water efficiency – Architecture Student Chronicles

Principles of Green Architecture and Sustainability

October 29, 2011 by Architect

Green Buildings and Infrastructure

“Green Buildings for creating a Green environment” is what I would say. Generally, the term “Green Buildings” is understood in a wrong way. As in, the people have a wrong understanding about the term “Green Buildings”. Green Buildings does not just imply on creating huge lawns and making the building look green in colour.

CII, Hyderabad (Example of a Green Building in India)

It is all about making the environment green and create a healthy atmosphere inside the living space which also has an impact on the outside surroundings.

Vegetation, Landscaping is definitely a part of Green Building Design but that is not all which would make the building green.

In this article, we are going to discuss the goals of Green Buildings or rather I should say the “Principles of Green Buildings”.

If we are successful in achieving these principles, we will definitely be able to successfully design not just “A green Building” but also create a Green environment.

Earlier we discussed, various Passive and Active features of Green Building Design. Passive Features form an indispensible part of Green Building Design. That is the most primary and important step to be achieved in order to create a sustainable and Green environment.

Water Efficiency in the Interiors | Principles of Green Architecture

December 3, 2010 by Architect

Water Efficient Techniques for the interiors

We have already discussed the classification for the study of Water efficiency, it is as follows:

Interiors
Exteriors
Stormwater Reuse

In this article, we will discuss various aspects and ways that will help determine various ways in which we can save and conserve water and use it to its best possible way.

Ways of efficient utilization of water in the interiors

Using water less urinals

Using waterless urinals is quite common in the West but this concept is rejected in the Asian countries. The major advantage of using waterless urinals is that it saves on average 20,000 to 45,000 gallons of water a year.

Working of water less urinal

Urine flows down the bowl of the urinal past a debris-catching strainer.

The urine then passes through a sealing liquid.

The urine sinks through the sealing liquid and the oil floats on top of the layer of urine below.

Any air bubbles rise to the top and escape leaving the urine in a relatively low oxygen environment.

Odour is therefore trapped below the oil layer .

Water Efficiency | Principles of Green Architecture

December 2, 2010 by Architect

Necessity for Water Efficiency

Water Efficiency is one of the seven key principles of Green Architecture. All of us are pretty much aware of the water shortage across the globe. The climatic changes have reduced the extent of rainfall in many parts of the world. The climatic changes are reaching their extremes. There are either droughts or floods but not proper rainfall.

Study of Global Warming and Climate change also forms the part of the study of Green Architecture. It helps you understand the gravity of the consequences that the world is facing already because of the human activities today. Why creation of sustainable environment is so important?

In our previous articles regarding “Principles of Green Architecture”, we have listed seven important principles of Green Architecture. They are as follows:

Site and its surroundings
Energy Efficiency
Water Efficiency
Material Efficiency
Indoor Air Quality
Waste Reduction
Low maintenance costs

There are two key objectives to be analysed when studying water efficiency:

Reduction in Water consumption
Preserving the quality of water

Achieving these two key objectives is the second ultimate goal of Green Architecture…

Rainwater Harvesting – Need of the Hour | Green Building feature

October 11, 2016September 18, 2010 by Architect

Green Buildings – Rainwater Harvesting

When we are talking about the incorporation of various design features that would make the building green, it is not just the expensive materials that consume less energy or are less energy intensive. Earlier we discussed various Active and Passive features to be incorporated to make the building green without increasing the cost of infrastructure by purchasing expensive green materials.

Following green principles and design features that would make the building energy efficient and green also results in Sustainable Development which has become the prime need of the time.

Rainwater Harvesting is one such design feature that is to be incorporated in any kind of building; be it a commercial or residential complex.

Rainwater Harvesting is a technology in which individual building or a group of buildings collect and utilize rainwater during the rainy season. This water can be stored in storage tanks and used for non-domestic purposes.