As an urban planner with conscious heart toward sustainability I always try to find its core idea that leads to the path towards sustainable development. Is it the need of the hour due to environment degradation? Is it the recent fad? what makes our fraternity more conscious about this thing?
As a planner I tried to find answers to my above stated queries and it further led me to explore my beliefs and religion that I practice. As I read more on this aspect I began to realize that Hinduism is not a religion but its a way of life that one should lead in his/her lifetime. In this world there could be millions of material manifestations and forms, but the sustaining force for all is not material but spiritual. Everything has life, so all the life is reverent and has to be protected, upheld and sustained. Respect for the environment is the part of Hinduism where earth is our mother, the mountains are abodes of gods, trees are sacred, rivers are holy, and the animals are vehicles of the Gods, and above all, man’s sustenance has to be ecological.
Hinduism also talks about the essence of vegetarianism: eco-consciousness. There is no absolute truth in Hinduism, truth is relative, and so is our diet. The consumption of animal flesh itself is not non-vegetarian. If an Eskimo killed an animal and ate its meat to survive, or in the desert one kills someone for its flesh, he is still vegetarian. This is because, in the food chain, one consumes the least life form for one’s survival. But in case of tropical India, where there is plenty of vegetation, kill only vegetable, because it has a lesser life quantum than an animal. One doesn’t need to consume more than necessary; there is enough for everyone’s need.
Thus, sustainability can be defined from spirituality and Hinduism which is essentially a dialogue of values that defies consensual definition. This aspect is the strength of India and I am sure that this path will reveal a permanent path to sustainability to all architects and urban planners.
photo credit: Arun Katiyar
Tag Archives: green buildings
photo credit: Paul Miller “Form Follows Climate “, …
photo credit: Paul Miller
“Form Follows Climate “, Charles Corrrea, a famous Indian architect once said. This idea essentially suggests that a built environment should respond to climate or use it as an advantage. However it’s not a new thought, traditionally most buildings fundamentally responded to climate. For instance, if you look at the indigenous development in Coastal India, most of the structures had sloping roofs in response to the heavy rains. But with globalization hitting architecture – we seem to be loosing out on many of these wonderful indigenous design solutions.
These eco friendly practices also results in more attractive living spaces with open, naturally lit spaces and fresh air movement. Solar passive or climatic design creates a comfortable setting and can also have an enormous impact on reducing operating costs of a building. By logically applying design principles that capture natural breezes and the sun’s energy and light- energy uses in buildings can be reduced considerably. A building that responds to climates essentially harvests light, air and water by using various design techniques. These practices can also not only improve the environment but also strengthen the economy by cutting down the need for fossil fuels and nuclear energy.
Day lighting
Day lighting or the use of natural light in a building is one of the fundamental elements of a climatic design. It reduces the need for electric lights and improves the visual quality of a space. The most common ways to get daylight into a building is to increase the number and size of glazed areas in a building. There are various architectural designs or techniques that accomplish this, including conventional windows, atriums and skylights. Windows are the most common means of day lighting. An atrium is an interior courtyard – could be covered with glazing or a transparent skylight, to allow direct and diffused sunlight into the building. Rooms adjoining the atrium benefit from daylight entering through the glazed roof. A skylight is a transparent panel set into a roof that allows direct and diffuse sunlight into the building.
Building orientation is an important parameter for a climatic responsive building. The amount of day light received by a building is determined by its orientation. And the north direction is considered ideal as it receives uniform uninterrupted light through the day, so most of the living spaces can be positioned accordingly. Design approaches can also shut out excess heat from entering the living spaces. With clever orientation you could protect the harsh south west radiation from coming into the building. Further using solar shade screens, roof overhangs, awnings, trees and other landscaping can also shade the indoors.
Wind
The use of natural winds to enhance the living environment is another solution offered by climatic design. To improve cooling, a building’s windows should be placed and designed to capture prevailing winds. The use of “venturi effect” is another interesting idea. It is essentially about looking at design in volumes i.e. when you force a wind to move into a narrow opening and expand into a larger volume, the effect can be quite incredible. This design strategy creates what is referred to as “wind tunnels” and keeps the living spaces cool and airy. This concept is best exemplified in IIM, Bangalore, where the architects have created varying volumes to enhance wind movement and cooling. And in some points in the campus, the effect of wind movement is truly remarkable. Cross ventilation is yet another idea. It involves a window that opens to the wind allowing breezes into the building and another window on the opposite side that lets stagnant air to be flushed out .This strategy creates continuous air movement in a space.
Landscape
Landscaping is another design tool. For example, extensive use of trees minimizes heat build-up around buildings. Placing trees along the southern face of a building will provide shade and heat reduction in the summer. In addition, fairly dense planting around houses can direct breezes for natural cooling. Another innovative idea would be to have a water body around the prevailing wind direction. And when the wind moves over the water body onto the living spaces, it can bring in gushes of cool breeze.
The way we design and construct buildings is …
The way we design and construct buildings is critical to addressing the climate change challenge given that the building sector currently contributes around 40 per cent of global carbon emissions. Commercial and residential buildings in India account for more than 30% of the country’s total electricity consumption. In view of the growth of the economy and the Indian population, building activities are expected to continue at a high level. This could lock us into large consumption of energy unless we design and construct buildings that are energy efficient and conserve natural resources.
I believe that the current trend in architecture of using glass extensively is highly inappropriate to our climatic context. I don’t think there is any thinking on the energy implications of what we are constructing. A lot of these buildings are nothing if not energy guzzlers. It is not as if we need to completely eliminate use of glass. But there needs to be sensitivity in terms of orientation and design of the building; and one could employ high insulation glass that only lets in the light and not the heat, thereby conserving energy.
Energy efficient buildings are extremely important in today’s context. Green architecture views buildings as an extension of the ecosystem and appreciates that each element in a building affects the overall performance of the environment. So green architecture tries to optimize the functioning of a building, and preserves and protects important natural resources. A green building also effectively harnesses natural energy like sunlight and wind while also ensuring energy efficiency. This is achieved by means of an integrated approach to architecture which combines together design issues, energy efficient materials, construction methods, efficient building systems and by taking advantage of renewable energy supplies. To attain true environmentally sensitive architecture, eco-friendly ideas need to be supported by everyone involved in the process from design to construction. Also, building “green” is not only a way to use our resources efficiently but also a way to create healthier buildings that improve human health, ensure a better environment, and provide cost savings. In the end, a green building can reduce energy use by almost 40 to 60 per cent. So clearly, a strong green building sector is the key in fighting the challenge of climate change and environmental degradation.
