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Autor: Raul P Naik
Energy School Khambhat
slide1. Ariel view

slide2. North East perspective.

Slide 3. Urban context- The road from lal darwaza leading to Jami masjid (Jami mosque) forms the main artery of this town. It lies on a North-South
axis, leading to what was once a port, dividing the town into two parts. All subsidiary roads run perpendicular to this artery. Each one of these
unwinds itself in an organic manner, true to towns in this climate. These lead further into internal streets, which open up to form small courts in each
individual settlement called a Wada. Building heights are almost uniform, that of G+2. These are mainly linear houses (rectangular in plan), which
share their longer walls. This is the original typology of houses in this region
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.

Slide 4. Urban context, settlements and houses- Main streets unravels itself in a winding fashion, along the wind direction as if to deliver breeze
throughout the town. All subsidiary streets spread out from main streets in an angular pattern to facilitate deeper wind flow into the built fabric.
Tunneling effect induced by this closely bound network of streets, along with building height to width ratio that create more shaded areas, assists in
creating comfort for a passer-by. At least half of the main street remains shaded throughout the day. Shaded areas increase as street widths narrow
down towards the interiors of this town. Along main streets, ground floors of almost all the houses are mainly shops, and upper stories are
residences. Internal streets that branch off into subsidiary streets and enter Wadas are quite narrow. These streets remain shaded throughout the
day. Hence even in the afternoons one can see women sitting in verandas and otlas of their houses seeking breeze. Such streets turn into a stage of
social interaction. Internal streets further open up into small courtyards called as Khadki forming a social space in every individual settlement (Wada).
These are the only open spaces apart from the main streets receiving direct sunlight. Internal streets that are shaded throughout develop a higher
density of air; the courtyards on the other hand due to the direct penetration of sunlight develop a lower density, causing convection current to flow
from these internal streets to the courtyards
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. Houses on the other hand are designed to receive this cool air flowing through these streets. Narrow
profiles of built forms help it reduce the heat gained by direct contact from the sunlight. Functions of a traditional house are arranged such that the
most used space is in the ground floor; less used spaces on the first floor and sparsely used spaces on the second floor with an open terrace. This
helps maximize the comfort level for the users by reducing the heat gained by the rooms through conductance. Different rooms are used during
different times of the day and season. This is regulated with the change in temperature, humidity and rain. Opaque wooden shutters are often used
for windows helping them to insulate insides from the hot ambient temperature which otherwise might leak through the fenestrations. Wind catchers
are placed in direct direction of the wind. They have a small aperture and capture hot air flowing over unshaded areas to reduce its density
drastically. This cools it down before reaching insides of a house. The most often used space, like the living, kitchen and dining in the ground floor are
constructed around an underground tank called Tanka. Water in this tank creates a micro climate, keeping surrounding rooms cooler than rest of the
spaces. Upper stories are normally used in the evenings. Courtyards with a small opening to sky work on Bernoullis principle and also help in
bringing in natural light.

Slide 5. Site context- An empty plot near Madla Lake was chosen. It is located besides a park (where children come to play) of historic importance.
This lake is surrounded by a ground on the east, a park and commercial establishments on other two sides. The ground belongs to the railways, and
Nagar palika (local civic authority) maintains the lake. Storm water drains from around the vicinity is connected to the lake which recharges it during
rainy seasons. Waste water pipelines from buildings around have been connected to the storm water drains illegally, leading to pollution of the lake.
There have been no efforts or systems in place to stop this pollution. Within this lake an island that was created, called as a Laketha has been
connected to the main land. Lakethas were created earlier as a refuge for birds when they migrated. It was deliberately made as an island to keep
away human intrusion. Concrete bunds have been constructed around the banks of this river by Nagar palika to prevent soil erosion. Roads around
the lake get flooded quite often as there are no storm water drains constructed for them yet. Locality around the lake has a mix of new and old
settlements. Towards the North West, there are Hindus and Vaishnavas, towards the far North West there are Wadas, on the North East there is a
mixed new settlement, towards the East a satellite town is located. Towards the South, in the direction of the sea, there are fishermen settlements,
towards the far West, near teen darwaza Muslims reside. The ground located towards the East is 3 meters above the road level. There is a Swamy
Narayan temple, a public hall and a darga situated adjacent to it. Even though the ground is owned by the railways it is used as a public space. It is
used for meals during festivals and public rallies. The youth of this town use this ground for playing outdoor sports, mainly cricket. Shadow analysis of
the chosen site taken with 1 meter long object at 1430 HRS on the day with highest temperature recorded, revealed that a linear building placed in
the North-South axis would function optimally.


1 Louis I Khan Trophy 2001, NASA entry from Rizvi College of architecture, Bandra (W), Mumbai.
osdesign.com
Autor: Raul P Naik
Slide 6. Design development- The design development included various options. Functions, climatic responses, social aspects, material related
forms etc paved way to the final output.

Slide 7. The school in total was a repetition of a module with few variations. Climate and existing material technology shaped the form with varying
volumes and wind catchers. Buildings were planned around existing trees and more trees were planted in the path of direct sunlight to make it more
responsive towards the harsh climate. The roof of this module was made vaulted in bays of 3, to minimize direct exposure to sunlight.

Slide 8. This design was inspired by the traditional houses of this region. Plans were kept linear and exteriors were treated with lime plaster to reflect
as much heat as possible. Since white reflects 99% of the heat it was chosen as the only color for the exteriors. Brick walls were made thick to
increase thermal mass. Openings were created in the vaulted roof for hot air to escape. Turbo-vents would eventually cover these 'holes' and
facilitate better convection. Planters were planned to induce micro climate within the buildings. Services were restricted towards the south west and
west as these functions did not require prolonged habitation. This increased the thermal resistance of the building as these spaces insulate the
commonly used inside spaces from the outside. Towards the South, least used functions such as informal classrooms and multi-functional spaces
were planned. These spaces were to be used mostly in the late evenings and hence creating a buffer zone climatically.

Slide 9&10. Sections of the higher primary block show climatic factors related to the design principles of this building. This building is tallest towards
the South and steps down further towards the North. This helps it receive its own shade, especially over the classrooms. Like in the traditional houses
an underground tank is strategically placed. The lecture room and the multipurpose area (refer previous slide for index) is sunken into the ground.
Since temperature underground remains constant after a certain depth, this technique of placing usable spaces partially below the ground regulates
the temperature of the floor plates. Building that seems perforated can be completely shut with insulated, double layered wooden windows that rise
above the solid walls. During less harsh days of summer they can be opened to facilitate direct wind circulation. Small apertures in wind catchers
aligned in the direction of the wind compresses the air and cool it down before letting it inside the habitable spaces.