Sustainable Residence with Passive Solar Heating and cooling
A TWENTY YEAR OLD HOUSE
We ended up as the "replacement architects" for a house being constructed in Ph 2, Chandigarh. The owners were from Patiala, and were not getting the kind of service they were looking - viz. proper oversight of the ongoing construction - starting with a basement.
That's when we were pulled into the project - more as in a PMC role rather than pure architecture. First thing - we made sure that the basement walls were properly waterproofed from the outside, along with its protection layers, and with subsoil drainage.
Then we ensured that the back-fill was done properly - in layers of of around 3-4" thick (it was a mud-sand mix) And most importantly - we had brick walls starting at the basement foundation levels to ensure that the abutting walls did NOT SINK INTO THE SOIL OVER THE YEARS because of soil settlement. Beams were also placed at the junction of these walls - to ensure stability.
At the regular Plinth level of the rest of the house (less the basement area) we ensured that a Plinth level beam was made to counteract seismic forces. And also to accommodate the several columns within the walls at strategic points and junctions. This has now become the norm - but wasn't 2 decades ago. The Bhuj earthquake of 2004 preceded the tweaking of the BIS codes for structural stability and seismic resistance....!!!
Again, the use of certain new materials - such as large sized vitrified ceramic tiles (the std. 2'x2' common ones today) had yet to pick up and get into fashion............!!!
As was the use of Aluminum Composite Teflon coated continuous length water pipes in plumbing systems. Essentially these pipes were plastic coated, totally corrosion proof, and one did not need thousands of elbows and bends, etc. to bring in water supply to the taps from the roof tanks - all with smooth bend-free routes - resulting in a smooth flow of water and with minimum pressure drop along the way.
It has major advantages over the traditional 20' lengths of right angle joints in a GI pipe system, starting with efficiency, speed of installation, and an almost joint-less system. Secondly, this also led to insulation of designated pipes, with proprietary insulation (as used in A/C systems). And a total elimination of ' arteriosclerosis' in plumbing resulting in 'thrombosis' of the plumbing systems. Which is a major problem in hard water areas - leading to very expensive repairs if not outright replacement of the plumbing.
The plumbing was planned in advance for 'total hot water supply' from roof based solar heating systems. SPV had yet to debut in the country.
Several strategically placed tanks on the roof reduced the run of the plumbing pipes, to ensure only vertical supply pipes to the toilets & kitchens below. The water tanks were heavily 'insulated' to prevent heat/cold building up in the water supply to the toilets and the kitchen. A large u/g water tank in the rear courtyard replenished the rooftop tanks periodically.
The electricity meters (one for each floor) were placed outside near the entrance for easy meter readings, and the Main distribution boards were placed at the physical center of the house - reducing the consumption of electrical cables and wires. We had already moved into the CFL era, and short time away from the LED lighting era. So the electrical consumption took a hit - in a positive way.
Another interesting feature was the use of a 'trombe wall' on the SE side (the front) to heat and cool the house using passive solar heating and cooling. This made for great 'comfort conditions' within the house - come summer or winter. Air conditioning bills for heating/cooling went down, down.........!!!!
The front balcony for the FF residents was made a whopping 9' + wide, making it a favourite place for the family all though the day - come summer or winter.
A new feature was the window design - which cut down a massive quantity (more than 60%) of wood requirement, mainly because the casement window shutters were eliminated all the way. Along with expensive hardware used for handles, latches and hinges......!!!!
The facade of the house is modern, without shouting out its presence. And w/o any of the additional decorative bands of architraves and coving, etc. End result - a great economical modern, energy efficient structure.
Comments
Post a Comment