CASE STUDIES OF 2 BUILDINGS (each from different climatic

zone) HAVING
ENERGY-EFFICIENT FEATURES

Guttula Pramodh
Kumar
20MAR012
 Degree College and Hill Council Complex, Leh

Architects -
Arvind Kishan & Kunal Jain
Location - Leh, Ladakh
Construction Period - 1998
Climatic Zone - Cold & Sunny
Area - 2400m2 
Building type - Institutional
Degree College

The site for the Degree College is an

elongated rectangle with the land sloping
towards south at a gradient of 1 in 30.
Passive Solar features -
Lecture theatres, laboratories, and library
in the academic block have been designed
with the building section optimized for
both heat and daylight penetration.

The north side of the complex has been designed with solid walls
in each building to eliminate heat loss, while the south side has
been designed to maximize solar penetration for heating and
daylight distribution.
 Hill Council Complex

The site for the Hill Council Complex lies on a southernly sloping land with an
average gradient of 1 in 12.
Passive Solar features –
• Passive solar heating - Both plan and three-dimensional form of the buildings
allow maximum penetration of sun, that is both solar heat gain and daylight are
maximized. While heat gain is maximized, its absorption in the judiciously distributed thermal mass provides heat in the
spaces during the diurnal cycle. Air-heating panels, designed as an integral part of the southern wall, provide effective heat
gain through a dose connective loop.
Features to minimize heat losses - Good insulation and minimum fenestration on northern exposure prevent heat loss.
Infiltration losses are minimized through weather-proofed (i.e. with no thermal bridges) wooden joinery. Double-glazing helps
control heat loss from glazing without creating condensation.
Ventilation - Since solar heat gain may raise the internal ambient temperature (as per simulation prediction) above comfort
range in summers, ventilation is an effective strategy for summers to dissipate internal heat build-up. To optimize ventilation,
the convective loop is coupled with cross-ventilation through eastern/western fenestration. Consequently, the institutional
building requires no electrical energy for heating, lighting in daytime, and for hot water since this can be achieved through a
solar water heating system. Ventilation is achieved through the convective loop activated by buoyancy. This building can,
therefore, be described as a 'zero energy consuming' building during daytime, the normal hours of operation. (In theory)
 Solar Energy Centre, Gual Pahari, Gurgaon

Architects -
Vinod Gupta
Location - Gurugram, Haryana
Construction Period - 1984 - 1990
Climatic Zone - Composite
Area - 6943m2
Building type - Institutional / Residential
The buildings of SEC (Solar Energy Centre) are
designed to make full use of on-site energy for
providing environmental comfort.
The buildings in this complex has been divided
into three groups.
• The technical and administration block
comprising administration, library, cafeteria,
laboratories and resting areas, and the solar
simulator section.
• Workshop building and electric sub-station,
etc.
• The guest house building.
 Technical & Administration Blocks

Passive Solar features -

(a) Roof and wall treatment - The building was
conceived as a low spread-out structure, arranged
around courtyards, maximizing the use of a roof
surface evaporative cooling system with automatic
controls. For comfort cooling, the strategy used was to
reduce ingress of heat by using hollow, concrete block
walls, properly shaded windows, and a reflective finish
on the roof surface.

(b) Windows for daylighting - Special, openable louvred shutters were designed for the east- and west-facing windows.
Aluminum windows were used in preference to steel windows as this gives tighter fitting windows with lesser
infiltration. The windows were split into two parts, one located at the normal height and the other just below the vault.
The lower windows provide ventilation and view and some daylighting close to the window. The upper windows ensure
daylighting deep inside the work space even if partitioned.
 Technical & Administration Blocks

To provide daylighting in all work areas, and to ensure that artificial lights are nor used during daytime, all deeper office
rooms have been provided with windows on two different sides. This provides better distribution of daylight and
eliminates contrasting illumination levels. The windows have been properly shaded to reduce glare from the sky.
Some of these buildings also house special laboratory equipment and computers requiring humidity and temperature
control. The design strategy for these buildings has been carefully chalked out.
For the winters, all rooms have been provided with windows so that they would receive sunlight for at least half the
day. The monsoon season merits special consideration, as evaporative cooling does not work during this period. In
these buildings, cross-ventilation has been provided in all the rooms.
 Technical & Administration Blocks

(c) Insulation - Mechanical air-conditioning has been provided for special equipment rooms only. The roofs of such
rooms have been specially insulated to reduce the cooling load on the air-conditioning plant.
(d) Artificial lighting - Fluorescent lights, which consume only a third of the energy consume by ordinary incandescent
lamps, have been provided in all the office areas. These would be used only in the evenings and on especially dark
days.
Workshop building

Passive Solar features -

Ventilation and daylighting - These buildings will house more
machines and few humans. Since a great deal of heat would be
generated within the building itself, the building cross-section is
designed to facilitate removal of warm air. Permanent
ventilators have been placed on the south side, the roof is
insulated and two-level windows have been provided for good
ventilation. To prevent heat gain through the roof, it has been
given a reflective white finish . The entire building is daylit and
no artificial lighting would be required during normal working
hours. This building has an interesting system of daylighting. The
building has a stepped cross-section with a reflective finish on
the roof surfaces. Daylight is reflected from the lower roofs into
the building providing glare-free even lighting. The drawing
offices have deeply recessed windows with baffles, which cut
out glare.
 Guest House building

Though being the first building to be completed in the campus, it has been
used very rarely.

Passive Solar features -

(a) Earth berming - The south slope facing an
artificial water body was chosen for this
building. It has a white painted reflective finish
on the exterior and is mainly oriented to 20 degrees east of south. Earth shelter is the
main cooling system and the guest rooms are partially sunk into the ground. The roof has
a terrace garden, which is watered during the summer months facilitating evaporative
cooling. A special section is used to ensure cross-ventilation of each guest room.
(b) SDWs for winter heating - Windows are provided with an arched sunshade, which
allows the winter sun to come in even through the top part of the glazing. The windows
have been designed to reduce infiltration of outside air.
 Guest House building

(c) Solar water heating - Solar water heaters

integrated with the architectural design have been
provided for each washroom. They have been
deliberately placed in a highly visible location so
that their state of disrepair (dust accumulation,
leaks, and breakages) can be monitored easily.
Back-up water heating is provided in the form of an
outline electric heater located inside the washroom
and not as a heating element built into the hot
water tank. The latter is a waste of electrical
energy. A sunny terrace for solar cooking has been
provided near the kitchen.
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