Energy Efficient Mindset

Prelude

Saving “Energy” is more of an attitude and personal mind-set rather than just the product innovation. If the mindset is not ready to use these innovative products efficiently, the purpose of their innovation gets defeated. It is like using 5 Star rated Air Conditioner with all doors and windows open. The innovative engineering of the product will not be able to reduce the amount of electricity consumed due to lack of discipline in using it.

Think of a time when there was no mass production of electricity and oil lanterns were used to make light after sunset. There were no Air Conditioners & heaters to keep the indoors comfortable. Probably, it was the lack of resources and as it is said "Necessity is the mother of all inventions", it created the mindset of that generation to be open to experiments in architecture, building design and construction techniques to achieve comfortable building environment.

Concept

The architectural design and construction was planned around two fundamental concepts:

1.      Maximise Natural light

2.      Maximise Thermal Comfort

These two basic concepts were practically executed by designing simple elements and implementing a design discipline around the following thought points.

Methodology

Orientation – Probably this is the most fundamental element to start the design development for any climate condition.

• The longer side of the building is along the East-West or North-South axis depending if the heat gain is to be maximised (Cold climates) or minimised (Hot climate)
• More openings on the Northern side increases glare free sunlight which is relatively cooler than South Sun.
• Natural wind directions play important role in design of wind catchers and openings to get fresh air inside

Massing / Configuration – The building configuration defines the amount of surface area exposed to external climatic conditions. The ratio of floor area to its volume or amount of surface area exposed to direct sunlight determines the intensity of solar heat gain. One of the most notable design elements in Hot-Dry climatic conditions is the Courtyard (“Chowk”), which suits the two basic principles to the very core by following means: 

• Allows adequate daylight to large portions on the house.
• Generate air circulation and passive cooling by stack effect. The air in the courtyard gets warmer during the day and rises up. The cooler air replaces this air creating air circulation in the rooms.
• Generates adequate sunshade to large portion of the house thus reducing direct exposure to sunlight

External Walls & Fenestration – The building envelope insulates and protects the indoors from the exterior climatic variations and play important role in creating comfortable environment. For example: 

• Thick external walls with minimum fenestration in Hot-dry climate insulates indoors from extreme outdoors. “Jharoka” or “Mashabriya” are fine examples which cut the glare from the sunlight, absorbs heat from air and allows cooler air inside
• Large windows or Glass facade in Cold climates produces greenhouse effect increasing heat gain inside while keeping chilly winds outside
• Window Openings – Their design and position along with Sunshade (“Chajja”), louvers play important role in maintaining the thermal comfort.

Construction Material & Technique: Each region has its own set of locally available material and construction technique which at times are unique to that particular region. Modern Day Green building agencies also encourage using locally available construction material as it reduces the fuel burnt to transport material.

Other Elements such as roof forms and insulation, water bodies, Landscaping and vegetation, street width & orientation, surrounding build forms, all play a vital role in maintaining the thermal comfort and providing adequate natural light.

Endnote 

Some creators & investors are still working hard to innovate & create elements for sustainable environment but our ability to strike opportunities created by high speed growth has left us with very little time to spend on innovation and development of sustainable design elements.

Most often the vision for Top-line and Bottom-line blur the vision of creating sustainable communities. Our generation is probably the luckier one to have the technology and resources to make the living environment comfortable by mechanical means. Probably in our race for 'more' and reluctance to 'innovate', we might end up exhausting all available sources of fossil fuels and future generations will be left with no choice but to get back to these old elements of design in making their living comfortable. Who knows, there living might be even better than ours.

For now the Peter Keating(s) seems to have outnumbered the Howard Roark(s) by a huge margin.