Blog by Elkane Constructions

The need for electrical power is optimised with an appropriate daylight design incorporating reflective light shelves as part of the window ventilators, lighting through courtyards from the corridor side, and through a balanced distribution of natural light within the classroom. In lighting design 66% energy is saved by designing only a supplemental system to the daylighting provisions. The design has been worked on an interior lighting power density of 4 Watts/Som which is one third compared to that proposed by the energy code. Similarly, energy consumption is slated to be 60%. Of the maximum mandated for unconditioned buildings. Energy-efficient supplemental lamps and fans are proposed to be partly powered by solar energy. The facility already includes automatic time-switches and daylight sensors for reducing power wastage. For this purpose, rather than regular tendering, a formal agreement with a well-known manufacturer of energy-efficient products was undertaken for their conti...

Climatic Context, Energy & Water Efficiency: As the location in Mawana town in the state of Uttar Pradesh had an extremely variable weather with dusty winds and very high and low temperatures, the building was planned looking intrinsically into protected courtyards; spaces which also provide a shaded area for various student's activities. These courtyards have spill outs, sitting spaces, planting, water features and play sculptures, where each court contributes to the over al microclimate. The courtyards are proportioned to be shaded and due to temperature and corresponding pressure differences, the cooled air inside ventilates into the classrooms, whereas the hot air from the classroom Ventilates out from the ceiling flush ventilators. The Courtyards also work to bring in diffused light into the Classrooms, besides the reflected light coming from the building edge through the light shelves above the windows. Simultaneously, direct glare is sought to be avoided by means of ...

Design Components: The building is designed with a compact physical footprint to allow for much larger open play areas within the limited space available. Secondly, as the design process evolved, the facility was modeled on the logic of resource efficiency as a base, whether in terms of water, daylight, building materials, land, etc. Space design in the school averages 2Sqm/child in the classroom and provides equivalence with the best of facilities and national education norms. A number of child-friendly elements including pre-primary runner boards, in class, accessible shelving for "teaching learning educational material", display reapers, storytelling corners, arches and ramps as inbuilt play elements aim at creating a stimulating environment, enabling the pedagogic emphasis on the play-way method of teaching. The school is designed for easy access for the physically challenged from among the worker's children as well. Besides providing access ramps and a disable-f...

Industrial lands are the usual suspects of environmental degradation and the primary originators of the processes which lead to a significant dilution of air, soil and water quality. The above description, apt since the industrial revolution, still remains the abiding image of our times. Controlling environmental duality usually falls to the bottom of the priority pyramid due to a fast changing global scenario where cost competitiveness predominates corporate policy. And the need to keep costs low tends to come at the expense of mis-utilising local resources of water, land and air and a compromise also on the working environment for the industrial workers. The following is an initiative to change this existing paradigm in the Meerut District of the State of Uttar Pradesh, India. The project is that of an educational facility, a school constructed within a sugar industry's campus for the children of the industry workers. The project, which was initially a simple school, over tim...