R&D for Sustainability in

Buildings
Narendra K. Bansal
 Vernacular Shelters: Sustainable almost everything is
disposable or reusable

INDIA

Arabian Bay of
Sea Bengal

Indian Ocean
IITD Mud House(1990)
Building acts as Low Pass Filter:Heat Transfer through Wave
Equation

• T(x,t) = T0 + ½ ∆Ta exp(i(αx - ωt)

• T = T0 + ½ ∆Ta cos ωt

Time delay = d/√2ωD ; D = k/ρ c

For brick wall d=40 cm time delay=12h
and attenuation 96%
For convection Bernoulli's theorem and
gas laws yield v = Fr √ 2 ∆Tgh/(T1+273)
 Stack Ventilation

The pressure difference associated Across the lower 𝐴𝐿 the

with the hot upper layer across the pressure difference is
upper opening 𝐴𝑈
∆𝑇 ∆𝑇
∆𝑃𝑈 = 𝑔 (𝐻 − ℎ) ∆𝑃𝐿 = 𝑔 ℎ
𝑇 𝑇
These pressure differences drive a ventilation flowrate Q through the two openings

∆𝑇 𝐴𝐿 𝐴𝑈
𝑄 = 𝐴∗ 𝑔 𝐻 − ℎ ; 𝐴∗
𝑇
(AL)2 +(AU)2
Air flow rate for comfort
 ‘‘What building forms make the best
use of land?’’
• Built potential (ratio of the floor area of the
built form to the site area)
• Built Volume
• Availability of daylight
 Resource conscious design

• Minimize use of natural resource consumption and resulting

impact on eco-system
• Closed material loop and eliminate emissions
• Sustainable land use
• Water issues: Protection of existing ground and surface water
• Energy and atmosphere; Building envelope highly resistant to
heat transfer, passive building design and use of renewable
energy generation
Framework for Sustainable
Construction
 Two archetypal urban patterns, based on pavilions and courts (black
represents buildings) with the same site coverage 50 %, building height and
total floor space

49 pavilions and 25 courts

Much more open space in courtyard option because open areas clot together
Courts are an archetypal urban form prevalent not only in hot-arid climates
but also in cooler climates in cities, such as Cambridge, UK

Court form is seen to place the same amount of floor space on the
same site area with the same building depth but in 1/3 height
Pavilion and courts in section and axonometric view

Leslie Martin and Lionel March’s (1972) radical proposal to replace

Courts are archetypal urban forms prevalent not only a part of central Manhattan with large courts.
In hot-arid climates but also in cooler climates such as This would have provided exactly the same amount of floor space
while creating large open spaces and reducing the height of buildings
Cambridge from an average of 21 storeys to 7.
 Urban Built form and Sky Vie Factors

Generic urban forms Sky view factor

Height Pavilion Slab Terrace Terrace- Pavilion Courts
On s courts -courts
façade
m
0 0.44 0.46 0.46 0.41 0.42 0.39

3 0.45 0.47 0.48 0.43 0.45 0.43

6 0.47 0.48 0.50 0.46 0.47 0.49

9 0.48 0.49 0.52 0.51 0.49 0.62

12 0..49 0.50 0.54 0.61 0.54

Pavilions slabs terraces
15 0.51 0.52 0.61 0.66

18 0.52 0.54

21 0.53 0.56

24 0.55 0.60

27 0.57 0.98

Terrace –courts Pavilion courts Courts 30 0.62

Averag 0.57 0.53 0.49 0.52 0.49 0.52

e
 Digital Elevation Model

Generic Urban Forms Sky View Factor

A figure-ground map of urban texture is scanned and digitized to get a Digital Elevation Model. Each grey –level pixel
Is proportional to the level of urban surface. The DEM can be analyzed using MATLAB image processing tool box to
analyze the effect of environmental parameters on urban form
 Axonometric Representation on a 67.5mx67.5m
Site
Form Surface Volume A/V Ratio
area m2 m3
Courtyard 15797 27030 0.584
Pavilion 1 10931 27030 0.404
Pavilion 2 7168 27030 0.265
Shadow density on 21st June
Courtyard 11.0
Pavilion 1 9.8
Pavilion 2 6.1
Daylight Factor
Courtyard 10% in street and 19% in courtyard
Courtyard Micro-pavilion Pavilion Pavilion 1 30%
Pavilion 2 53%
A/V = Total surface area of façade and roof/ Volume
S.D. = Av. Number of hours of shadows on ground ∆Tmax urban –rural = 15.27 - 13.88 Ψsky
DF = Fraction of outdoor daylight
 Urban Heat Island

Urban form Av. Sky view Factor on ground ∆Tmax urban –rural

Courtyards 0.13 13.5

Pavilion 1 0.23 12.1

Pavilion 2 0.48 8.6

From the point of view of solar exposure

Pavilion Street

Street Pavilion

Court Court
 Solar Efficiency for Various Built Forms

EW = Winter solar exposure/ Summer solar exposure

ES = 1- (Building solar exposure in summer/ ground solar exposure in summer)
Primary Energy Use as a Function of
A/V Ratio
 Heat losses vs A/V Ratio

• Internal temperatures > 20 deg. C WWR < 30%

HT = 0.23+0.12(A/V)

Internal temperatures > 20 deg. C, WWR >

30%
HT = 0.27+0.18(A/V)
 Significant Difference in Performance

Measured vs. predicted energy performance of LEED - New Buildings

Source: Turner and Frank, 2008
 Demonstration Buildings

Building A Building B Building C

Brief Information of Buildings

Building Name Building A Building B Building C

Owner CEPT University
Location Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Year of Construction 2015
Building Floor Space 801 m2
Function Research Laboratory
1st Jan to 31st December
Monitoring Period
2016
Infosys CEPT University
Hyderabad, Karnataka Ahmedabad, Gujarat
2011 2012
23226 m2 9 m2
Commercial IT Building Controlled Building (Testbed)
1st August 2012 to 31st July
1st May 2014 to 30th April 2015
2013
Monthly Energy Consumption for Building A
Monthly Energy Consumption for Building B
 Mismatch between Simulated and Measured
Energy Consumption

Reasons for poor comparision Reasons for mismatch

• Prevalent Weather
(Climatic) data during
measurement periods,
• Occupant behaviour
• Envelope Properties
(Thermo-physical properties
and infiltration rates),
• Airflow Rates,
• Equipment performance
curves, and
Energy Plus Estimation of ACH inf
Estimation of ACH in Buildings
Estimation of Air Exchange Rates

V dc/dt = -Qinf . c
dc/dt = -ACHinf .c
ln (cint - camb)/ (cfinal - camb) = -ACH t

(cint - camb)/ (cfinal - camb) = exp( -ACH .t)

Decay Regression from Measured Data
 Thermal Bridges in Construction
• Floor-to-wall or balcony-to-wall junctions,
including slab-on-grade
and concrete balconies or outdoor patios
that extend the floor slab through the
building envelope
• Roof/Ceiling-to-wall junctions, especially
where full ceiling insulation depths may
not be achieved
• Window-to-wall junctions
• Door-to-wall junctions
• Wall-to-wall junctions
• Wood, steel or concrete members, such
as studs and joists, incorporated in
exterior wall, ceiling, or roof construction
• Recessed luminaries that penetrate
insulated ceilings
• Windows and doors, especially frames
components
• Areas with gaps in or poorly installed
insulation
• Metal ties in masonry cavity walls
 Temperature Variations in thermal
Bridges
Thermal Bridges in buildings
Different cases
a. Wall-wall external corner
un-insulated
b. Wall-Wall external corner
insulated 20 cm
Polystyrene
c. Wall- ceiling external corner
un-insulated
d. Wall-ceiling external corner
insulated 20 cm POS
Heat Losses Through Thermal Bridges
As dwellings become better insulated,
the importance of thermal bridging has
increased. In very well insulated dwellings, the
effect that thermal bridging can have on the
overall thermal performance of a dwelling can
be significant. Recent research undertaken has
shown that thermal bridging can
be responsible for up to 30% of a dwelling's
heat loss.
 Our Research Focus

Poorly defined techniques

• Affordable
Applied Pure
research Research • Scalable
Marginal No
Well – Poorly
defined defined • Respect local Climate
Problems Problems and Culture
Applications
Training Yes • Sustainable
Yes

Well - defined techniques