Adaptive facades improve sustainability in modern Indian buildings

As the need for sustainable built structures is catching up, Ar. Deepti Tangri shares her insights on how facades are crucial to making a building energy efficient. She shares her views on key design strategies for façade design and innovative smart façade solutions.

Facades and openings are crucial to improving energy efficiency in buildings. They link indoor and external environments, impacting heat gain, natural lighting, ventilation, and overall energy usage.

In a country like India, where hot and humid conditions predominate, considering the sun+wind movement, apart from building orientation, is critical. Furthermore, optimising facades and openings based on climatology decreases the need for artificial cooling and lighting, resulting in significant energy savings and making projects more environmentally friendly.

Key design strategies for energy-efficient façades
An important design concept to create energy-efficient façades includes creating broad openings on the north and east sides; this can maximise daylight and reduce heat gain. Placing openings on the windward side allows for cross-ventilation. A

Another key consideration is the double-layer façade, where perforated screens serve as solar and sight barriers on the exterior with a glass layer to provide heat regulation and visual intrigue.

The most effective way to improve heat regulation is by installing shade devices such as overhangs, vertical fins, and adjustable shading devices. Other strategies include designing courtyards and wind towers that can produce a stack effect for ventilation, reducing the need for mechanical cooling over time; incorporating light shelves in the façade to reflect daylight onto the ceiling and distribute light evenly; and optimising green spaces and skylights on building roofs.

Smart facades
A double-layer façade with insulation helps to prevent heat gain in commercial high-rise structures. AI-enabled kinetic shade devices that move with the sun are increasingly important for high-rise structures. Electrochromic glass adjusts tint to regulate temperature and light.

Building-Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) generates renewable energy and serves as a building façade.  This can be accomplished by putting solar panels into glazing or shading systems that generate electricity.

It is critical to design climate-adaptable structures. By focusing on custom-designed facades and openings made from local materials and enhanced with technology, we can help create a more sustainable built environment.

Examples in India
One outstanding example is the South Asian Human Rights Documentation Centre, which features a creative architectural façade that isolates it from the bustling outdoors. The corridors are airy and shaded, limiting heat transmission in the workstation.

Another is the Max House in Delhi, which stands out with its louvred front, spandrel panels, deep-set balconies, and community terraces. Deep-set decompression pockets allow fresh air to circulate throughout all inhabited locations. Solar reflecting index (SRI) tiles on the roof diminish the impact of microclimate and heat transfer.

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