Outcome: The social benefits of sustainable design are related to improvements in the quality of life, health, and well-being. These benefits can be realized at different levels – buildings, the community, and society in general. At a building level, research on the human benefits of sustainable design has centered on three primary topics: health, comfort, and satisfaction. Although these outcomes are clearly interrelated, they have different scholarly roots and employ different methodologies. Health issues are the domain of epidemiologists and public health professionals. Comfort is studied by researchers with expertise in building science and physiology, while well-being and psychosocial processes are studied by environmental and experimental psychologists. The research described in this section integrates findings from these diverse areas, with a focus on studies that assess the health, comfort, and well being outcomes associated with the presence or absence of sustainable building components.
Description: Our team is Civil Engineering firm committed to planning and design initiatives that promote efficient use of energy, resources, and materials to create safe, healthy, inviting, and sustainable buildings while striving to minimize the impact of construction on the environment. We focus our efforts on creating the best built-environment that will meet the goals and expectations of each user. Our design process incorporates “Green” design principles, innovative building technologies, and sustainable practices throughout the planning and design for your building. We are passionate young engineering students building a sustainable house which could serve as the answer to India’s growing energy and housing patterns. Our team technical paper presentation will be about “Green Villa” which is an innovatively designed and structured sustainable house design by us. The home is equipped with a wide variety of sustainable features including but not limited to a rooftop solar panel array to draw in power from the hot Indian equator sun and a rainwater collection system and green roof to take care of water needs. Instead of using air conditioner, cool roof technique is used to keep the bedroom temperature cooler than outdoor. Sustainable concept like rat-trap bond wall, native landscape, use of natural light, use of non-toxic VOC paints and few other concepts are being used in this project. Some of the winning features of the “GREEN VILLA” include a Non-Zero Energy house (up to some extend) which is achieved by using Solar panels and energy efficient lighting system (LED’s) and windows for natural ventilation, which contributes to an overall reduction of annual energy use by 30%.