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CARING FOR INDIA'S OPPRESSED WOMEN / WIDOWS
RETURN TO THE START OF THIS INDIA SERIES
INDIA'S EARLY HISTORY FROM PRE-VEDIC TIMES
BAN "HONOR-KILLING", FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION
AND OTHER ABUSES AGAINST WOMEN
"TERI'S RETREAT "
PIONEERING ENERGY CONSERVATION BUILDINGS
Reproduced with kind permission of "INDIA PERSPECTIVES" available from the Indian Embassies or High Commissions in your country.
By Chitra Balasubramaniam
The buzz words of the 21st. century are environment, eco-friendly and energy efficient, of which energy efficiency is being accorded top priority. Optimum use of scarce energy resources and search for alternate fuels and sources of energy has become vital.
Architects and civil engineers are propounding energy efficient buildings and homes. A result of such endeavours is "TERI's (Tata Energy Research Institute) RETREAT", an energy-efficient building where corporates conduct meetings and training programmes, and school children are sensitised to the environment through field trips.
The place runs without any support from any civic or electricity body. It is self-sufficient, generates its own electricity, with provision for its own water replenishment and disposal of waste. This eco-friendly training centre is situated in the vicinity of New Delhi. A dream project of Dr. R.K. Pachuari, TERI's Director General, the Retreat has all amenities necessary in today's world and can be equated with any modern building.
The first site is of TERI's oval, a mini-cricket ground where many a corporate has held friendly cricket matches. It is an oasis of green in an otherwise barren area and the drive towards the main building has a beautiful view of the oval. Its green velvety carpet is a treat watch. When the land was handed over to TERI in 1989, it was barren and infertile with a topsoil badly eroded. The lushness one sees now is the result of planned development, silviculture, innovation and plenty of tender and lavish care.
The Retreat was built over a period of three years, using a team of experts, both in-house and consultants. It has a built-up area of 3,000 sq. meters and is divided into two sections. The main building is the institutional block. It houses the training facilities - dining area, conference room, library, foyer etc.. The residential wing has 24 rooms and six suites. Any suite, with its tiny kitchenette, living room and bedroom opening out on a lush, green lawn can match the comfort level of any resort.
The dining area in the institutional block has a wonderful warm ambience. From the foyer of the main building, a staircase leads to the first floor that houses the two conference areas and the library. Skylights in this area are designed in such a manner as to provide glare-free daylight in the conference halls, library and recreation hall.
Seeing that the place operates without any connection to the grid, with all modern amenities - computers, photocopiers, fax machines and air-conditioners - one is curious as to the source of power supply. The building is run on a photovoltaic gasifier hybrid system. The 50 kilowatt gasifier runs on biomass fuel (dried leaves, twigs, firewood and crop residues converted into briquettes) with one Kg. biomass producing one unit. About 20 kW of Solar Energy is generated by the photovoltaic system installed on the roof.
The building management system manages the power available from both the sources. The daytime needs are met by the gasifier while the solar PV plant meets the night-time requirements. Stand-alone systems power the external lights and water pumps. Solar energy is also used to provide about 2000 litres of hot water per day. The standard electric geysers have been done away with.
For air-conditioning in the institutional block, gas-fired ammonia absorption chillers are used. These are highly energy efficient, consuming 75% less electric energy when compared to a conventional system. The residential block, however, uses a novel concept of earth air tunnels, a concept which has been used in old forts and palaces to provide for comfortable environs. It is based on the simple knowledge that the temperature 4 metres below the ground is comfortable and stable with fluctuation of just about 1 deg. Celcius from the mean round the year. In Delhi, it is an enviable 25.6 deg. C. throughout the year - comfortable both during hot, humid summers and bitterly cold winters. The earth air-tunnel uses this knowledge to maintain the temperature of the residential unit. Air is made to pass through the earth by a system of underground pipes and let into the rooms. Each room has a provision for exit of hot air, ensuring the circulation of air. Thus the rooms remain comfortable without any external aid of heaters or air conditioners.
Several other design modifications, incorporated in the Retreat, add to the overall conservation of energy. Mili Majumdar, an architect with TERI, says these are "passive design" concepts, designs which harness and utilise natural resources to the maximum, thus reducing the requirement of energy. Such design nuances can bring down the load by at least 10 - 15%. It is more of a challenge to incorporate these measures in places like Delhi where two opposite climatic conditions need to be catered for. It is much simpler in places with an equitable climate throughout the year. For a city like Delhi, it means that the construction should allow for plenty of air and shade in summer and for plenty of sunshine in winters. This would, in turn, ensure lesser energy to cool or heat the building respectively.
The "passive design" concepts at TERI include a latticework on both sides of the building, which blocks the sun in summer and lets in the winter sun. The building's North-South orientation makes these designs more effective. Thus, the brunt of the sun is not borne in summer, while, in winter, its warmth is effectively tapped.
Adding to this is the landscaping which alters the flow of wind. Deciduous trees have been planted on the southern side. The luscious leaves provide shade during summer while the trees conveniently shed their leaves in winter to let the warm sun stream in - an ideal way of harnessing nature's bounty !
Apart from this, the roof is insulated by using vermiculite concrete and china mosaic white finish. The white colour reflects the sun's rays and reduces the roof load. The walls are insulated with Styrofoam, which ensures that the walls do not get heated in summer and cold in winter. This insulation balances the temperature and thus reduced consumption of energy. The building is partially sunken into the ground to aid in stabilising internal temperature.
Waste-water is recycled using root-zone system. It is treated with phragmytes, a type of plant and recycled for irrigation. Water harvesting and watershed management help maintain level of groundwater.
The Retreat is sure to go a long way in contributing to the concept of eco-friendly structures. ( The author is a freelance writer)
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