Green Structures ─ Energy Efficiency in Buildings

The world is beginning to feel the crunch of depleting conventional energy sources and these desperate times call for exploring newer vistas in terms of alternative sources of energy. The construction sector is expected to require a major overhaul involving strategic advancements in the utilization of green energy given the rapid urban growth. A number of policy initiatives to mainstream energy efficiency are in place in most countries that are expected to accelerate energy efficiency and sustainability in buildings. Streamlining the green building movement requires coordinated monitoring and intelligent control of a building's vital functions. This can be achieved through building management systems (BMS) involving the integration of structures, systems, services, and management. Green building movements should examine the potential of power generation from urban, municipal, and industrial wastes. Equitable distribution of water resources should be carefully planned—monsoon-dominated countries should adopt efficient rain-water harvesting measures to provide clean water to thirsty nations.

These overarching concepts are well woven into themed chapters in Green Structures: Energy Efficient Buildings. Easily comprehensible to undergraduates in civil, structural, and environmental engineering; graduate students and researchers; town planners; and architects worldwide, the content of this book not only comes from courses on energy efficient buildings taught by the authors, but also from new and original research. This definitive resource has an enduring appeal for all those concerned with green structures.

Dr. Satyajit Ghosh is senior professor in the School of Mechanical and Building Sciences at VIT University, India. He is also an associate member of the School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, UK. He has worked for 20 years in leading British universities in many branches of the atmospheric and environmental sciences. After receiving his Ph.D from IIT Delhi, he pursued his post-doctoral research at Cambridge University, UK as a National Science Talent Search Scholar, mainly working on environmental flows. Whilst in the UK, he developed interest in energy efficient buildings and broader issues relating to sustainability, environmental impact assessment, and climate change. Although he is a renowned cloud microphysicist, his research expertise covers many other areas of dispersed flows including heat and mass transfer processes on green facades and roofs. He has been published extensively in peer-reviewed international journals. Currently, he is an associate editor of the journalAtmospheric Science Letters published by the Royal Meteorological Society, UK.

Abhinav Dhaka is currently director at Abhinav Infratech Pvt. Ltd. His core area of business deals with design and construction of overhead and underground water-retaining structures for real estate conglomerates. Whilst his master’s thesis dealt with parametric modeling for office buildings, his current research is mainly comprised of sustainable architecture. His New Delhi residence adopts green measures—solar powered water heaters, rain water harvesting tanks, and a building form that enhances natural light and ventilation capabilities and a flourishing green cover. He is a civil engineer by training, educated at VIT University, India and the Technical University of Eindhoven, Netherlands.