DOW Competition: 2011

A. Team Introduction

Team name: artRay

Team member:

Anjali Manandhar, Student, M.Tech

Pradip Joshi, Architect

Vandita Agarwal, Architect

B. Site Analysis

Project site: Bhaisepati, Kathmandu, Nepal

Site area: 1361.61 sq.m

The reason for the selection of this particular site is it lies in planned residential zone in which most of the site requirements are fulfilled.

a. Topography:

- latitude : 27°42'N

- longitude : 85°22'E.

- Altitude : 1337 m above sea level

- The site is determined as per the given pdf template

- No water bodies or open drainage systems are seen in the site.

- Grassland area is present with some nearby building structures.

b. Climate:

- The average temperature : 18.3 °C (65 °F).

- Avg. max temp : 30 °C (86 °F) in May.

- Avg .min temp : 1 °C (34 °F) in January.

- Wind direction : south west to the north east

- Avg. precipitation : 1343 mm (52.9 in)

- Approx. 97 days ( June, July , Aug, Sept)

- Mean relative humidity :73.7%

- The rainy season : June to October (80% of annual rainfall)

- average hours of sunshine in 4.4 hrs/day in July and 9.0 hrs/day in February.

- On balance there are 2556 sunshine hours annually and approximately 7.0 sunlight hours for each day.

- http://www.climatetemp.info/nepal/

Inferences from Climate study:

· The climate of Kathmandu deviates within the Comfort Zone, due to warm summer and chilling winter.

· Attempt to keep the summer sun away and letting winter sun inside the buildings and open spaces.

· Maintaining comfort zone inside building through appropriate building envelop.

c. Infrastructure:

· The site is a part of plotted residential development area. There is good network of road, sewer lines, surface drainage, and telephone.

· The area also gets city supply for drinking water and electricity.

· The site is equally suitable for wireless communication, since there are no high barriers around the site.

d. Local Bye laws (for this site, area: 1361.61 sq. m )

Zone :Urban expansion zone

Buiding use :Residential

Max. ground coverage : 50%

Floor area ratio :1.25

Minimum setback :1.5m

C. Design Attempt

This is an attempt to design an affordable building with energy consciousness, for a better functioning of the building with maximum response and minimum impacts towards the environment. So the priority of the design is as follows :

- energy efficient

a. Integration of active and passive energy efficient techniques.

b. Natural Lighting, Air quality, and Open, compact planning.

c. non-wasteful , non-polluting

d. Integration of three residences via temporary connection of landscaping element to interlink building and nature

- economical ( in the long run)

a. sharing of spaces and resources through common activity areas

b. cost-effective building techniques

c. low running cost

d. flexible design

- attractive dwellings

a. identity and aesthetic of the buildings

b. Quality of the space

It however, will not compromise in its functional need and architectural expression, creating a homely environment and strong sense of place.

Further design solution includes following:

- Floor to floor height: 2.8m

- Parking: one car per residence + extra

An increased concern for energy efficiency and cost effectiveness has added more concern in designing built environment. In responding to these new forces, we have increasingly focused on three issues of design:

1. Energy efficient Measures:

a. Zoning :

· Response to natural light and wind movement.

· Segregation of public , semi –public and private spaces

· Common recreation hall at the central block

· Linking the other two blocks

· Colonnaded area gives a sense of inter-linkage open spaces

· Common Garden for : recreation

· Wind movement and receiving sun light

· Sense of Arrival

b. Orientation:

· The three residences are placed along the east west axis to maximize the south orientation. The most used spaces are then oriented south east direstion. The idea is to utilize the winter sun and avoid summer sun by shadings.

c. Circulation:

· Central Garden directs people into 3 different buildings.

· Semi-covered path to link the three buildings externally.

d. Open, compact planning:

· The use of the open plan and the compact as per the need of the function evolved in response to efficient residence design and the need for greater flexibility where possible. Open planning is used for a number of reasons.

· Better flexibility in planning public and semipublic spaces.

· Better natural lighting and ventilation.

· Circulation space economy

· Reduced energy consumption

· Reduced construction cost as it eliminates partition cost.

· Better communication and flow of work.

c. Building Technology:

· Multi- layered wall

· Locally available materials

· Reusable material : Brick Wall, Roof Tiles

· replacing cement in concrete by fly ash to as much as 40% to make concrete environmental friendly. Fly ash is easily available as a by-product from brick kilns.

· Reduce environmental impacts of building operation, renovation and demolition

· Walls and Window Openings:

External walls are designed as permeable, environmentally interactive membrane with adjustable openings rather than as a sealed skin.

Multi-layered brick wall for balancing the temperature variation. Thus the walls will be designed as filter with good insulation and double glazed openable windows. The material for wall is chosen after the U-value calculation.

d. Passive Shading Devices:

Depending on the solar angle, shading devices will help reduce the incident solar rays to get into the building in summer.

e. Rain Water Harvesting:

Provision will be given for collecting the rainwater from roofs and purifying it for different purposes. The system includes catchments, conveyance system and storage tanks.

Soft landscape will help ground water recharge, while the hard landscape will be paved with bricks, which will again allow the same.

· Water Conservation

o With the use of innovative fixtures that works with minimum water requirement.

o Waste water treatment

f. Solid Waste Treatment:

· An area in the site is segregated for the waste treatment, basically for the organic wastes.

g. Building Integrated Photovoltaic:

Building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) has been proposed for electric power system as attempt to use abundantly present source of renewable energy, sunlight. It will be designed as an integral component of the building envelope as well as a solar electric energy system that generates electricity for the building. These solar systems are thus used as multifunctional construction materials.

Lighting:

. Maximum utilization of natural light and efficient artificial lighting not only saves extra energy used for lighting, but also reduces cooling load in a building.