Energy Efficient Approach On Technology and Innovation Center Thesis Project

Energy Efficient Approach on
Technology and Innovation Center
Submitted to Bahir Dar University, ILA, Department of Architecture

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the bachelor degree program of
architecture
BAHIR DAR UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTE OF LAND ADMINISTRATION
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
By
Yeabtsega Zelalem
ID: - 0801419
Advisor: - Sefinew
July 1, 2021
Certification
This thesis is submitted to Institute of Land administration, department of Architecture, and
the School of Graduate Studies of Bahir Dar University in Partial Fulfillment of all
requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Architecture.
Thesis Title: “Energy Efficient Approach on Technology and Innovation Center”

Author: Yeabtsega Zelalem
Date: July 2021
Sefinew (Advisor) Signature Date
Approved by Board of Examiners:

(External Examiner) _______________ ________________
Signature Date
(External Examiner) ________________ _________________

Signature Date
(External Examiner) ________________ _________________

Signature Date
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Author’s Declaration
I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis project in a partial fulfillment for a
bachelor degree in Architecture at Bahir Dar University institution of Land administration,
Department of Architecture.
Student’s Name: Yeabtsega Zelalem
E-mail- yeabtsegaz.88@gmail.com
Phone number: +251923424288
Signature: _________
Date:
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Abstract
This research paper presents a general description of approaches to energy efficient building
development in one technology and innovation center located on Bahir Dar. The purpose of the
work is to discuss how building development can be approved from an energy saving
perspective. This thesis presents a general description of approaches to energy efficient building
development under technology and innovation center scenario, which has a potential to be
energy consumption project as it is related to power and energy supply. So, the whole research
will focus on implementing the energy efficient approaches strategies in hot climates like Bahir
Dar.
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Acknowledgment
I would like wholeheartedly thank God the Almighty for all his guidance and unfailing support
through the whole academic years and the success in my work. I would like to express my
gratitude towards all those that have helped me during this project especially my advisor
Sefinew for his guidance and insights to push the project further. I also want to give my thanks
to my family and friends who supported me in the process.
Thank you all!
Yeabtsega Zelalem
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Content
Author Declaration 2
Abstract 3
Acknowledgement 4
CHAPTER 1 – SYNOPSIS 10
1.1 Introduction 10
1.2 Background Study 10
1.3 Problem Statement 10
1.4 Research Questions 11
1.5 Research Objectives 11
1.6 Rational (Justification) 11
1.7 Significance and Relevance of the project 11
1.8 Scope
1.8.1 Thematic scope 12
1.8.2 Geographical scope 12
1.9 Limitation 12
1.10 Research Methodology 12
1.11 Research Approach 12
CHAPTER 2- LITERATURE REVIEW 13

2.1 Definition 13
2.2. Theory 14
2.3 Guideline Standards 18
2.3.1 Energy efficient strategies 18
2.3.2 Energy efficient measure for buildings 43
2.4 Case Study 45
CHAPTER 3- RESEARCH METHDOLOGY 59
3.1 Research Method 59
CHAPTER 4- CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 60
4.1 Conclusion 60
4.1 Recommendation 60
CHAPTER 5- DESIGN PROPOSAL 61
5.1 Project Site selection 61
5.1.1 criteria for site selection 61
5.1.2 Site Analysis 64
5.1.3 Program Development 69
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5.2 Design Proposal 73
5.2.1 Strategies 73
5.3 Concept Development 80
5.3.1 Form Development 80
5.3.2 Concept Development 80
5.4 Drawings 81
REFERENCE 87
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List of Figures
Fig 2.1 Diagram of energy efficient Home
Fig 2.2 Life cycle of energy efficient building
Fig 2.3 example of passive design features
Fig 2.4 Building form and orientation relative to the wind and sun direction.
Fig 2.5 Building form approaches
Fig 2.6 The shading strategy (vertical fins, horizontal slabs, covered courtyards)
Fig 2.7 Horizontal Shadow angle, and Vertica shadow angle
Fig 2.8 Different types of shading techniques
Fig 2.9 cool roof performance
Fig 2.10 heat transmission in a single glazing clear glass
Fig 2.11 Solar radiation and light entering measurements (SHGC, VLT, U factor, LSG)
Fig 2.12 and 2.13 Double glazed window
Fig 2.14 some Insulation strategies in the building
Fig 2.15 minimum insulation values and thickness recommended by Energy
conservation Building code for slabs and walls in daytime and 24*7 occupied buildings.
Fig 2.16 daylight entering in to space (room)
Fig 2.17 sidelight and shelve strategies to allow light entering to deeper spaces and preventing glare
from windows
Fig 2.18 Top lighting techniques
Fig 2.19 Opening locations for ventilation
Fig 2.10 evaporative cooling
Fig 2.11 vegetation for evaporative cooling
Fig 2.12 Human body thermal equilibrium
Fig 2.13 Vegetation strategy
Fig 2.14 creepers and sunbreaks with vegetations
Fig 2.15 how different type of trees give shading and sun penetration
Fig 2. 16 energy efficient lighting
Fig 2.17 Renewable technologies for NZEB
Fig 2.18 Components of a Typical Solar Photovoltaic System
Fig 2.18 Annexe Building
Fig 2.19 3d view of Annexe Buiulding, India
Fig 2.20 Unnati Office Greater NOIDA, Uttar
Pradesh
Fig 2.21 Ground Floor plan
Fig 2.22 active strategies of the building
Fig 2.23 Solar energy system
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Fig 2.30 Site Plan
Fig 2.31 rear 3d view
Fig 2.32 Section of the building
Fig 2. 33 interior spaces
Fig 2.34 Innovate Green Office, Leeds, UK
Fig 2.35 The LRC (Learning Resource Centre) at the Catholic University
Fig 5.1 Site option 1
Fig 5.2 site option 2
Fig 5.4 location map of the site
Fig 5.5 Accessibility map
Fig 5.6 Land Use Map
Fig 5.7 Infrastructure Map
Fig 5.8 topography and vegetation
Fig 5.9 on site analysis
Fig 5.10 Final bubble diagrams
Fig 5.11 orientation and form
Fig 5.12 option 1
Fig 5.13 option 2
Fig 5.13 option 2
Fig 5.15 appropriate arrangement of blocks
Fig 5.16 Arranging blocks
Fig 5.17 example of using metal mesh as façade
Fig 5.18 Different supports of Metal mesh façade
Fig 5.19 and 20 Agrostone building material and Agrostone panel dimensions
Fig 5.21 how solar panel works?
Fig 5.22 Form Development
Fig 5.23 Conceptual Development
Fig 5.24 Site plan
Fig 5.25 Site section 1
Fig 5.27 Floor Plans
Fig 5.28 Elevation view
Fig 5.29,30,31,32,33 Section plan
Fig 5.34 Detail plan 1
Fig 5.35, 36 3D renders
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List of Tables
Table 2.1 air temperature, humidity, air movement and radiant temperature support heat
exchange between humans and their thermal environment
Table 5.1 site selection criteria checklist
Table 5.2 a bar graph showing annual rain fall of Bahir Dar
Table 5.3 Bahir Dar weather by month weather averages
Table 5.4 Swot analysis
Table 5.5 Program development of the Technology and Innovation Center
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CHAPTER – ONE
1. SYNPOSIS
1.1 Introduction
Buildings use energy for heating, cooling and lighting, contributing to the problems of exhaustion
of fossil fuel supplies and environmental pollution. In order to make buildings more energy-
efficient an extensive set of ‘energy saving building components’ has been developed that
contributes to minimizing the energy need of buildings, that helps buildings to access renewable
energy sources, and that helps buildings to utilize fossil fuels as efficiently. User thermal comfort,
flexibility and cost are parts of energy efficiency measurements.
1.2 Background Study

Energy conservation in the built environment has become one of the most important topics on
both political and scientific agendas. The rising global population in the country, decreasing
fossil-based energy resources, rising emissions of harmful gases have emerged as the main
motivators for energy efficiency in buildings.
In addition, cost efficiency, safety and the need to reduce carbon emissions are fundamental
reasons for energy conservation. In developed countries, the building sector is responsible for
a large share of greenhouse gas emissions and their reduction can bring to a significant cut of
the environmental impacts.1
“Energy demand from buildings and buildings construction continues to rise, driven by improved
access to energy in developing countries like Ethiopia, greater ownership and use of energy-
consuming devices.” (Design of Energy Efficient Buildings for Hot Areas of Ethiopia with Respect
to Air Conditioning, Teklay W/abzgi)
But there isn’t much attention given to energy in developing countries like Ethiopia, Although the
energy consumption has huge impact on the economy of such developing country.
1.3 Problem Statement

“More than thirty percent (30%) of primary energy, mostly is from fossil fuel, is consumed by
non-industrial buildings, including houses, offices, schools, hospitals and so on”. (Anink et al.
1996).
As a result of fast economic development in Ethiopia the electric energy demand is
growing very fast since the past few years. Ethiopian Government is currently expanding he
electric power generation plants to provide good supply of electric power to the nation,
but less attention is given to building energy management in using the energy efficiently.
technology and innovation centers are project types which can inherit both industrial and office
buildings. Technology and innovation centers take much energy consumption as industrial
buildings while producing, designing, forming new products in the building. On the other hand,
1
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2020.11.144
2352-4847/⃝c 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-
ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 7th International Conference on Energy and
Environment Research, ICEER,2020.
Page | 10
energy and power consumption for cooling, ventilation and lighting is higher than many research
centers.
Therefore, energy conservation has to be considered at the demand side to achieve a building
which is sustainable, cost efficient and comfortable to work in.
1.4 Research Questions

What technical measures contribute to an improved energy consumption performance in a
building development? Which technical models are suitable for Bahir Dar situations?
How to implement the best energy efficient building design approaches on energy consume
project?
How to implement energy efficient approach while considering cost, time and quality of the
construction?
1.5 Research Objectives

General Objectives
The overall aim of this thesis is to contribute to improve energy efficiency of building
development in our context by taking an example of technology and innovation center in the
city.
the objective of the research is to implement the energy efficient approaches that could save
energy consumptions in the design process and Integrating energy innovation center with the
new energy efficient building design approach.
Specific Objectives
1. Minimizing of building operation cost (energy and maintenance)
2. Creating natural, comfortable, inspiring environment
3. Integrating climate responsive design approach to energy efficient design approach
4. To generate new approaches of minimizing energy consumptions in buildings and usage
of renewable energy in to the building development.
1.6 Rational (Justification)

‘One of the main problems of urban sustainability is related to energy consumption. The results
showed that the energy saved in 1 year could be used power 60,000 homes at a city level. In
practice, manufacturers, especially, can improve energy efficiency through design and
implement energy-efficient projects on their own. The innovation and technology center could
be benefited from this approach to use their own energy efficient approach in their inventions
and works’. (The impact of technological innovation on building a sustainable city, Chai-Lee Goi)
1.7 Significance and Relevance of the project

The paper could be a potential to be the guidelines and case study for construction industry to
implement those energy efficient approaches in to the building system.
The target audience of the research and therefore this thesis is, except for other researchers
(within several scientific fields e.g., architecture, building science and urban planning), city
planners, contractors, developers and consultants interested in the energy consumption
performance of the building development.
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1.8 Scope
1.8.1Thematic Scope
There are many techniques to improve the energy efficiency of the buildings and this study does
not aim to present them all, because the evolution of the concepts is intended to be observed
globally.
Generally, the approaches to energy efficiency can be set at three levels: administration,
construction industry and architectural design. The administrative approaches are not the main
objective discussed in the thesis, though the importance of them is undeniable.
This paper tries to identify the degree of impact and of innovation at their time, related to the
energy consumption reduction. It also presents the degree of preservation and classicization
and how much are found in the exigencies of the present, aiming to find some invariants of
design in our country context. The paper’s thematic areas are on architectural solutions and
approaches of achieving building’s energy efficiency related to ventilation, light, power source,
environmental sustainability and cost.
1.8.2 Geographical Scope
The research is implemented in Bahir Dar city, kebele 10 near to the new proposed bridge. This
thesis could be seen as model where can be implemented in similar climatic area as Bahir Dar.
1.9 Limitation
The research needs more time to acquire the relevant data and to use many scientific
measurements. The research was done at the time of global pandemic COVID-19, and the time
given for the research was not enough relative to the scale of the project. The scale of the study
is quite challenging and demanding. Other factors like not getting the current information from
governmental and industrial offices is also the limitation of the research.
1.10 Research Methodology

The research will follow the basic steps of data collection steps as a first procedure to frame
and bring the research on ground. In order to examine the best suitable approaches, a mixed
methods research design is applied to this research with two main study processes, which
consists of literature review about general energy efficient design approaches, real-time case
studies in similar climatic conditions as Bahir Dar.
1.11 Research Approach

A quantitative and qualitative research approaches are chosen to convert observation in real-
time contexts into generalizable principles. First phase focuses on collecting data from the
primary sources, who can give us the real-time energy/power consumption in technology and
small industrial buildings. In phase 2, the collected data are used as input to formulate
generalized design principles. Published and unpublished literatures and electronic documents
including internet websites will be secondary data sources.
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CHAPTER – TWO
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Definition
Energy efficient buildings (new constructions or renovated existing buildings) can be defined as
buildings that are designed to provide a significant reduction of the energy need for heating and
cooling, independently of the energy and of the equipment’s that will be chosen to heat or cool
the building. This approach generally achieved through
1. bioclimatic architecture: shape and orientation of the building, solar protections, passive
solar systems
2. high performing building envelope: thorough insulation, high performing glazing and
windows, air-sealed construction, avoidance of thermal bridges
3. high performance-controlled ventilation: mechanical insulation, heat recovery
Only when the building has been designed to minimize the energy loss, it makes sense to start
looking at the energy source (including renewable energy2) and at the heating and cooling
equipment.
Terms
Energy- the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity.
Energy efficient – Being energy-efficient is the opposite of wasting energy. It simply means using
less energy to perform an action
Technology Center- A technology center or technology center is a research center used for
technology research.
Innovation Center – An Innovation Center is a cross-functional plan that creates a safe haven
for new ideas. With opportunities for individual and group collaboration across time zones and
continents, it's a place that fosters a culture of innovation through the creation, sharing, and
testing of idea.
Categories of Technology and Innovation Center

There is nothing more dynamic than modern technology. It has been enhancing our way of
living and enabling progress in various sectors continuously, and is predicted to have profound
impacts on all businesses in the coming years.
the evolution of technology has resulted in its adaptation by all sectors of businesses. Today’s
information age has witnessed drastic progress and changes in almost every field thanks to
technology. This advancement in technology has made its way to various types of technology.
2
Renewable sources of energy are those sources that are replenished continuously by natural
processes. This includes solar energy, hydropower, biomass, wind and geothermal as well as organic
wastes
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1. Communication technology 10. Business technology
2. Construction technology 11. Artificial Intelligence
3. Energy technology 12. Space technology
4. Transportation technology 13. Robotics technology
5. Architecture technology 14. Agriculture technology
6. Product technology 15. Operation technology
7. Medical technology 16. Superintelligence
8. Educational technology 17. Assistive Technology
9. Information technology 18. Entertainment technology
2.2 Theory
In current times of rapid infrastructure growth and looming energy crisis, there is a strong need
to address and incorporate good practices for efficient energy and resource use while planning
for building.
We will see good energy efficient building design practices along with Guidelines Standard
section of the research paper.
Energy Efficient Building

Energy efficient building design involves constructing or upgrading buildings that are able to get
the most work out of the energy that is supplied to them by taking steps to reduce energy loss
such as decreasing the loss of heat through the building envelope.
Energy efficient homes, whether they are renovated to be more efficient or a built with energy
efficiency in mind, pose a significant number of benefits. Energy efficient homes are less
expensive to operate, more comfortable to live in, and more environmentally friendly.
Fig 2.1 Diagram of energy efficient Home
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Benefits of energy efficient buildings
• Reduction in operation cost
• Improved comfort and health: continuous ventilation and fresh air throughout the
building can lead to better well-being with occupants and as a result, a more productive
workforce.
• Enhance user comfort, better thermal comfort: well-designed mechanical systems and
building components work together to manage comfortable indoor temperatures.
• Improve productivity of occupants
• Incorporate latest techniques and technologies
• Long-term energy and cost savings: an energy efficient building will have the advantage
of lower energy, water, and maintenance costs.
• Lower emissions and overall environmental impact: energy efficient buildings have
lower greenhouse gas emissions due to their reduced reliance on fossil fuels. Buildings
that use primarily clean energy such as hydroelectricity have the lowest emissions.
Generally, having an energy efficient building is becoming more and more vital as energy
emerges as a critical economic issue due to high demand for energy and unsustainable
supplies of energy. Energy efficient buildings offer opportunities to save money as well as
reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As well, the reliance on non-renewable fuels is not
sustainable, and it involves using more and more destructive processing means to obtain these
fuels.
Characteristics of Energy efficient building
Energy efficient building has several characteristics. Most of them focus on ways to become more
efficient with material resources and energy consumption for operate building (cooling, lighting,
heating). In the following sections, energy saving, environmental protection and livable will be
elaborated.
A. Energy saving
Energy efficient building has the characteristics of reducing resource consumption from planning,
design and construction to operation. On the one hand, in the processes of planning and
construction, energy efficient building approach tries to reduce the waste of resources as much
as possible and completes construction with minimal resources.
For example. The design uses natural win to reduce the dependence on building air conditioning;
strengthen the light environment design of green building interior, try to use natural lighting, pay
attention to the thermal insulation design of green building and enhance its energy saving effect.
On the other hand, during the operation, various energy-saving technologies need to be used to
reduce the building energy consumption by directly utilizing the natural energy or indirectly
utilizing the bio-energy. For example, solar energy and wind energy are directly used to convert
natural energy into energy for use within a building. Through greening and other means of
cultivation, the building will function as a winter water-saving and heat-retaining system, and in
summer it will strengthen thermal insulation and regulate indoor climate.
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Fig 2.2 Life cycle of energy efficient building
B. Environmental protection
Energy efficiency has always adopted the concept of environmental protection in the processes
of urban planning, design, construction and use.
First of all, in the planning and site selection, it must consider the coordination with the
surrounding environment, it should not damage the surrounding environment and it should use
clean, renewable energy and materials.
During the construction process, the use of advanced construction technology and scientific
management will reduce energy consumption and avoid interference and pollution of the natural
environment. It will control the damage to the environment from various aspects of ventilation,
lighting and drainage, and reduce pollution emissions (specially carbon dioxide emissions).
Thirdly, environmental protection is reflected in the operation stage. Solar energy, wind energy,
geothermal energy and other energy sources are used more and more, effectively reducing
building energy consumption.
Finally, in the demolition stage, renewable materials can continue to be reused due to the use of
these materials during construction. That means less material input and reduced construction
waste production during redevelopment.
C. Livable
The purpose of the building is to provide living space for human beings to live, work, and live.
Compared with the traditional architecture, energy efficient buildings are designed to create a
more suitable working environment for human beings, including artificial and natural
environments.
The energy efficient building reflects the harmonious relationships between human beings and
nature in the organic combination of artificial environment and natural environment, making the
building sustainable, and closely linking the building and the ecology. (Song, 2013)
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Criteria to be Energy efficient buildings
1. Be built with local, low-energy materials and methods, and designed no bigger than
needed.
Building materials that are in their natural or near-natural state are preferable to
processed ones that have additional energy and chemical inputs. Locally sourced wood,
stone, brick and glass are preferable to aluminum, plastic, concrete and steel (unless they
are reused or recycled). Materials that are salvaged, non-toxic, renewable and bio-
degradable are preferable.
2. Have an envelope capable of isolating or buffering it from heat, cold and humidity,
consistent with the climate zone.
In hot, humid climates, wall cavities must breathe to the exterior to prevent the buildup
of mildew and mold.
Light colored roofs and walls reflect unwanted solar heat gain, as well as reduce the
local Urban Heat Island Effect. Shade from trees and other vegetation is often essential.
3. Have sufficient mass to store solar gain and to act as a thermal flywheel, radiating
warmth in the heating season and absorbing it in the cooling season
Where cooling is needed during the day, there should be enough thermal mass inside
or outside the thermal envelope to delay the arrival of the afternoon heat wave until
cooler night air can ventilate the building. Interior thermal mass can help smooth
temperature swings.
4. Be open to and induce natural ventilation when cooling is needed.

Cross-ventilation, and vertical ventilation should be used as needed to cool building
spaces and building mass, especially at night when outdoor air is cooler in hot climates.
Night sky radiation and evaporative cooling are especially effective in hot, arid desert
climates.
5. Be adaptable over time, with materials and components recycled or reused at the end of
their useful lives.
The building foundation, structure and shell should be built to last a century or more in
order to shelter different users and needs over time. Buildings should be constructed of
materials that are reusable or recyclable. Movable, short-lived and personalized building
components should be flexible on a daily and seasonal basis, as well as adaptable over
the years. Buildings should recycle gray water for toilet flushing and irrigation of plants.
Occupants should recycle inorganic and compost organic waste, as well as minimize
water consumption.
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2.3 Guideline Standards
2.3.1 Energy efficient Strategies
There are numerous ways to increase the energy efficiency of a building, and many different
parts of a building that can be improved to boost this value. Better insulation, more efficient
windows, doors, and skylights, as well as high-efficiency air conditioners and furnaces can all
contribute to a more efficient building by keeping warm air inside or outside the building. As well,
being able to properly regulate the temperature of a home through the use of a thermostat is a
major part of having an energy efficient home, as having the right equipment is just as important
as using it properly.
there are numerous strategies to increase energy efficiency in passive design approaches. These
steps include: Passive design, Lighting, Material and Renewable energy.
1. Passive Design
Green roof
Overhang on the south facade
Thermal mass
Thermal comfort
Opening for natural ventilation
Vegetation for sun control

Water body for evaporating
cooling
Fig 2.3 example of passive design features

Implementation of sound passive design principles is the first stepping stone on the path to zero.
The passive design overall must sharply reduce energy use, and only then use renewable energy
systems to meet the residual energy needs. Passive design strategies are features innate to the
form and design of a building that channelize available natural resources to ensure thermal
comfort. These climate specific approaches based on sun, wind, light and micro-climatic
considerations can be employed to design energy efficient buildings.
Extreme energy efficient must be at the core of Net Zero Energy Buildings. NZEB3s must harness
all potential advantages from the site, surroundings, and should be designed for the climate. The
decisions about building form, orientation, shading, and ventilation, taken during the early design
3
Net Zero Energy Buildings
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stage have the most significant impact on the energy use of the building. Passive design
strategies aim at achieving thermal comfort using as little active cooling and heating as
possible. This means reducing cooling requirement during the summer and heating in the winter
through appropriate orientation, external shading, appropriate amount of glazing, and natural
ventilation.
The decisions about building form, orientation, shading, and ventilation, taken during the early
design stage have the most significant impact on the energy use of the building. Passive design
strategies aim at achieving thermal comfort using as little active cooling and heating as
possible. This means reducing cooling requirement during the summer and heating in the winter
through appropriate orientation, external shading, appropriate amount of glazing, and natural
ventilation.
Drastically reducing, or even eliminating, the need for artificial lighting through filtered, indirect,
glare-free daylight is imperative for sustainable buildings. Daylighting not only reduces the energy
needed for lighting and air-conditioning, but is also linked to health and well-being of the
occupants.
The skin of the building – walls, windows, and the roof – moderates the effect of the
climate. Selection of building envelope with appropriate thermal mass, insulation, and color
based on climate and functional requirements can reduce the number of hours when heating or
cooling is required to maintain comfort.
Using evaporative cooling through water bodies and evaporative coolers can further reduce the
requirement for air conditioning, especially during the hot and dry periods. It is now possible to
seamlessly integrate evaporative cooling with conventional air conditioning systems. Ceiling fans
have always been a part of homes in India, often being the only source of comfort in the summer.
They are now making a well-deserved come back in commercial buildings as well. Most new
energy efficient buildings incorporate ceiling fans to enhance thermal comfort and reduce energy
use in cooling.
There should be pointed that An NZEB will only be cost-effective if all the passive strategies, all
of which come at no-cost or low-cost, are incorporated in its design and construction.
1.1 Form and Orientation
Form and orientation constitute two of the most important passive design strategies for reducing
energy consumption and improving thermal comfort for occupants of a building. It affects the
amount of sun falling on surfaces, daylighting and direction of winds. Towards net zero energy
goals, form and orientation have significant impact on building’s energy efficiency, by harnessing
sun and prevailing winds to our advantage. Thus, they play a pivotal role in NZEB design
approach as these strategies are one-time interventions and their potential benefits should not
be missed.
Building designs vary according to context of its location and climate. However, the underlying
principle remains the same, maximizing amount of solar radiation in winter and minimizing the
amount in summers. In predominantly hot regions like Ethiopia, buildings should be ideally
oriented to minimize solar gains, the reverse is applicable for cold regions. Orientation also plays
an important role with regard to wind direction.
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The building form determines the volume of space inside a building that needs to be heated or
cooled. Thus, more compact the shape, the less wasteful it is in gaining/losing heat. In hot & dry
regions and cold climates, building’s shape needs to be compact to reduce heat gain and losses,
respectively. (Design of Energy-Efficient Buildings, Sassan Mohasseb, 2020)
Fig 2.3 building form and orientation relative to seasonal sun path
1.1.1 Recommendation
Fig 2.4 Building form and orientation relative to the wind and sun direction.
It would good to orient the building to north-south side to gain much cool air into the building as
wind from Lake Tana comes in north side.
If the site has multiple buildings, they should be arranged in ascending order of their heights to
allow ventilation and view.
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1.1.2 Cooling in Hot climatic regions
1. In tropical climate like Ethiopia, long facades of buildings oriented towards north- south
are preferred.
2. Buildings should be oriented with their longer axis (north –south) aligned perpendicular
to the prevailing winds to facilitate maximum air-flow and cross ventilation through the
building. (Buildings can be oriented at an angle between 0° to 30° with respect to the
prevailing wind direction),
3. In hot & dry climates, the surface to volume(S/V) ratio of the building should be as low as
possible to minimize heat gain (compact plans have greater thermal efficiency).
4. A rectangular form with a longer axis along the north-south is the preferred orientation.
5. East and west orientation should be protected by buffer spaces, shaded walls, etc.
Fig 2.5 Building form approaches
1.1.3 Energy and cost saving

The form of the building and orientation of the spaces determine the thermal and visual comfort
to a large extent. And also, appropriate building orientation can result in reducing cooling demand
and energy use compared to a wrongly oriented building.
1.2 Shading
Structural controls like ‘external shading devices’ are essential environmental controls that either
obviate or greatly reduce the need for mechanical heating and cooling to maintain thermal comfort
inside buildings, by controlling heat gain through openings. Along with glazing type and size of
the fenestration, shading devices are equally important in limiting heat gain from outside through
radiation. External and internal shading devices can thus be used as an essential solution for
achieving energy efficiency.
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Efficiency of internal shading devices is limited as they absorb the heat once it has been
transmitted inside the space and heat up themselves. This can lead to higher mean radiant
temperatures inside the building.
Fig 2.6 The shading strategy (vertical fins, horizontal slabs, covered courtyards)
External shading is orientation specific and can be effectively integrated into the building
envelope if designed keep this factor in mind.
Orientation of an opening and by extension, solar radiation incident on it, is the single most
important factor in the design of its external shading devices. Impact of seasonal variation in the
sun path (and incident solar radiation) is linked to the orientation.
Solar radiation on east and west facing openings does not vary much by the seasonal variations
in the sun path. They receive uniform solar radiation, while compared to north and south facing
openings, which receive higher solar radiation through the year.
Fig
2.7
Horizontal Shadow angle, and Vertica shadow angle
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• As a first step towards shading, longer sides of a building should be oriented North- South
which is preferred to minimize overall solar gain through the envelope.
• South-facing windows are the easiest to shade. Overhangs on south-oriented windows
provide effective shading by blocking summer sun and admitting winter sun.
• Use fixed horizontal overhangs on south-facing glass. 1m shading device can reduce
cooling loads substantially.
• To the greatest extent possible, limit the amount of east and west glass (minimize window
area) since they are harder to shade. Consider the use of landscaping to shade east and
west exposures.
• An extended roof can provide shade to the entire north and south wall from the noon sun
• Shading is generally not required at the north side. Only cutting the low evening summer
sun can be achieved by vertical shades or internal blinds.
• On lower buildings, well-placed deciduous trees on the east and west will reduce
summer overheating while permitting desirable winter solar gains
• Semi-outdoor spaces such as balconies (2.5m – 3m deep) can provide shade and
protect interior spaces from overheating and climatic variations. At the same time, they
act as wind scoops and provide a private social space for the unit.
• If no exterior shading is possible, a lower solar heat gain coefficient for the glazing will
be mandatory
Fig 2.8 Different types of shading techniques
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Shading can reduce solar gains on the building facade. Effective shading strategies for and NZEB
should aim at virtually preventing any direct solar radiation from entering the building, especially
during the summer months.
Shading reduces the effective solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC)4 of the glazing. This means that
a cheaper glass with high SHGC can be used instead of high cost, low SHGC glass.
Shading also helps in reducing glare through the windows. Users tend to pull down interior shade
if there is direct solar radiation on the glass, this negates all the benefits of daylighting. Shading
helps ensure glare-free daylight in the buildings. But there should be some consideration while
choosing shading material’s cost and performance.
1.3 Cool Roofs

Just as light-colored clothing can help keep a person cool on a sunny day, cool roofs use solar-
reflective surfaces to maintain lower roof temperatures. Highly reflective and light-colored roofs
have now become an inclusive part of energy efficiency measure in a building. To achieve NZEB
design goal, cool roofs can be used to reduce energy bills by decreasing air conditioning needs,
improve indoor thermal comfort and decrease roof operating temperature. Traditional dark
roofs reach temperatures of 66ºC (150ºF) or more in the summer sun, in contrast a cool roof
under the same conditions could stay more than 28ºC (50°F) cooler.
Fig 2.9 cool roof performance
4
solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) is Solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) is the fraction
of solar radiation admitted through a window, door, or skylight -- either transmitted directly and/or
absorbed, and subsequently released as heat inside a home. The lower the SHGC, the less solar
heat it transmits and the greater its shading ability.
Page | 24
Climate is an important consideration when deciding a cool roof installation. Cool roofs achieve
the greatest cooling savings in hot climates, but can increase energy costs in colder climates due
to reduced beneficial wintertime heat gains.
Roof coatings should include special chemicals that prevent mold or algae growth for a few years.
In warm, moist locations, cool roof surfaces can be more susceptible to algae or mold growth
than hot roofs.
Decision on cool roofs should be taken by keeping in mind both installation costs (material and
labor) and ongoing maintenance costs (repair, recoating, and cleaning). However, in most cases
they are considered inexpensive energy efficiency measure in buildings.
Slate and tile products are available with solar-reflective surfaces that offer a wide range of cool
colors. Additionally, the dense, earthen composition of slate and tile products provide increased
thermal mass, yielding additional energy savings not realized through solar reflectance and
thermal emittance measures alone.
Concrete and clay tiles may be obtained in white, increasing the solar reflectance to about 70
percent. (Compared to 20-30 percent range for normal tile). (NZEB.in)
Additional measures like roof insulation, vegetative roofs, and solar panels can be used to inhibit
the flow of heat from roof to conditioned space within a building.
Studies show that in warm and hot climates cool roofs perform well in meeting energy
efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability.
• Cool Roofs reduce annual air conditioning energy use of a single-story building by up to
15%.
• They cool interior spaces in buildings that do not have air conditioning, making occupants
more comfortable.
• Reduce carbon emissions by lowering the need for fossil-fuel generated electricity to run
air conditioners.
• Potentially slow global warming by cooling the atmosphere.
1.4 Fenestration
Fenestrations (windows, skylights, & other openings in a building etc.) allow daylight and the
prevailing wind inside the building when needed.
However, solar radiation that can penetrate through these fenestrations, especially windows, can
lead to considerable heat gain. Glazing in windows traps the heat inside the space. Window glass
allows short wave infra-red radiation from sun to pass through easily, but is very resistant to
passage of long wave radiations emitted from objects inside the building that have heated from
the solar radiation. Resultant temperature inside the building can thus be even greater than
outside temperature if fenestration systems are not designed carefully. From NZEB design
perspective, building fenestrations can affect lighting and air-conditioning loads considerably.
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Fig 2.10 heat transmission in a single glazing clear glass
Methods to reduce heat gain through windows are:
• Orientation and size,
• Glazing,
• Internal shading devices (blinds, curtains),
• External shading devices
Achieving a balance between daylight penetration and heat gain requires a careful calibration
between visual and heat transmission qualities of glazing, and the orientation and sizing of
opening.
Solar radiation intensity is minimum on north facing openings or walls both with respect to
quantum and duration, followed by south facing facades. East and west facing openings (or
walls) receive large amount of solar radiation throughout the year.
Architects and decision makers can control heat gain and loss through prudent design of
fenestrations with appropriate placement, and glazing.
Glazing area should be reduced as long as it does not affect the uniformity of daylight distribution
in a building.
Reduce Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) as less heat will be transferred into the building.
When specifying windows performance, take care to specify “whole product performance values”
/ whole window unit for U-factor 5and SHGC.
5
U-factor is the rate at which a window, door, or skylight conducts non-solar heat flow. The lower the
U-factor, the more energy-efficient the window, door, or skylight.
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Fig 2.11 Solar radiation and light entering measurements (SHGC, VLT, U factor, LSG)6
We will see in detail about energy performance measurement of windows in later section,
A fenestration system with low U-value and low effective SHGC can result in reduction of heating
and cooling demand by between 8-16% in hot humid, hot dry, and composite climates.
Using double glazing reduces the internal temperature of the glass because of reduced
conduction of heat from the outdoors. This results in better radiant temperature control and
enhanced comfort. This effect can be felt in both heating and cooling, especially in spaces which
have large glazed areas.
Fig 2.12 and 2.13

Double glazed window
6
Light-to-solar gain (LSG)is the ratio between the SHGC and VT. It provides a gauge of the relative efficiency
of different glass or glazing types in transmitting daylight while blocking heat gains. The higher the number,
the more light transmitted without adding excessive amounts of heat. This energy performance rating isn't
always provided.
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1.5 Insulation
Thermal insulation in walls and roofs reduces heat transfer between the inside and outside and
helps maintain comfortable indoor temperature. It provides healthier environment, adds sound
control, and most important lowers the electricity bills. Insulation helps keep indoor space cooler
in summer months and warm during winters.
There are variety of materials to choose

from including fiber glass, mineral wool,
rock wool, expanded or extruded
polystyrene, cellulose, foam boards and
cotton. They are generally in the form of
amorphous wool or rigid sheets, or
require in‐situ pouring. Insulation is rated
in terms of R‐value. Higher R‐values
denote better insulation and translate
into more energy savings, much needed
to meet NZEB design goals.
Fig 2.14 some Insulation strategies in

the building
Insulation should be placed at the hotter side of the surface (in case of summer cooling,
insulation should be on outer side). And insulation material should be chosen keeping in mind
the following parameters – thermal performance, lifetime performance, fire safety, moisture and
condensation, air infiltration and environmental benefits. (Design of Energy-Efficient Buildings,
Sassan Mohasseb, 2020)
It should be noted that insulation can have a disadvantage that it can prevent the building from
cooling at night in hot climatic regions like Bahir Dar. Use of insulation is more effective in hot
climates where demand for cooling is very high.
Fig 2.15 minimum insulation values and thickness recommended by Energy

conservation Building code for slabs and walls in daytime and 24*7 occupied buildings.
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• Insulation reduces the heat ingress or heat loss through the walls and roofs. This results
in better radiant temperatures and higher comfort in the adjoining spaces.
• Insulating the roof and walls of a building could reduce the heating or cooling loads by 5-
8% and could lead up to 10% reduction in annual heating or cooling energy use. These
savings are averaged for typical commercial buildings, and even higher savings can result
in buildings with lower temperature setpoints and longer hours of air-conditioning.
1.6 Daylighting
Daylighting is a building design strategy to use light from sun. Presence of natural light in an
occupied space brings a sense of wellbeing, increases awareness of one’s surrounding and also
increases energy saving potential with reduced dependence on artificial light. Appropriate use of
windows, skylights, clerestories, and other apertures in the building provide means to harvest
daylight.
Daylight factor
Daylight factor is used for determining daylight. It is equivalent to the sum of the diffused skylight
(SC), internally reflected light (IRC) and externally reflected light (ERC). Quality and quantum of
daylight entering a apace can be controlled by modifying these three factors.
Fig 2.16 daylight entering in to space (room)

Remember that, more the sunlight that enters the building, more the heat that needs to be dealt
with. Thus, by placing apertures correctly, nature can work with you. Integrating daylighting with
artificial lighting can considerably reduce energy consumption, but at the same time may lead to
higher air conditioning loads due to heat gain. Thus, design consultants and decision makers
need to appropriately balance daylight harvesting features and minimize solar heat gains. Hence,
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daylighting becomes an integral part of a building design strategy from early design phase to
lower the energy consumption of a building, imperative to advance NZEB design goals.
Fig 2.17 sidelight and shelve strategies to allow light entering to deeper spaces and preventing
glare from windows
Orientation and form for daylighting
Buildings can be located and oriented to take advantage of sun’s movement throughout the day,
as well as seasonal variations.
• Buildings that are longer on their east-west axis are better for daylighting and visual
comfort.
• Larger and taller buildings should have thinner profiles to maximize daylighting potential
from side windows.
• Large buildings can get daylight into more spaces by having central courtyards or atria,
or having other cut-outs in the building form.
• Focus should be given to maximum daylight factor, increase uniformity of light spread,
reduce glare, and minimize solar gains.
• Increasing the height of each storey to allow for higher windows also helps pull daylight
further into the building.
• Plan for daylight by minimizing floor plate depth, especially in office buildings.
Windows
Amount of daylight that enters a room depends on the window location and its dimensions.
• Determine the window size, height and glazing treatments for each facade separately.
• Maximize southern exposure and optimize northern exposure.
• North-facing windows provide consistent indirect light with minimal heat gains.
• Minimize eastern and western exposure when the sun is lowest and most likely causes
glare and overheating. They are more difficult to shade because the sun is closer to the
horizon.
• There is a direct relationship between the height of the window head and the depth of
daylight (Typically adequate daylight will penetrate one- and one-half times the height of
the window head).
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• Allow daylight penetration high in a space. Windows located high in a wall or in roof
monitors and clerestories will result in deeper light penetration and reduces the likelihood
of excessive brightness.
• Use advanced daylight harvesting methods in case of large window area (such as use of
external light shelves, light tubes, a higher ceiling height and other similar technologies,
would help to distribute the daylight deeper into the building).
• Use skylights and roof monitors to areas without easy access to windows.
• Use of light-colored interior surfaces reduces luminance contrast and improves coverage.
Fig 2.18 Top lighting techniques

These approaches of top lighting are effective daylighting solution for wide buildings where side
lighting cannot be used for adequate lighting of the deeper areas of the floorplate. To reduce
glare, skylights must be designed with reflective surfaces that redirects direct sunlight into the
space. design of direction specific skylights must take in consideration angle and path of sun
during winter and summer. North facing skylights are most suitable for work spaces.
Location, From and dimensions of shading devices
• South-facing windows are the easiest to shade. Horizontal shading devices are most
effective as they can block summer sun and admit winter sun.
• East- and west-facing windows are best shaded with vertical devices, but these are
usually harder to incorporate into a building, and limit views from the window.
• The provision of glare protection devices will reduce the amount of daylight harvested.
A balance between glare protection and daylight harvesting needs to be done carefully
to ensure that the design of the daylight harvesting system will perform as intended.

Daylighting is the one of the cornerstones of energy efficient building designs. Several studies
have proven the benefit of daylighting, linking it to higher comfort, productivity, and feeling of
well-being in schools, offices, and hospitals.
An appropriately designed daylighting features will provide better indoor environmental quality,
improve building occupant performance and reduce the building’s energy consumption at the
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same time. Daylighting can significantly impact the energy use of a building by reducing the
lighting energy demand by up to 20-30%.
1.7 Natural Ventilation

Fresh air in a building brings health benefits and increased comfort level to its occupants. Fresh
air provision is considered as an efficient and a healthy solution as it reduces the energy and
cost for mechanical means to ventilate a building.
Various forms such as appropriate orientation and form, openings in building envelope (windows,
doors and ventilators), operable windows, internal space planning, etc. are various natural
ventilation strategies that can be adopted. Other advanced ventilation techniques are courtyard
effect, stack effect and wind tower.
Fig 2.19 Opening locations for ventilation

• For good natural ventilation, building openings should be in opposite pressure zone
(since natural ventilation rely on pressure to move fresh air through buildings).
• The building can be oriented 0° to 30° with respect to the prevailing wind direction (wind
rose diagram) / most preferably orientating longer facades of the building towards
predominant wind direction, in our case the building should be oriented 0° to 30° to Lake
Tana wind direction (from north side).
In warm and humid climate, natural ventilation can provide the much-needed air movement to
provide comfort during humid periods.
1.8 Evaporating cooling
Over the years, traditional wisdom has supported the idea of a water body such as pond, lake or
a fountain to provide cooling effect to the surrounding environment. This effect lowers the indoor
air temperature – a widely known concept of evaporative cooling.
Evaporative cooling lowers the indoor air temperature thus lowers the energy cost for air-
conditioning in buildings. Reduced energy load contributes towards meeting the NZEB design
goals. However, evaporative cooling is mostly effective in hot and dry climate where the humidity
is low.
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Fig 2.10 evaporative cooling

Air is in direct contact with the cooling media, water, in direct evaporative cooling. The most
commonly used methods are water bodies and water sprays.
• Pools, ponds and water features immediately outside windows or in courtyards can pre-cool
air entering the house. As water evaporates it draws large amounts of heat from surrounding
air.
• In public buildings, water in pools and fountains can be used as a cooling element along with
cross-ventilating arrangement of openings.
• Evaporative cooling is most effective in hot and dry climates. Vegetation for evaporation: The
evapotranspiration from one tree can save 250 to 650 kWh of electricity used for air-
conditioning per year.
Fig 2.11 vegetation for evaporative cooling
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Evaporative coolers can replace mechanical cooling in hot-dry climates. In composite climates
evaporative cooling systems can be used to reduce HVAC system use during early summer
months when the temperatures are high and humidity is low.
It has been calculated that temperature of 1 M3 of air will be reduced by 1° centigrade by the
evaporation of 0-5 gm of water.
1.9 Thermal comfort
human body needs to maintain its core temperature at 37°. In order to do so, it must constantly
exchange heat with the surrounding. People feel comfortable when this process is sufficiently
supported by the surrounding thermal environment of building.
Fig 2.12 Human body thermal equilibrium

Buildings are ultimately meant to shelter and provide comfortable habitats. Significant amounts
of energy are expended when buildings are cooled or heated through mechanical equipment to
maintain desired thermal comfort conditions. It is essential to understand what thermal comfort
is and how it can be achieved with the least amount of energy spent to do so.
People may feel that their surroundings are warm, cold or simply comfortable depending on the
thermal state of the surroundings, and, equally importantly, physiological and psychological
factors. Lack of comfort due to the last factors cannot be solved by cooling or heating a building,
but thermal conditions can be changed for better.
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One of the research questions was how to create comfortable space to live, work and operate in
the building concerning to energy efficiency of the building. Which bring us to the next question
- why do humans feel thermally comfortable or uncomfortable, in other words, warm or cold inside
buildings?
Human body is in a near continuous exchange of heat with the surroundings. Heat is produced
inside the body due to biochemical processes like metabolism. It is also produced or lost due to
conduction, radiation and convection when the body touches, or is in the vicinity of a heat source.
Deep body temperature must remain constant at 37 °C and to maintain this equilibrium the body
must lose or gain heat to or from its surroundings.
Both environmental and physiological factors influence human thermal comfort (see table below)
Increases heat loss by convection High: too warm Low: too

Air temperature
cold
Reduces heat loss by evaporation HIGH: wet skin and thus

Humidity
uncomfortable LOW: dry skin
Radiant temperature -
Depending on its temperature, it can induce heat gain or loss

Wind in the body. Wind velocity and movement, within tolerable
limits, can alleviate thermal comfort.
Insulation between the human body and environment. Higher

Clothing the insulation value of clothing, less will the heat exchange
with surroundings.
Metabolism breaks down energy from food. Only 20% is used

Activity by the body and the balance has to be dissipated to
surrounding environment.
Metabolic rate of older people, children and women are lower

Age and gender
than men. People who are ill also have low metabolic rates.
Table 2.1 air temperature, humidity, air movement and radiant temperature support heat
exchange between humans and their thermal environment
Thermal comfort can be influenced by physiological factors like clothing metabolic activity age
and gender, as these also determine the rate of heat exchange between the body and its
surrounding.
1.9.1 Recommendations
Methods to alleviate thermal comfort in warm climates are encouraging heat loss from body
through ventilation, evaporation, convection and radiation.
The adaptive thermal comfort model should be followed for naturally ventilated.
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Adopting the appropriate thermal comfort settings can yield significant energy and cost savings
in buildings.
The operating energy is also directly proportional to the thermostat settings and comfort
conditions. Using a ceiling fan and reducing high wall and roof surface temperatures can ensure
thermal comfort even at higher air temperatures.
1.10 Vegetation
Trees and shrubs create different air flow patterns, provide shading and keep the surroundings
cooler in warm weather. Vegetation can be used for energy conservation in buildings in the
following ways:
• Shading of buildings and open spaces through landscaping

• Roof gardens (or green roofs)
• Shading of vertical and horizontal surfaces (green walls)
• Buffer against cold and hot winds
• Changing direction of wind
Vegetation is a flexible controller of solar and wind penetration in buildings. It reduces direct sun
from striking and heating up building surfaces and lowers the outside air temperature which in
turn effects the heat transfer from outside to building envelope and interior. It can also be used
as internal shading element.
Used as such, plants increase the shading coefficient, a measure of the efficiency of shading
devices, without compromising on external views. Plants moreover grow in the direction of
sunlight and the growth varies with seasons and when used keeping in mind seasonal variations
at the building location, can be cost effective, flexible shading elements.
Vegetation also alters the micro-climate of a site and has been used as micro-climate manager
for as long as buildings have been built. Green roofs or roof gardens can also be used as they
help to reduce heat loads in a building.
Fig 2.13 Vegetation strategy
Page | 36
Vegetation can be used for shading, altering the microclimate and modifying the wind direction.
Selecting the appropriate variety of plantation and its placement are key factors that determine
how well the vegetation will serve its intended purpose.
• It is preferable that architects should work with existing terrain of the site, natural
topography and local species for appropriate landscaping.
• Use of local species for vegetation is highly recommended as they are accustomed to the
variations in temperature, rainfall patterns and soil conditions for that region. They are
relatively low maintenance in terms of water usage, and are resistant against local pests.
In addition, that also support birds and insects that thrive naturally in the region and help
maintain the balance of natural flora and fauna.
• It is recommended that exotic species should cover no more than 25% of the landscaped
area of a building.
• Reduce lawn area in the garden to a minimum to reduce the amount of water that is
needed for irrigation.
Fig 2.14 creepers and sunbreaks with vegetations
Creepers are flexible shading devices for verandahs and interior spaces. They can be used
effectively for controlling sun penetration.
Green roofs often require regular maintenance and involve high first costs; thus, these have to
be designed and installed carefully. The growing medium and other components add load to the
roof and this extra weight has to be considered while designing the roof structure
Moreover, the waterproofing in green roofs must be elastic to withstand building movement and
non-biodegradable. Plant native trees and shrubs as they are usually low maintenance.
Deciduous vegetation can be considered as flexible shading devices. During winter, the
vegetation will shed leaves to allow penetration of sunlight to the same occupied space which it
would shade in summer.
Page | 37
Fig 2.15 how different type of trees give shading and sun penetration
Presence of vegetation benefits the buildings in two distinct ways.
The effect of shading on the walls reduces the heat gain in the building thereby enhancing comfort
and reducing energy use. Vegetation also reduces the heat gain in the surroundings of the
buildings by shading the ground, parking lots, pavements, etc., which would otherwise heat up
and cause urban heat island effect.
Trees also reduce ambient air temperature due to evapo-transpiration. A study shows that
ambient air under a tree adjacent to the wall is about 2 – 2.5°C lower than that for unshaded
areas.
2. Lighting
Lighting energy accounts for more than a quarter of total energy consumption in buildings. It is
therefore important to optimize lighting energy use to achieve net zero goals. Energy efficient
lighting fixtures are now readily available in the market. These must work in conjunction with
daylighting. Building form, orientation, and fenestration design must take channel daylight into
the building. Daylighting controls as well as occupancy sensors could further reduce lighting
energy use.
Fig 2. 16 energy efficient lighting
Page | 38
2.1 Design Considerations
2.1.1 Design Approaches
• Lighting is designed based on the space functional requirement and user behavior. Select
possible lamps available in the market to meet the objective.
• Designer should estimate the basic lighting requirement based on the lux requirement
for each lamp category and select lamp with best life cycle cost and energy saving
potential.
• Consider Maintenance factor – The installed lighting should be design to meet the design
requirement for a period of time.
2.1.2 Function
Lighting Design Framework – holistic approach
An integrated design approach is necessary for lighting design. This can be done with six
elements that influence lighting design. They all need to be considered for best possible solution.
1. Visual Function- The key components within visual function are:
• Luminous Flux (Lumens)- The amount of light coming from the light source (lumens) and
is a measure of total power of light. It is measured in lumens. Lumen is used for comparing
how bright the light source is. (e.g., 60 W incandescent bulb is about 850 lumen). The
amount of light that travels in certain direction from the source is called “luminous
intensity” (measured in candles).
• luminance – The lighting level at the working desk or a space should be adequate and
comfortable.
• Glare – Glare is an unusual and un intentional excessively bright area which, directly or
indirectly, leads to discomfort visual glare or disability glare.
• Reflectance – The light falling on any surface is partially absorbed and partially reflected
based on the material property. This consideration should be included in the lighting
design to optimize the fixture requirement and energy consumption.
2. Architectural integration- Integration of lighting could play an important role in overall

architectural design. Designer may choose a suitable luminaire like recessed luminaire,
suspended luminaire, spot lights, wall mounted, floor standing luminaire, ceiling mounted
etc. Each type is for a particular design approach and chosen as per the requirement and
installation provisions. Task or spot lighting in such technology and innovation center is
mandatory for personal working space.
3. Energy Efficiency
4. Costs
3. Material
Building materials both in the production phase should have energy-efficient features in the use
phase. Energy-efficient building material properties are described below.
Local material:
In the total energy consumption of constructions, the amount of energy spent for transportation
of the construction materials to construction sites is considerable and also affects the
constructions’ energy efficiency and economical cost. For this reason, if the construction
Page | 39
materials are local material and are manufactured in nearby places to the construction site as
much as possible, energy consumption in transportation will decrease and that saving in
transportation will give the construction an important ecological quality.
Recycled resources:
A large amount of energy is used in manufacturing many building materials. In the manufacture
of building material, using recycled sources instead of the sources which are not newly processed
material provides a considerable preservation of raw material and also a considerable amount of
energy saving. Recycling building materials are essential to reduce the embodied energy in the
building; for instance, the use of recycled metal makes considerable energy savings between the
rates of 40 and 90% comparing the material produced from natural resources.
(Berge B, The Ecology of Building Materials, Oxford: Architectural Press; 2009)
Natural materials are quickly obtained from renewable resources: Generally, the energy content
of natural materials is lower than that of artificial materials since these materials are
manufactured with less energy and labor cost. Such kinds of materials which are easy to be
locally provided are generally among the renewable resources.
4. Renewable Energy
Fig 2.17 Renewable technologies for NZEB

Renewable energy systems are the final step to attaining zero energy goals. Once all possible
measures to reduce energy demand are deployed, renewable energy systems must step in to
balance residual energy demand. Performance of renewable energy systems determines the
success of the net-zero buildings.
Page | 40
Renewable energy systems can be integrated during the early design process as a part of the
structure, or could be added as retrofits. While solar energy is ubiquitous, but other renewable
energy sources are highly location specific. (NZEB.in)
Among different renewable technologies, solar photovoltaic technology is the best approach in
region like Bahir Dar, which have reliably sunny weather all year long.
4.1 Solar Photovoltaics
Fig 2.18 Components of a Typical Solar Photovoltaic System (Source: Rfassbind (Own work.) [Public
domain], via Wikimedia Commons)
Solar photovoltaics are a combination of panels containing a number of solar cells which convert
the incident solar energy into usable electricity. These panels can be placed at any place which
receives abundant amount of sunlight.
The process of generation of electricity from solar cells is a two – step process.
The first step is the physical process and involves the photoelectric effect in which the photons
strike the metal surface and provide energy to the electrons in the metal.
The next step involves the electrochemical process in which the excited electrons are arranged
in a series, thereby creating an electric voltage and generating electric current. The generated
electricity can either be consumed instantaneously on site, stored in batteries for later use.
• Customer driven solar project development – These are small scale decentralized solar
power plants installed by electricity consumers in their own premises. These types of
projects require less area and capital investment. These systems are further divided into
two parts:
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• Grid Connected Systems – Grid connected PV systems are designed to work in
conjunction with the utility grid. Such systems can either supply the complete
generated electricity to the grid or can use the electricity for building use and
supply only the excess power to the grid.
• Stand – alone systems – Stand – alone PV systems are designed to operate
within the context of the building and are not connected to the grid. The electricity
generated is consumed by the building and excess energy generated can be
stored in the batteries for future use.
Solar electricity generation system
A complete solar electricity generation system consists of components to produce electricity,
convert generated DC into AC that can be used by equipment installed in the building, and store
excess generated electricity (for those systems which do not intend to sell excess generated
electricity to grid).
• Solar PV panels – Solar panels are the basic part of a solar electricity generation system.
These panels consist of numerous solar cells which are made up of a semiconducting
material. These solar cells are responsible for conversion of incident light into usable
electricity. Although the sizes may vary according to generation capacity, location and
budget, the typical length of the solar panel ranges between 65 inches and 77 inches and
the breadth ranges between 35 inches and 39 inches. The typical depth of solar panels
ranges from 1.4 inches to 1.8 inches.
• Inverter – The inverter converts the DC produced by the solar panels into AC that can be
fed into the grid or used for the operation of electrical appliances. Additionally, the inverter
acts as a safety valve between the PV system and the electricity mains.
• Storage Batteries – Storage batteries are used to store excess electric energy generated
by the PV system for future use. Batteries are typically employed in PV systems which do
not intend to sell excess electricity to power utilities.
• Electricity Meter – The meter counts the number of units of electricity generated by the
PV system. They are essential for calculating the proceeds from the sale of electricity to
the grid. (NZEB.in)
Factors affecting generation of electricity

Solar cell efficiency is the ratio of electrical output to the incident solar energy. Major factors
efficiency of solar cells are:
• Location, tilt, and orientation – The incident solar radiation varies significantly with
longitude and orientation. Within a particular longitude and orientation, maximum solar
radiation is available in a particular tilt angle based on sun path.
• Over shading – Site characteristics like geography, neighboring buildings, self-shading,
cloud factors etc. affect the useful solar radiation falling on the PV panels. System design
should be done to minimize panel area affected by shading.
• Temperature – An increase in panel temperature due to solar radiation can affect the PV
module performance especially in crystalline silicon modules. It is estimated that for every
1 0C increase in ambient temperature above 25 0C, the PV module performance
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decreases in the range of 0.4 – 0.5%. Special considerations are given to design air flow
over the backs of the PV modules to avoid higher temperature by excessive heat gains.
• Panel efficiency – Panel efficiency is an estimate of successful conversion of incident
solar radiation to electric energy. Panel efficiency depends on PV module technology,
manufacturing techniques, and system design. A crystalline silicon-based module has an
efficiency in the range of 12-14% where as a thin film-based module has an efficiency in
the range of 10 – 11%.
Harnessing solar energy on site is one of the easiest ways for an NZEB to reduce its dependence
on conventional electricity. Solar panels can be placed in almost any part of the site which
receives abundant sunlight and is free of shade. Moreover, apart from conventional rooftop solar
systems, NZEB owners can also look at innovative technologies such as Building Integrated
Photovoltaics (BiPV).
• Space required for 1 kW of solar PV installation is in the range of 7 – 10 sq. m.
• Wall space of approximate size 3’X3’ is required for inverter and an AC disconnect. A
clear area of width 3’ is also required in front of the system for maintenance.
• Electricity generated from 1 kW of solar PV in hot climate is in the range of 1400 – 1550
kWh/year.
• Obstructions to the solar panels, such as mechanical and exhaust vents, and roof
shading devices such as chimneys, should be kept clear of the area. Roof shading
elements should be at least twice as far from the panels as their height.
• Maximum efficiency of solar panels is realized when they are installed facing the
south direction. However, the PV system can be installed even if the orientation is not
true south, with the help of specific structure systems. Solar trackers can also be
installed to orient the panels towards the sun.
Overall, the general approach to achieving high efficiency buildings includes cutting the energy
demand of buildings by different passive design approaches, producing energy locally from
renewable resources.
2.3.2 Energy Efficient Measure for Buildings
Energy efficiency measures for buildings are approaches through which the energy consumption
of a building can be reduced while maintaining or improving the level of comfort in the building.
They can typically be categorized into:
• Reducing heating demand;
• Reducing cooling demand;
• Reducing the energy requirements for ventilation;
• Reducing energy use for lighting;
• Reducing energy used for heating water;
• Reducing electricity consumption of office equipment and appliances;
• Good housekeeping and people solutions.
Page | 43
A. Reducing heating demand
Heating demand can be reduced by:
• Limiting the exposed surface area of the building;
• Improving the insulation of the building’s fabric;
• Reducing ventilation losses;
• By selecting efficient heating systems with effective controls.
B. Reducing cooling demand;

Energy use in typical air-conditioned office buildings is approximately double that of
naturally ventilated office buildings. The need for air-conditioning or the size of the
systems installed can be reduced by:
• Controlling solar gains through glazing;
• Reducing internal heat gains;
• Making use of thermal mass and night ventilation to reduce peak temperatures;
• Providing effective natural ventilation;
• Reducing lighting loads and installing effective lighting controls.
C. Reducing the energy requirements for ventilation
The energy required for ventilation can be minimized by:
• A building design that maximizes natural ventilation;
• Effective window design;
• Use of mixed mode ventilation;
• Using efficient mechanical ventilation systems.
D. Reducing energy use for lighting

This can be accomplished through:
• Making maximum use of daylight while avoiding excessive solar heat gain;
• Using task lighting to avoid excessive background luminance levels;
• Installing energy-efficient luminaires with a high light output to energy ratio;
• Selecting lamps with a high luminous efficacy;
• Providing effective controls that prevent lights being left on unnecessarily.
E. Reducing electricity consumption of office equipment and appliances
Most businesses rely on a range of office equipment in order to function. From

the basic essentials such as computers, monitors, printers, fax machines and
photocopiers to projectors, scanners and teleconference facilities, it is widely recognized
that these items have become integral to daily activity. When this comes to innovation
and technology center, the workshops, display and showrooms and laboratories need
power consumption equipment to operate in innovation and technology center.
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2.4 CASE STUDIES
The focus of the case studies is on the energy efficiency measures that have been implemented
in the projects, the range of energy performance measurements the buildings are able to achieve,
and how these numbers compare with the buildings in Bahir Dar.
1. PL-13 Annexe Building

Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd
Fig 2.18 Annexe Building
Summary
Location Vikhroli – East Mumbai

Coordinates 19.09° N, 72.92° E
Occupancy Type Multiple Use
Typology Existing/Retrofit
Climate Type Warm and Humid
Project Area 24,443 m2
Date of Completion May 2010
Grid Connectivity Grid-connected
EPI (kWh/m2/yr.) 71.68
Architect Rumy Shroff & Associates Architects
Energy Consultants (EDS)Godrej Green Building Consultancy Services
Plant 13 Annexe Building at Godrej & Boyce (G&B), Mumbai, has gained the unique distinction
of becoming India’s first CII-IGBC rated Net Zero Energy Building. The building is a multi-use
office-cum-convention Centre (with office spaces, conference and meeting rooms, auditoriums
(90- to 250-seater), banquet hall, 300-persons dining facilities, and industrial kitchen) which
makes it particularly challenging for certification.
Page | 45
Passive Strategies
Landscaping
The ground floor garden around the building including the parking is approximately 2700 m2 and
the terrace garden is approximately 1300 m2 in area. Landscape design is based on sustainable
design principles with 75% of the planter species being adaptive or local, thereby needing less
irrigation during the dry season. Recycled grey water is used to irrigate the landscape. The
garden has a pond with suitable plantation of species around it.
Fig 2.19 3d view of Annexe Buiulding, India

Daylighting
The floorplate of the design facilitates harvesting of daylight at each floor level. The atrium has
glass façade to ensure that the entrance and the lobby are abundantly daylit. Recessed windows
provide better glare control.
Building Envelope and Fenestration
Several passive design features reduce the cooling load of the building – optimized orientation,
a roof garden that provides additional insulation, landscaping & tree cover around the building,
and glass with high light transmittance and low shading coefficient.
Renewable Energy
8% of the total energy requirement of the building is met by 120 kWp roof top solar PV System.
Regular manual cleaning is being done to optimize and maintain power generation output. The
project is in the process of installation of auto cleaning system which will save water by 60%
compared to manual cleaning while improving the efficacy by 8%.
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2. Unnati Office
Greater NOIDA, Uttar Pradesh
Summary
Location Greater NOIDA

Coordinates 29° N, 78° E
Occupancy Type Office, Private
Typology New Construction
Climate Type Composite
Date of Completion 2018
Grid Connectivity Grid-connected
EPI 60 kWh/m2/yr
Fig 2.20 Unnati Office Greater NOIDA, Uttar

Pradesh
The Unnati Office Building is the regional headquarter (North) for Gainwell Commosales Pvt.
Ltd., part of a larger 5-acre campus. It is the first building in India to be certified Platinum under
LEED v4 BD+C: NC rating in 2018. The building performs 59% better than a conventional office
building in the region, and 40% of the building energy consumption is met through on-site
renewable energy generation.
Passive Strategies
Orientation
The three-storey building is a
cuboid with a central
courtyard. It is oriented
northeast-southwest, with
the core areas distributed in
the east and the west
orientations. Passive design
strategies have been
integrated with the building
design.
Fig 2.21 Ground Floor plan
Page | 47
Landscaping
The landscape is a mix of existing and new vegetation. 30% of the site is un-built, of which 25%
is covered with shrubs and trees. Only native vegetation has been planted to reduce irrigation
water volume as well as pump energy. Treated waste water is used for irrigation.
Daylighting
90% of the office spaces, including the core and service areas, receive uniformly distributed
daylight. This can be attributed to the form, central courtyard, shallow floor plates, appropriate
sizing and distribution of openings. All the windows have box shading that prevents glare.
Ventilation
Passive design features reduce the total diversified AC load to 208 kW for 3740 m2.
Building Envelope and Fenestration
Climatically responsive façade concepts, including green wall and shading on all windows,
protect the interiors from direct sun and reduce heat gain.
All external surfaces, including the walls, roof and foundation, are insulated (using polystyrene
panels) on the exterior.
High performance double-glazed windows provide improved protection against sunlight with
integrated motorized blinds and shading (efficient glazing balancing low thermal conductivity and
shading coefficient).
Active Strategies
Lighting Design
An energy-efficient lighting system with daylighting controls is used.
Energy-efficient fixtures and ballasts contribute to a 66% reduction in lighting energy compared
to Standard. Lighting controls ensure minimum internal heat gain and reduced air-conditioning
load in those spaces.
The building uses energy-saving technologies associated with the electrical power supply
system/building management system.
Fig 2.22 active strategies of the building
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Indoor Air Quality
Dry outdoor ventilation air is supplied through an externally mounted unit that dehumidifies the
air before it is supplied to occupied space. The air quality is monitored inside the entire building
with help of CO2 sensors which provide an audible alarm.
Renewable Energy
The building draws 40% of its energy from the roof-top PV plant. The installed 100 kWh solar
PV generates 146 MWh/yr. (146000kWh/yr)
1 Mwh = 1000kW
Fig 2.23 Solar energy system

3. Indira Paryavaran Bhawan
Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF)
Summary
Location New Delhi

Geographical coordinates 28° N, 77° E
Occupancy Type Office (MoEF)
Typology New Construction
Climate Type Composite
Grid Connectivity Grid connected
EPI 44 kWh/m2/yr.
Page | 49
Fig 2.24
Indira Paryavaran Bhawan
Introduction
Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, the new office building for Ministry of Environment and Forest
(MoEF) sets is a radical change from a conventional building design.
The project team put special emphasis on strategies for reducing energy demand by
providing adequate natural light, shading, landscape to reduce ambient temperature, and
energy efficient active building systems. Several energy conservation measures were
adopted to reduce the energy loads of the building and the remaining demand was met by
producing energy from on-site installed high efficiency solar panels to achieve net zero
criteria. Indira Paryavaran Bhawan uses 70% less energy compared a conventional building.
The project adopted green building concepts including conservation and optimization of water
by recycling waste water from the site.
Passive Strategies
• Orientation: Building is north south oriented, with separate blocks connected through
corridors and a huge central court yard. Orientation minimizes heat ingress. Optimal
window to wall ratio.
• Landscaping: More than 50% area outside the building is covered with plantation.
Circulation roads and pathways are soft paved to enable ground water recharge.
• Daylighting: 75% of building floor space is day lit, thus reducing dependence on artificial
sources for lighting. Inner courtyard serves as a light well.
• Ventilation: Central courtyard helps in air movement as natural ventilation happens due
to stack effect. Windows added to cross ventilation.
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Fig 2.25 ground floor plan
Fig 2.26 cross and stack ventilation in the building
Building Envelope and Fenestration:

• Rock wool insulation
• High efficiency glass
• Cool roofs: Use of high reflectance terrace tiles for heat ingress, high strength, hard
wearing.
Renewable Energy
Renewable Energy
Solar PV System of 930 kW capacity
Total Area: 6,000 m2
Total Area of panels: 4,650 m2
No of panels: 2,844
Annual Energy Generation: 1430000 kW
Page | 51
Power generation achieved: 300 kWh per day
Fig 2.27 solar PV at rooftop of the building Fig 2.28 East elevational view
4. Haas Innovation Center
Fig 2.29 Haas Innovation center, Yakima
Architect: Yakima, WA
Location: KDS Architecture
Owner: John I, Haas Inc.
Area: 23,705 square feet gross square feet 17,751 Square feet foot print
Year: 2013
Site: Haas Innovations Center is the first LEED Gold Certified building in the City of Yakima
and acts as a resource, road map, and icon for other high efficiency developments in the area
Page | 52
Introduction
Haas Innovations Center is the first LEED Gold Certified building in theCity of Yakima and acts
as a resource, road map, and icon for other high efficiency developments in the area. It marks
what many see as a growing trend toward the design of high-performance buildings that not only
leave light footprints on the environment, but also offer significant operational cost savings over
the life of the building.
Fig 2.30 Site Plan

Inspiration
The Haas Innovations Center is composed of four primary sections—local administrative
offices, a state-of-the-art research lab, fully automated research brewery, and an outdoor beer
garden event center.
Fig 2.31 rear 3d view
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It was important to the client that the building draw inspiration from the company’s agricultural
hop farming roots but in a more timeless contemporary northwest style. The resulting, visually
open, design celebrates daylight and views, and incorporates abstracted elements and ideas
from a hop farm.
Design and Sustainable Site
Sited on a prominent corner, the facility is oriented along a north south axis that allows the
building to improve its visibility in busy adjacent street, improve its streetscape, and allowing the
entrance and beer garden to be tucked on the opposite side so that they are visually and
acoustically buffered from traffic.
The main entrance also faces the adjacent facility, establishing a visual connection between their
new research facility and the hop extract plant that represents the production side of their
business.
Energy and Atmosphere
A whole building energy model was used to calculate the expected energy use for the building.
The energy model shows an estimated savings of 30.9% over a baseline building.
A large portion of this savings is due to a high-performance building envelope, use of energy
efficient HVAC equipment and an energy recovery ventilator. The building envelope was
improved by increasing the insulation by 150% of the code requirements, minimizing thermal
bridging, the use of double thermally broken storefront and curtain wall systems, and triple pane
glazing.
30.9% $15,432
Annual energy saving Annual energy cost saving
Indoor Environmental Quality
Fig 2.32 Section of the building
Page | 54
The design of the Haas Innovations Center emphasized an open visibility between
spaces and to the outside. The borrowing of views through adjacent rooms allows employees to
maintain a connection to the outdoors and to each other.
Day lighting was also emphasized. Over 75% of the regularly occupied spaces in the building
are lit by natural light. Light is brought deep into the building by light wells with clerestory
windows, translucent skylights, and a few tubular skylights in areas that were difficult to reach
using conventional methods.
Fig 2. 33 interior spaces
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Material and Resources
At the Haas Innovations Center, the concept of recycling was approached in several ways: Use
of recycled products during construction, recycling of construction debris, and promoting
recycling by the end users.
Materials made from recycled products were selected during design and documented during
construction. As a result, over 33% of the total materials used on this facility were manufactured
from post-consumer and pre-consumer recycled products.
Design Philosophy
Meeting requirements with innovative design solutions was their first goal. Whether
the project is new construction, renovation, or an addition, the project has to
functions smoothly, meets code requirements, fits well with the site, and complements
existing structures.
Achievements
- Achieve energy efficient through site orientation and layout
- Use passive energy efficient approaches by improving natural ventilation and natural
light.
- Use of recycle building materials to reduce construction cost and improve
environmental sustainability
- Use of solar PV after construction. (Standalone PV, rather than integrated in to the
building)
5. Innovate Green Office, Leeds, UK
Fig 2.34 Innovate Green Office, Leeds, UK

IES Consulting worked closely with King Shaw Associates as the building performance analysts
on the low energy Innovate Green Office project at Thorpe Park, Leeds.
The Design
The challenge for the design team was to prototype an energy efficient building that would stand
up to the study of the institutional finding markets.
Page | 56
The project team used a fresh design approach. An engineering design exercise, led by King
Shaw Associates, produced an environmentally friendly and commercially sustainable prototype
building design which was then applied to the specific plot.
The Approach and solution

IES Consulting used the highly acclaimed IES Virtual Environment suite of integrated building
simulation software to achieve these results, undertaking dynamic thermal, bulk airflow and
daylight simulation studies. It provided the expertise and tools required to gain an integrated
understanding of how the building performed as a whole, and how the different elements
interacted within it.
The building was designed with a concrete structure to provide high thermal mass—a key
element in the environmental performance strategy—with the whole building designed as a
thermal store.
Lighting- The main elevations of the office wings are orientated east and west in order to
maximize daylight potential. On a south-facing elevation it is necessary to provide brise soleil to
shade windows from peak midday solar gains.
Lesson Learnt
The building is designed to achieve a very high level of energy conservation through passive
environmental design rather than trying to address problems associated with conventional design
by adding renewable energy technologies.
6. The Learning Resource Centre at Catholic University of Eastern Africa

It is an example of ecologically sustainable design in the region. The LRC consists of three
buildings namely a 3000-seater ultra-modern library, a 1,200-seater state-of-the-art conference
facility and a 500-seater cafeteria, all arranged around a 50m by 40m central square and tied
together by a covered walkway with outdoor seating.
Fig 2.35 The LRC (Learning Resource Centre) at the Catholic University
Page | 57
The Design
The buildings orientation: Sun-movement dictated the orientation of the buildings with their long
axes along East – West with most of the windows on the North and South facing facades and
minimal openings on the East and west facing facades.
Sun-shading of glazed areas: All glazed areas are fully sun-shaded throughout the project with
diverse devices such as RCC (concrete) precast fins7, and horizontal metallic sun shading
devices to avoid monotony8.
Choice of materials: - The buildings use locally available materials, with low embodied energy,
with none or minimal maintenance.
Renewable energy: Wind energy is utilized in operating the ventilation cowls above the thermal
chimneys.
7
RCC precast fin is mainly designed for the exterior structure of a building that serves as a protective
layer. It is a suitable one for cladding applications on walls, windows, and other areas for ensuring
peace of mind from unwanted issues. In addition, it provides ways for improving the styles of a building
with architectural values. The RCC precast fins are an excellent choice for improving the overall
appearance of buildings with innovation.
8
lack of variety
Page | 58
CHAPTER – THREE
3. RESEARCH METHDOLOGY
Research can be considered as a coordinated and structured way of gathering information on a
subject to form deep knowledge about it. In other words, it is an art of information gathering and
has several tools which in turn will help to draw a clearer picture of an issue and understand its
factors and implications. Thus, research is a prerequisite for the formation of an original
knowledge based on a clear and deliberate methodology to elicit facts, study them, analyze them
and come up with an understanding of the causes and results for several purposes, the most
important of which is to come up with logical solutions (Research -Methodology(n.d.).
3.1 Research Method
This research consists of both descriptive and explanatory research types. Descriptive
research type tries to describe a certain problem, phenomenon, or a situation systematically to
simply to provide information about the living condition. Whereas explanatory type of research
is used to explain the how and why there is an existence relationship / interdependence
between two or more aspects of a situation.
The Mixed types of quantitative and qualitative approaches were used under the two structures
of inquiry modes:
Structured approach: The first inquiry mode used was the structured approach in which
everything that forms the research process, objectives, design, sample, and the questions
planned to ask the respondents was predetermined. This approach was applied to determine
the extent of a problem, issue or phenomenon by quantifying the variation.
Unstructured approach: This approach allows flexibility in all aspects of the research
process. It was selected to more appropriately explore the nature of a problem, issue or
phenomenon without quantifying it. The main objective is to describe the variation in a
phenomenon, situation or attitude which included the description of an observed situation, an
account of different opinions of different people towards an issue.
Quantitative
The use of this research method was a must to create a clear understanding about
the targeted audience and to examine their knowledge and thoughts about energy efficient
building design. Furthermore, the use of this method is important to collect data
and numbers about the measurement of energy consumptions and efficiency in the design and
construction process of building.
In this research mixed methods were used for the importance of engaging building
administrators and designers(architects), Because each with a different opinion and
experience.
The questionnaire was distributed to two parties: polytechnic technology and innovation center
in Bahir Dar to collect data about the energy consumptions for operate, ventilation and lighting
in the building. The second is for graduated and professional architects to surveying the
consideration of energy efficient in the design and construction process of the building.
Page | 59
CHAPTER – FOUR
4. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
4.1 Conclusion
The decisions about building form, orientation, shading, and ventilation, should be taken during
the early design stage have the most significant impact on the energy use of the building.
Further analysis and simulations can be implemented to have a better knowledge about the
site. When architects design a building to be energy efficient, or carbon free, generally
sustainable, cost should be considered when implementing any strategies.
Hence, considering sustainability principles, respecting the environment, the structural culture of
the place and using natural local materials in contemporary offices buildings would make the
building more energy-efficient and will blend more with the surrounding. Moreover, using natural
resources and eliminating carbon gas rates inside the building would enhance employees’
productivity and creativity.
Providing natural ventilation and daylight saves up to 25-50% of total energy consumptions. using
renewable energies saves a ton of energy by reducing consumption of fossil fuels and reduce
electric bills.
4.2 Recommendations
Energy is a complex issue that touches every aspect of a building and presents many
simultaneous challenges, including energy costs, occupant comfort, and energy reliability.
There are three primary ways in which energy efficiency can be improved in such small industry
and office buildings: (i) through improved design and construction techniques that reduce
heating, cooling, ventilating, and lighting loads; (ii) through using natural and environmentally
friendly building materials; and (iii) by using alternate renewable energies with integrated
design process.
Energy efficient buildings offer opportunities to save money as well as reduce greenhouse gas
emissions.so cost should be considered in the design and construction process.
Overall, the general approach to achieving high efficiency buildings includes cutting the energy
demand of buildings, producing energy locally from renewable resources, and sharing energy
by creating buildings that generate a surplus of energy.
Page | 60
CHAPTER – FIVE
5. DESIGN PROPOSAL
5.1 Project Site Selection

5.1.1 Criteria for site selection
• Accessibility
• Proximity to other industrial and research centers
• Zoning
• Existing development
• Basic Infrastructure (electricity, water, waste disposal, transportation)
• Accessibility to commercial centers
• Future expansion
• Others (view, wind, topography, soil nature)
Site option 1: Kebele 8, near to Abay river and peda campus
Fig 5.1 Site option 1
Page | 61
Site option 2: Kebele 13, DIPO

Site option 3: Kebele 8, near to the new proposed bridge
Page | 62
Site selection checklist
value Site option Site option Site option Remark

Criteria 1 2 3
Accessibility 10 7 10 9
Proximity to other 10 9 5 10
research centers
Zoning 10 9 6 10
Existing 5 1 5 4
development
Infrastructure 5 4 5 5
Accessible to 8 5 8 8
commercial
centers
Future expansion 5 5 4 5
Others (view, wind, 7 6 7 7

topography)
TOTAL 60 46 50 58
Table 5.1 site selection criteria checklist
Due to the fact that site option 3 has a potential to be the center of the city, and has proximity
to many other educational and industrial research centers, makes it suitable site for
technology and innovation center.
The new proposed Abay river bridge makes it interesting site.
So, site option 3 has been selected by scoring 58 in site selection criteria checklist.
Page | 63
5.1.2 Site Analysis
Introduction
Bahir Dar is one of leading tourist destination in Ethiopia, with a variety of attractions in the
nearby Lake Tana and Blue Nile River. The city is known for its wide avenues lined with palm
trees and a variety of colorful flowers.
The site is located at kebele 08, near to the new under construction bridge crossing the Abay
river connecting southwest of Bahir Dar to Ayer Tena area. The site currently is covered with
informal vegetation, its usually seen as favorable space to dispose waste as it is visually limited
and not occupied by any owner.
Location map
Fig 5.4 location map of the site
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Accessibility
Fig 5.5 Accessibility map

The site has 2 access from main road as it is corner site. The road from papyrus connected to
the new proposed bridge can be the primary entrance for the site.
Land use
The site is given to special function in the land use.

the adjacent zone is given to governmental and
commercial offices. The amount of research and
governmental offices makes the site suitable for such
purposes.
Fig 5.6 Land Use Map
Page | 65
Infrastructure
Connectivity in-terms of transportations, roads, taxi, walking, bicycle path, and surrounding
offering like Gas stations, garage, drainage systems. Electricity and water lines are also
available.
Fig 5.7 Infrastructure Map

Environment
Fig 5.8 topography and vegetation
Page | 66
Climate
Tab 5.1 a bar graph showing annual rain fall of Bahir Dar.
(http://hikersbay.com/climate/ethiopia/bahirdar?lang=en)
Tab 5.2 average monthly temperature and precipitation (source:

http://hikersbay.com/climate/ethiopia/bahirdar?lang=en)
Table 5.3 Bahir Dar weather by month weather averages (source: en.climate-
data.org/africa/ethiopia/amhara/bahir-dar-14413/#climate-table)
The variation in the precipitation between the driest and wettest months is 524 mm | 21
inches. Throughout the year, temperatures vary by 5.3 °C | 9.5 °F.
Page | 67
Precipitation: annual rainfall of Bahir Dar is 1419mm.
Temperature: annual temperature of Bahir Dar is 27°C-34°C
Humidity: 32% on the summer season
Wind flow- wind from Lake Tana, and from Red sea river on the summer season increase and
march to April water amount decreased.
Implication
There is fluctuation of temperature through out the year most probably the site faces sunny
weather through most months so our design should consider this and try to add vegetations
indoor and on site.
On-site Analysis
Fig 5.9 on site analysis
Page | 68
SWOT Analysis
Tab 5.4 Swot analysis

Major Finding
- The site has different access for vehicle and pedestrian due to the two accesses provided on
site. This makes the site more active and accessible from different directions.
- The neighborhood context would be the major factor in designing, because they are different
in functions, e.g., church, hotel, commercial and research and industrial buildings nearby.
- The sites being located at a corner to two main roads requires a design approach that differs
from a standard site, provide an opportunity to define the street corner and reinforce the
adjacent public space / street through their overall form and façade. Building elements that
emphasize the corner.
- the design should be environmentally friendly as there is good natural environment on the
site.
-view from the street and to Lake Tana and Abay river should be considered in the design
process as the project has to be energy efficient.
- different energy efficient has to be implemented to reduce heat gain of the building as it is
located on hot climate.
5.1.3 Program Development
The program of the building is derived from some of international case studies and researches,
as there is no such technology and innovation in the country at the time of this research
executed.
The following Table 5.5 shows the general spaces with number of user and unit area required.
Page | 69
CATEGORY PROPOSED PROGRAM
MAX UNIT TOTAL TOTAL
NO OF AREA(M2) NO OF AREA(M2) REMARK
USER UNITS
Entry Foyer - - 1 -
Lobby - 300 1 300
Reception Desk - 20 1 20
ENTRANCE Security rooms - 20 2 40
Building Management - 10 1 10
Room
Offices - 15 4 60
Lounge – 90 1 90
Toilet - 4 6 24
Administration 15 150 1 150
Archive Room - 20 1 20
Manager’s Office 1 20 1 20
ADMINISTRATION Manager’s Meeting Room 10 20 1 20
Accounts Division 6 60 1 60
Head’s Room 1 18 3 54
Mentor’s Room 1 15 15 225
Faculty Room 1 12 10 120
General Technician’s Room 1 10 1 10
Store - 15 2 30
Toilet 10 6+15=21 2 42
Social clubs 20 2 40
Art center 80 2 160
Studio 40 4 160
Toilet 4 6 24
ART AND
RECREATIONAL Store 15 1 15
Gym 150 1 150
Café seating 100 1 100
Kitchen 30 1 30
Changing 15 2 30
Café room
Office 20 2 40
Storage 30 1 30
Toilets 4 6 24
Counseling 20 4 80
Disable - - -
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Workshops 72 4 288
Science Lab 40 2 80
Computer Lab 40 3 120
Classrooms (BEGINNER) 60 3 180
Classrooms 60 3 180
TECHNOLOGY (INTERMEDIATE)
LABORATORIES Classrooms (ADVANCED) 80 3 240
Meeting rooms 40 2 80
Washroom Facilities 40 1 40
Store 15 2 30
Workshop 80 1 80
Electrical and Electronics 60 2 120
Workshop
Laboratory 1 40 1 40
Laboratory 2(advanced) 60 2 120
Computer Lab 120 1 120
Multi-purpose Lab 100 1 100
Multi-purpose store 25 1 25
INNOVATION
Meeting room 30 3 90
CENTER
Discussion Group Space - - -
Admin Offices 20 5 100
Small Library 100 1 100
IT room 40 1 40
Classroom 70 4 280
Washroom facilities 40 1 40
Testing Lab. - - -
Exhibition Hall - 1 -
Mechanical room 40 1 40
Seating space 450 500 1 500

Stage Area - 50 1 50
Back stage 50 1 50
AUDITORIUM
Light and sound rooms 20 3 60
Changing room 25 2 50
Make-up station 20 1 20
Storage 40 1 40
Toilets 10 2 20
Security room 15 1 15
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Cloak room 15 1 15
Security Counter 20 1 15
Librarian office 50 1 50
Reading area 200 1 200
Study room 70 1 70
Catalog room 60 1 60
Digital library 150 1 150
LIBRARY Archive room 50 1 50
Book Store 40 1 40
Book shops 20 3 60
Toilet 12 2 24
Staircases
Elevators
Air Handing Units
SERVICES (0N
BUILDING) Janitor’s room 20 1 20
Each floor Electrical room 15 1 15
Control room 20 1 20
Toilets 12 2 24
SERVICE (ON Parking - - -

SITE)
Communal gathering area - - -
Evaporative cooling
TOTAL 6169 m2
Gross TOTAL 6169 + (15% circulation) = 7094.35m2
Table 5.5 Program development of the Technology and Innovation Center
Page | 72
5.2 Design Proposal
5.2.1 Strategies
1. Appropriate zoning
2. Passive Design Strategy (Climatic responsive architecture in From and orientation, use
of shading, cool roof, different fenestration techniques to reduce heat gain, natural lighting
and ventilation, vegetations and evaporative cooling)
3. Reduce Power consumption
4. Use of Recycle building material
5. Integrated use of renewable energy (Solar Photovoltaics)
1. Appropriate zoning
The theory form follows function is important to such complex building typology. Identify the
functional spaces with their privacy and proximity level. This leads to start the design process
with bubble and matrix diagrams.
Fig 5.10 Final bubble diagrams
2. Passive Design Strategy

Passive design strategy aims at achieving thermal comfort using as little active cooling and
heating as possible. Achieve this through appropriate orientation, external shading appropriate
amount of glazing, and natural ventilation.
Form and Orientation
-considering sun path, wind direction, climatic condition of the site.
Orient the longer side of the building form along north-south axis. This will provide glare free in
all season. And the north side is full of advantage as it is active and the wind from Lake Tana
will contribute for the natural ventilation.
Page | 73
Fig 5.11 orientation and form
The next step is to place buildings at an angle between 0° to 30° with respect to the prevailing
wind direction.
Fig 5.12 option 1 Fig 5.13 option 2

A rectangular form with a longer axis along the north-south is the preferred orientation. Keeping
the north face of the building perpendicular to the wind and parallel to the main road was
essential.
It should be noticed that in hot & dry climates, the surface to volume(S/V) ratio of the building
should be as low as possible to minimize heat gain (compact plans have greater thermal
efficiency).
Having two blocks of building is better to
improve air flow. But there should be some
consideration in building height and
distance between them.
Fig 5.14 option 3
Page | 74
In multiple buildings, they should be arranged in ascending order of their heights to allow
ventilation at building scale.
Fig 5.15 appropriate arrangement of blocks

So, the two blocks should be arranged in this manner. And finally orient the taller block
perpendicular to the harsh sun and 30–40-degree angle to the direction of wind for enhanced
ventilation.
Fig 5.16 Arranging blocks
Page | 75
Use of Shading
External shading is orientation specific and can be effectively integrated into the building
envelope if designed keep this factor in mind. East and west orientation should be protected
by buffer spaces, shaded walls, etc.
As a first step towards shading, longer sides of a building should be oriented North- South
which is preferred to minimize overall solar gain through the envelope.
When choosing façade and shading system, cost and environmental impact of the material
should be considered along with functionality and aesthetics.
Breathable façade has become a solution in the project by many reasons. the flexibility of the
material will offer you the greatest possible advantage.it doesn’t prevent view and air entering
in to the building.
Metal meshes filter solar rays during the summer, generating shade and reducing the
temperature of interiors. At the same time, in winter, their permeability allows the passage of
the sun, lowering costs for heating. So, metal mesh provides thermal comfort in both summer
and winter seasons.9
Fig 5.17 example of using metal mesh as façade (Holland Park School / Aedas. Image
Courtesy of Aedas)
9
Translucent, Breathable Facades: 8 Tips for Incorporating Metal Meshes into Your Building(
https://www.archdaily.com/890268/translucent-and-breathable-facades-8-tips-for-incorporating-metal-
meshes-on-your-building)
Page | 76
Reduce costs using minimum support points
For the installation of meshes on the entire facade, only a substructure with upper and lower
joining points is required. Depending on the size of the individual elements that compose it,
fixed intermediate supports must be added at each level of the building, reducing the maximum
loads that act on the substructure, and the possible deflection of the mesh.
Fig 5.18 Different supports of Metal mesh façade

Cool Roof
cool roofs can be used to reduce energy bills by decreasing air conditioning needs,
improve indoor thermal comfort and decrease roof operating temperature.
Page | 77
3. Cost Efficient Building Material
Agrostone Wall Panel
Locally available near to the selected site.
Energy efficiency and energy conservation (embodied energy)
• Does not require sophisticated machinery or equipment

• sustainable development
• Ecological balance, eco-friendly, biodegradable
• Waste management
• It minimizes 50% than Hcb wall
Fig 5.19 Agrostone building material
Fig 5.20 Agrostone panel dimensions
Page | 78
4. Use of Renewable energy
Among different renewable technologies, solar photovoltaic technology is the best option in
region like Bahir Dar, which have reliably sunny weather all year long.
Solar PV types and Mechanism
Fig 5.21 how solar panel works?
Page | 79
5.3 CONECPT DEVELOPMENT
5.3.1 Form Development
Fig 5.22 Form Development

5.3.2 Concept Development
Creating “Voids” in the building to create vibrant, open, ventilated and visual connected
spaces
Fig 5.23 Conceptual Development
5.4 DRAWINGS
Page | 80
Site Plan
Fig 5.24 Site plan
Page | 81
Fig 5.27 Floor Plans
Page | 82
Fig 5.28 Elevation view
Fig 5.29 Section plan 4
Fig 5.30 Section plan 5
Page | 83
Fig 5.31 section plan 3
Fig 5.32 Section plan 2 Fig 5.33 Partial elevation and section plans
Fig 5.34 Detail plan 1
Page | 84
3D RENDERS
Fig 5.35 3D building
Page | 85
Fig 5.36 Interior 3Ds
Page | 86
REFERENCE
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 7th International Conference
on Energy and Environment Research, ICEER,2020.
A, S. (2008). Towards a more sustainable solution
NZEB.in (Net zero Energy Buildings, India), https://nzeb.in/
Berge B, The Ecology of Building Materials, Oxford: Architectural Press; 2009
Sustainability: A LEED Case Study, Featuring the John I. Haas Innovations Center
Energy Efficient Building in Kathmandu Valley, Timila Bajracharya ,Tribhuvan University
Guideline for Sustainable Energy Efficient Architecture & Construction Klaus Rückert,
Effatolsadat Shahriari,
Energy-efficient Architecture Bojana Vasić, Jelena Vasić
Uses of landscaping for energy conservation Giani, Florida: Department of Physical Sciences,
Florida International University
Levy M. E., Evans D., and Gardstein C., The Passive Solar Construction Handbook, Rodale
Press, Pennsylvania, 1983).
Bansal N K, Hauser G, Minke G. Passive building design: A handbook of Natural climatic
control.
Energy-efficient building design guide: Design strategies for office buildings in a temperate-
dry climate, Ghaid Ateek, June 2020
Handbook of Energy Efficiency in Buildings: A Life Cycle Approach, Elsevier, 2018
Page | 87

Energy Efficient Approach On Technology and Innovation Center Thesis Project

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Energy Efficient Approach on

Technology and Innovation Center

Submitted to Bahir Dar University, ILA, Department of Architecture

BAHIR DAR UNIVERSITY

Thesis Title: “Energy Efficient Approach on Technology and Innovation Center”

Sefinew (Advisor) Signature Date

Approved by Board of Examiners:

(External Examiner) ________________ _________________

(External Examiner) ________________ _________________

Thank you all!

CHAPTER 2- LITERATURE REVIEW 13

1.2 Background Study

1.3 Problem Statement

1.4 Research Questions

1.5 Research Objectives

1.6 Rational (Justification)

1.7 Significance and Relevance of the project

1.10 Research Methodology

1.11 Research Approach

Categories of Technology and Innovation Center

Energy Efficient Building

Fig 2.1 Diagram of energy efficient Home

4. Be open to and induce natural ventilation when cooling is needed.

Vegetation for sun control

Fig 2.3 example of passive design features

Fig 2.5 Building form approaches

1.1.3 Energy and cost saving

Horizontal Shadow angle, and Vertica shadow angle

Fig 2.8 Different types of shading techniques

1.3 Cool Roofs

Fig 2.9 cool roof performance

Fig 2.12 and 2.13

There are variety of materials to choose

Fig 2.14 some Insulation strategies in

Fig 2.15 minimum insulation values and thickness recommended by Energy

Fig 2.16 daylight entering in to space (room)

Fig 2.18 Top lighting techniques

1.6.2 Energy and cost saving

1.7 Natural Ventilation

Fig 2.19 Opening locations for ventilation

Fig 2.10 evaporative cooling

Fig 2.11 vegetation for evaporative cooling

Fig 2.12 Human body thermal equilibrium

Increases heat loss by convection High: too warm Low: too

Reduces heat loss by evaporation HIGH: wet skin and thus

Depending on its temperature, it can induce heat gain or loss

Insulation between the human body and environment. Higher

Metabolism breaks down energy from food. Only 20% is used

Metabolic rate of older people, children and women are lower

• Shading of buildings and open spaces through landscaping

Fig 2.13 Vegetation strategy

Fig 2.14 creepers and sunbreaks with vegetations

Fig 2. 16 energy efficient lighting

2. Architectural integration- Integration of lighting could play an important role in overall

Fig 2.17 Renewable technologies for NZEB

Factors affecting generation of electricity

B. Reducing cooling demand;

D. Reducing energy use for lighting

E. Reducing electricity consumption of office equipment and appliances

Most businesses rely on a range of office equipment in order to function. From

1. PL-13 Annexe Building

Fig 2.18 Annexe Building

Location Vikhroli – East Mumbai

(External Examiner) _

(External Examiner) _