1st Edition

Green Structures Energy Efficient Buildings

By Satyajit Ghosh, Abhinav Dhaka Copyright 2015
    200 Pages
    by CRC Press

    The world is beginning to feel the crunch of depleting conventional energy sources and these desperate times call for exploring newer vistas in terms of alternative sources of energy. The construction sector is expected to require a major overhaul involving strategic advancements in the utilization of green energy given the rapid urban growth. A number of policy initiatives to mainstream energy efficiency are in place in most countries that are expected to accelerate energy efficiency and sustainability in buildings. Streamlining the green building movement requires coordinated monitoring and intelligent control of a building's vital functions. This can be achieved through building management systems (BMS) involving the integration of structures, systems, services, and management. Green building movements should examine the potential of power generation from urban, municipal, and industrial wastes. Equitable distribution of water resources should be carefully planned—monsoon-dominated countries should adopt efficient rain-water harvesting measures to provide clean water to thirsty nations.

    These overarching concepts are well woven into themed chapters in Green Structures: Energy Efficient Buildings. Easily comprehensible to undergraduates in civil, structural, and environmental engineering; graduate students and researchers; town planners; and architects worldwide, the content of this book not only comes from courses on energy efficient buildings taught by the authors, but also from new and original research. This definitive resource has an enduring appeal for all those concerned with green structures.

    THE ESSENCE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY
    Energy Efficiency in Buildings
    Overview and Historical Perspective
    Energy and Environment 

    SERENE SETTINGS
    Siting and Microclimate
    Climate and Energy within the Indian Context
    Macro and Micro Climate
    Nuances of Siting
    Temperature Profile, Degree Days, Windspeed and Direction
    Landscaping
    Precipitation Profiling and Driving Rain
    Solar Radiation and India's Solar Profile
    Infiltration and Ventilation
    Building Cooling 

    SPATIAL COGNIZANCE
    Building Form
    Traditional and Extant Forms
    Form Dependent Natural Energy Utilization
    Volume and Cooling
    Lighting and Thermal Method of Design
    Building Clusters

    BUILDING FABRIC
    Extant Fabric and Fabric of the Future
    Windows
    Doors and Floors
    Walls and Masonry
    Ecological Walling Systems
    Super Insulation
    Case Studies: Thermal Comfort in Office Buildings
    Green Facades: Case Studies

    RENEWABLE MEASURES
    Renewable Energy
    Solar Energy
    Wind Energy
    Energy from BioMass
    Rainwater Harvesting in Monsoon Driven Countries
    Waste to Energy 

    PERCEPTIONS AND REALITY
    Green Building Ratings
    Global Warming Potentials, Carbon Credits and Clean Development Mechanism
    Indices for Labelling of Building Energy
    Bureau of Energy Efficiency
    Energy Auditing and Monitoring Softwares
    Environmental Assessment Methods : BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmetal Assessment Method)
    Energy Conservation Building Code
    Energy Rating of Appliances
    Building Rating Systems

    Biography

    Dr. Satyajit Ghosh is senior professor in the School of Mechanical and Building Sciences at VIT University, India. He is also an associate member of the School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, UK. He has worked for 20 years in leading British universities in many branches of the atmospheric and environmental sciences. After receiving his Ph.D from IIT Delhi, he pursued his post-doctoral research at Cambridge University, UK as a National Science Talent Search Scholar, mainly working on environmental flows. Whilst in the UK, he developed interest in energy efficient buildings and broader issues relating to sustainability, environmental impact assessment, and climate change. Although he is a renowned cloud microphysicist, his research expertise covers many other areas of dispersed flows including heat and mass transfer processes on green facades and roofs. He has been published extensively in peer-reviewed international journals. Currently, he is an associate editor of the journal Atmospheric Science Letters published by the Royal Meteorological Society, UK.

    Abhinav Dhaka is currently director at Abhinav Infratech Pvt. Ltd. His core area of business deals with design and construction of overhead and underground water-retaining structures for real estate conglomerates. Whilst his master’s thesis dealt with parametric modeling for office buildings, his current research is mainly comprised of sustainable architecture. His New Delhi residence adopts green measures—solar powered water heaters, rain water harvesting tanks, and a building form that enhances natural light and ventilation capabilities and a flourishing green cover. He is a civil engineer by training, educated at VIT University, India and the Technical University of Eindhoven, Netherlands.