PA4005- ENERGY EFFICIENT

ARCHITECTURE

BY- PROF. BINIT KUMAR

INTRODUCTION TO ENERGY CONSCIOUS ARCHITECTURE

• With the increase in standards of living, the consumption of energy in buildings is progressively rising. The
boom in building sector is going to create further demands, resulting in greater pressure on the energy
supply situation.
• In this context, the conservation of energy in buildings through appropriate construction, operation and
maintenance practices assume prime importance.

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 INTRODUCTION TO ENERGY CONSCIOUS ARCHITECTURE
• The primary function of a building is to provide a comfortable indoor environment.

• Traditional buildings of earlier times had many built-in architectural features for achieving comfort.

• Unlike animals and birds that build their shelters intuitively and adapt themselves to environmental changes, man
has relied on various resources to build shelters for protection from heat, cold and rain. They are shaped and planned
to take maximum advantage of the climate and surroundings.

• Gradually, as newer materials and techniques of construction developed, vernacular built forms evolved to provide a
harmonious balance between buildings, climate and people’s lifestyle.

• A number of passive solar techniques were adopted in vernacular architecture in the various climatic zones. Control
of the microclimate around the building was always an important design consideration.

• While planning a town, care was taken to orient the streets keeping the effects of sun and wind in mind.
INTRODUCTION TO ENERGY CONSCIOUS ARCHITECTURE

• With technological advancement, people failed to continue the tradition of maintaining harmonious balance
between buildings, climate and their lifestyle.

• Modern architecture has become a “conquest” of nature in the sense that, environmental conditions
notwithstanding, a building could be given a sleek, clean and well proportioned exterior façade, and the
interior made as comfortable as required with the help of artificial devices.

• However, the drawback is that, such buildings consume an enormous amount of energy.

• A growing worldwide concern for conservation of energy has reawakened interest in ecologically sustainable
materials, processes and sources of energy.

• With the availability of newer materials and techniques, and with changing demands on built spaces, achieving
thermal and visual comfort in buildings has become a design challenge for modern architects, building engineers
and scientists.
• Various analytical methods have been developed using which, the techniques evolved in the past are now
scientifically understood, appropriately quantified and improved. These have led to the evolution of energy
conscious building.
 INTRODUCTION TO ENERGY CONSCIOUS ARCHITECTURE
• Energy conscious building involves the use of eco-friendly and less energy intensive materials, incorporation of
passive solar techniques (including day lighting features) and integration of renewable energy technologies.

• It also includes conservation of water and waste water recycling, rainfall harvesting and the use of energy-efficient
appliances in buildings.

• For example, in a commercial building, the cooling load can be saved by about 26% in a hot and dry climate (like
Jodhpur) by adopting appropriate design considerations and operation strategies.

• Simple design procedures such as orientation, shading, insulation, etc. can be easily incorporated in any building,
leading to substantial benefits from the point of view of comfort and energy savings.

• Even in conditioned buildings, where mechanical devices are used to create a comfortable environment, the use of
passive methods would help reduce the energy consumption.

• Further, the integration of photovoltaic systems as well as active systems such as hot water or hot air systems would
further reduce the consumption of conventional energy.
 CLIMATE AND BUILDING
Climate plays a pivotal role in determining the design and construction of a building.

Climate is defined by the Oxford dictionary as 'region with certain conditions of temperature, dryness, wind,
light, etc.'.
A somewhat more scientific definition is: 'an integration in time of the physical states of the atmospheric
environment, characteristic of a certain geographical location.
' As weather is the momentary state of the atmospheric environment at a certain location, climate could be
defined as 'the integration in time of weather conditions'.

FACTORS AFFECTING CLIMATE

(A) Solar radiation

(B) Ambient temperature
(C) Air humidity
(D) Precipitation
(E) Wind
(F) Sky condition
 CLIMATE AND BUILDING

Solar Radiation

Quality-

The spectrum of solar radiation extends from 290 to 2 300 nm (nanometre = 10–9 m).

According to human means of perception we can distinguish:

• ultra-violet radiation, 290 to 380 nm, producing photo-
chemical effects, bleaching, sunburn, etc.
• visible light, 380 (violet) to 700 nm (red).
• short infra-red radiation, 700 to 2300 nm, radiant heat with
some photochemical effects.

https://greensarawak.com/things-to-know-before-going-solar/going-s
olar-chapter-2-know-your-earth/

The spectral energy distribution varies with altitude, due to the filtering effect of the atmosphere. Some of the
shorter wavelengths are absorbed by the atmosphere and reradiated at much longer wavelengths, e.g. long infra-
red, up to 10000 nm.
 CLIMATE AND BUILDING

Solar Radiation

Quantity-

The intensity of radiation reaching the upper surface of the atmosphere is taken as the solar constant: 1 395 W/m2, but
it may actually vary ±2% due to variations in the output of the sun itself and it varies ±3.5% due to changes in the
earth–sun distance.

http://www.inforse.org/europe/dieret/Solar/solar.html
http://www.greenrhinoenergy.com/solar/radiation/extraterrestrial.php
 CLIMATE AND BUILDING

The earth moves around the sun in a slightly elliptical orbit. One revolution is completed in 365 days, 5 hours,
48 minutes and 46 seconds.

https://allgeographynow.wordpress.com/2016/02/22/the-earths-revolution-arou
nd-the-sun/
 CLIMATE AND BUILDING

Tilt of the earth's axis

The earth rotates around its own axis, each rotation making one 24-hour day.
The axis of this rotation (the line joining the North and South Poles) is tilted to the plane of the elliptical orbit, at an
angle of 66.5° (i.e. a tilt of 23.5° from the normal) and the direction of this axis is constant.

https://allgeographynow.wordpress.com/2016/02/
22/the-earths-revolution-around-the-sun/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth%27s_orbit#/media/File:North_season.jpg
 CLIMATE AND BUILDING

Maximum intensity is received on a plane normal to the direction of

radiation. If the axis of earth were rectangular to the plane of the orbit,
it would always be the equatorial regions which are normal to the
direction of solar radiation.

https://allgeographynow.wordpress.com/2016/
02/22/the-earths-revolution-around-the-sun/

Due to the tilted position, however, the area receiving

the maximum intensity moves north and south, between
the tropic of Cancer (latitude 23.5°N.) and the tropic of
Capricorn (latitude 23.5°S.).

https://allgeographynow.wordpress.com/2016/02/22/the-earths-revolution-arou
nd-the-sun/
 CLIMATE AND BUILDING

https://allgeographynow.wordpress.com/2016/02/22/the-earths-revolution-around-the-sun/
 CLIMATE AND BUILDING
Solar Radiation at the earth's surface
This earth–sun relationship affects the amount of radiation received at a particular point on the earth's surface three
ways:
1) The cosine law, which states that the intensity on a tilted surface equals the normal intensity times the cosine of the
angle of incidence.

https://www.itacanet.org/the-sun-as-a-source-of-energy/part-2-solar-ener
gy-reaching-the-earths-surface/
CLIMATE AND BUILDING
 CLIMATE AND BUILDING

2) Atmospheric depletion, i.e. the absorption of radiation by ozone, vapours and dust particles in the atmosphere (a factor
of 0.2 to 0.7).
The lower the solar altitude angle, the longer the path of radiation through the atmosphere, thus a smaller part reaches
the earth's surface.

https://www.itacanet.org/the-sun-as-a-source-of-energy
https://shaikmohasin.wordpress.com/2012/01/01/know-solar-energy/ /part-2-solar-energy-reaching-the-earths-surface/
 CLIMATE AND BUILDING

3) Duration of Sunshine, i.e. the length of the daylight period

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