Development of single parameter to rate architectural design for green building certifications

Abstract

India is witnessing green building revolution. With rating schemes like LEED, IGBC and GRIHA in place and practice, building stakeholders are becoming more aware of sustainability issues. Issues under sustainability are clubbed under - Site, Energy, Water, Waste and materials and Environment. For most rating schemes across the world, Energy carries maximum number of points. High importance has been placed on energy because of current world energy scenario. Buildings are assuming critical role in energy dynamics. In India, building construction is taking place at a much higher rate than usual. Buildings consume tremendous amount of energy and this rate of energy consumption in buildings is also increasing. As per rating schemes, a comparison of energy consumption with base case or even an absolute figure of energy consumption is considered for ranking the energy efficiency of building. However, our traditional vernacular systems and passive features of building and design which impacted thermal comfort in response to climate are not accounted for in judgment criteria. At no place is the thermal comfort creation though spatial planning is emphasized, encouraged and rated. Therefore, in today's time when relevance of energy efficiency is far larger than earlier, it becomes imperative that thermal comfort be achieved through spatial planning and efficiency of spatial planning be made judgment criteria for rating sustainability quotient of a building. Hence a common parameter needs to be evolved to quantify and judge achievement of thermal comfort through spatial planning and passive techniques in any building across the globe in context to the climate in which building is placed. This research is aimed at development of such parameter and its applicability in rating schemes. The paper details out the parameter, methodology to calculate it for any building and its relevance for building sustainability. © Copyright: CEPT University, Center for Advanced Research in Building Science & Energy, Ahmedabad First Published 2014.All rights reserved.