bT Square Peg :: News

If You Really Must Have a Glass Façade, Read This

vistasp — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:38:49 +0000

I’ve been a strong critic of glass buildings in hot places like Mumbai or Delhi but recognise that it may be appropriate in more temperate climates. One thing that had escaped my attention, though, was the hazard that such buildings have become for birds. The thing is, birds don’t see glass façades the way we do – in fact, they hardly see them at all – which is why they are known to fly straight at a glass building and be killed or maimed by the impact.

It costs a lot more to make a bird-friendly glass façade but, at least, we now know that such an option exists.

via: N.Y. Times :: New Windowpanes Have a Built-In Warning to Birds

GoTo :: If You Really Must Have a Glass Façade, Read This

Energy Calculator for Air-Conditioners in India

vistasp — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:09:46 +0000

More and more people are installing air-conditioners in their homes these days thanks in large part to the concrete hot-boxes being constructed in our cities and the heat-island effect. Added to that is the fact that many commercial buildings have senseless glass façades – which makes them even-hotter-boxes. Net result: the amount of energy being consumed in urban areas is rising at an alarming rate. The archaically-named Bureau of Energy Efficiency or BEE has been more proactive than many other government agencies in trying to make a change in this regard. They’ve created mandatory star ratings for refrigerators, fluorescent lamps and air-conditioners and voluntary ratings for other appliances like fans and geysers.

They’ve also created an associated site with a great energy calculator that you can use to check how much money you would save by using air-conditioners with higher star ratings. I’ve seen similar calculators on the net that cater to the USA or Europe but it’s great to have one that is valid for us in India. It basically tells you how many rupees you would save based on your usage and on city you live in. At this time, there are 17 major Indian cities in the list and, if you can’t find your own, look for one that has a similar climate and temperature range. You must remember that such calculators make lots of assumptions so while they should give you a fairly accurate idea, don’t expect that figures to be 100% accurate.

The site also has some basic tips on saving energy and I feel that BEE should make calculators for other appliances as well – especially light fittings and fans.

Now if only they’d remove that asinine piggy-bank mascot…

GoTo :: Energy Calculator for Air-Conditioners in India

Is Rowan Atkinson’s House Really That Bad?

vistasp — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 06:52:57 +0000

This subject has been blogged and tweeted all over the place but few seem to have seen any photographs of the proposed house or, if they have, they’re keeping it well under wraps. The architect’s website doesn’t seem to list it and I finally managed a glimpse of the proposed “futuristic petrol station” in an article by the Daily Mail. The house it intends to replace looks, to my mind, rather boring and and I see no reason for replicating something of such little architectural interest.

It’s hard to judge what the house will actually look like based on a single bird’s eye view, so I’ll reserve comment on that. I am more interested in knowing how much energy it will save – and how sustainable it will be – compared to the old style.

Oh, and for the record, Black Adder was fine but I really dislike that Mr. Bean chap.

GoTo :: Is Rowan Atkinson’s House Really That Bad?

LEED and Indoor Air Quality

vistasp — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:19:28 +0000

This is an interesting and a whole new angle on the LEED debate. Essentially what is being said is that tightly sealing a building (to make the air-conditioning system more energy efficient) also locks in hazardous chemicals with complete disregard for indoor air quality.

Ideally, in our climate, we’d have less “sealed” buildings and more that could breathe. Of course, to do that, architects in India need to first stop designing climatically inappropriate glass façade buildings.

EHHI :: The LEED Debate

GoTo :: LEED and Indoor Air Quality

Dassault Making an Assault on AutoDesk?

vistasp — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 10:15:49 +0000

Dassault has released the beta of a free 2D drawing editor that works like AutoCAD. It’s based on ARES from Graebert and is currently available for Windows with Mac and Linux versions in the pipeline for later in the year. So far, all AutoCAD clones have remained marginal players so it is to be seen whether this one can hit its target.

Here is Dassault’s description:

DraftSight is a professional-grade, open 2D CAD product for users who want a better way to read, write and share DWG files. DraftSight is easy to use and is available for professional CAD users, students and educators to download and activate for free.*

Based on advanced architecture, DraftSight has a small footprint, should take less that a few minutes to download, and runs on multiple operating systems, including Windows XP®, Windows Vista® and Windows® 7.

Get the software from here. [~42 MB]

Props to :: Deelip.com and WorldCAD Access

GoTo :: Dassault Making an Assault on AutoDesk?

“Windancer” Windmills Have Some Great Features

vistasp — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 09:05:30 +0000

With their windmills starting rotation in breeze as light as 1m/s, Wind Simplicity’s designs would be great for many parts of India that are not on the conventional wind-map. They are built to withstand snow and ice – not problems we face every day in our tropical climate! Now if only some Indian manufacturer would tie up with them to make these in India…

GoTo :: “Windancer” Windmills Have Some Great Features

Model Codes and Standards for Green Building in the U.S.

vistasp — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 10:25:05 +0000

When this is so clearly meant for the U.S. of A alone, why the heck do they insist on calling it the “International” Green Construction Code? Sheesh!

See this press release by ASHRAE for more.

GoTo :: Model Codes and Standards for Green Building in the U.S.

Web Conference on Sustainable Communities

vistasp — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 06:29:44 +0000

Last evening at the American Library here, there was a web interaction between Peter J. Arsenault and Roshni Udyavar – head of the Environmental Architecture course at Rachana Sansad. I fully expected it to be all about LEED but was pleasantly surprised that there was only a passing mention to a system that I don’t think much of.

While the initial slideshow predictably made me want to yawn (powerpoint should be banned once and for all!) the discussion that followed was interesting enough. For one thing there was agreement that while a building may be tagged “green” in isolation, it may be totally unsustainable in the context of its surroundings (Mukesh Ambani’s Antilla is a prime example).

Peter talked about the ICLEI Star Index and a yet-to-be-released system called GreeningUSA which is in the public comment period till the end of September 2010.

The discussion was interrupted by a, well, person, who ranted on about how India could teach the world how to build sustainably. Maybe so but all the materials this chap espoused seemed to be of the edible variety and I’m sure I caught the word “nuts” in there somewhere…or was that my imagination? Made everybody cringe, that’s for sure.

Anyway the discussion came to an abrupt halt when the web-link between upstate New York and the American Library got messed up. Could hear Peter telling someone in the background that he couldn’t see or hear us any more.

Note to self: If you’re ever in such a situation, assume the opposite side can still see and hear you. Do not do or say anything inappropriate!

GoTo :: Web Conference on Sustainable Communities

Of Tar Balls and Missing Catamarans

vistasp — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 06:27:25 +0000

Was supposed to return from Kihim last evening and all was well with the world. Then, a cursory call to the Mandwa jetty led to the realisation that all ferry services to the Gateway had been abruptly suspended. What should have been a peaceful 90 minute return home rapidly turned into a 5 hour nightmare… Catching a rickshaw to Alibaug, finding a vehicle willing to come here at a less-than-astronomical rate, negotiating the traffic at Wadkhal, at Pen, at Panvel, at Belapur, at Vashi, at Deonar, at Sion (and everywhere in between); transferring to a local taxi and finally reaching home at around 10.30pm.

Another thing that bothered me immensely on this trip was finding tar balls on the otherwise beautiful Kihim beach. I have since discovered that this is an annual “phenomenon” caused by the monsoon winds blowing illegally-dumped oil onto the sands. It happens all through the year but the oil usually disintegrates before coming to land. Not so when the winds are strong.

The National Institute of Oceanography has a detailed explanation on something that has been going on for decades with no apparent solution in sight.

Never again will I go there at this time of year!

GoTo :: Of Tar Balls and Missing Catamarans

Another Comparison of Environmental Rating Systems

vistasp — Thu, 27 May 2010 05:37:12 +0000

It took a question by a friend on BREEAM that made me do a search on the subject. Was surprised to find there was another system that I hadn’t heard of called Estidama Pearls which has grown out of Abu Dhabi. What is unique about the Pearls rating system is that unlike BREEAM and LEED, it is integrated into the design process right from the early stages. Also, unlike the others which are voluntary, this one is going to become a mandatory part of the development codes – something that Sunita Narain wrote about in this article.

As you scroll down the page of the article, don’t miss the table giving credit weightage for different aspects of the design. Surprisingly, BREEAM and LEED are very close in that respect but Pearls seems to have beaten its own track. Now let us see if GRIHA ever becomes even partially mandatory.

Go to :: Comparing Estidama’s Pearls Rating System to LEED and BREEAM

GoTo :: Another Comparison of Environmental Rating Systems