+ Climatic responsive

architecture
+
Hot and arid climate
 Climate: hot-dry deserts and semi
deserts

 Daytime temperature range: 27-

49 degree Celsius

 Night temperature:22 degree

Celsius

 Humidity: moderate to low

 Cloud cover: little or no cloud

cover

The dry air, low humidity and minimal rainfall discourage plant life and dry,
dusty ground reflects the strong sunlight producing an uncomfortable
ground glare.
+
Form and planning
 Outdoor conditions to be protected from intense solar radiation

 Enclosed, compactly planned and essentially inward-

looking building is more suitable.

 Longer axis along north-south direction

 Non habitable rooms (stores, toilets etc.) can effectively be used

as thermal barriers towards west
 Projecting roofs, verandahs, shading devices, trees and
utilization of surrounding walls and buildings are techniques to
provide shade.

 Low thermal capacity materials should be used for shading

devices close to openings to ensure their quick cooling after
sunset

 By aligning buildings close to each other especially if east and

west walls are placed close together mutual shading will
decrease the heat gain on external walls.
+
External spaces
 Enclosure of outdoor areas by walls which are
themselves shaded will help to avoid such effects
and at the same time keep out dust and hot winds.

 Trees, plants and water in the enclosed space

will cool the air by evaporation and also keep
dust down, providing shade, visual and
psychological relief.

 The best external space in this type of climate is

courtyard.

 If the courtyard is small (width<height of walls),

even breezes will leave such pools of cool air
undisturbed. Small courtyard is an excellent
thermal regulator in many ways.

 High walls cut off the sun and large areas of the
inner surfaces and courtyard floor are shaded
during the day.

 Cooler air, cooler surfaces, the earth beneath, the

courtyard will draw heat from the surrounding
areas, re-emitting it to the open sky during night.
+
Roofs, walls and openings
 Basic method of utilizing the large  Solution satisfying both
diurnal temperature variations requirements: use of large
consists of the use of large openings with massive
thermal capacity structures. shutters with a thermal capacity
approaching that of the walls or
 Heat stored during previous day shutters with high thermal
must be dissipated during night by resistance (e.g. heavy shutters of
cooling through outer surfaces and wood)
heat dissipation through inside
surfaces.

 Design of openings:

• During day, absence of openings

would be most desirable or atleast
openings as small as possible
located high on walls

• During night, openings should be

large enough to provide adequate
ventilation for the dissipation of
heat emitted by the wall and roof.
+  Separate day and night rooms could be provided in the house , the
former enclosed with high thermal capacity elements of lighter
materials which cool quickly after sunset.

 The building should have maximum contact with the ground i.e.
ground floors, should be solid, not suspended and in no case should
the building be built on stilts. The heat will be conducted from the
building to the ground .

 Best results can be achieved if the building is shaded during day and
fully exposed during night so that radiant heat emission is not
obstructed.

Material and finishes

 Light colored or shiny external
surfaces will reflect a large part of the
incident solar radiation thus much less
heat will actually enter the building fabric.
Dark colored surfaces should be avoided

 The most critical part of the whole

building is the roof Bright metal surfaces
such as aluminium sheet or white painted
surfaces can be used.
+
Ventilation and airflow
 During the day, openings
should be closed and
shaded to minimize the 
entry of hot and often
dusty external air.

 At night, ample
ventilation is needed to
dissipate the stored heat.
As the hottest surface is
likely to be the ceiling or
underside of roof, it is
advisable to have top of
the openings’ level with
ceiling.
+
Sangath- an architect’s studio

Architect : Balakrishna Doshi

 Excellent climate control within, in terms of keeping inside cool and increasing time-
lag for heat transfer.
 Difference of about 8ºC between interior and exterior of the roof skin temperatures.
 The time-lag for heat transfer is nearly 6 hours.
 The exposed surfaces have saved nearly 10% of the project cost usually spent on
finishes.
 Water recycling has been most rewarding economically to keep lawn areas possible.
 Natural daylight ensures minimum electrical consumption for artificial light.
 All insulative measures resulted in nearly 30 to 50% cost reduction in cooling energy.
+
section
+ Bioclimatic responses
 Subterranean spaces : building is largely buried under the ground
to use earth masses for natural insulation.

 Storage walls : external walls of the building are nearly a metre

deep but have been hollowed out as alcoves to provide storage that
becomes an insulative wall.

 roof form : the roof form creates efficient surface/ volume ratio
optimizing material quantities. The higher space volume thus
created provides for hot air pockets due to convective currents that
keep lower volumes relatively cool. The ventilating window at upper
volume releases the accumulated hot air through pressure
differences.
 Sandwiched construction of vault :
locally made clay fuses over the concrete
slabs, which provides a non- conductive
layer. The top finish of china mosaic
glazed tiles which reflect heat and retard
heat transmission.
+  Indirect/diffused light : 3 ways
by which natural light is drawn
 Exposed natural finishes :
within concrete is kept bare
i. By upper-level large unplastered as final visual
openings towards north finish.
direction
ii. Skylights, projected masses  Water channels : rainwater
from roof, reflect the light on and overflow of pumped water
the white inner wall surface,
which further radiates light from the roof tank are
in the room. harnessed through roof
iii. Innermost spaces are lit up channels. They provide
through small cutouts in the interesting visual experiences.
roof slab, transmitting
diffused light.

 Microclimate through
vegetation: lawn and vegetation
covers maximum area, which
absorbs solar radiation and
provides cooler passage of air
through humidity.

 Use of secondary waste

material : paving material is a
stone chip waste while roof
surface is glazed tiles waste.
+
warm and humid climate

 Climate: hot ,sticky conditions and continual presence of

dampness

 Daytime temperature range: 21- 32 degree Celsius

 Night temperature: little variation between day and night

 Humidity: high during all seasons

 Heavy Cloud cover and water vapour in in air act as a filter to

direct solar radiation

 Wind: generally low speed

+ Physiological objectives
 Since the air temperature is continually very near to the skin
temperature, bodily heat loss to the air by convection or
conduction is negligible.

 Some degree of comfort can be achieved by encouraging

outdoor breezes to pass not only through the building, but
across the body surface of the occupants.

 As there is no significant cooling down at night, the wall and roof

surface temperature tend to even out and settle at the same
levels as the air temperature.

Form and planning

 As movement of air is the only relief from
climate stress, therefore vital to indoor
comfort, the building will have to be
operated upto breezes and oriented to
catch whatever air movement there is.

 Open elongated plan shapes with single

row of rooms to allow cross ventilation.
+  Large Door and window  Openness and shading will
be dominant characteristics of
openings should be provided,
allowing free passage of air. the building.

 Group of buildings also tend to  Shading of vertical surfaces

be spread out. can be done by providing
broad overhanging eaves
 Plant cover of ground tends to extending far beyond the line
create a steeper wind gradient of walls.
than an open surface i.e
restricts the movement of air
near the ground and it is often
necessary to elevate the
building on stilts thereby
avoiding the stagnant or slowly
moving air at ground surface,
capturing air movements of
higher velocity.

 The radiation here is diffused

coming from the whole sky
unlike hot-dry region thus
here, shading device should
provide a greater coverage,
obstructing most of the sky.
+  This can conflict with the requirement of orientation of wind but
it must be remembered that solar geometry cannot be changed,
but skillful use of elements built outside e.g. screen walls or
even projecting wing of the building can change direction of
air movement.

 With low rise building where walls would not get much
radiation, orientation for wind is more advisable.

External
spaces
 Trees and planting can be relied on for shading as plants carry full
foliage all year round.

 Pergolas and light framing to be covered by climbing plants can be

provided.

 Open spaces left under buildings elevated on stilts can also be put to
use as shaded outdoor space.
+  The density of development in warm-humid regions is always
far less than hot-dry climates for the following reasons:

• To allow free movement of air through buildings and space

between buildings.

• To provide privacy by distance as walls and screens cannot

be used for this purpose (they would prohibit air movement)

Roofs and walls

 construction with low thermal capacity
materials using lightweight construction.

 Since the building is opened up to air

movements thus structure does not have
significant role except the roof.

 Roof will not provide temperature cooler

than the outer space but atleast, it can
prevent the indoor temperature to
increase above the outdoor
temperature.
+  This can be achieved by a reflective upper surface, double roof
construction, ventilated roof space, ceiling with its upper surface
highly reflective and having good resistive insulation.

 Both roof and ceiling should be of low thermal capacity.

 Roofs should preferably be pitched (because of high rainfall) with

corrugated iron asbestos cement sheets or bright aluminium.

ventilation
 Without ventilation both
temperature and humidity of
room air will increase above
the outdoor values due to heat
and moisture output of human
beings.

 Ventilation is also necessary for

the space between roof and
ceiling thus adequate openings
should be provided for this.
+
Visitors’ centre,
auroville

Architect : Suhasini Ayer Guigan

and Serge Maini
 It is a research-cum-training
organization.
 It specializes in earth and
ferrocement technologies.
 It is a demonstration project
for alternative technologies
such as building
technologies, water
amnagement, land
reclamation and afforestation,
renewable energy
technologies etc.
+
+  Spatial planning: planned in modular grid of 4x4m and are
of shallow depth to aid uniform lighting. Pillars are load
bearing and in CEB (compressed earth blocks).

 Foundations: composite foundations comprising 3 layers are

used due to the clayey soil conditions.
i. 1st layer- 20-25cm depth of sand and pebbles in a dry mix
ii. 2nd layer- 40-45mm blue metal mixed with stabilized earth
mortar and compacted.
iii. 3rd layer- granite blocks of 300-350mm size in stabilized earth
mortar upto ground level

 Walls: all pillars, arches and walls are in CEB which are
cement stabilized with 4 or 5% cement content as required.
The soil used was excavated on site and the resulting hole
used for the water recycling pond.

 Wall finish: external wall surfaces are left without any paint
or protection. The internal surfaces are given a rendering
with cement based paint.
+
During construction
+  Roof: There are 2 types of roofs
i. Domes over all rooms are made with CEB tiles (24cm thick)
manufactured with the Auram clock master.
ii. Corridors and other such spaces are roofed with prefabricated
ferrocement channels.

 Material of construction: soil stabilized blocks are used.

Ferrocement channels are used as roofing material. Timber has not
been used because of its high cost , vulnerability to termites.

 Waterproofing: insulation layer is made of broken fired bricks

mixed with lime. This treated with a fermented solution of jaggery
and terminalia chebula (Kaddukai) nuts which is poured over the
brick lime jelly and beaten in using wooden mallets.

 Openings: they are either arches

or corbels in CEBs.

 ventilation: solar chimney

causes wind draft in the room
during the hottest part of the year
when there is almost no breeze.
+
Composite climate

 Climate: monsoon

 Daytime temperature range: 21- 32 degree Celsius

 Night temperature: little variation between day and night

 Humidity: high during all seasons

 Heavy Cloud cover and water vapour in in air act as a filter to

direct solar radiation

 Wind: generally low speed

+ Physiological objectives
 The objectives set out for warm- humid and hot –dry climates
apply to respective seasons.

 Problem created by 3rd season- effective temperatures are

much lower than in two warmer seasons and physical comfort
will depend on prevention of heat loss from body especially
at night.

Form and planning

 Moderately compact internal planning

 Courtyard type buildings are suitable.

 Buildings should be grouped to take advantage of prevailing breezes

during short period when air movements is necessary

 Moderately dense, low rise development ensures protection of outdoor

spaces,mutual shading of external walls, shelter from wind in cold
season, shelter from dust and reduction of surfaces exposed to solar
radiation.
+  Houses with separate day and night rooms.

 Shading of walls is desirable but not critical.

 Roof should have low transmittance value and a good

thermal capacity.

 External opening do require shading during hot and warm

seasons.

External spaces
 Large projecting eaves and wide verandahs are needed in warm-humid
season as outdoor living areas to reduce skyglare, keep out the rain and
provide shade.

 Brise-soleils, louvers and other sun breakers required to protect

openings during hot dry and monsoon

 During cold season, all shading is undesirable.

 For dry seasons, controlled landscape and enclosure walls are necessary to
provide protection against dust and thermal winds. They are not an
advantage in wet season.

 Courtyard is the most pleasant outdoor space for most of the year.
+B I DA N I H O U S E
Site Address/Location
Faridabad near new Delhi

Climatic Zone
Composite

Building Type
 Residential

Architects
 Dr. Arvind Krishan and
Kunal Jain

Project Site area

 100 square metres

Plan area ratio

 1:3 shorter side oriented
north
Climatic responsive form to maximize heat loss in
summer and heat gain during winter
+  Very often it is stated that it is possible to design climatically
responsive buildings on a larger site, but in most urban situations
where the sites are constrained by their small size and of fixed
orientation, it is not possible to develop such a design.

The Bidani House is a project that demonstrates a situation where a

climatic responsive form and design was achieved in an existing urban
situation with a fixes site size and orientation.
Faridabad, located in the ‘composite
climate’ zone, has large climatic
swings over the year, i.e. very hot
and dry period of almost two and a
half months and a colder period of a
shorter duration. The hot dry period
is followed by a hot humid, monsoon
period of about two months with
intervening periods of milder
climate.
Maximum exposure to south-east for
living spaces and buffer spaces on
the south-west to eliminate heat
gains during summers.
+
Responsiveness to the climate of
Bidani house
The demand on building design is to respond to the extremes:

 To eliminate (minimize) heat gain in hot dry period,

maximize ventilation in hot humid period from zones/areas
designed as heat sinks and maximize heat gain in the cold
period.

 This has been achieved in this house entirely through the

form and fabric of the building.

 A courtyard facing and opening onto north-east has been

designed as a heat sink.
+ KEY SUSTAINABLE FEATURES
 House form developed around the courtyard( acts as heat sink)

 Large volume of spaces coupled with courtyard for ventilation

 Buffer spaces located on the overheated south-western exposure

 Form of the building allows solar penetration according to easonal changes

 Pergolas and louvers cut off unwanted radiation

 Local stone used as major construction material, which provides thermal mass
of diurnal swings in temperature

Interior view showing the double

volume space around the courtyard.
+ SECTION
OF BIDANI
HOUSE

Courtyard as a moderator of internal

climate in winters.
Courtyard as a moderator of
internal climate in summers.
+EMBODIED
ENERGY OF
BUILT
ENVIRONMENT
+  Embodied energy is the energy consumed by all of the processes
associated with the production of a building, from the mining and
processing of natural resources to manufacturing, transport and product
delivery. Embodied energy does not include the operation and disposal
of the building material, which would be considered in a life cycle
approach. Embodied energy is the ‘upstream’ or ‘front-end’
component of the life cycle impact of a home

 The single most important factor in reducing the impact of embodied

energy is to design long life, durable and adaptable buildings.

 Every building is a complex combination of many processed materials,

each of which contributes to the building’s total embodied energy.
Renovation and maintenance also add to the embodied energy over a
building’s life.

 Choices of materials and construction methods can significantly change

the amount of energy embodied in the structure of a building, as
embodied energy content varies enormously between products and
materials. Assessing the embodied energy of a material, component or
whole building is often a complex task.
+
+

Operational vs
embodied energy
Operational energy consumption
depends on the occupants.
Embodied energy is not occupant
dependent — the energy is built into
the materials. Embodied energy
content is incurred once (apart from
maintenance and renovation) Embodied energy content varies greatly with different
whereas operational energy construction types. In many cases a higher embodied energy
accumulates over time and can be level can be justified if it contributes to lower operating
influenced throughout the life of the energy. For example, large amounts of thermal mass, high in
building. embodied energy, can significantly reduce heating and
cooling needs in well designed and insulated passive solar
houses.
+
 +
Whereas the energy used in operating a
building can be readily measured, the
embodied energy contained in the structure is
difficult to assess. This energy use is often
hidden.

 It also depends on where boundaries are drawn

in the assessment process. For example,
whether to include:

Assessing  the energy used to transport the materials and

workers to the building site
embodied energy  just the materials for the construction of the
building shell or all materials used to complete
the building such as bathroom and kitchen
45000
fittings, driveways and outdoor paving
40000

35000  the upstream energy input in making the

30000
materials (such as factory/office lighting, the
Building life 100 years
Building life 50 years
energy used in making and maintaining the
25000
Building life 25 years machines that make the materials)
20000 Building life Initial

15000  the embodied energy of urban infrastructure

10000 (roads, drains, water and energy supply).
5000

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•Design for long life and adaptability, using durable low maintenance
materials.
•Ensure materials can be easily separated.
•Avoid building a bigger house than you need — and save materials.
•Modify or refurbish instead of demolishing or adding.
•Ensure construction wastes and materials from demolition of existing
buildings are reused or recycled.
•Use locally sourced materials (including materials salvaged on site)
to reduce transport.
•Select low embodied energy materials (which may include materials
with a high recycled content), preferably based on supplier-specific
data.
•Avoid wasteful material use. For example, specify standard sizes
wherever possible (windows, door, panels) to avoid using additional
materials as fillers. Some energy intensive finishes, such as paints,
often have high wastage levels so try to buy only as much as you need.
•Ensure off cuts are recycled and use only sufficient structural
materials to ensure stability and meet construction standards.
•Select materials that can be reused or recycled easily at the end of
+
their lives using existing recycling systems.
Guidelines
•Give preference to materials that have been manufactured using
renewable energy sources.
•Use efficient building envelope design and fittings to minimise for reducing
materials (e.g. an energy efficient building envelope can downsize or
eliminate the need for heaters and coolers, water-efficient taps can
embodied
allow downsizing of water pipes). energy
+
+

Energy through
HVAC systems
+  Energy-efficiency concerns remain a
top priority for institutional and
commercial organizations. Managers
are ramping up their efforts to find
savings related to heating, ventilation
and air conditioning (HVAC) systems,
including chillers, boilers, and air-
handling components.

 DETERMING THE SCOPE

After a building is constructed and

occupied, it is common for energy use
and costs to increase as the building
ages. This happens sooner for some
facilities than others, depending on the
original design, quality of construction,
attentiveness to the test and balance
process, original commissioning
efforts, and level of maintenance.
+
+
+ LIGHTING

• reduce excessive lamp wattages through

lamp replacement

• program lights to go off during

unoccupied periods.

BUILDING ENVELOPE

Energy saving • repair door and window seals to prevent

excessive infiltration of unconditioned
controls outdoor air and excessive exfiltration of
conditioned air

• replace inefficient glazing or install

solar-control film

• provide internal or external shading

devices to control solar-heat gain

• install additional thermal insulation

where needed to reduce heat gain and
loss.
+ HVAC EQUIPMENT CONTROLS

• Balance air and water systems that • recalibrate sensors

are out of balance
• correct improperly functioning
• repair variable-air-volume boxes
that are not working properly control sequences

• tighten loose fan belts • eliminate excessive, simultaneous

heating and cooling
• repair leaking control valves
• reset out-of-range or inappropriate
setpoints during unoccupied periods
• replace leaking damper seals
• repair disabled free-cooling economizers
• repair or replace malfunctioning
variable-speed drives • eliminate equipment running excessively
or inefficiently
• seal ductwork to minimize leaks
• reprogram equipment operating
• reduce excessive air-change rates. schedules to match building use

• control building pressurization to prevent

unwanted infiltration and exfiltration.