Sustainable building design strategies

in the Tropics: The Case for East Africa

A paper presented at
UN-Habitat Conference on FINANCING GREEN BUILDING IN AFRICA
18th September 2013 at STRATHMORE UNIVERSITY, Nairobi
The tropics
 Introduction
 It is true that the architecture of the 21 st Century will definitely
be about environmentally design.

 There is very little evidence that our architects are designing

environmentally conscious buildings if the first 12 years of this
century are anything to go by.

 The architects are busy thinking about the external

appearance of their new buildings and it is the least of their
concerns that their sketches will evolve into the next energy
intensive building in town e.g the fashionable glass cladded
towers that are in vogue today, which we see coming up every
now and then.
 Buildings
in Nairobi
today
 GOVERNMENT TO LEAD IN
Facilitation and encourage best environmental practice.

To begin with, the governments could build demonstrative

green buildings. The governments could give tax rebates as
incentive to developers of green buildings or offer cash
incentives to green building developers as is the case in
Malaysia AND

Enact legislation and put in place policies on green building

practice.

BANKING SECTOR
The banking sector too should join in by offering incentives in
the form of lower interest rates to developers of green
buildings.

This will go a long way in creating the right atmosphere to

spur sustainable building boom in the region.
 New standards needed
 In East Africa, there has been no pressure to achieve
meaningful construction of green buildings. Nearly everyone
has failed to lead in this front and what we have witnessed is
sporadic individual efforts.

 In order to actively promote and implement sustainable

building construction in the region, it is important to understand
what building green entails i.e. the principles or strategies of
sustainable building.

 Here below is a check-list of green building design strategies

that should be included in any project so as to achieve
sustainable or environmentally conscious buildings. However,
remember that selective application of a few of the strategies
will not result in a green building.
Relevant questions to be answered
1. What is sustainable architecture?
2. Why is sustainable architecture important
today?
3. Sustainable architecture/Green design and
Environmental design. What is the difference?
4. What strategies or principles should one
include in a building to achieve a sustainable
design status?
5. What is the status of sustainable architecture
in Kenya and in East Africa?
 Relevant questions ……..cont’
6. Who are best qualified to offer sustainable
design services in Kenya?
7. What is the status of sustainable buildings
certification in Kenya today?
8. What certification/rating tools are available for
use in Kenya today, which is the most relevant?
9. Are green buildings more costly than those
that are not?
10. What are the challenges experienced in
mainstreaming green architecture?
A) FOR PREVENTION OF HEAT GAIN and/or PROVISION OF
COOLING STRATEGIES
1. Buildings orientation: Design your buildings such that the long
axis is along the East-West axis.

Buildings orientation
Long axis : East -West
Buildings orientation
Long axis : East -West
 a) FOR PREVENTION OF HEAT GAIN and/or PROVISION
OF COOLING STRATEGIES
2. Design buildings that are narrow in plan. This helps to achieve
maximum natural lighting penetration into the buildings and
also good cross - ventilation

Buildings - narrow in plan

a) FOR PREVENTION OF HEAT GAIN and/or PROVISION
OF COOLING STRATEGIES
3. Sun-shade all glazed areas. This should be realised by use of
vertical and horizontal sun-shading elements, deep roof
overhangs, balconies and perforated timber screens etc

Sun-shaded buildings in Nairobi

Solar shading with bonded photovoltaic cells attached
to a curtain walling system
a) FOR PREVENTION OF HEAT GAIN and/or PROVISION OF
COOLING STRATEGIES
• 4. Use natural ventilation to provide cooling: This should be
elaborately done throughout the building e.g. using operable
windows, thermal chimneys, metal/timber louvred fenestrations,
perforated timber (mashrubiya) screens on openings etc.

Naturally ventilated building in Nairobi

Natural ventilation
Introduction
 Ventilation obtained without the use of mechanical devices and
external energy.

 Natural ventilation is the process of supplying and removing air

through an indoor space by natural means, meaning without the
use of a fan or other mechanical system.

It uses outdoor air flow caused by pressure differences between

the building and its surrounding to provide ventilation and space
cooling.

Types of Natural Ventilation:

There are two types of ventilation:

 Wind driven ventilation
 Stack driven ventilation
 Stack ventilation (buoyancy ventilation) and Bernoulli's
principle are two kinds of passive ventilation that use air
pressure differences due to height to pull air through the
building.

 Lower pressures higher in the building help pull air upward.

The difference between stack ventilation and Bernoulli's
principle is where the pressure difference comes from.  
Stack Driven Ventilation:
Stack ventilation uses temperature differences to move air.
 Hot air rises because it is lower pressure.  For this reason, it is
sometimes called buoyancy ventilation.  

Buoyancy ventilation can be induced by temperature (known

as stack ventilation) or by humidity (known as cool tower).
Most commonly used is the stack driven ventilation. For stack
ventilation to work properly there must be a temperature
difference.

However, stack driven ventilation is limited to a lower

magnitude than wind driven ventilation. It is also very
dependent on the inside and outside temperature differences.
Special wind cowls in the BedZED development use the faster
winds above rooftops for passive ventilation
Some roof vents: open stack, turbine, and gable vents
Different solar chimney designs, from a simple black-painted pipe to
integrated Trombe roof structure
Wind Driven Ventilation:
Bernoulli's principle  uses wind speed differences to move air.
It is a general principle of fluid dynamics, saying that the faster air
moves, the lower its pressure.

Architecturally speaking, outdoor air farther from the ground is

less obstructed, so it moves faster than lower air, and thus has
lower pressure.

This lower pressure can help suck fresh air through the building. A
building's surroundings can greatly affect this strategy, by causing
more or less obstruction.

 By utilizing the design of the building, Wind Driven Ventilation

takes advantage of the natural passage of air without the need for
high energy consuming equipment. Wind catchers are able to aid
Wind Driven Ventilation by directing air in and out of buildings.
Multi-directional roof windcatcher (-tower); plan, section and perspective view
A wind tower is a traditional Persian
architectural element to create natural
ventilation in buildings. Wind towers come in
various designs:

 uni-directional,
 bi-directional
 multi-directional

Wind towers remain present in many countries

and can be found in traditional Persian-
influenced architecture throughout the Middle
East.
One of the most common uses of the wind catcher is to cool the inside of the dwelling;
it is often used in combination with courtyards and domes as an overall ventilation and
heat-management strategy. It is essentially a tall, capped tower with one face open at
the top.
Benefits of Natural Ventilation:

 Not only does natural ventilation provide ventilation (outdoor

air) to ensure safe healthy and comfortable conditions for
building occupants without the use of fans, it also provides free
cooling without the use of mechanical systems.

 When carefully designed, natural ventilation will reduce

building construction costs and operation costs and reduce the
energy consumption for air-conditioning and circulating fans.

 Building Design for Natural Ventilation: The design for natural

ventilation should maximize both wind and stack driven
ventilation design concepts.
Naturally ventilated building in Nairobi
 a) FOR PREVENTION OF HEAT GAIN and/or
PROVISION OF COOLING STRATEGIES
5. Locate building services (like lifts, lobbies, toilets, stores,
ducts etc) on the East and West facing facades.

WEST EAST

SERVICES PLACED EAST - WEST

 a) FOR PREVENTION OF HEAT GAIN and/or
PROVISION OF COOLING STRATEGIES
6. Have minimal window openings. It is recommended that all
buildings located within the tropics, Kenya included should
have minimal window openings.
 a) FOR PREVENTION OF HEAT GAIN AND PROVISION OF
COOLING STRATEGIES
7. Use external finishes
that are smooth and
light coloured to
reduce solar heat
absorption e.g. roof
cover consisting of
brilliant white
coloured external
walls, g.c.i or
aluminium-zinc
sheets etc

Smooth and Light coloured

External finishes in Nairobi
Mykonos Town, Greece
Famous Windmills of Mykonos
Roadway/Stairs Leading to Windmills and Little Venice
Little Venice Tables Along the Sea
Residential Lane
Street Leading Back to Port
“Little Venice” Village Square
Windmill and tavern in Thirassia
 a) FOR PREVENTION OF HEAT GAIN and/or
PROVISION OF COOLING STRATEGIES
8. Use high thermal mass on walls (thick walls). All external
walls should be at least 200mm thick.
Thermal Mass
 
Thermal massing can be used to minimize the
need for artificial or electric heating and cooling. 

This system is actually rather simple, while at the

same time quite effective.
Night ventilation of thermal mass

The principle of night ventilation; the

mass of the building is cooled at
night to provide a heat sink for
internal gains during the day.
 What is it?

Night ventilation is the use of the cold night air to cool down the structure
of a building so that it can absorb heat gains in the daytime This reduces
the daytime temperature rise. It is usually applied to buildings that are not
occupied at night, although an occupied building would probably be
ventilated anyway.

Night ventilation can be driven by natural forces – i.e. stack or wind, but
may use auxiliary fan power, either to provide sufficient airflow at times
when the natural forces are weak, or to allow smaller ducts (causing
greater resistance) to be used.

Typically daytime temperature depressions of at least 3oK can be

expected and are worth achieving. In favourable conditions, it can be
twice this. There are many variables affecting the actual figure and it is
not possible to give a more accurate guideline here. If a preliminary
reference to this guide suggests that night ventilation could be
incorporated in a design proposal, it is strongly recommended that
powerful simulation software be used to quantify design parameters.
Why use it?
Night ventilation is an overheating prevention strategy which uses little or no
fossil energy, and together with other passive strategies such as natural
ventilation and shading , can avoid the use of air-conditioning. This saves
energy (and CO2 emissions), and once set-up would require lower
maintenance than mechanical systems.

It may not, however, be without initial costs, since the requirement for ducts
and controls may represent an additional cost.

How to use it? Key points:

The average diurnal temperature swing must be at least 5oK, and preferably
greater than 7oK.

The building must have thermal mass that can be coupled to external air.

The same thermal mass must be able to be coupled to the occupied space.

A ventilation flow path of low resistance (i.e. large openings and large cross-
section ducts) can be incorporated into the building so that it can be driven by
stack effect and/or wind pressure. Or fans must be installed to enhance flow
when needed.
 a) FOR PREVENTION OF HEAT GAIN and/or PROVISION
OF COOLING STRATEGIES
9. Place window openings on the North and South facing walls.

E S
N W

Northern facing windows

 10. CHOICE OF MATERIALS
Your building should use:
Locally available materials, with low embodied energy, with
none or minimal maintenance, materials that are
sustainably harvested, non-toxic, those with minimal
internal pollution and damage to health and those which are
easy to re-cycle or to re-use

Use of locally
available materials
 11. RENEWABLE ENERGY
1. Use of solar power harvested using transparent photovoltaic
panels mounted on the ground or used as roof cover and
hot water solar heating panels. The project’s outdoor
walkways could be lit using solar powered streetlights

Photo voltaic panels and

Hot water heating panels
PV Diagram
PV Panels
 11. RENEWABLE ENERGY
2. Use of wind energy to generate electricity
 11. RENEWABLE ENERGY
3. Use of biogas produced from the biodegradable waste generated
within the project, especially projects in the outskirts of urban
areas and rural based projects e.g. waste from farm produce and
also from toilet waste

Bio-digester plant
Bio-digester plant under construction
 12. RAIN WATER HARVESTING
Rainwater should be harvested from the building roofs and its water
used for cleaning, flushing toilets and watering plants etc
Architects should design for the harvested
rainwater to be used for such purposes as
cleaning, watering plants and flushing toilets.
City/Municipal council water would be
reserved for drinking, cooking and bathing.
With such designated usage, the architects
will help the world to get unsustainable water
consumption habits under control.
BEDZed by Bill Dunster
Water tanks next to a Classroom block at CUEA Upper Campus
 13. SANITATION
Use environmentally friendly toilets and sewerage system e.g.
bio-digesters, reed bed sewage system , oxidation ponds
etc. Toilet waste from the project can be used to produce
biogas for cooking and manure.

Reed bed sewage system

1. Reed-bed
Also known as a constructed wetland, is an engineered structure,
rather like a pond, that harnesses natural ecological processes
for the breakdown of the organic matter in wastewater. 

They contain gravels and sands which are usually planted with
either the common river reed (Phragmites australis) or Reed
Mace (Typha latifolia).

Contaminated effluent is applied either at one end or generally over

the whole surface, depending on the type of reed-bed, and
collected from the other end or by a series of drainage pipes at
the bottom.

As the effluent passes through the gravels and sands it comes into
contact with the thin film of bacteria which grows on the
surfaces of the media particles. They are the primary agents
that break down the organic matter in the effluent.  These
bacteria also grow around the root systems of the reeds where
the oxygen rich atmosphere they produce assists this process.
Reed bed sewage system
Constructed wetlands sewage treatment system
 2. Oxidation pond
Oxidation ponds or lagoons are a secondary on-site sewage
treatment method. This method utilizes a septic tank for primary
treatment with effluent being discharged into a lagoon.

The size of the lagoon is calculated by using a formula that

includes the estimated water usage, rainfall, and pan evaporation
for each site. Lagoon size increases from west to east across the
state.
3. Bio digester

Bio-digester plant under construction

14. SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
The solid waste generated within a project should be sorted out
and the biodegradable waste used to produce biogas
whereas the non-biodegradable waste is recycled

Waste sorting is the process by which waste is separated

into different elements.

Waste sorting can occur manually at the household or at

source
1. Waste can be segregated on basis of biodegradable or non-
biodegradable waste

OR

2. Dividing waste into dry and wet.

i) Dry waste includes wood and related products, metals and

glass.

ii) Wet waste, typically refers to organic waste usually

generated by eating establishments and are heavy in weight
due to dampness.
Waste is collected at its source in each area and separated.

The way that waste is sorted must reflect local disposal

systems. The following categories are common:

1.Paper
2.Plastics
3. Glass (clear, tinted – no light bulbs or window panes, which
belong with residual waste)
4. Cardboard (including packaging for return to suppliers)
5. Scrap metal
6. Compost
7. Special/hazardous waste
8. Residual waste
9. Organic waste can also be segregated for disposal:
10. Leftover food which has had any contact with meat can be
collected separately to prevent the spread of bacteria.
11. Meat and bone can be retrieved by bodies responsible for
animal waste

12. If other leftovers are sent, for example, to local farmers,

they can be sterilised before being fed to the animals

13. Peel and scrapings from fruit and vegetables can be

composted along with other degradable matter. Other waste
can be included for composting, too, such as cut flowers, corks,
coffee grindings, rotting fruit, tea bags, egg- and nutshells,
paper towels etc.

14. Chip pan oil (fryer oil), used fats, vegetable oil and the
content of fat filters can be collected by companies able to re-
use them.

This can be achieved by providing recycling bins.

Colour-coded waste bins
Recycling bins in Singapore
Garbage containers in Fuchu, TOKYO, JAPAN
A three-sided bin at a
railway station in
Germany, intended to
separate paper (left)
and plastic wrappings
(right) from other
waste (back)
Early sorting of recyclable materials: glass and plastic bottles in Poland
A recycling point in New Byth, Scotland, with separate containers for
paper, plastics and differently colored glass
Manual waste sorting for recycling
Recycling
Recycling is a process to change waste materials into new products to
prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of
fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from
incineration) and water pollution (from land filling) by reducing the need for
"conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gases emissions as
compared to plastic production.

Recycling is a key component of modern waste reduction and is the third

component of the “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle" waste hierarchy.

International recycling symbol

People in Brazil who earn their living by collecting and sorting garbage
and selling them for recycling
Bales of crushed steel ready for transport to the smelter
15. LANDSCAPING
Any proposed development should be landscaped with well-
chosen native trees and shrubs etc.
Let us seriously reflect on these issues
and purpose to touch the earth lightly
with what we build.

Thank you