Engineering for Saving Energy and Protecting Environment
Carbon dioxide (CO2) emission is the largest contributor of environmental pollution. Energy Efficiency, Environmental & Social responsibility are some of the key elements of state of art design. Being “Green” results in invaluable benefits to Investor and Asset owner and this leads to environmental sustainability.
Why LEED?
Green building standards have been developed to quantify sustainability success and reward the efforts of certain projects. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a Green Building Rating System developed by the U.S Green Building Council (USGBC) and introduced to the market in a large number of countries.
LEED provides a suite of standards for designing, constructing and maintaining buildings in an environmentally sustainable way. LEED promotes an integrated sustainable building approach by recognizing performance in key areas, such as:
- Location and Transportation
- Sustainable Sites
- Water Efficiency
- Energy and Atmosphere
- Materials and Resources
- Indoor Environmental Quality
- Innovation
- Regional Priority
Benifit of being LEED Certified
The benefits of becoming LEED certified include, but are not limited to:
- Commitment to the Environment
- Reduced Environmental Impact
- Optimal Building Performance
- Lower Operational Cost
- Increased Occupancy Rates
- Increased Tenant Satisfaction
- Greater Asset Value
- Enhanced Productivity
Our Sample Approach
Energy Modelling
LEED Green Building Rating System requires energy modeling to assess the energy use of a building and to quantify the savings attributable to the proposed design.
Fenestration Analysis
Fenestration analysis is the study of Glazing and Fenestration systems to determine their thermal, solar and optical properties. The results of fenestration analysis can be used as an input into energy simulation in buildings. This helps in selection of optimum fenestration system for the building depending on location and orientation etc.
Solar Insolation Analysis
Solar insolation is the amount of Electromagnetic Energy (Solar Radiation) incident on the surface of the earth. Solar Insolation Analysis is the study of incident solar radiation impacting the object of study (building or project).
Daylight Analysis
Good design for building requires sufficient daylight for tasks performed within a space. This is achieved by providing enough means to let in diffused light from the sky, but keep out direct light from the sun to prevent heat gain and glare. Daylight analysis is the process by which the amount of diffused sunlight that enters into the interior of a building is estimated.
Location Analysis
Wind patterns: Prevailing wind conditions, seasonal wind and the temperature of wind
Temperature: Average, maximum and minimum rainfall
Humidity: Humidity conditions in an area dictate the HVAC make up and in selection of appropriate materials for facade and building interiors Climate
summary: The micro-climate of a site dictated by topography, altitude and urban density
Rainfall: Average daily rainfall
Shadow Analysis
As shadows and reflections are an important aspect of building design, shadow analysis enables an understanding of the extent to which shadows from other local structures affect the specific property that is being designed. This helps to take the right decisions regarding placement of parking lots, solar panels, windows etc. Viewing shadows in this manner allows the designers to focus on specific objects that can hinder or support some of the functional aspects of the design, or quickly see the location of sun-patches as they travel across the floor and up a wall.
View Analysis
Even at a preliminary design stage, it can be important to know the degree of visibility of specific objects from different parts of the building and work spaces. Visibility analysis helps in obtaining a useful assessment of the areas in a room that have adequate views to the outside through windows and openings. This analysis involves setting up the points over the floor plane of each room of analysis and then selecting the appropriate windows, allowing quick calculation of the exact area of unobstructed window visible from the point.
Egress & Ingress
It is defined as techniques to investigate occupant ingress, egress and internal movement. For example class changeover in schools, office ‘rush hour’ during mornings, lunch and evenings, and flow through entrance and exit. A wide range of fire evacuation studies can also be undertaken. The flow of people as they leave a building during an emergency through rooms, corridors, staircases, and doorways towards exits can be established using sophisticated evacuation modeling software.
Light Pollution Analysis
Light pollution is excessive or obtrusive artificial light that disrupts ecosystems and has adverse health effects. This analysis aims to quantify the level of light pollution. It covers the following aspects. Light trespass: Illuminance values at certain site physical locations Over Illumination: Evaluation of areas exceeding the suggested lighting power density Sky Glow: Brightening of sky caused by outdoor lighting and natural atmospheric and celestial factors.
Natural Ventilation Analysis
Natural ventilation, also called passive ventilation, uses natural outside air movement and pressure differences to both passively cool and ventilate a building. Natural ventilation is important because it can provide and move fresh air without fans. For warm and hot climates, it can help meet a building’s cooling loads without using mechanical air conditioning systems. This can be a large fraction of a building’s total energy use.
Thermal Comfort
Thermal comfort is the condition of mind that expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment and is assessed by subjective evaluation (ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55). Maintaining this standard of thermal comfort for occupants of buildings or other enclosures is one of the important goals of HVAC design engineers.