SUSTAINABLE

CONSTRUCTION
TECHNIQUES
Contents
1. INTRODUCTION TO SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION
2. GREENHOUSE CONCEPTS
3. COST EFFECTIVE CONSTRUCTION
4. ECO FRIENDLY CONCEPTS
5. SELF SUSTAINING CONCEPTS : BIOGAS,SOLAR, AND RAIN WATER
HARVESTING

(4 HOURS, 3 MARKS)
INTRODUCTION
Sustainable building involves considering the entire life
cycle of buildings, taking environmental quality,
functional quality and future values into account. The five
objectives for sustainable buildings are as follows:

● Resource Efficiency
● Energy Efficiency (including Greenhouse Gas
Emissions Reduction)
● Pollution Prevention (including Indoor Air Quality
and Noise Abatement)
● Harmonization with Environment (including
Environmental Assessment)
● Integrated and Systemic Approaches (including
Environmental Management System
WHAT IS GREEN BUILDINGS!
Green building addresses the relationship between a building and the land on
which it sits; how the structure might help to foster a sense of community or
reduce the need for automobile use by its occupants; how to minimize energy
use in the building (energy consumption being one of the largest environmental
impacts of any building); and how to create the healthiest possible living space.
The term green building is used to describe design and
construction of buildings with some or all of the following
characteristics:

● Buildings that have minimal adverse impacts on local,

regional, and even global ecosystems;
● Buildings that are energy-efficient in their operation;
● Buildings that are built in an environmentally responsible
manner from low-environmental-impact materials;
● Buildings that are durable and can be maintained with
minimal environmental impact;
● Buildings that help their occupants practice
environmentalism, e.g. by recycling waste; and
● Buildings those are comfortable, safe, and healthy for
their occupants.
ENERGY CONSCIOUS DESIGN
The main features of energy efficient housing relate to
o Building orientation
Longer façade facing south
Appropriate spacing between buildings
o Site planning
Energy conservation
Passive space heating modes
Active space heating modes
o Internal room layout
o Window placement, sizing and shading
o Use of insulation
o Use of heat absorbing building materials
o Landscaping
ENERGY TYPE
01. RENEWABLE 02. NON RENEWABLE
It is the term used to cover those energy flows, which The flow of energy that can be extracted from the
occurs naturally and repeatedly in the environment elements available, as the source goes on depleting
and can be harnessed for human benefits. while the energy is being generated.
Sources: Sun, gravity force, earth’s rotation
Examples Sources
• Solar energy Minerals, nuclear elements
• Wind Examples,
• Wave • Fossil fuel
• Hydroelectric • Nuclear energy
• Biomass • Electricity by fuel
• Energy from waste
• Tidal power
• Geothermal energy
 SELF-SUSTAINABILITY CONCEPT
BIO GAS
Biogas is actually a mixture of gases, usually carbon
dioxide and methane produced by a few kinds of
microorganisms, usually when air or oxygen is absent.
(The absence of oxygen is called “anaerobic Conditions.”)
Animals that eat a lot of plant material, particularly
grazing animals such as cattle, produce large amounts of
biogas.
Biogas is a Form of Renewable Energy Flammable biogas
can be collected using a simple tank, as shown here.
Animal manure is stored in a closed tank where the gas
accumulates. It makes an excellent fuel for cook stoves
and furnaces, and can be used in place of regular natural
gas, which is a fossil fuel. Biogas is a form of renewable
energy, because it is produced with the help of growing
plants.
SOLAR ENERGY
1.ACTIVE SOLAR ENERGY

Active solar is a term which refers to the

use of solar energy to "actively" convert
the energy in sunlight into other forms. It
is contrasted to passive solar which refers
to certain architectural design elements by
which buildings make use of the sun's
energy for heating, and/or cooling.
 ACTIVE SOLAR ENERGY

Photovoltaic (PV) cells are

semiconductor devices, usually
made of silicon, which contain no
liquids, corrosive chemicals or
moving parts. They produce
electricity as long as light shines on
them, they require little
maintenance, do not pollute and
they operate silently,making
photovoltaic energy the cleanest
and safest method of power
generation
SOLAR ENERGY
1.PASSIVE SOLAR ENERGY

Passive solar building design uses a

structure's windows, walls, and floors to
collect, store, and distribute the sun's heat
in the winter and reject solar heat in the
summer. It can also maximize the use of
sunlight for interior illumination. The
technology is called passive solar design,
or climatic design.
 PASSIVE SOLAR BUILDING
HOW IT WORKS ?
Every passive solar building includes five distinct design elements (see diagram 1):
1. An aperture or collector — the large glass area through which sunlight enters the building.
2. An absorber — the dark surface of the storage element that absorbs the solar heat.
3. A thermal mass — the material that stores the absorbed heat. This can be masonry materials
such as concrete, stone, and brick; or a water tank.
4. A distribution method — the natural tendency of heat to move from warmer materials to
cooler ones (through conduction, convection, and radiation) until there is no longer a temperature
difference between the two. In some buildings, this strictly passive distribution method is augmented with
fans, ducts, and blowers to circulate the heat.
5. A control mechanism — to regulate the amount of sunlight entering the aperture. This can be
as simple as roof overhang designed to allow more sunlight to enter in the winter, less in the summer.
 RAIN WATER HARVESTING
RAIN, A FORM of precipitation, is the first form of water in the hydrologic cycle, the
continuous circulation of water in the earth-atmosphere system. Rain is the primary source of
water that feeds rivers, lakes, and groundwater aquifers.Rivers, lakes, and groundwater are all
secondary sources of water.There are numerous identified benefits of water catchment from
either rooftop or ground level:
• It provides a self-sufficient water supply located close to the user.
• It reduces the need for, and hence the cost of, pumping groundwater.
• It provides high-quality soft water that is low in mineral content. Rooftop
rainwater harvesting is usually less expensive than other water sources. Rooftop rainwater
harvesting systems are easy to construct, operate, and maintain