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Sustainable Building Design Strategies

This document outlines various design strategies for sustainable buildings including landform, planform, building orientation, sun shading, natural ventilation, landscaping, materials, and construction techniques. Specifically, it discusses using the landform to take advantage of breezes, long narrow building forms for cross ventilation, east-west orientation to minimize solar gain, overhangs for sun shading, ventilation through screens and rooftop vents, landscaping for shade and microclimate control, sustainable materials like cob and compressed earth blocks, and construction methods like cavity walls, cob walls, thatched roofs, and clay bowl rooftops.

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Kareena
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59 views5 pages

Sustainable Building Design Strategies

This document outlines various design strategies for sustainable buildings including landform, planform, building orientation, sun shading, natural ventilation, landscaping, materials, and construction techniques. Specifically, it discusses using the landform to take advantage of breezes, long narrow building forms for cross ventilation, east-west orientation to minimize solar gain, overhangs for sun shading, ventilation through screens and rooftop vents, landscaping for shade and microclimate control, sustainable materials like cob and compressed earth blocks, and construction methods like cavity walls, cob walls, thatched roofs, and clay bowl rooftops.

Uploaded by

Kareena
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

DESIGN STRATEGIES:

Landform
Planform
Building orientation
Sun shading method
Natural ventilation
Plantation and landscape
Sustainable materials
Construction techniques

1. LANDFORM:
In this case of contour site, structure is located on the windward side to take
the advantage of cool breezes.

[Link]:
Building forms are long and narrow to allow cross ventilation.
Buildings are placed with open spaces in between to promote air movement.
[Link] ORIENTATION:
To minimize solar radiation gain east-west.
Main windows face north to receive glare free daylight.
To minimize natural ventilation orientation of building is in the windward side,to
catch prevailing winds.

[Link] SHADING METHOD:


Overhangs are used to reduce amount of radiation by reflection ; to achieve
passive cooling.
The winter sun is at a lower angle so the sun reaches into the building warming
it from inside. The summer sun is blocked by overhanging, creating a cooling
shade.

5. NATURAL VENTILATION:
Screens are provided to control air flow and lower down temperature of
internal space. It also provides diffused light.
Airflow vents are provided at rooftop to effectively induce ventilation and draw
hot air out.

6. PLANTATION AND LANDSCAPE:


Landscape plays important role in achieving microclimate of the place. Different
types of trees and landscape element help in creating shade to reduce heat and
restrict sun rays to enter into the structure.

[Link] MATERIALS:
COB- The three primary materials for a cob house (clay, sand, and straw) are easily
accessible and also quite cheap. The walls of a cob house are generally about 24
inches (61 cm) thick, and windows were correspondingly deep-set, giving the homes
a characteristic internal appearance. The thick walls provided excellent thermal
mass which was easy to keep warm in winter and cool in summer. Walls with a high
thermal mass value act as a thermal buffer inside the home.

COMPRESSED EARTH BLOCKS- There are many advantages of the CEB system.
On-site materials can be used, which reduces cost, minimizes shipping costs for
materials, and increases efficiency and sustainability. The wait-time required to
obtain materials is minimal, because after the blocks are pressed, materials are
available very soon after a short drying period. The uniformity of the blocks
simplifies construction, and minimizes or eliminates the need for mortar, thus
reducing both the labour and materials costs. The blocks are strong, stable, water-
resistant and long-lasting.
[Link] TECHNIQUES:
CAVITY WALL USING RAT TRAP BOND – Requires approximately 25% less bricks
and 40% less mortar. Cavity induced in wall provides better thermal insulation
resulting in cooler interiors in summer and warmer interior in winter.

COB WALL- Cob houses are very strong. The straw which forms part of the cob mix
is used as a natural re-bar to hold the structure together as one piece. This makes
cob very solid, and cob homes can last for longer than wooden structures.
BALINESE THATCH ROOF- This type of roofing is constructed on the ground,
separately from the under structure of the roof and later it is tied to the roof structure .
The thatch is not fully exposed to the weather. Since the modules made out of
thatch are overlaid on each other such that only 1.5 to 2 inches of thatch towards
the end is exposed to the weather. Hence the life of the thatch roof is much longer
than traditional roof construction with thatch.

CLAY BOWLS ROOF TOP- The roof of bhonga is covered by clay bowls (vatkas) for
insulation. Both roof and individual bowl being conical in form are exposed to about half
the direct solar radiation thereby absorbing less heat.

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