MODULE 5

SUSTAINABLE
ENGINEERING

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SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES

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Methods for increasing energy efficiency
of buildings
Optimizing the orientation of buildings in space
– Architects can increase the energy efficiency of
building by optimizing the orientation and
interrelation of building in accordance to the macro
and micro climatic conditions of the site and applying
bioclimatic architectural principles.
1)Landscaping: Proper landscaping can reduce direct sun
from striking and heating up building surface.
2) Location of water bodies: Location of water bodies
near to buildings can modify temperature fluctuations

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  Design and construction of Building: The design elements that will

directly affect thermal comfort of buildings and thereby the energy

consumption

1)Building form (surface to volume ratio of the building): The volume of

space inside a building that needs to be heated or cooled is related to the
surface area of the envelope enclosing that volume.

2) Building envelope: The components of the building envelope (roof,

walls and fenestration) and the materials and techniques employed in its
construction are the key determinants of heat gain and loss from a
building.

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Design of passive structures: Energy efficiency of a
building can be increased by installing the following
passive heating and cooling structures and devices
1)Sunspace: A sunspace is an aesthetically pleasing living
space with sloped glazing and with insulated, unglazed end
walls that will trap heat on sunny winter days. Ideally
sunspace should face south.
2)Wind towers or wind catchers: They are small towers of
different shapes and structures installed on top of buildings.
They take the outside air into the building and serve as a
natural ventilation system
3) Earth-air tunnel: They are wind towers connected to an
underground tunnel or tubes. The temperature a few meters
below the ground is almost constant throughout the year.

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  Passive lighting designs: Increased passive lighting will reduce
the lighting load during day time, increasing the energy efficiency
of the building.
 Wind-driven roof ventilators: They appear like vertical axis
windmills with very light blades and with an air sweeper at the
base.
 Use of alternate energy sources: Use of solar (thermal and /or
photo-voltaic) and wind energy for micro-generation of electricity
which can reduce the dependency on grid electricity.
 Use of energy efficient gadgets: use of energy efficient gadgets
for cooking, pumping, heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting etc.,
increase the energy efficiency of buildings.
 The Variable refrigerant volume (VRV) system: This is a
modern air-conditioning system, highly efficient under partial
load conditions. It is used in areas with varying occupancies such
as office block, laboratories, dining halls etc.
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The different green building rating
programmes
BREEAM
Building Research Establishment’s Environmental
Assessment Method (BREEAM), developed in the
United Kingdom in 1990 covers a range of building
types including—offices, homes, industrial units,
retail units, and schools.
 The overall building performance is rated as ‘Pass’,
‘Good’, ‘Very Good’ or ‘Excellent’ based on the score.

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 GBTool

International Framework Committee for the Green

Building Challenge, developed GBTool.

It includes criteria in categories such as Site Selection,

Project Planning and Development; Environmental

Loadings; Energy and Resource Consumption; Indoor
Environmental Quality; Long-Term Performance etc.
Criteria are assessed using local benchmarks of ‘typical’
practice.
Scores are given from -1 (if below typical practice) to +5

representing good to very high performance.

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 LEED

 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) was developed

in US (in1998) as a consensus-based building rating system. Using a

whole building environmental performance approach the rating system
addresses specific environmental building related impacts.

 CASBEE

 Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental

Efficiency (CASBEE) was developed in Japan, in 2001. This system is
based on the building’s life cycle: pre-design, new construction, existing
buildings, and renovation. Points are awarded for different parameters
and the results are presented as a measure of eco-efficiency or Building
Environmental Efficiency (BEE).
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 GRIHA -Green rating for integrated habitat assessment
(GRIHA) is an Indian green building rating system,
developed in 2005 by the Centre for Research on
Sustainable Building Science (CRSBS) in ‘The Energy and
Resources Institute’ (TERI).
All buildings (including offices, spaces, institutional
buildings, hotels, hospital buildings, health care facilities
and housing complexes) except industrial complexes that
comply with the mandatory requirements which are in the
design stage are eligible for certification under the GRIHA
system.
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Different categories for which points
are given in the GRIHA system
 Pre-construction stage: Intra- and inter-site issues like location
of property, soil type, biodiversity before activity, nearness to
public transport and the like are addressed at this stage.
 Building planning and construction stages: The main focus is
on the resources like land, water, energy, vegetation and air.
Various aspects of resources like its conservation, utilization
efficiency, recovery and reuse and aspects of health and well-
being of occupants are considered in this stage.
 Building operation and maintenance stage: Issues of
operation and maintenance of building system processes,
monitoring and recording of consumption, occupant health and
well-being, and issues that affect global and local environment
are dealt at this stage.
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GREEN BUILDINGS IN INDIA
Green buildings are becoming an integral part of modern
India.
Over the years, green buildings have taken the front seat
in many government initiatives like Smart Cities Mission,
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and Atal Mission
for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).
The real estate sector in India has taken note of
the benefits of going green and hence many famous green
buildings have been built in the country over the last
decade.

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Suzlon One Earth, Pune
The first name on our list of top green buildings in
India is Suzlon One Earth located in Pune.
The building received its LEED Platinum rating in 2010.
The principal architect of Suzlon One Earth, Charles
Benninger designed the building in such a way that 90%
of the building receives natural daylight.
 Efficient ventilation ensures regulation of fresh air in the
building and reduced energy consumption.

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CII- Sohrabji Godrej Green Business
Centre, Hyderabad
Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre is the first LEED
Platinum certified building in India.
The roof of the building is covered with vegetation to
keep temperatures regulated. The large array of solar
panels installed on the buildings generate around 100-120
units of electricity.
This makes Godrej Green Business Centre one of the
most energy-efficient buildings in India.

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ITC Maurya, New Delhi
ITC Maurya is one of the first and largest LEED Platinum
rated hotels on the planet.
The hotel has been on numerous occasions received
awards for being an eco-friendly hotel in India.
 What makes ITC Maurya stand out is that it recycles over
90% of its waste.

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Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan, New
Delhi
 The office of Ministry of External Affairs, Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan
is designed in sync with the environment and its surroundings.
 The external design of the building is derived from Lutyen’s era while
the interior is completely state-of-the-art.
 Insulated walls keep the building cool in summers and reduce air
conditioning requirements by 30%.
 Reflecting panels do not let the building get heated in summers while
keeping it warm in winters.
 Efficient waste management and recycling account for better resource
management.
 CFLs have been installed along with vertical gardens giving the
building a distinct look.
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ITC Green Centre, Gurgaon
ITC Green Centre has received the prestigious LEED
certification by USGBC-LEED.
 With green and sustainable building techniques used
during the construction phase, ITC Green Centre has
managed to reduce its energy consumption significantly.
Double glazed windows do not allow heat to enter the
building and double gaze insulation regulates temperature
in the building.

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Infinity Benchmark, Kolkata
Infinity Benchmark in Kolkata has been awarded the
LEED certification for efficient use of energy saving
techniques.
To reduce pollution levels, electric vehicles are used for
commuting within the complex. CO2 monitoring sensors
ensure that when CO2 levels rise, necessary measures are
taken.
Insulated walls regulate the temperatures in the building
thus reducing the need for artificial cooling or heating.

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 GREEN BUILDINGS
IN THE WORLD

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Reforma Tower (Mexico) – The Energy-efficient
Skyscraper
 Reforma Tower inaugurated in 2016 is the second tallest skyscraper in
the country with 57 floors.
 Designed by the LBR&A architectural firm, the building is considered
as a sustainability benchmark in the whole of Latin America.
 The greatest reason is that it owns a LEED Platinum pre-certification
for embracing highly efficient management of resources.
 The structure saves 24% of energy and 30% of water consumption. It
also harvests rainwater for consumption with a more interesting fact
that it gets treated within the building.
 So, it doesn’t have a drainage system at all! Moreover, robotic parking
curbs carbon emissions while the elevators innovatively provide
shelter against earthquakes or fires.

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Corallo House (Guatemala) – Home
Around Trees
Corallo House is a residential phenomenon situated in Santa
Rosalia, covering 747 square metres.
PAZ Arquitectura designed the structure without disturbing
the existing trees in the place.
 The layout of the house integrates into the natural exterior –
which is a forest.
The aim was to preserve the trees while building a living
space that interacts with nature.
 Glass facades play the important role of the merge. Besides,
the floor plan is without columns and adapts to the existing
topography.
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Sunshine Coast University Hospital –
Australia’s “Sustainability Superstar”
Australia is known for its dozens of green offices.
But this is the first time the nation received its largest healthcare
facility granted Six Star Green Star ratings for design and
construction.
A $1.8 billion project, Sunshine Coast University Hospital has been
recognised as the best public building.
This came after it received the 2019 Rider Levett Bucknall/Property
Council of Australia Innovation and Excellence Awards.
Nicknamed as the “sustainability superstar” by the judging panels,
it reflects harmony between energy efficiency and human-centric
design.
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The Whitepod Eco Resort (Switzerland) – Low-
impact Hotel
The Whitepod Eco Resort nestled amidst the snow-covered
mountains in Switzerland was awarded the World Prize for
Sustainable Tourism.
The highlight of the hotel is the innovative low-impact pods.
These accommodation spaces are built with a self-sustaining
frame and heated with a wood stove.
Other eco-friendly features are water-saving devices, timeouts for
boilers, LED lighting, and natural spring water for drinking.
The resort uses solar energy in areas possible and keeps lighting
at night to a minimum.
Considering the green features, this can be regarded as the most
eco-conscious yet beautiful green hotel on Earth.
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Suzlon One Earth (India) – Office Powered
By 100% Renewable Energy
We have on our list the largest and one of the first green offices in
India to receive a LEED Platinum rating in 2010.
Architect Charles Benninger designed the building in such a way
that 90% of the interior receives natural light.
Spread over 10-acre area, the office is 100% powered by offsite and
onsite renewable sources.
18 wind turbines have been installed within the campus which
account for 7% of the total energy usage.
The rest comes from offsite wind turbines.
A water percolation system is another outstanding feature that
controls stormwater runoff, adding to an increase in the water
table.
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Ghana Ridge Hospital (Ghana) – Self-
supporting Building
 Among the ten examples of how buildings can become sustainable, the
Ghana Ridge Hospital in Accra is the most inspiring.
 This is owing to the fact that the city built a self-sustainable healthcare
facility despite significant challenges.
 And after completion, it received a LEED certification which was
actually not expected.
 It was 2004 when the construction began and the city was facing 159
days of blackouts in a year.
 There were also challenges like the lack of infrastructure to support
green buildings. Hence, its architects Perkins+Will adopted ways to
design and build with whatever was locally available.
 They installed natural ventilation without any expensive HVAC system.

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Irena Headquarters (UAE) – The Least Wasteful
Building

 International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) headquarters located

in Masdar City is the most sustainable building in the UAE.
 It is the first-ever to receive a four Pearl rating from the Abu Dhabi
Urban Planning – which is equal to LEED platinum rating.
 The building houses a solar rooftop with 1,000 square metres of solar
panels generating 305,000 kilowatts/hours of electricity per year.
 It harnesses 95% of the energy produced by elevators and 75% of
heat from AC systems and reuses it as energy.
 As a whole, the seven-storey structure consumes 64% less energy and
50% less water than traditional ones in Abu Dhabi.
 So, it is one of the least wasteful buildings in the world.

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The Crystal (UK) – 100% Water Reused
 The Crystal in London belongs to one of the leading tech companies
Siemens.
 The office attracts thousands of visitors each year for being the ‘urban
sustainable landmark.
 Almost every ray of natural light entering the premises is utilised.
 Smart lighting is installed for which the power comes from solar panels.

 A combination of LED and fluorescent lights switches on and off

automatically depending on the daylight.
 Other interesting features of the office include Rainwater harvesting and
Black Water Recycling.
 While the roof collects rainwater, the sewage water is recycled, purified and
converted into potable water.
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Sandbag Houses (South Africa) – One Of A
Kind Greenest House
Sandbag Houses in Freedom Park, Cape Town, South Africa inspires the
world on how money and resources can be conserved.
These houses were built replacing brick and mortar with sandbags by the
company called EcoBeams with a mere $6000 investment.
The natural material is reported to be strong, safe and inexpensive in
delivering affordable housing.
What surprises more is that the sand was collected from dunes located just
100 metres away from the site.
Meaning that there were no transportation charges involved.
More interestingly, the construction was completed with the help of its future
residents.
Least you would imagine that the sandbags are heaped inside timber frames
and plastered on top.

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 A SUSTAINABLE CITY IN HONG-
KONG

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 The salient features that can be seen in
sustainable cities are:
Adequate availability of built environment in
harmony with the environment: This is achieved by
investing in green buildings constructed with green
building materials both for private and public
infrastructure.
Adequate Supply of food and other commodities:
Promote organic farming for bringing sustainability in food
production. Encourage the consumption of locally
produced food and other commodities as far as possible.
Use appropriate varieties of crops for increased production
and disease resistance; invest in urban agriculture and
sustainable storage infrastructure.

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  Adequate Supply of fresh water: For adequate supply of water, use of all
the modern water conservation techniques like rainwater harvesting,
intentional ground water recharge, prudent and scientific redirection of
rivers, scientific watershed management etc. has to be practiced
 Reduced energy demand: Decreased energy demand can be achieved by
approaches like conservation of energy in houses, industries and agriculture
practices, appropriate use of energy-saving gadgets and approaches,
increasing access to clean energy in poor households etc.
 Decreased instances of heat island formation: Heat island formation
(which increases energy demand, reduction of comfort and localization of
pollutants) can be reduced by scientific town planning in which proper
placing of buildings in accordance to the wind flow pattern of the region is
done.
 Adequate health and sanitation facilities: It increases the health and well-
being of the population increasing the productivity.
 Adequate transportation facilities for men and materials: This has to be
done by establishing green public transportation, integration of different
transportation systems and promoting non mechanized transport (e.g.
Bicycle) wherever possible

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  Adequate communication facilities: Adequate and affordable communication
facilities to be provided.
 Use of sustainable waste management systems: Promotion of sustainable
waste management systems to be followed. Promote decentralization in waste
management by supporting households and small firms to do their own waste
management
 Reduced environmental degradation:-This includes, integration of
protection of ecosystems and biodiversity in development plans, industrial green
transformation, prevention of altered land use wherever possible, sustainable
approach in agricultural practices and adoption of pollution mitigation
technology.
 Prevention of the growth of slums: To reduce the growth of slums investment
and access to affordable housing and creation of job needs to be done.
 Adequate care of the aged: Create productive employment for older persons,
and extend their working age to reduce their dependency on others as far as
possible. Investment in universal pensions; support for family networks and
investment in geriatric health infrastructures can improve the commitment of
the society towards them.
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 Maintenance of law and order: Investment to keep a
good and efficient police force with adequate
equipments and weapons is a positive step towards this.
Reduction of inequality and financial fragility:
Reduce the number of urban poor by reducing
unemployment and underemployment by increasing
investments and financing in job creation programmes.
Adequate and affordable social, cultural and
recreation facilities to all
Promote adaptation and mitigation efforts to
climate change: Adaptation to climate change is a
positive step to reduce the vulnerability of livelihoods
to the ill effects of global warming
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SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT
Any means of transport with low impact on
environment
Improving walking and cycling environment
Hybrid vehicles with better fuel efficiency
Promoting public transport system

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The strategies for achieving sustainable
transportation
 Develop a long-term vision of a desirable transport policy:
The policy should take into consideration the local topography of
the region, integration of different modes of transport available,
impact on the environment like habitat loss etc.
 Promotion of public transport system: To accommodate the
large increase in traffic, public transportation is the need of the
hour rather than widening the roads for accommodating the
increase in public vehicles
 Develop efficient traffic management systems: Develop
intelligent traffic management systems (for traffic lights and other
signals, as well as for toll, parking and electrification systems) that
will continuously monitor the traffic situation and direct traffic
signals to function according to the flow of traffic.
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 Develop emergency management systems: Ensure emergency
management systems are in place in order to respond to
transportation-related accidents and emergencies.
 Reduce congestion of private vehicles: Introduce car sharing and
vehicle holidays for odd and even numbered vehicles on alternate
days to reduce the number of vehicles on roads.
 Promotion of rail and water transport: Since they remain the
most fuel-efficient carriers of goods and materials, popularization
and development of these modes of transport is a good option for
sustainability.
 Integrate different transport modes: Use other transportation
options to increase the transportation efficiency.
 Use of alternate energy sources in transportation: Promoting
the use electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles (electric/fuel or
wind/fuel in the case of ships using automated sail system) and
the use of bio-fuels can relieve the stress on conventional
fossil fuels.
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  Increase the efficiency of automobiles: By increasing the efficiency
of engines (using turbo charges and innovative designs) and
vehicle light weighting (decreasing the weight of vehicles by using
carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic and the like), we can conserve fossil fuel.
 Reduction of pollution from transportation: Every effort to be taken
to reduce all sorts of pollution from transport industry by employing
catalytic converters, modifying and tuning engines, using purified fuel
etc.
 Minimum impact on the environment: Sustainable transportation
systems must make efficient use of land and other natural resources
ensuring the preservation of ecosystems, historical sites, archaeological
resources, aesthetics and reduced loss of agricultural and recreational
lands around urban areas.
 Reclaim city space for walking and non-mechanised vehicles: Many
rapidly motorizing cities are rapidly losing their walking and cycling
spaces. This is destroying the scope of using comfortably the most
sustainable mode of transport (namely walking and cycling) at least for
short distances.
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 Ensure coordination of public and private sector
stakeholders: Ensure the participation in transportation
planning and development activities. This will ensure the
understanding of the needs of different communities.
Anticipation of impacts of transportation industry:
Anticipate environmental, economic and social impacts of
transportation-related decisions instead of reacting to them
after their occurrence.
Cost effectiveness: Sustainable transportation systems must
be cost effective. For making it cost effective:
Identify subsidies (hidden or otherwise) to all modes of
transport and make transportation decisions accordingly.
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The impacts of transportation sector on
sustainability

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  Challenges or problems associated with the transportation sector in
different dimensions of sustainability objectives are as follows:
 Environmental Dimension
 Air, water and noise pollution: Transportation sector causes
environmental and noise pollution. Pollutants from the automobiles
contribute to the formation of smog, acid rain and global warming.
 Habitat loss and degradation: For the construction and
development of transportation facility, we change the land use pattern
by reclaming wetlands, deforestation, levelling of ground etc. This
will result in the destruction of habitats of animals and plants.
 Loss of aesthetics of the region: Wild and hasty development of
transportation facility can harm the aesthetics of the region. For
example an over bridge, fly over or a metro can spoil the aesthetics of
regions if not properly designed.
 Depletion of non-renewable resources: Depletion of fossil fuel is
the most notable feature of the transportation sector because 95% of
the energy required for this sector is met by the petroleum fuels.

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  Economic Dimension
 Traffic congestion causing fuel wastage resulting in
economic loss: Increase in the number of vehicles cause frequent
traffic jams. tendency on the part of users to avoid public
transport and use private vehicles, causing a vicious cycle of
increase in vehicles and traffic jams. It increases fuel wastage and
result in economic losses.
 Mobility barriers: Improper traffic signalling systems and
routing traffic through specific ways can cause mobility barriers to
people reducing their direct access to other people, places, goods
and services. Mobility barrier can become a hindrance to the
social and economic well-being of communities.
 Improper traffic signalling systems: cause mobility barriers.
 Crash damages: When population and vehicles increase, crash
damages increase. Around 1.35 lakhs people die on Indian Roads
every year. The loss of property is enormous.
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 Social Dimension
Inequity of impacts: Impacts from transportation sector is
felt more by the people of the lower strata. Land acquisition
of many of the transportation projects look for cheap lands
which normally be occupied by the lower strata people.
Mobility disadvantage to some people: A railway track
literally causes mobility disadvantage to the people on either
side of it. They will be held at railway crossings or would
have to travel a long distance for a crossing.
Loss of walking and cycling spaces: Many rapidly
motorizing cities are rapidly losing their walking and
cycling spaces. This is destroying the scope of using
comfortably the most sustainable mode of transport
(namely walking and cycling) at least for short distances.
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