Glass and Orientation for Green Buildings

Glazing of a green building should reflect harmony of daylight and shading, views and protection, energy conservation, cost of material as well as highlight the individual character of the building.

The usage of high performance glass contributes towards achieving several points in the LEED rating system, and helps reduce energy consumption as well as increase the comfort of occupants. Glass selection for a Green Building has to be a well thought out affair to maximize the benefits from the glazing. Low quality glass would increase energy consumption for air conditioning unnecessarily, while a darker glass would increase artificial lighting load. Also the design of glazed areas in the building has great impact on energy consumption - daylight as well as maintenance costs too. An excellent design of a green building with respect to glazing requires a dedicated architect and inputs from the glass manufacturer, the green building consultant and a façade consultant. There are a few thumb rules, which help everyone in the design team to make the building energy-efficient and comfortable for the occupants:

Orientation:
East & West

The east and west side of the building façade receives a lot of direct radiation, this heats up the building and allows sunlight to enter through the glass which may result in glare and discomfort to the occupants.

Green measures focus on choosing a low Solar factor glass and also plan for some passive designs like: shading. Preferably the east and west façade of the building should have lesser openings or glass with high solar performance compared to south and north facades. Non air conditioned areas like staircases, lift shafts, machine rooms, wash rooms and corridors can be oriented as buffer spaces on the east and west. Glazed areas on these orientations should be optimized and/or shaded from direct sunlight. Some of the architectural design strategies of fenestration system include vertical fins. Glass must indicate a low solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) and a low U-value. High performance glass double glazed with solar control coating provides insulation from solar and thermal heat gain.

North & South

North and South Façades of the building are the best orientations to maximize benefits from glass ie for day lighting. Workstations, offices and regularly occupied areas find best conditions if oriented to these sides. Green building design achieves to strike a balance of bringing daylight into the space and shading windows from direct sunlight. For south façade glazing overhangs help in cutting solar heat gain through windows.

The selected glass for this orientation should have a low U-value and a high VLT to allow sufficient daylight into the room.

There are numerous other green building strategies to optimize the use of glass and selection of the correct glass type which include:

-Energy Simulation and Daylight Simulation
A computer assisted simulation helps to make a decision on the right glass type as well as the shading strategies. Energy savings can be calculated and different types of glazing solution can be compared on a case to case basis.

-Window-Wall Ratio
The wall to window ratio in a green building should be between 25% - 45% depending on the design of the building. Spandrel glazing can be used additionally.

-Shading Devices
For maximum glazed areas it shading devices like louvers, blinds or fins can be introduces. Best Results can be achieved if the shading device is optimized for the specific orientation and installed on the outside.

-Double Glazed Units
Double glazed units maximize the benefits from the glazing and are a prerequisite to many green standards as they provide a much higher insulation value (U-value) compared to single glass.

-Building Integrated Photovoltaic
Photovoltaic panels can also be integrated in the façade to simultaneously tap the solar energy to generate electricity.
The different green building strategies are part of a series initiated by GlassisGreen.com and will be discussed over the next few months. For more information on the topic please write to
designstudio@saint-gobain.com

Green Healing; LEED Certified Health Care

Author: Ar Mayank Kaushal (Max Healthcare)

The new trend in India is to craft green buildings by focusing on environment friendly options which are LEED rated, ECBC compliant or Griha rated. Also, the sudden wake in the construction industry is good for the country as a whole, and one cannot sideline factors like environmental protection, global warming, and good and healthy building construction practice among others in this infrastructure growth.

Max Healthcare, having created a distinction in healthcare with a clear focus on service and medical Excellencies, also nurtures a vision to incorporate the best practices in its infrastructure. With a built up area of approx 0.23 million sq.ft , The “Max Super Specialty Hospital” in Patparganj received LEED India Gold Rating under IGBC and is the First LEED certified Hospital Building of Northern India and also the first building in Delhi to be awarded the Gold Rating with LEED Certification.

It houses 258 bed facilities with best patient care services in sync with the technology and strives to merge sustainable features within the complex services of a Tertiary Care Super Specialty Hospital Building. It is designed to enhance the maintenance of health, rather than the management of disease, reduce stress by creating a more relaxed environment and support inmates’ dignity and identity. The basic design principles include, ‘the healing environment’, patient focus, energy efficiency, life cycle costing involving a wealth of previous experience/post occupancy evaluation, knowledge of current and future trends, value for money, community involvement with cultural references, natural light and views, clarity of entrances and circulation (people oriented).

The hospital uses energy-efficient light fixtures which reduce the power consumption and further the air-conditioning power load because of less heat from fixtures. The power consumption (post survey) shows reduced energy levels of more than 18 percent which includes power usages of machines and equipments used in the hospital. The building also maintains the LPD (Light Power Density) of as low as 0.7 watts per sq.ft. of area which is very low for hospital lighting design. Power savings are achieved without sacrificing the Lux level of such a critical environment, the hospital maintains the Lux required by NBC (National Building Code).
The project has given significant importance to air-conditioning, heat reduction and incorporated passive green measures such as High performance solar & thermal insulated double glazed glass windows and facade, reflective roof top tiles etc, to reduce maximum heat impact on the building. The building follows ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers) which is the bench mark standard for HVAC and is known for their accuracy in calculating permutations and combinations for savings (LEED recognizes and follow these standards). The hospital uses R134a, which is worldwide considered as safe refrigerant. Post completion, stringent indoor air quality checks were carried out on-site to ensure that the best quality of air is circulated for the end users. To maintain good air quality standards, the hospital has also used low VOC compounds for all finishing materials such as paints, adhesives, etc.

Glass being the only construction material that provides the benefits of daylight integration & blending of interiors with exteriors (Outdoor views) helped achieve the objectives of being green and enhancing aesthetics required for a temple of healing. The introduction of daylight and outside views at strategic points within the building plan enhance the quality of the internal environment - mandatory for a hospital environment. Productivity of building users (Working staff) & mental harmony of the patients & visitor increases within a properly ventilated day lit and well designed environment. The building is designed to use less energy, with a more economical running and maintenance cost in the long term. The design of the project focuses on careful attention to, Orientation, design and planning for user comfort rather than the costly innovation or high maintenance controls. Glass brought into the design - the advantage of being a clean & easy maintainance material that also helps bring in a Hygienic & clean environment.

Saint-Gobain advanced Solar Control & thermal insulation Low-e glass SGG Tropica Green (KT 440) was used for the glass facade for building envelope. The Glass with adequate light transmission of 30% allows soothing natural daylight - eliminating the use of artificial lights during daytime operation & use of venation blinds. The High Solar & thermal properties of 0.20 & 1.8 W/SqmK respectively reduce the heat gain and hence the cooling requirements. The low internal reflection of 12% eliminates "Mirror effect" that occurs during evenings when artificial lights are ON, this is a key aspect of design intent for glass selection because it allows vision beyond the carpet area & eliminates "Claustrophobic" effect due to enclosed spaces - again a welcome atmosphere for a healing environment. The Green Colour symbolizes harmony and brings in a sense of faster cure for the inmates - the patients.

The UV transmission of glass is as low as 6%, a key functional aspect that helps keep the lit interiors safe from harmful and hazardous UV radiation.
Keeping all LEED certification measures as top priority, Max Healthcare has declared its commitment towards the environment protection campaign. The Max Super Specialty Hospital Palparganj will now encourage and accelerate the global adoption of the concept of a Green Building and has become a paradigm not only for the upcoming hospitals, but also for the green building aspirants of the nation.

Thus, choosing a right glass contributed to the project's expectations of becoming a green citadel of healing.

Max Super Speciality Hospital’ in Patparganj, New Delhi.
Owner - Max Healthcare Institute Ltd.
Chief of projects - Mr Pritipal Singh
International Architect - Ar Richard Wood (Wood Associates)
Lead Architect - ArApurva Srivastava (Max Healthcare)
Project Architect (Green Building Coordinator)- ArMayank Kaushal (Max Healthcare)
Project Manager - Mr Vijay Kumar Tyagi
Plumbing Consultants – Kothari Associates.
Local Architect – Kothari Associates
Electrical Consultants - Kanwar KrishenAssociates PvtLtd
HVAC Consultants - Enviorocon Engineering Services
Area - 2,23,593 st ft
LEED Facilitator – Enviornmental Design Solutions

Role of Glass in Green Architecture

Green building design criteria emphasizes the energy-efficient performance of fenestration materials and maximum use of natural daylight. Given this background,
Glass is an indispensable material for green building. It has wide range of functional benefits. Its transparency allows day lighting of the interiors and integrates the interiors with the exteriors. Studies have proven time and again that this substantially improves the productivity and health of the occupants of the building.

Glass is completely recyclable and non-toxic in nature. It satisfies all the ecological parameters of being the most sought after “green” building material in Green Buildings. Moreover it harmonizes a structure with its environment.

Glass has varied “Green” benefits of which some of them are:

• Day lighting - The use of glass brings in lot of light that helps in giving high amount of natural day lighting instead of depending solely on artificial lighting thus reducing considerably electricity consumption.

• Blending interiors with exteriors (Views) - Glass facades give a spectacular view of the outside world from the cozy interiors.

• Recyclability - Glass being recyclable satisfies the important parameter of being a “Green” building material.

• Achieving energy efficiency - High performance glass helps in controlling the solar and thermal heat in the interiors and helps to maintain the temperature at its minimum best and in turn helps to tone down the air-conditioning expenses.

• Innovative application - Being very flexible building material Glass helps to satisfy and capture an architect's utmost imagination in its shape and form.

• Controls noise: Double glazed glass facades help in achieving a high degree of acoustic comfort by keeping away noise penetrating from the exteriors to the interiors thus ensuring a calmer atmosphere inside.

• Self Cleaning: The future belongs to self cleaning Glass which keeps itself clean on its own and brings out an ever sparkling effect.

Why to go Green?

Glass is Green Blog from Inspired to be Green

“Why to go Green” this is a frequently discussed topic, and I don’t want to start all over again with arguments like: We should stop global warming! Cut down on energy consumption! Save the world for our children! I guess all of us are aware of these facts. Let’s look at the question from a different perspective, the perspective of a businessperson. Does it make economic sense to go Green?
If you look at a standard product and a green product the first difference you will find is the price, and that is the point where a lot of people stop and say: “Green is expensive”. The statement: “Buy cheap, pay dearly” tells us that there could be more behind a higher price. There is certainly a bigger difference between the products then just the price, the product may be more energy or water efficient, not using any toxins or helping to reduce energy consumption and environmental damage. In general all green building products pay back the incremental cost within a few month or few years through the operating cost savings. It is like investing in land and property; we like to buy properties which promise increased property values after a few years. The same way investing in a green building and green building products can be profitable. It is important to assess the value of the green building product for the individual project and then make a decision if it is a worthwhile investment. If we take glass for example: a double glazed unit is certainly more expensive than single glass but the energy savings through implementing the double glazed unit could be a profitable investment. To make a clear decision if it is better to select the green and more energy efficient product or the standard one it is necessary to estimate the energy savings for the individual project with an energy simulation. At the end the savings potential must be compared with the incremental cost of the green alternative to calculate the return on investment. Rising energy costs give advantage to the energy efficient and green products, and in the future we can expect the energy cost to rise continuously.
So green building products can have a great impact on the energy performance of the building as well as on the operating cost, just imagine that the energy consumption could be reduced by 20-50% just by using the right products and a sustainable building design. The energy savings potential in buildings is like a hidden gold mine … it just needs some dedication and a little bit of time to find the “Green Gold”.
Stay inspired,

THE ZERO CARBON DESIGN

What is ZERO CARBON:

Taking an holistic approach to the minimisation of carbon emissions from a building by taking action to:
..Ensure energy efficiency.
..Use micro-generation and low or zero carbon energy technologies to move toward energy self-sufficiency of the building.

A Modern Evolution
The carbon emissions caused by the sourcing of materials and the construction of the building and its supporting infrastructure. A genuinely zero carbon building will payback the carbon invested in its construction through exporting zero carbon energy back into the national grid.

Advantages of Zero Carbon:

- Improved reliability and respect towards natural resources
- Extra cost is minimized for new construction compared to an afterthought retrofit
- Higher resale value as potential owners demand more ZEBs than available supply- Best planing and solution from future energy price increases
- Increased comfort due to more-uniform interior temperatures
- Reduced requirement for energy austerity
- Reduced total cost of ownership due to improved energy efficiency
- Reduced total net monthly cost of living
- The value of a ZEB building relative to similar conventional building should increase every time energy costs increase
- Future legislative restrictions, and carbon emission taxes/penalties may force expensive retrofits to inefficient buildings
- Utilization of more and more recycled products
- CSR by going green
- Step toward sustainable development

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Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

"Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies intended to improve performance in metrics such as energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts".

Some of indian LEED certified buildings:-

1. Mahindra Chloris, Faridabad:

Mahindra Chloris, the latest offering from Mahindra Lifespaces in the Delhi NCR, is a unique residential project. Part of one of the first LEED-CS (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Pre-certified Green Buildings, homes at Mahindra Chloris are absolutely eco-friendly and boast of IEC (Integrated E Concept) security.

Mahindra Chloris homes are not only electronically savvy, but extremely congenial, thanks to the shady green environs and the special emphasis on earthquake resistance. These homes are distinguished from most others thanks to their being complete entertainment hubs. Their E-connectivity allows residents to control their apartments from anywhere in the world.

2. Megapolis – Prime Residential Property at Hinjewadi:

Imagine a home where every day feels like a vacation. A place where you can get away from reality and become one with nature, with the realization that this is exactly what each day should be.

Megapolis, located at Hinjewadi, is a residential complex par excellence that blends the modern
conveniences of life with the pristine beauty of nature.
Located in a vast expanse of land that spans about 150 acres, Megapolis is an architectural wonder. Only 20% of the land is earmarked for residential property development, while the rest
is left green.

3. Palais Royale, Mumbai: Palais Royale is located on the land previously owned by Shree Ram Mills Ltd. in Lower Parel, Mumbai. It is the first supertall in India to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum rating for environmental sustainability. The luxury building will have 100 apartments with areas of 8,700 square feet (810 m2) and 14,000 square feet. With a floor plate of 5 lakh square feet, the premises will have amenities like a cinema house, spa, cricket pitch, badminton court, soccer field and three swimming pools. It will have 88 lakh square feet of total residential space.

The project involves over 30 international consultants. The architects working on it are M/s Talati Pantakhy Associates. Both the conceptual design and architectural layout were created by Dharnidhar Sharma.

4. BCIL T ZED Homes, Bangalore: TZED (ZED stands for Zero Energy Development) is located at airport Whitefield Road, Bangalore. This five-acre site comprises of 95 homes built on the principles of sustainable resources.

The great value of this experience lies in the demonstration, that modern comfort standards can still be met while associating with the principles of sustainable built environment, under the purview of the challenges posed by real estate market mechanisms and cost constraints.

The objective of BCIL was to build a campus for a self-reliant community, with autonomy in Water and Energy related issues and processes for Solid Waste and Wastewater management.

Every aspect of T Zed has been designed to conserve natural resources and to have minimal impact on the environment. In these homes, built-in, customized environment-friendly, zero electricity refrigerators, fully controlled air conditioning based 100 % on fresh air inputs, and built-in energy efficient lights are among the features that help to bring down energy consumption in the home while ensuring comfort levels and commanding a higher market value.

Principles of Green Architecture

Principles of Green Architecture: Energy Efficiency

• Design passive solar energy facilities use energy efficient appliances, solar panels and heat pump technology

• Use of computer sensor controlled energy saving devices; like automatic dimmers for lighting and occupancy sensors to adjust air-conditioning automatically

• Centralize plumbing, insulate cold/hot water piping

• Using energy saving lighting like CFL and natural light by more use of glass

• Install Monitor Power Management Software

• Use of low power computers

Principles of Green Architecture: Water Conservation

• collect rainwater for external use i.e. garden/washing car

• use water conserving appliances including toilets, shower, taps, washing machine and dish washer eg. Low flow faucets, water saving dual flush tanks

• reduce irrigation and surface water run-off

Principles of Green Architecture: Low Environmental Impact

• include water permeable landscape features

• enhance native bush and create edible gardens

• establish home recycling bins and garden composting.

Principles of Green Architecture: Building Materials

• Certified Wood - Specify wood from certified sustainably managed forests.

• select low volatile organic compounds (VOC) and toxic-free paints, finishes and adhesives

• use materials that permit the building membrane to 'breathe'

• apply natural floor surfaces such as tile, timber and linoleum

• use sustainable solid timbers rather than processed composite sheet materials

• use inert gypsum-based wall and ceiling linings.

• Rapidly Renewable Materials such as straw, bamboo and some woods

Principles of Green Architecture: Sustainability

• think globally -act locally

• reduce CO2 production, ozone and resource depletion, rainforest destruction and erosion

• encourage environmentally-friendly technologies and sustainable solutions

Principles of Green Architecture: Waste Reduction

• select materials using recycled components

• design for re-use and recycling

• control and reduce waste and packaging

• reduce resource consumption.

Principles of Green Architecture: Health and Wellbeing

• meet the basic physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the occupants

• consider healthy lighting, colour and sound, controlled temperature and humidity and good indoor air quality to enhance the living environment

• reduce formaldehyde emissions and use pollution fighting indoor plants

• create an asthma aware home i.e. no fitted carpets, reduced ledges, low-allergen gardens

• apply an integrated wiring system for lighting, power, security, fire alarm and audio facilities

• design a safe and user-friendly space

Principles of Green Architecture: Economic Performance

• consider maintenance of the space plus initial 'running costs' pay-back period

• strive for a balance between ecological integrity and economic viability.

Principles of Green Architecture: Community Support

• use local resources, skills, labor, crafts and art

• consider local facilities and utilities

Budget Green Architecture

‘Green’ or the eco-friendly elements incorporated in the design and the architecture of any building. That green design is expensive is a myth and there are simple ways that be included in the green design will break that myth.

Here are few suggestions for green design.

1. Plan it out:
list out all the basic and desired needs for your home or building. Planning of each and every thing in process lead to highly efficient and eco-friendly results.

2. Pick from home:
Begin your shopping for renovation at home. Apply your creativity to an old item that’s been lying useless and turn it to a nice home décor item.

3. Size issues:
Make sure your house and the rooms in there are specious. For this, you will have to take into consideration the right size of the furniture and other accessories with multi uses.

4. Go for a new color and more glass:
For utilizing natural or green light you should chose color which gives you more and more reflection or light for cost efficiency.

5. Shop smartly:
Don't just spend money invest it for long term benefits like solar system etc., use more and more recycled product for better result.

BEAUTY OF GLASS

The arrangement links the floors every room, visually and physically, with the garden thus reinforcing the feeling of being constantly at ground level. The huge front porch, which also serves as a parking garage, is carved into the hill, like a cave, leaving the top volume, as if “floating”in the green landscape. The gap created between the main volumes, is hosting the stairs that connect levels shifted to different heights and to give the impression of walking on the natural slope as if nature is part of the built environment.

The house was sited high enough to maximize the view from the house but low enough so that the view of the brow of the hill and the silhouette of trees was not disturbed. Contour lines were followed in the siting of the house, and views of granite platforms and outcrops maintained. The landscape has a directional or linear quality at various scales. The master planning objective was to utilize this quality to connect the residence with the vast scale of the setting rather than designing a domestic garden.

The plan of the Osler house is structured by a ground floor volume a suspended volume and a deck with an outdoor pool. The house is a poetic commentary on modern architecture above all on Brazilian modernism starting from a contemporary re-reading of the building materials and techniques. The box of concrete and wood on ground, houses the main suite, a bedroom, bathroom, the utilities area and the garage.

C. F. Møller Architects have developed two office-projects, Advice House and Lysholt Tower, for the client Lysholt Erhverv A/S. Both projects employ a simple, yet visually strong cladding with an unusual, colour-changing appearance. This week, KPMG were the first tenants to move into the new building. Advice House is the first completed building in the Lysholt Park, a new business-park north of Vejle, and is with its proximity to the motorway designated to act as landmark and eye-catcher for the entire development.

Green Lighting Tips

1. Utilization of Daylight:- the best source of light we know is (yes, you guessed it) the sun, which gives off free, full-spectrum light all day. Make the most of daylight by keeping your blinds open (sounds obvious but you might be surprised).

2. CFL: The better bulb:- Compact florescent bulbs (CFLs) are those swirley little guys that look like soft-serve ice cream cones. Actually, they come in a myriad of different shapes, sizes, and colors of light. Economically speaking, they're a great deal, too.

3. Utilize Reflection:- As the walls reflect upon one another, your chosen color will set the overall tone of the room, finding a happy balance that won't come at the cost of illumination or color.

4. Consider Mood Lighting:- Convenience store lighting could easily qualify as the most horrendous lighting known to man. If there's anything to be learned from this illumination faux-pas, it's that overhead lighting is unattractive.

5. Paint Your Rooms with Light color:- Beyond bulbs, there are simple renovations you can make on your own at home. You can maximize the light in a given room by choosing light colors and reflective materials for your walls, ceiling and floor.

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