Career in Sustainable Architecture

The idea of sustainable architecture or green buildings is picking up in wake of global warming issues and clean development mechanism (CDM). Sustainable architecture is a wide ranging concept including many sub themes like solar architecture, utilization of low embodied energy material, recycled material and efficient water and energy management during entire useful life of the building. The words solar and sustainable are however sometimes used interchangeably. In the broad context, sustainable architecture seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by enhancing efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, and space. Solar architecture or solar passive design of buildings deals mainly with simple techniques like proper orientation of building to admit or block solar energy, orientation and size of glazings or window panes, use of insulation and thermal mass to reduce the cooling, heating and artificial lighting load. Solar passive design is not a new concept. It has been used since ages to achieve thermal and visual comfort. With the advent of industrialization and availability of cheap fossil fuel the wisdom of passive design which was prevalent in vernacular architecture has been lost gradually. In a temperate climate region like Kashmir valley up to 80% of heating load during winters could be reduced by passive solar design of dwellings. This not only saves energy but saves environment as well. The other key issue of a sustainable design is regarding the choice of materials- it should be locally available, it should not degrade environment, it should not deprive region of useful resources, it has been recycled and recyclable and its embodied energy should be low.  It seem a tall order but it is not necessary that the entire wish-list is fulfilled, the more of it the better.  Embodied energy is the energy required for material production, transportation and assembling it into the built environment. Low embodied energy materials like un-burnt bricks, lime, wood, bamboo, country tiles and stone boulders should be preferred. According to estimates currently 1000 square kilometers of top (300 mm depth) fertile soil is consumed every year for brick making. Waste materials like fly ash, mine waste and tailings and lime stone waste etc. could be used for making stabilized compact blocks to be used in lieu of burnt bricks.

Apart from capital or embodied energy of building, energy is required for maintenance or services. Solar photovoltaic panels are envisaged to provide power for water pumping and illumination in sustainable buildings. Solar water heaters may provide service hot water. If efficient water management techniques are also incorporated with above mentioned practices then the habitat will be highly green. Rainwater harvesting and gray water reuse is among few efficient water management techniques.    

                Recently National Rating System for buildings has been developed incorporating Energy Conservation Building Codes ECBC 2007, other Indian Standard Codes and local by-laws. This is aimed at promotion of large scale design and construction of solar buildings, solar housing complexes, solar townships and solar cities. In XI^th plan there is a proposal to set up 60 (at least one in each state) solar cities throughout India. The main features of a solar city are that each house is to be built or retrofitted on solar passive concepts, is to be provided with solar water heaters, has  renewable energy based power generation plants, harvests rainwater, resorts to wastewater recycling etc. Initially Nagpur, Chandigarh and Bangalore would be developed as model solar cities by 2012.  Municipal Corporations and state nodal agency for development of renewable sources of energy may join hands in inviting and submitting master plan to the centre. Central Financial assistance is available for preparing the master plan for energy conservation/generation through renewable sources and reduction of carbon dioxide emission in solar cities.

The concept of energy conscious buildings is relevant for architects, civil, mechanical and illumination engineers, environmentalists, builders, township developers, planners and public at large.

Indicative list of Institutes offering sustainable architecture education and courses include:

Solar Agni Systems of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Puducherry

Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee

Centre for Energy Studies, IIT Delhi

The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi

Sri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Katra

Department of Civil Engineering, IISc Bangalore

Department of Civil Engineering, NIT Srinagar

Department of Civil Engineering, NIT Rourkela

College of Architecture, Bharti Vidyapeeth University, Pune (M. Arch. in Sustainable Architecture)

The five-day training course offered by Solar Agni system in Green Building Design is particularly useful for working professionals. This short term course has impressive curriculum including concepts, technologies, design, simulation and compliance with energy codes etc. Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi also imparts short term courses on various subthemes of Sustainable Architecture such as ‘Domestic wastewater treatment and reuse’.