Building Practices

Climate Responsive Building.

Climate-responsive is a design practice centered on creating buildings that function in lockstep with the local climate

The goal of climate-responsive architecture is to create a comfortable space while reducing the building’s reliance on artificial energy.

A climate-responsive building design reflects the weather conditions in the precise area where the building is constructed. The design utilizes data on the region’s weather patterns and accounts for factors like seasonality, intensity of the sun, wind, rainfall and humidity.

Climatic Zone : Cold and Sunny

Location : Leh - Ladakh

Building Site : Flat Terrain

Type of Building : Two Storey House

Building Materials

Plinth And floor : Stone masonry with mud mortar finish.

Walls : Unburnt brick masonry with mud mortar and cow dung finish.

Ceiling and roof : wooden planks and twigs with a layer of dry grass, covered with mud.

Passive Features

• Increase in solar heat gain by direct gain through large windows and by indirect gain through thermal storage walls exposed to the sun

• Increase of internal heat gain by utilization of warmth developed by livestock.

• Decrease of heat loss by high thermal insulation of roof and by providing insulating wooden shutters on windows for use during off sunshine hours.

• Balance of temperature fluctuations by massive walls.

• Humidity control by absorption/desorption of unburnt brick walls.