Concepts from Traditional Indian Architecture to Reduce Energy Consumption in Modern Indian Architecture

Abstract

The unprecedented growth in population in Bangalore city, India - 5.1 million (2001) to 11.5 million (2016) - has led to an exponential increase in residential construction activities (fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emission). In order to reduce the net effect of this construction explosion, it is vital to reduce the overall energy consumption per household in India. One of the possible ways is through the use of traditional Indian architecture principles in construction since modern Indian construction use non-native construction materials and methods that may not be suitable for India. The goal of this thesis is to analyse current design and construction practices in Bangalore, India and compare it to the traditional houses (above 50 years). The study compares traditional houses versus modern houses with respect to space planning, material of construction, indoor environmental performance and energy consumption through physical data collection and energy simulations using the Green building Studio Software. Finally, a cost benefit analysis was conducted to provide the conclusion to the study. The results of the study show that the estimated average annual energy consumption per unit area based on the standard equipment usage calculation for the traditional houses is 18.5 KWh/m2 versus 72 KWh/m2 for modern houses. When the materials are interchanged, traditional houses incur an average additional expenditure of 18% while modern houses can save about 21% in their utility bills. Therefore, applying concepts from traditional Indian architecture will help address the increasing energy consumption in today’s modern Indian architecture.