.....................................................................................................11
3. SITE ANALYSIS.................................................................................................................................16
3.1. SERVICES IN THE SITE:..........................................................................................................16
3.2. CLIMATIC ASPECTS:................................................................................................................16
3.3. SWOT ANALYSIS.......................................................................................................................17
4. TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE...............................................................................................18
4.1 CONCEPT.....................................................................................................................................18
4.2 MASTERPLAN.............................................................................................................................19
4.3 DESIGN DETAILS.......................................................................................................................20
4.4 DESIGN STRATEGIES USED IN THE BUILDING:................................................................23
5. CONCLUSION....................................................................................................................................24
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. GREEN BUILDING
Green building is a building that reduces negative impacts
in its design, construction and creates healthy living
environment. It helps in preserving natural resources and
improves quality of life. There are various
approaches/factors that makes a building green. Efficient
use of energy, water and other resources. It saves money,
creates healthy environment, and reduce pollution. There
are a number of features which can make a building
‘green’. These include:

 Efficient use of energy, water and other resources

 Use of renewable energy, such as solar energy
 Pollution and waste reduction measures, and the enabling of re-use and recycling
 Good indoor environmental air quality
 Use of materials that are non-toxic, ethical and sustainable
 Consideration of the environment in design, construction and operation
 Consideration of the quality of life of occupants in design, construction and operation
 A design that enables adaptation to a changing environment
While a good design is essential to green building, the actual operation, maintenance, and
ultimate disposal or deconstruction of the building also have very significant effects on buildings'
overall environmental impact. “Green Building” is not only related to the selected construction
material but also to the long-term impact on environment and on people’s health. The
characteristics of the material itself constitute points which have to be reconsidered by building
professionals when planning sustainable design projects (Green Space criteria, Building Green,
Inc):

 The used materials should be natural and environmental-friendly.

 The impact on the environment with regards to manufacturing, distribution, construction,
renovation and demolition is relatively small.
 Minimum quantity of chemicals necessary to prepare the material for construction is
used.
 The material can be recycled.
1.2 GREEN BUILDING RATING SYSTEM:
Green building rating systems are precisely the rating tools to evaluate any building having
adopted green measures. The given building in order to be rated as green building must satisfy
certain norms framed by Competent Authorities. In other words, the buildings must possess the
ingredients of green building to make them sustainable and must demonstrate the measures
taken for reducing negative impacts on the environment. Green building design and its rating
systems have been developed globally and India has been making efforts to reduce the
pressure on energy and water resources.
There are two main green building rating systems that are being used in India namely the Green
Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) administered by The Energy Research
Institute (TERI) and The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system (LEED
TM INDIA). Other rating system that are being used are BREEAM and CASBEE.

2. CASE STUDIES
Various projects are studied to know about the various techniques which are adapted by the
building to gain the title of being a green building. The
studied cases are described below:
2.1. SIDDHI POLY CLINIC
Siddhi polyclinic is a healthcare and a lab which is
located at Dillibazzar, Kathmandu at a distance of
400m from City centre which was platinum LEED
attempted building. It was one of iconic design by
Bibhuti Man Singh (pioneer of green design). It was
designed and constructed aiming for the Platinum
Certification. Sustainable approach and green
Figure: Siddhi Poly Clinic
design, by the use of ordinary materials. The area
covered of the lab is 645 sq.m and the number of stories built is around 3 storey.
Green building techniques used in Siddhi Poly Clinic are:
Restored on original building i.e., its structural framework was reused and an additional
retrofitting was done. Its front façade is covered with domical glass structure. Domical structure
worked as atrium that helps to maintain ventilation and thermal displacement. Steel framework
is integrated to RCC framework that provides flexible, more functional space. The extension of
steel framework provides waiting area for visitors.
The domical glass double-glazed offering an open and well-lit area as well as provides shade to

the building from excessive sunlight. Domical structure served waiting area at two levels. The

whole structure appears to be enclosed with semicircular horizontal panels. Designed in a way
that maximum daylight illuminates the space. The spaces are well lighted with adequate amount
of daylight
and sunlight in
the space
and also
well-

ventilated spaces. Openings are properly designed and placed.

Sustainable Approaches in Siddhi Poly Clinic
are: Figure: LEED Certification

 Site Selection
 Development Density
 Community connectivity
 Alternative Transportation provision
 Storm Water Management
 Heat Island Effect
 Water Efficiency
 Energy and Atmosphere
 Materials and Resource
 Indoor Environment
 Quality and innovation

2.2. NATIONAL LIBRARY, SINGAPORE:

National Library of Singapore is an environmentally responsive design as an ecological
approach adapted to the use of energy and materials. The library is situated between Bugis
Junction and Bras Basah Complex at 100, Victoria Street, the National Library of Singapore is
one of the iconic building in Singapore. The building is designed for the climate responsive and
targeted for green building certification. The architect for this building was T.R. Hamzah &
Yeang and the building was completed in 2005 A.D with 15 number of storey. It was awarded
the Green Mark Platinum Award in the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore (BCA),
the top honor bestowed on "green" buildings. And the building also won the 1st prize in the
ASEAN Energy Efficient Building Awards in the New and Existing Buildings Category.
The library is mainly built up of glass, steels and polypropylene. White polypropylene shelves
reflect and redirect sunlight to maintain thermal comfort in the building. Double-glazing glass
windows allows maximum light source to penetrate but still blocking out heat. Steels serve as
Figure: Domical Shape acting as Figure: Steel Framework
atrium

reinforcements for the entire building.

Green Building Techniques used in National Library are:
1) Building Configuration and Symbolism: From aerial view, the building configuration forms
a letter "K". The layout is configured in such a way as it symbolizes "Knowledge".

2) Building Form and Orientation: The building has unique geometry which helps to redirect
sun rays and keep the building cool. The shape of the building also helps prevent heat
island effect. The building is oriented against the axis of East-West to reduce solar heat
gain and glare. The cuboidal building has four corners which each points towards North,
South, East and West, thus the main
surface area of the facade receives
less heat and glare. The southwest
side has a solid wall that

Accommodates the library which is located over a

naturally-ventilated civic plaza that is open to the sky.

Accommodates all the noisy activities including an

exhibition, auditorium and a multi-media space.

permanently prevents direct sun rays

from getting into the building. The
building's service core located on the
South-West and North-East sides of
Figure: Building Configuration the building serve as
buffer zones to insulate the internal area.
 Figure: The giant metal
Figure: blades
Symbol “K”block direct
sunlight while reflecting them deep into interior
spaces

3) Sunlight Design: Penetration of sunlight into the building into the atrium, resulting in the
diffusing of light through spaces, reducing the need for artificial lightings.

4) FAÇADE
DESIGN:
A. LIGHT
Figure: East- West Oriented Building
Figure: Unique Building Form SHELVES
DESIGN: White polypropylene are used as light
shelves to reflect and redirect sunlight. These 20 foot wide super fins protecting the
glass curtain wall from glare, maximize daylight in the building. The envelope is glazed
on white, the heat energy from the direct sun won't conduct easily with the wall of the
building, therefore there's still significant
temperatures differences on the internal and
the external wall. The light shelves are paired
with external shading device that is placed
at the same level of the internal shelves. The
external shading reduces glares from the
windows.

B. CURTAIN Figure: Penetration Of Sunlight from Atrium WALLS: The facade of

the Singapore National Library is one of
the most interesting parts of the building. The facade is 80% made out of glass and
 finished with modular sunshades fabricated and coordinated with curtain wall system as
well as internal partitions.

C. CANOPY: A canopy at the base of the lowest link bridge is applied to avoid area of high
air velocities in the plaza. These elements serve as effective screens against potential
driving rain into the plaza area.

D. LOW E- DOUBLE GLAZED GLASS: Double glazed with high quality low emissivity glass
was used on the building facade to control the percentage of natural light to enter the
interior spaces. The hard layer in double glazed glass can be intermediately efficient and
generally more efficient compared with normal glass. Improve sound insulation by
creating a barrier between the inside room and the environment outside. The airtight
construction of double-glazed windows creates thermal insulation. This reduces the flow
of incoming and outgoing heat. Less energy is used to heat up or cool down the space,
resulting in lower energy bills.

Figure: Canopy

Figure: Low E- Double Glazed Glass

5) VENTILATION: Air circulation in the building moves
where wind from the outside enters one end of the
street space in the building and leaves from the
other end. The same circulation occurs in the void at
the top of the building. Vertical air circulation also
occurs in the atrium where the skylight is placed
higher than the roof with openings for warm air to
escape and cool air to descend on to the floor level.
Openings were averted away from East and West to
keep hot wind from entering the building. The over
16 storey atrium perpendicular to the tunnel-like Figure: Air circulation within building

street space below allows for warm air to rise and

cool auto descend. The pressure caused by wind against a large wide obstacle results in
air being forced into any small openings found on the surface of the obstacle. The air
rush enters the space and bounces off other surfaces to find another opening to leave

Figure: Stack Ventilation the Figure: Cross Ventilation space.

6) STRATEGIC LANDSCAPE: More than 6,300 square

meters of this building are devoted to open space in
the form of urban sky courts, constating more than 60
percent of the building's footprint. Rainwater is
harvested to be used for irrigation system in the
garden. The northeast facade contains a pair of 40-
meter (130-foot-) high sky courts planted with three-
meter- (ten-foot-) high trees. Fourteen landscaped
areas/ gardens are also located throughout the
Figure: Use of Sky gardens
building. The sky gardens and terraces are
strategically placed on balconies to serve as effective heat shield, acoustics as well as to
reduce glare. The local vegetation shades heat absorbing surfaces and effectively
lowers wall surface temperature by 17°C.
By inserting greeneries in between few floors, it allows the local vegetation shades to
reduce the heat and effectively lowers wall surface temperature by 17°C.
Evapotranspiration cooling is also adapted in the building, lowering air condition cost by
25%-80%. Vegetation was ideal in creating the right ambiance for aesthetic values as
well as a natural element to prevent the occurrence of heat islands
 7) SMART TECHNOLOGIES TO REDUCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION: Rain sensors,
reduce the amount of water that goes into the irrigation systems for the indoor gardens
during the rainy season. Light sensors also dim or switch off the indoor lights when the
interior spaces exhibit sufficient day lighting. Motion sensors have been installed in the
escalators and toilet taps to ensure these facilities switch on only when they are in use.
The air conditioning system is adjusted every so often to regulate carbon dioxide levels
in the building as well as maintaining favorable temperature.
2.3. MANITOBA HYDRO PLACE:
The Manitoba Hydro Place is designed in a abandoned
commercial or industrial site which is located in Winnipeg, Canada
which is within close proximity to 95% of bus routes, restaurants,
daycare. The principal use of the building is Corporate Office
Building. The building is compatible with surroundings and
minimizes the skyscraper effect to encourage pedestrian traffic.
Most energy efficient high rise in North America and provides
employees ergonomic working environment through the integration
of efficient active and passive heating and cooling strategies which
helps in 70% energy savings. It was meant to be energy efficient
through the fusing of environmental principles such as massing,
orientation, and exposed thermal mass. It was also intended to be
an adaptive design with an ongoing digital analysis with running in
tandem with a computerized building management system that
relies on passive energy to respond to climate. Figure: Manitoba Hydro Place

The Locally sourced limestone and granite were chosen to reinforce Winni peg’s urban fabric of
masonry buildings. Energy was also a consideration in the selection of materials. All interior
materials meet low- VOC standards. The carpet is made from recycled materials. Exterior is
composed of high-performance double and triple glazed curtain wall panels. Components
assembled locally to minimize the construction cost and expedite installation.
Outcomes:
• LEED Platinum

• Provides a healthy work environment.

• Participate in city’s urban revitalization strategy

• Recorded over 70% Energy savings over the Model National Energy Building Code
(MNEBC).
• Building reached the predicted energy goals after two years.

.
Green Building Techniques used in Manitoba Hydro Place are:
A. Double Skin Curtain Wall Façade: Lowers heating and cooling needs by creating an
intermediate space to buffer the interior space from the extremes of the exterior
environment.
B. Ventilation: Structure utilizes solely fresh air. The atrium space acts as ‘lungs’ of the
building. Fresh air is drawn into this space and conditioned before entering the other
zones and spaces of the building.
C. Closed Loop Geothermal Climate Control: Provides the majority of the heating for the
building during the harsh cold winters in Manitoba. Heat is pulled from the earth and
used to heat the air in the building. In the summer the heat from the building is
discharged into the ground using the same system.
D. Hydronic Radiant Heating- Cooling: Uses a water- system to heat and cool the ceiling
plate of the spaces. Eliminates the need for a bulky air- system. Utilizes radiant panel
heating and cooling to achieve thermal comfort for the occupants.
E. Exhaust Air Recovery: Recovers the residual heat from the exhaust air and mixes it with
the fresh air. The air is preconditioned and returned to the atrium spaces.
F. Dehumidification- Humidification: The use of an indoor water feature helps control the
humidity of the interior spaces to provide further thermal comfort for the occupants of the
building.
G. Green Roof: Acts as an natural insulator to protect against solar gain in the summer and
heat loss in the winter. It further decreases the amount of water run-off from the building
and site by adding a porous surface.
H. Day lighting: The use of an all glass façade coupled with an automatic shading device
allows the offices close to the windows to be daylight throughout the day. This lowers the
need for electric lighting in these spaces.

Figure: Design Strategies

I. Solar Chimney: It is on North side of the
building. This space exhausts the used and
contaminated air from the building to the
exterior using stack effect. Solar chimney is just
under 380 feet tall. At the top of the chimney
there is a series f pipes which are used as a
thermal mass to sustain a higher temperature
at the top of this space. The pipes maintain
higher temperature due to the use of glass
curtain wall façade of the solar chimney. As a
result of this, the pressure is lower here and
draws the higher-pressure air below up through

this space. The solar chimney is a 377 foot tall

prominent mass on the north elevation of the
building. The solar chimney uses a thermal
mass to extract hot air from the building. The
thermal mass facilitates the flow of the air up
through the space via creating a pressure
Figure: Solar Chimney
imbalance. The hot air from the building is
exhausted when cooling is desired. The air is forced out of the top of the solar chimney.
There are dampers which can be closed to prohibit the flow of the warm exhaust air of
the building. When heating is desired the air is recirculated using an exhaust air recovery
system. The solar chimney further causes the flow of air through the building. This
increases the efficiency of the ventilation system incorporated in the double curtain wall
façade system. Moreover, this facilitates the hydronic heating and cooling system.
J. Venting Façade: The double layer curtain wall façade has vent able windows which
facilitate the introduction of fresh air into building. The intermediary space between the
exterior- most wall and the interior wall allow this air to conditioned and distributed
throughout the building. The interior wall has its own operable windows which allow the
occupants to choose whether thy desire the ventilation and air from the buffer space.

K. Dehumidification- Humidification: The building incorporates

into the atrium space a water feature that helps control the
humidity of the building. This piece utilizes mylar ribbons in
the water feature adding a sculptural element to the
instillation. Moreover, this space in the immediate proximity
of the water feature could be viewed as a space thermal
delight facilitating a more enriched experience to the spaces
of the building.
L. Closed Geothermal Loop: The Building incorporates a geothermal heat pump which
circulates glycol through the building. 280 boreholes each 6” wide and 400’ deep is
cooled in summer and heated in the winter. The glycol is processed in the heat
exchanger in the basement of the building. The fluid is then pumped throughout the
building to achieve thermal
comfort. The geothermal
technology contributes to 60%
of the building’s heating
and cooling.

Figure: Geothermal Loop

M. Shading Device: The automated solar shading devices are located in the zone between
the double skin design on the East and West facades of the Manitoba Hydro Place. The
building has an integrated louvered blind system. It is designed to minimize glare and
solar

radiation within the interior. When fully extended the blinds cover the entire façade of the
building and are effective in all seasons. The automated shading devices used here
cover the entire façade of the building making them an effective day lighting façade. The
successful integration of the system is an unobtrusive solution to shading with a glazed
curtain wall.

Figure: Use of Water

EVALUATIONS:
a. Underutilized Solar Energy: The top of the building receives a lot of solar radiation which
is currently not being utilized to its fullest. Great potential for the incorporation of photo-
voltaic panels to supply part of the needed electricity for the building. Solar hot water
tubes could be incorporated to provide warm water for the fixtures in the building. Also,
could be used for hydronic radiant heating in the winter.
b. Day lighting practices: light colored roller blinds could serve to better daylight spaces.
Deeper day lighting in the space.
c. Water Systems: No provisions related to water and waste systems. The building could
increase its footprint with the utilization of rainwater collection and gray water systems.
The roofscape of the building is very large which allows for a vast amount of rain water
to be collected. This would decrease the water run off of the building and decrease the
use of municipal water.

Figure: Shading Device

Figure: Evaluations
3. SITE ANALYSIS
The chosen site is located in Jomsom,
Mustang which is oriented in North
direction. The site is in the altitude of 2743
m and has an area of 555.0167 sq.m with
steeply slope and mountainous
topographical view. The site can be
accessed from Jomsom airport (around 2-5
min), Kagbeni 11.7 km (around 28min),
Kathmandu 351 km (around 12hr) and from
Pokhara Airport 153 km (around 6 hr). The
site has scenic view of rocky cliffs and high
peaks of the Himalayas without much
5m wide road at N side
presence of greenery, with the exception Figure: Site
being forests of bright rhododendrons with 1.5 m road at N-E side

magnificent style of thakali Architectural 2 m road at S side

buildings. There is adequate use of

compact stone architecture with the presence of traditional thakali architectural buildings but
now modern building techniques and materials is also been used with the change in time and
modernization. Thakali, Lopa, Gurung, Magar, Tibetan, and a blend of Hindu and Tibetan
Buddhist culture can be seen in the chosen site. 

3.1. SERVICES IN THE SITE:

 Transportation: by bus, jeep, plane or on foot
 Drinking water: well facilitated with water tap inside their house and community tap in
different locations around the village.
 Electricity: 96% households get electricity (from “Chokhopani hydropower”)
3.2. CLIMATIC ASPECTS:
 Coldest month: January, with an average high-temperature of 3°C and an average low-
temperature of -14°C
 Warmest Month: June and July, with an average high-temperature of 17°C and an
average low-temperature of 4-6 °C
 Rainfall: (Average 104 days)
o Highest rainfall: August (112 mm) = 20 days

o Least rainfall: November (14 mm) = 2 days

 Month with longest days: June (Average daylight: 14h) and month with shortest days:
December (Average daylight: 10.3h).
 Typical wind speed: 4-32 kmph
 Figure: Precipitation Figure: Cloudy, Sunny & Precipitation days

Figure: Wind Speed Figure: Precipitation Amount

3.3. SWOT ANALYSIS

The site has its own strength, weakness, opportunity and threats that it has and some of them
are discussed below:
a. Strength: The site has peaceful environment which is surrounded by mountain range. It
is also trekking trail for different places and has availability of Jomsom airport nearby. All
necessary amenities like banks, police station, post office and lodges are easily
available in the chosen site which makes it easier for both locals as well as international
people.
b. Weakness: The main weakness of the area is its climate as the climate is very cold with
frequent amount of rainfall and snow. It has frigid temperatures and the frosty weather
with strong winds which makes it difficult for use of different materials. Noise from the
airport is also one of the weakness of the area.
c. Opportunity: A s the area is surrounded by beautiful mountain views with trekking trails
and airport nearby, it is one of the tourist attraction area. Not just it is famous and has
unique natural beauty but it has its own unique architectural features and culture which
can be interesting element for local as well as international tourists.
d. Threats: The change in construction technology is one of the threats of the area where
use of local material is decreasing day by day which is also threatening in loss of unique
heritage and architectural feature of the area. As the area is very cold with string winds
with frequent amount of rainfall, snow and winds, people are migrating from the area to a
better place to live.
4. TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE
A tourist information center, providing visitors to a location with information on the area's
attractions, lodgings, maps, and other items relevant to tourism. As the chosen site is near to
Jomsom airport so design of a tourist information centre is proposed for the local as well as
international tourist which comes to visit the place. The area has a lot of restaurants, hotels and
lodges but there is no tourist information centre. It will be an important place for the tourist to
gather the knowledge and
Beni facilities about the place if
Jomsom constructed.
Sadak
Site INDEX:

Site Cafes
Jomsom Airport
Guest Houses
Kali Banks
Gandaki
River
Figure: Amenities around the area

4.1 CONCEPT
As the chosen site Jomsom is in mountainous
region which is very cold with extreme wind and
adequate rainfall and snow so the main design
hinderance was its climate. Due to its cold
climate, the main concept of the design was to
make more openings at the south side with
minimum number of openings at the north to
reduce cold wind and gain more heat and light in Figure: South sun heat and light in the building

the interior space. As the proposed building is a

tourist information centre which requires adequate day heat and thermal comfort so a sunspace
is proposed for the comfort in the interior space.
Another design problem encountered was the strong wind which occurs in this area. So, to
mitigate the effect of the wind in the building rather than placing a big block of building block in
the windy area, the big single block is divided into two blocks which is separated by a strong
wall. The surrounding neighboring buildings also acts a buffer for the reduction of entrance of
strong winds into the proposed building. And also trees are grown in SSW direction to control
wind and also to control harsh summer heat and penetration of heat in winter season.
 r r r

r
NEIGHBOURIN

r
G HOUSE Sunspace

THICK WALLS TO RESIST WIND

Before designing, the required spaces for the Tourist information center is listed out. The listed
Program formulation for the center is described below:

 Provision of Figure: Design Strategy to mitigate strong wind

solarium to provide heat
and light
 Reception
 Waiting/ discussion area
 Souvenir shop
 Information desk
 Waiting area
 Meeting room TOILETS
AUDIO
VISUAL North side more insulating area
 Manager’s room ROOM

 Assistant room
 Audio visual room ENTRY

 Art gallery
SOUVENI
 Bathrooms ART GALLERY
ER SHOP RECEP
TION
INFORMTIO
N DESK

WAITING
AREA

MEETING
ROOM
SOLARIUM
MANAGER
’S ROOM

ASSISTANT
4.2 MASTERPLAN ROOM South side more activity area
The listed programs for the tourist
information center is then planned
such that the more activity area are Figure: Program Formulation
provided in south side with more openings and
sunspace and the areas which requires less openings are kept in the North side.
The building block is placed at the
rear end of the site to reduce the
entrance of strong winds which are
being mitigated with the help of the
neighboring buildings and trees that
are planted. The entrance is
provided at the N-E side which helps
to provide a space for parking.
Stone slates are used in the outdoor
exterior which is being used in the
traditional method as well.
Less opening at the north side.
Entrance from north east side.
Parking at the southeast corner.
Building positioned to get maximum
light and heat from the sun
Figure: Masterplan

4.3 DESIGN DETAILS

A. PLANS: The center is planned with the main concept of providing south heat and light and
reducing the amount of opening in the North direction. The Information desk, reception and
waiting area is provided in right part of the building in South direction which is in between the air
lock door and sunspace. The area is well lited and well heated with the help of sunspace. The
sunspace can be used for waiting purpose by the visitor as well as the staffs for the eating and
gathering purpose in their break time. The left side of the Southern part is allocated for the office
spaces which has an assistant room, manager’s room and meeting room. The middle part of the
building contains the souvenir shop and art gallery. The northern part is allocated for the toilets
and audio-visual room which does not require many openings.
B. Elevations:

SOUTH ELEVATION

EAST ELEVATION

WEST ELEVATION

As to make the space thermally insulated and to maximize the penetration of heat and light in
the space, solarium and clerestory windows are used in the south direction. East, west and
South direction are provided with adequate number of openings.

NORTH ELEVATION

Less openings are provided at the North direction and the main entry door has air lock door
system to avoid heat loss. Clerestory window is provided at the top to penetrate light into the
middle portion of the building.
C. SECTION:
The height of the rooms in the building is 2.6m. The sill level is at 0.9m which has sill band of
timber material and lintel level at 2.1 m which has timber lintel band.

SECTION AT A-A

SECTION AT B-B
In the wall detail, the details for the construction of the building is given. Stone and timbers are
mainly used for the construction, Old construction techniques which are being used is used in
my design to make it sustainable and make it easy for the local people to construct. Wooden
plank of 10 mm is used in interior is being used to avoid heat loss from the indoor environment
to outdoor. The stone and timber is fixed together by use of mud which is easily available
nearby. The walls are constructed using stone with use of 70*100 mm sill and lintel band at
0.9m and 2.1m respectively. Double glazed glass of 4mm glass is being used with air space in
between to avoid heat loss. The roof is constructed using traditional construction method with
use of 4” timber joist,4” plank, 2” wood and 2” earth and at the top stone slab. The wall and
timber joist are connected together with the help of mud and timber.
4.4 DESIGN STRATEGIES USED IN THE BUILDING:
The site is in mountain region with extreme cold climate so to reduce the transportation cost,
use of traditional materials and construction technologies is preferred. As the site is near to the
Kali Gandaki river, the stones are readily available. Wall is made of 14” thick with 10 mm timber
planks added in the interior space. Maximum number of openings at the south side and the
areas which requires less heat and light are placed at the north side with minimum openings.
The air lock system is used in the entrance and exit of the building to reduce heat loss. The air
lock system traps the air in the space and avoid the entrance of cold wind into the indoor
environment. Solarium is also proposed in the building which helps to make the use of sunlight
in best possible way. Solarium penetrates the south heat and light making the interior apace
comfortable. Clerestory window is also used to penetrate light in the building. Sloped roof is
preferred which helps in rainy season as well as acts as shading device.

Air lock door

South Glazed window

Clerestorey window
Solarium
Sloped roof
5. CONCLUSION
With the help of this project, I got to know about the green building techniques that is being used
in the mountainous part of our country Nepal i.e. in Jomsom. The techniques to make a building
thermally comfortable is different in different part of the country with the change in its climate
and temperature. Being in an extreme cold climate, the building that was proposed had to have
a thermal comfort to the occupants where the heat loss should be minimized and heat gain had
to be maximized. So, to minimize the heat loss, the north side was provided areas with less
openings with air lock doors while the southern part had offices and waiting areas. The southern
part had more openings and a solarium is also proposed from where the heat was penetrated
and divided into other indoor spaces. Sloped roof was preferred as the area has maximum
rainfall and snowfall. Indoor cladding of timber was done to avoid heat loss. By doing this
project, the green building techniques that can be used in Jomsom was known.
REFERENCE
Dahal, A. (2019). An investigation on Vernacular Architecture of Marpha, Mustang, Nepal and
understanding the influences and changes in architecture and its sustainability,
Mutuli, I. (2017). National Library In Singapore By Ken Yeang, An Effort Towards Sustainability
In The Tropics
Manandhar, D. (2017). Siddhi Polyclinic Health Service and Path Lab: Concern for Sustainability