PEDA

PUNJAB ENERGY DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

• PEDA was formed in Sept 1991 as a state nodal agency for promotion and
development of renewable energy programmes/projects and energy conservation
programme in the state of Punjab.
• It is registered as a Society under the Societies Act of 1860.
 Peda : Working towards a sustainable energy future…
The Office complex building for PEDA at Chandigarh, India, is a project aimed at
demonstrating an architectural design developed in response to elements of
nature : Sun, wind, light and the utilization Of Solar Passive Systems.

• Function: Office Building

• Location : Plot No. 1-2, Sector 33-D, Chandigarh

• Climate : Composite Climate

• Operational schedule : 15 hours, 6 working days in a week

• Plot Size : 1.49 acre

• Total Covered Area : 68,224 sq. ft. including 23,200 sq. ft. basement

• Architect : Ar. Arvind Krishan

 Composite Climate
. Context & Site microclimatic analysis
•Architectural building design needs to respond to the composite climatic
context of the site. The final design solution needs to satisfy the diverse and
often conflicting conditions of a hot-dry, hot-humid, temperate and cold period
of Chandigarh.

•The climatic periods : two months of hot-dry, hot-humid (two months) and
cold period (two months) require strategies of design that allow for cooling in
the hot dry period, natural ventilation in the hot-humid period and heating in
the cold period. Cooling remains as the predominant requirement since the
total over-heated period extends from mid-April to mid-August.

•The comfort temperature varies during whole year, but the maximum comfort
temperature in summer varies from 29 c to 31 c when external temperature
varies from 40 c to 45c. hence we need to design the building to achieve
comfortable temperature by keeping the highest or hottest week of the year in
mind to avoid the overheating inside the space.
 Introduction
Designing sustainable buildings in a
composite climate is a challenge.
The techniques that are effective during
summers do not work in winters. But a
building in Chandigarh has achieved
this. In year 2003, the Punjab Energy
Development Agency (PEDA) decided
to construct an office building that
utilizes the movement of the sun for
lighting, cooling and heating.

The Rs 5.5 crore building, was ready in 2004. In 2010, the Bureau of
Energy Efficiency (BEE) awarded it a five-star rating, the highest grade
of energy efficiency. Monuments like the Red Fort in Delhi were designed
using these techniques. The PEDA office has an energy performance
index (EPI) of 14 kWh/m2/year (the lowest in the country) in the category
of non-air-conditioned buildings.
 According to the PEDA building’s architect,
Arvind Krishan, unlike conventional
buildings, the office’s design is in
accordance with the external envelope,
which he calls solar envelope.

This envelope refers to the features and materials used in the building’s
skin that makes it responsive to varying weather conditions. The internal
structure has floating slabs which help in air circulation. The building is
oriented in the north-south direction, minimising solar exposure on the
western and eastern facades. Although a building’s southern facade can be
shaded, the western façade remains exposed to the setting sun and cannot
be shaded, he explains.

A simulation-based study by the University of Nottingham in the UK says

the PEDA building functions successfully as a passive solar complex.
SITE PLAN
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ELEVATIONS
 SOLAR PASSIVE COMPLEX
It is the centre of Excellence for Solar Buildings, minimizing conventional lighting
load in the office building, efficient movement of natural air, light vaults, wind
tower coupled with solar chimney, BIPV, Water bodies, designed landscape
horticulture and energy conservation activities.
SECTIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Aims & Objectives: Benefits:
• To demonstrate the Solar Passive • 90% reduction in lighting
Architecture concepts. consumption

• To educate Architects, Engineers & • 50% saving in overall energy

Builders for replication of concepts. consumption

• To make awareness among general • Considerable reduction in

public, Teachers, Students of school recurring expenditure.
and colleges.
• Clean and pollution free
• A tourist place for educational tour environment
of professional institutions in the field
of Architecture / Engineering. • Considerable thermal comfort

• To demonstrate the use of Solar • High Productivity

devices/equipments.
Salient design features of Solar Passive Complex.
PEDA – Solar Passive Complex, the beginning of the energy efficiency movement in
the non-domestic buildings such as offices, educational institutions and
factories. The building has the following salient design features.

Orientation : Solar Passive Complex has been developed In response to solar

geometry i.e. minimizing solar heat gain in cold period. The building envelope
attenuates the outside ambient conditions and the large volume of air is naturally
conditioned by controlling solar access in response to the climatic swings
•Solar Power Plant :
25Kwp building integrated solar
photovoltaic power plant has
been set up to meet the basic
requirement of electricity in the
complex

•Unique Shell Roofing on Central

Atrium :
The Central atrium of the complex
having main entrance, reception, water
bodies, cafeteria and sitting place for
visitors constructed with hyperbolic
shell roof to admit daylight without
glare and heat coupled with defused
lighting through glass to glass solar
panels. The roof is supported with very
light weight space frame structure.
 •Water Bodies :
The water bodies with
waterfalls and fountains have
been placed in the central
atrium of the complex for
cooling of whole the complex
in the hot and dry period.

•Light Vaults :
The vertical cutouts in the
floating slabs are integrated with
light vaults and solar activated
naturally ventilating, domical
structures in the south to admit
day light without glare and heat.
Solar Chimneys
•Cavity Walls : The complex is a single envelope made up of its outerwalls as
double skin walls having 2” cavity in between. The cavity walls facing south and
west are filled with further insulation material for efficient thermal effect.

•Unique Floating Slab System : The system of floating and overlapping slab with
interpenetrating vertical cutouts allow free and quick movement of natural air
reducing any suffocating effect.
 CAVITY WALLS

INSIDE OUTSIDE
STRUCTURAL OUTER
SKIN INTERACTS
THERMAL INNER SKIN WITH EXTERNAL
INTERACTS WITH CONDITIONS
INTERNAL
-WEATHER
CONDITIONS
-RADIATION
-AIR TEMP.
-HUMIDITY
-HUMIDITY
-AIR TEMP.
-LIGHT
-U.V.
INTER-STITIAL SPACE
-HEAT BARRIER THROUGH INSULATION / DEAD AIR CAVITY
-MOISTURE BARRIER
-T.A.P. (THERMOSYPHON AIR PANEL)
- THROUGH SOLAR / MECHANICAL ACTIVATION
•Landscape Horticulture :
The space around the building
inside and outside of boundary
wall and a big lawn in the south
has been designed with trees,
shrubs and grass. The big trees
along the boundary wall acts as
a curtain to minimize air
pollution, sound pollution and
filter/cool the entry of air.

•Wind Tower coupled with Solar

Chimneys :
The wind tower centrally placed
coupled with solar chimneys on the
domical structures for scientific direct
& indirect cooling and scientific
drafting of used air.
•Insulated Roofing :
All the roofs have been
insulated with double
insulation system to avoid
penetration of heat from the
roof.

•Auditorium :
A unique auditorium scientifically
designed to control heat
penetration, light & sound
distribution is placed in the north
under the shade of main building.
•Big Exhibition Centre :
The complex is having a proper
designed exhibition centre for
display of renewable & non-
conventional energy devices /
equipments.

•Unique Workstations :
Scientifically designed and fully
equipped unique workstations
have been made for the employees
having comfortable environment,
good ergonomics with sufficient
natural light and air.

•Shell roofing :
On the central atrium to admit
daylight without glare and heat
coupled with defused lighting
through glass to glass solar
panels.
•NET METERING : Net metering is a method whereby excess solar electricity
generated in solar photovoltaic system is fed into the grid, the amount of
electricity fed into the grid is monitored by a special bidirectional meter and
this electricity can then be fed back to the household at no charge during a
particular billing period. In Punjab this is measured over a year but typically it
is implemented over one month intervals.
Fascinating Architecture
and
Restful Working
Environment
 WHY THIS BUILDING?
• Three dimensional configuration of the building evolved in
response to solar geometry.
• Elements of building i.e. building envelope, plan form etc.
evolved in response to solar geometry.
• Renewable energy systems i.e. PV integrated in the roof as
an element of design.
• Project awarded ‘5 star project’ by Bureau of
Energy Efficiency (BEE) Govt. of India with EPI of
14.1 kwh/sq.m/year.

The most energy

efficient building
in the country