Energy-efficient construction through modularity, prefabrication, and retrofitting

In this interaction, Ar. Monica from Kham Consultants shares her insights on how prefabrication and retrofitting drive energy-efficient construction.

What are your key considerations in material selection for façades to achieve net zero?
Minimising the destruction of natural resources is a key consideration in all my designs. Since buildings are perpetual assets, I choose materials that can be easily renewed rather than replaced. Today, technological innovations have greatly expanded the net-zero materials library; innovative materials from industrial waste and renewable resources are taking precedence. These offer innumerable creative possibilities for sustainable use in architecture, allowing us to meet each project’s collective aspects of availability, aesthetics, budget, and maintenance.

How do modularity and prefabrication drive energy-efficient construction?
Traditional construction methods involve transporting materials to the site, which consumes substantial energy on-site and generates considerable waste and debris. Prefabrication addresses these issues by centralising production in a factory. Prefabricated construction consumes 60 per cent less energy and reduces the carbon footprint by 40 per cent compared to traditional methods. Additionally, modular construction minimises waste and reduces both construction time and costs. All these factors were the guiding factors in selecting the fly ash brick and prefabricated roofing solutions, e.g., St Peter’s Church, Kolkata, a low-cost CNI church.

How do retrofitting and reusing benefit reducing embodied carbon?
There is no better approach than retrofitting and reusing an existing structure to reduce embodied carbon emissions and minimise waste. This strategy optimises the use of building materials and helps preserve the human capital involved in construction. Projects like the adaptive reuse of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s house and the reimagining and reconstruction of Ayesh Baganbari have contributed to the conservation of historical heritage. Modernising and retrofitting our own Kham Studio building has helped us maintain the city’s urban fabric.

What are the latest innovations in glass facades which have significantly contributed to the energy efficiency of buildings?
Today, glass has varying coefficients of heat absorption, transmission, and reflectance.  This allows us to design selectively based on the Sun path diagram of a building’s location. For example, the north and east facades can have glass that lets in more light, while the west and south facades need lower heat absorption. In the Terramin corporate office, for example, the glass facade is aesthetically designed with glass of varying values of heat absorption, transmittance, and colour.

For more details, visit: https://khamconsultants.co.in/