Green building design for sustainable urban habitats

Sustainable Habitat Management for Clean Development

20 – 22 Nov 2012CCCEA, Dr. MCR Human Resource Development

Institute of AP, Hyderabad

Dr. N. Sai Bhaskar ReddyChief Executive Officer [CEO],

GEOECOLOGY ENERGY ORGANISATION [GEO]

http://e-geo.org

28 Ju

ne ‘1

220

-11-

2012

Green Building Design for Sustainable Urban Habitats

All these efforts are straining the limits of the Earth’s “carrying capacity”— its ability to provide the resources required to sustain life while retaining the capacity to regenerate and remain viable.

•incalculable technological achievements

•population growth

•corresponding increases in resource use

Since the Industrial Revolution the world

has witnessed

pollution landfills toxic waste global warmingResourcedepletion

ozone depletion deforestation

SIDE EFFECTS ARE

Sustainability

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future

generations to meet their own needs

(The Brundtland Commission,1987)

Unit: tonnes/cap-yr

+0

6

5.1Breath

Excreta

Solid waste 0.1

0.8

Total neolithic* human material consumption

Unit: tonnes/cap-yr

Total modern* human material consumption

+6

89

19Offgas

Sewage

Solid waste 3

61

The Kuznets Curve (adopted, notably by the World Bank)

Envi

ronm

enta

l deg

rada

tion

(bur

den)

Economic growth

Pollution, rapidly increasing GHG emissions, health problems, widespread habitat destruction, permanent damage

to natural capital

Environmental awareness, political action, policy formulation and implementation, national and global sustainable development commitments.

Materialization Dematerialization

Global Climate Change and Urbanization Part I

1900

15% urban

2000

~50% urban

Approaches to energy efficient housing• Vernacular approach to design (passive architecture, local

materials, use of local labor): Low income/low cost housing and mass housing programmes of the government; certain pockets in India (Kerala and Auroville)

• Adoption of Energy conservation building code in envelope design, labelled appliances for households; particularly applicable to middle and high income group housing

• Green rated housing : Energy and resource efficiency looked at holistically in addition to indoor environmental quality and societal issues

Use of low embodied energy technologies for housing

Excellent ventilation

Orientation and shading as per solar geometry

Courtyard design and use of mature tree for shading Design for daytime and nighttime use

Works of Charles Correa : Architectural expressions with dominance of natural climate

control measures

Sustainability and the Construction Industry

'Sustainability' is becoming a central concern for us all out of wider recognition that rising populations and economic development are threatening the degradation of the earth's resources.

The construction, maintenance and use of buildings impacts substantially on our environment and is currently contributing significantly to irreversible changes in the world's climate, atmosphere and ecosystem.

Buildings are by far the greatest producers of harmful gases such as CO2 and this 'eco-footprint' can only increase with the large population growth predicted to occur by 2050 and the industrialization of the developing world.

How the Construction Industry can move towards Sustainable Development

– Energy: reducing energy consumption, being more energy efficient and using renewable energy and 'alternative technology'.

– Materials: Choosing, using, re-using and recycling materials during design, manufacture, construction and maintenance to reduce resource requirements.

– Waste: Producing less waste and recycling more.– Pollution: Producing less toxicity, water, noise and

spatial pollution.

Aspects of building material adoption

Natural

Social

Economical

Political

Cultural

Historical

Environmental

Construction

Population Vegetation

Air Quality Climate

Transportation Watersheds

1/6 of the world’s freshwater withdrawals

1/4 of world’s wood harvest

2/5 of world’s material & energy flows

Building Industry- Facts

50

40

40

35

30

25

16

0 10 20 30 40 50

Percentage

Ozone depleting CFCs in Use

Municipal Solid Waste to Landfills

Global Energy Use

Global CO2 Emissions

Raw Materials Consumption

Timber Harvest

Fresh Water Withdrawals

Environmental and Economic Impacts of Buildings

Compiled from:Worldwatch Paper #124

Application of Sustainability

Pre-Design On-Site Design Construction O&M

Material Selection

Building Program

Project Budget

Team Selection

Partnering

Project Schedule

Laws, Codes

& Standards

Research

Site Selection

Site Analysis

& Assessment

Site Development

& Layout

Watershed

Management &

Conservation

Site Material

& Equipment

Environmentally

Conscious

Construction

Preservation of

Features &

Vegetation

Waste Mgmt

IAQ Issues

Source Control

Practices

Passive Solar

Design

Materials &

Specification

Indoor Air

Quality

Maintenance Plans

Indoor Quality

Energy Efficiency

Resource Efficiency

Renovation

Housekeeping &

Custodial Practices

How does the Construction Industry consume Energy?

• Consider the 'embodied' energy in every brick in everystructure. Every brick has used energy at every stage in itsproduction and use.• Energy is consumed when:– Extracting raw materials.– Producing materials (Manufacturing process).– Transporting materials.– Transporting workforce.– Building structures.– Using and powering structures.– Maintaining structures and demolishing structures.

Materials

• Around 50% of all global resources go into the constructionindustry, with a specific example being that 70% of all timberis used for building.• It is therefore very important that a sustainable approach tochoosing and using materials is adopted.• The environmental and economic benefits of sustainability areinherently linked when considering building materials, due tothe long-term financial advantages of recycling, using recycledproducts and sourcing heavy materials locally.• Life-Cycle Assessment, Eco-Labelling and Embodied EnergyAudits all of which can help choosing materials and assess thebalance between short-term costs and long-termenvironmental, social and financial benefits.

How to Choose and Use Materials in a more Sustainable way

• Considerations to take into account when re-evaluating the way in which materialsare used in construction:– What reserves are left of our materials, and how can their completesuccessive depletion be prevented?– What are the pollution impacts of the manufacturing process involved withcreating new materials?– How can existing materials be recycled (roof tiles, bricks, timber, etc.) and canthey be designed and used in a way more conducive to re-use?– How much energy is consumed in the transport of materials? (try sourcingheavy, bulky materials locally and lightweight materials globally).– Can more prefabricated components be used? (reduces waste and dust onsite).– How can more low maintenance materials be used in order to reduce furtherenergy and resource use in the future of the building?

Indian vernacular architecture

Is the informal, functional architecture of structures, often in rural areas, of India, built of local materials and designed to meet the needs of the local people. The builders of these structures are unschooled in formal architectural design and their work reflects the rich diversity of India's climate, locally available building materials, and the intricate variations in local social customs and craftsmanship. It has been estimated that worldwide close to 90% of all building is vernacular, meaning that it is for daily use for ordinary, local people and built by local craftsmen.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_vernacular_architecture

Indoor environment

Building indoor environment covers the environmental aspects in the design, analysis, and operation of energy-efficient, healthy, and comfortable buildings. Fields of specialization include

architecture,

HVAC design,

thermal comfort,

indoor air quality (IAQ),

Environmental Condition(s) Symptoms • Ergonomic Conditions • Headache • Noise and Vibration • Fatigue • Poor Concentration • Dizziness • Tiredness • Headache with nausea • Ringing in ears • Pounding heart • Relative Humidity • Dry throat • Shortness of breath or bronchial asthma • Irritation and infection of respiratory tract • Relative Humidity • Nasal problems (stuffiness, irritation) • High Temperatures

• Warm Air • Skin problems (dryness, irritation, rashes)

• Low Relative Humidity • Excessive Air Movement • Artificial Light • Eye problems (burning, dry gritty eye)

INDOOR AIR

CONCERNS

Most people spend at

least half of their lives indoors.

Indoor air can be more

harmful than

outdoor air.

Poor indoor air quality can cause

respiratory problems.

Poor indoor air quality

can be more

harmful for children .

Sources of Indoor Pollutants

Based on Specific Building

Combustion activity Furniture Chemical

Building materials Food Water

Smoking activity

Outdoor air pollution

Sick building syndrome

Condition associated with complaints of discomfort including headache; nausea; dizziness; dermatitis; eye, nose, throat, and respiratory irritation; coughing; difficulty concentrating; sensitivity to odors; muscle pain; and fatigue.

Sick building

syndrome

The specific causes of the symptoms are often not

known but sometimes are attributed to the effects of a

combination of substances or individual susceptibility

to low concentrations of contaminants.Th

e sym

ptoms a

re as

socia

ted w

ith per

iods of

occupan

cy an

d often disa

ppear a

fter th

e worke

r leav

es

the w

orksite

.

Cause of SBS

Inadequate ventilation 52%

Contamination from inside

building 16%

Contamination from outside building 10%

Microbial contamination

5%

Contamination from building

fabric 4%

Unknown sources 13%

Thermal Comfort

Personal factors (health, psychology,

sociology & situational factors)

Air temperature

Mean radiant temperature

Air movement / velocity (see

wind chill factor)

Relative humidity (see also

perspiration)

Insulative clothing

Activity levels.

GRIHA

GRIHA – green building ‘design evaluation system’– A tool to design, operate, evaluate and

maintain resource efficient ‘healthy’ and ‘intelligent’ building

Natural Lighting

Heat

Acoustics

Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics technology may be called an acoustical engineer. The application of acoustics can be seen in almost all aspects of modern society with the most obvious being the audio and noise control industries.

How to Control/ EliminateIndoor Air Pollutants

Don’t Smoke inside the

home.

Pay attention to housekeeping.

Check combustion appliances.

Test your home for Radon

Have furnace, flues, chimney inspected and

cleaned

Never run your car inside an

attached garage

Never use unvented space heaters/ gas logs

Install a carbon monoxide detector

in your home

Reduce Carbon Monoxide Potential

Repair leaks and drips

Check to be sure clothes dryer vented to outside

Move water from gutters and downspouts away from house

Use ventilating fan in kitchen and bathroom

No water in crawl space

Control Moisture In and Around the Home

MOULDSare fungi that grow in the form of multicellular filaments called hyphae.

HIGH INFLAMMATORY MEDIATORS

FOUND IN NASAL FLUIDS OF PERSONS IN DAMP BUILDINGS

MITES, BACTERIA, MOLDS, ENDOTOXINS ALL CONTRIBUTE

MINIMIZED BY HUMIDITY & MOISTURE CONTROL IN BUILDINGS

RADON

INDOOR AIR POLLUTION: RADON

• In 1990 EPA placed indoor air pollution at the top of the list of 18 sources of cancer risk

• Indoor pollution is rated by risk analysis scientists as high-risk health problem for humans

• Radon is one of the three most dangerous indoor air pollutants, along with cigarette smoke and formaldehyde

• Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, after smoking

• Nearly 1 in 15 homes in the U.S. has high level of indoor radon• Homes with high radon level can be fixed

INDOOR AIR POLLUTION: RADONA. Cracks in concrete slabsB. Spaces behind brick wallsC. Pores and cracks in concrete

blocksD. Floor wall jointsE. Exposed soil as in a sumpF. Weeping tile, if drained to open

sumpG. Mortar jointsH. Loose fitting pipe penetrationsI. Open tops of block wallsJ. Building materials such as some

rocksK. Water, from some wells

INDOOR AIR POLLUTION: RADONRadon Resistant-Construction Techniques

A. Gas Permeable LayerB. Plastic SheetingC. Sealing and CaulkingD. Vent PipeE. Junction Box

Other radon reduction techniques include sealing, home/room pressurization, heat recovery ventilation and natural ventilation.

Bone

Brick pieces

Pottaryshards

Biochar /Charcoal

Slag

Quartz

Soil

Pottaryshards

Slag

Shell

LIME MORTAR

TAPPING NITROGEN FROM URINE OF ANIMALS AND PEOPLE USING BIOCHAR

BIOCHAR URINALS

OTHER BIOCHAR APPLICATIONS

BIOCHAR BRICKS, GREEN BUILDINGS

WAT E R – L E S S P L A N T S

TRAD

ITIO

NAL

HO

USE

References

• http://icmr.nic.in/bumay01.pdf• http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/file

s/who%20guidelines%20for%20indoor%20air%20pollution.pdf

• http://www.slideshare.net/saibhaskar/climate-change-and-green-buildings

• http://....

Thank you