Eco Friendly House - Construction Techniques, Components & Materials

Nitin U.ThakareLecturer, Civil Engg.Department

G.H.Raisoni Polytechnic,Nagpur

nitin_thakare@rediffmail.com

Mrs.Kiran G.AsutkarLecturer, Civil Engg.Department

G.H.Raisoni Polytechnic,Nagpur

kmtajne@yahoo.co.in

Abstract— There is need to maintain the potential of the environment for the future generation .conservation is essential for adequate supplies of natural resources for present and future generation .It is stated that building and their services use 40 to 50 percent energy such as mechanical,electrical, heat and nuclear energy. It is highly essential to adopt changes in the design and method of construction of building for energy and water conservation (environmental protection). Eco friendly construction cannot only help to create a better outdoor environment, it can also help to build healthier indoor environment.

I. INTRODUCTION

Eco-friendly, or ecological, construction is building a structure that is beneficial or non-harmful to the environment, and resource efficient. Otherwise known as green building, this type of construction is efficient in its use of local and renewable materials, and in the energy required to build it, and the energy generated while being within it. There is an urgent to address the great challenges of our time, climate change, resource depletion, pollution, the issues are all accelerating rapidly and all have strong links with the building industry. As the effects of climate change are felled across the world both government and individuals are beginning to take task of building eco-friendly houses much more seriously. Green building is not only a wise choice for our future ,it is also a necessary choice .the construction industry must adopt eco friendly practices and materials that reduces its impact before we reach a point of irreversible damage to our life supporting system. Eco friendly construction cannot only help to create a better outdoor environment, it can also help to build healthier indoor environment.Eco friendly house construction can be done by adopting simple following steps.

I.ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY ORIENTATION OF BUILDING

II.EXTERIOR CAVITY WALL CONSTRUCTION

III.USE OF ECO FRIENDLY CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS.

IV.APPLICATION OF SOLAR ENERGY

V.RAIN WATER HARVESTING

VI.PLANTATION.

I. ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY ORIENTATION OF BUILDING

Good orientation means proper placement of plan units of the building in relation to the sun, wind topographical and outlook and at the same time providing convenient access both to the street and backyard. The position of a building in relation to the prevailing wind or to the sun is an important consideration for Eco-friendly house. Different rooms have different functions. Activities in different rooms take place at different functions. Activities in different rooms take place at different times of the day.The kitchen should be planned in such a way that the main windows face eastwards and the others towards the north.The living room should have one opening towards the north and another towards the east. This will make the room comfortable through a day. A living room facing south will get maximum sunlight in winter.If the direction of breeze is south-west or west, bedrooms which are always used after evening should face the west, and if required, the south. This is to protect the kitchen, living room or bedroom from intense heat.The basic human needs are of air, warmth and light. There are other factors related to comfort such as noise, glare dirt, space and privacy. The final environment depends upon the following features.

a) position of the building with reference to the north, i.e. orientation, as well as the marginal distances from roads and surrounding buildings.

Third International Conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering and Technology

978-0-7695-4246-1/10 $26.00 © 2010 IEEE

DOI 10.1109/ICETET.2010.86

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Third International Conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering and Technology

978-0-7695-4246-1/10 $26.00 © 2010 IEEE

DOI 10.1109/ICETET.2010.86

54

Third International Conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering and Technology

978-0-7695-4246-1/10 $26.00 © 2010 IEEE

DOI 10.1109/ICETET.2010.86

54

Third International Conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering and Technology

978-0-7695-4246-1/10 $26.00 © 2010 IEEE

DOI 10.1109/ICETET.2010.86

54

b) The basic shape and area of the building, since projections cast shadows and create comfortable conditions.

c) In case of a humid climate, breeze is important. Hence a large window area and mechanical ventilation are necessary.

II. EXTERIOR CAVITY WALL CONSTRUCTION

Cavity walls consist of two �skins� separated by a hollow space (cavity). The skins are commonly masonry such as brick or concrete block. Masonry is an absorbent material, and therefore will slowly draw rainwater or even humidity into the wall. The cavity serves as a way to drain this water back out through weep holes in the base of the wall system. A cavity wall with masonry as both inner and outer skins is more commonly referred to as a double masonry wall.

An added benefit of cavity wall construction is that it provides the ability to more adequately insulate the building. A continuous layer of rigid insulation is easily fitted between the cavity and the inner skin of the wall. The insulation does not fill the cavity but rather slip in behind it. The cavity itself also helps in insulating the building by acting as a thermal breakbetween the two skins. a cavity wall has a minimum space of �00mm to �00mm between each layer. Aluminum wall ties are used to connect the two walls together as well as stopping moisture from crossing over

With environmental conditions becoming more of an issue, people now take much more interest in reducing energy wastage and cavity wall insulation is a cost effective way to reduce the amount of heat (as much as �5�) lost from convection off walls. As well as being more environmentally friendly, it can reduce heating costs as more of the heat is used effectively and it is often used as a first step, due to its low payback time and smaller initial installation costs. As the demand for energy efficiency in buildings increases the issue of thermal bridging in cavity wall openings is becoming more prominent. Solutions to thermal bridging include cavity closers� an insulated frame seals the cavity at apertures for doors and windows.

III. USE OF ECO FRIENDLY CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS.Eco-friendly construction material help to create a better healthier indoor environment and act as a energy saver.Conventional building materials and methods bring to a wide range of health problems. Chemical pollutants from paints, solvents, plastics and composite timber along with biological pollutants are known to cause symptoms such as asthma, headache, depression, enzyte, palpitation, and chronic fatigue.Green building material eliminates all these problems and provide healthier indoor and outdoor environment. Some Eco-friendly construction materials are as follows-

a. Bamboo, bamboo based particle boards, Ply board and Bamboo matting

b. Bricks sun dried

c. Ferro-cement boards for door and window shuttersd. Ferro-cement Roofing Channelse. Fly-ash Sand Lime Bricks and Paver Blocksf. Portland Pozzolana Cement Flyash � Calcined Clay

Basedg. MDF Boards and Mouldingsh. Micro Concrete Roofing Tilesi. Gypsum Board, Tiles, Plaster, Blocks, gypsum

plaster fibrejute �sisal and glass fiber compositesj. Cellular Light Weight Concrete Blocksk. Water, polyurethane and acrylic based chemical

admixtures for corrosion removal, rust prevention, water proofing

l. Laminated Wood Plastic Componentsm. Eco-friendly construction chemicals etc.

IV.USE OF SOLAR ENERGY

Solar technologies are broadly characterized as either passive or active depending on the way they capture, convert and distribute sunlight. Passive solar techniques include selecting materials with favorable thermal properties, designing spaces that naturally circulate air, and referencing the position of a building to the Sun. Passive solar technologies reduce the need for alternate resources and are generally considered demand side technologies.Building should receive maximum solar radiation in winter and minimum in summer. Absorption and radiation of heat depends on the types of materials used in walls and roofs. In order to reduce the effect of solar radiation on buildings, the absorptivity for the building material must be low. White walls and light cream bricks or tiles have low absorptivity.

Solar Space Heating of BuildingsSolar space heating can be provided passively through the architectural design of the premises. At its simplest, this involves only the orientation of the building and providing large south-facing windows. More radical possibilities include the provision of an entire wall of double-glazed windows or a heavy dark-colored south- facing wall behind a layer of glass, with room air circulating by convection between wall and glass, or a flat roof covered by a pond of water over which insulating screen can be drawn at night (this also provides summer cooling.)

V. RAIN WATER HARVESTING

Water saving and recycling of household water is the most important part in Eco-friendly house construction. Through rain water harvesting system we can save the water.

Rainwater harvesting is the gathering, or accumulating and storing, of rainwater. Rainwater harvesting has been used to provide drinking water, water for livestock, water for irrigationor to refill aquifers in a process called groundwater recharge.Rainwater collected from the roofs of houses, tents and local institutions, or from specially prepared areas of ground, can make an important contribution to drinking water. In some

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cases, rainwater may be the only available, or economical, water source. Rainwater systems are simple to construct from inexpensive local materials, and are potentially successful in most habitable locations. Roof rainwater can be of good quality and may not require treatment before consumption. However some rooftop materials may produce rainwater that is harmful to human health. Household rainfall catchment systems are appropriate in areas with an average rainfall greater than �00mm per year, and no other accessible water sources There are a number of types of systems to harvest rainwater ranging from very simple to the complex industrial systems. Generally, rainwater is either harvested from the ground or from a roof. The rate at which water can be collected from either system is dependent on the plan area of the system, its efficiency, and the intensity of rainfall..

VI. PLANTATION

Plantation around the building helps to create healthier environment. Many trees like Neem, Silk cotton, Indian laburnum, Gulmohar, Tulsi, which minimizes the adverse effect of environment and helps to the building environmental friendlyTulsi, a medicinal plant known for its medicinal qualities will help protect the marble mausoleum from pollution free. Tulsi is one of the best plants to purify the environment. It cleanses as it releases high amounts of oxygen, which minimizes the adverse impact of industrial and refinery emission.

VII.CONCLUSIONThe Eco-friendly house construction is important with reference to energy, water saving and efficiency improving design. Design for livability with minimum use of electrical energy for ventilation, air conditioning� provision of openings to admit maximum daylight, to avoid glare and for ventilation, selection of suitable materials and construction techniques should be essential for Eco-friendly house. The shape of building, its orientation, rain water harvesting, application ofsolar energy and mass tree plantation play important role in Eco-friendly house construction.

REFERENCES

��� S. Deswal & A Deswal, “A Basic Course Environmental Studies”Dhanpatrai & Co. Pvt. Ltd. Delhi.

��� Shah, Kale, & Patki’ “ Building Drawing with an integrated approach to built environment” Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Co., Delhi

��� International journal of Environmental engginering and science�4� H.P. Garg & �. Prakash’ “ Solar Energy” Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing

Co., Delhi�5� Dr. P.R. Yadav, “Environmental Ecology” Discovery publishing house,

Delhi��� Rangwala’ “ Building construction” Charotar publishing house pvt. Ltd,

Delhi��� http���en.wikipedia.org�wiki�Rainwater_harvesting��� http���en.wikipedia.org�wiki�Solar_System��� http���www.sustainablebuild.co.uk�EcoFriendlyConstructionMethodsMat

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