ENVIRONMENT AND ARCHITECTURE

This course helped us analyze the regional climate and environmental flows to design a passive energy strategy for a local dwelling unit. We understood the environment as a resource and learned about ecological cycles. We learned about energy analysis, including embodied energy and energy audits. We also understood climatic zones and psychrometric charts to analyze climate and regional context for designing and detailing homes with passive energy methods. Additionally, we learned about managing energy in building materials and assemblies, including issues like energy leaks, thermal bridges, insulation, and understanding U-Value and R-Value. We read and analyzed climatic charts and datasets, and designed and detailed passive energy architecture strategies.

SITE ANALYSIS , FORCES AND CLIMATIC STUDY

We conducted a site analysis and articulated space planning in response to the context, climate, program, and inhabitants of the space. My site was Chandigarh, which has a composite climate. This means it is very hot during the summers and very cold during the winters, with moderate rainfall. We analyzed the sun direction, sun angles, and psychrometric charts to understand wind direction, intensities, humidity, and the highest and lowest temperatures. We conducted case studies for our climatic zone to identify the elements incorporated in built forms. We identified the challenges we might face in summers, winters, and monsoons, and devised strategies to address them in order to design a built form or a house. As a solution, we developed a comprehensive set of strategies that can be used to build a house in our climatic zone.

SUN PATH ANALYSIS

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We did an analysis using the 3D PD Sun Path software to trace the path of the Sun and designed fenestrations according to it. We traced the paths of Summer Solstice - 21 June, Equinox - 21 March and Winter Solstice - 21 December. This analysis helped in understanding how much sunlight will enter our build form and how we can modulate it throughout the year. Chandigarh receives most light from south east and south west, so vertical shading devices can be used on both sides, with South having horizontal shading devices. The fenestrations on the North face of the building can have fenestrations with less to no shading devices because it gets difused light throughout the year.

ASSIGNMENT

We have to design a house with passive design strategies in the given climatic context, meeting basic requirements that include a living room, bedroom, kitchen, dining area, WC, and bath for a household of four members within 100 square meters. Our climate is composite, so the essential strategies we identified are cross ventilation, thermal insulation, vegetation (deciduous trees), water bodies, and shading devices.

Additionally, we have chosen personal touches for our homes, reflecting what we enjoy the most. For me, it's sleeping, so I focused on designing spaces for sleeping, such as niches in walls, verandas, or spaces in windows. We also needed to explore the form and configure the space within the given area, ensuring good ventilation and insulation relative to the sun's direction, so the house remains cool in summer and warm in winter.

Regarding materials, I chose exposed brick, and the house is designed as a load-bearing structure. This means the thickness of the walls and the materials used should be suitable for the site. We have explored the materials we are using for windows, walls, and roofs, and how their design will function to help us build a house that incorporates all the strategies to ensure a person can live comfortably. With these considerations, I want to create a comfortable, energy-efficient home tailored to the composite climate. I have also designed a few iterations to refine the overall design.

I thought of designing the spaces in such a manner that they would be private and separated, preventing an outsider from directly entering the bedroom. For me, the bedroom is a personal space, so I wanted to completely detach it from the living, kitchen, and dining areas. This way, I have separate spaces for different activities, ensuring privacy and functionality.

In this iteration, I explored different spatial forms by attempting to create spaces within a circular layout. I incorporate cross ventilation, but it didn’t work as well as I had hoped. My plan was to design the living, kitchen, and dining areas on the ground floor, with the bedroom connected by stairs to the first floor. However, the circular layout proved problematic; I struggled to determine the proper proportions, and the ratio of the home didn’t fit well with a single circular configuration.

At this initial stage, I was unclear about the design approach and was only dividing the spaces within the circle. I tried designing niches within the walls for sleeping and created spaces in the windows where a person could sit. Considering the climate, I added shading devices to all the windows. Initially, I included very few openings, which did not work well. I learned that my idea of separate spaces was not suitable for this design approach. Consequently, I decided to move on to a new iteration.

ITERATION 2

SCALE 1:100

In this iteration, I focused on the same concept of private spaces but combined the living room, kitchen, and dining area into one open space. I added a corridor between the living area and the bedrooms to separate the spaces. I placed windows in the northwest direction to capture the prevailing winds, and I insulated the southeast and southwest directions to retain heat. In the corridor, I designed wall-attached spaces where a person can sit and sleep. Additionally, I included large windows facing the northwest and smaller windows in the other directions.

ITERATION 3

SCALE 1:50

FINAL MODEL

SCALE 1:50

As I stepped through the gate, the lush greenery surrounding the entrance instantly embraced me, providing a cool, refreshing sanctuary from the late May heat. The rustling leaves and blooming flowers guided me toward the front door, making the blistering sun outside feel like a distant memory. Once inside, I was greeted by a central courtyard, an open-air heart of the home that connected all the rooms through a surrounding corridor. This layout provided a perfect balance of openness and privacy. The large windows in the living room framed the trees outside beautifully, seamlessly blending nature with the interior. Fresh air flowed freely, keeping the space light and airy, a constant reminder of the connection to the natural world.

In the kitchen, cleverly placed openings allowed cooking aromas to escape, ensuring the air remained fresh and inviting. The southwest-facing bedroom, bathed in soft sunlight, stayed comfortably cool thanks to shading devices and the courtyard’s natural cooling effect. The exposed brick walls absorbed heat during the day and released it slowly at night, creating a consistently comfortable environment.

The courtyard, a natural cooling system, adapted effortlessly to the seasons—cooling in summer, warming in winter, and becoming a percolation pit during the monsoon. The corridors around it served multiple purposes, from sleeping under the stars on cool summer nights to gathering in warmth during winter.

This house was more than just a place to live—it was a living, breathing entity, designed to respond to the changing seasons and provide comfort and refuge all year round.

This house embodies my vision of comfort, where spaces are thoughtfully separated to maintain both privacy and openness. By integrating various design strategies, it creates an environment that is not only responsive to the climate but also feels like a true home. The central courtyard connects the rooms while providing natural cooling and warmth, ensuring a harmonious blend of nature and architecture.We worked to understand what makes a house truly livable, and this experience has given us a solid foundation in creating spaces that people can genuinely call home.

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