Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

New light on power consumption

— Photo: K. Ananthan

ELEGANT and efficient: Designed by Laurie Baker, the building of the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History at Anaikatty near Coimbatore is an example of eco-friendly structures.

COIMBATORE: The redbrick structure at Anaikatty in the Western Ghats, 25 km from here, is an appealing sight. It houses the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) and is designed in such a way that natural light is utilised to the maximum.

It is one among the buildings on the SACON campus designed by Laurie Baker and constructed by the Kerala-based Centre of Technology for Rural Development (Costford). Environment friendly and energy conservation features characterise all these buildings.

Measuring a built-up area of 36,000 square feet, the buildings are circular structures with courtyards, arched corridors, clay tile flooring and tiled roof. The design and materials used for construction ensure ample lighting and ventilation. They also reduce heat inside.

So the need for using electrical lights and air-conditioners is reduced substantially though several office equipment such as computers are used. Power consumption of the campus averages out at 6,500 units to 7,000 units a month, and has been steady since it came up 10 years ago.

The campus includes the main block, laboratory, canteen and students’ hostel. The laboratory needs 24-hour power supply. An air-conditioner keeps the temperature at the required level for precision equipment inside.

Be it the main block, laboratory, library or hostel, these buildings are built, at various levels, without disturbing the rocky, undulating terrain. Circular corridors run between courtyards and office rooms. The rat-trap cavity walls are 23 cm thick till the lintel level.

The main walls are almost 40 cm thick. Most of them are not plastered (exposed brickwork) and some are made of coarse, random rubble. The filler slate roof has two layers of tiles with reinforced concrete grids. The features reduce heat radiation in the building. The campus also has 30 solar lamps.

A SACON employee says compared with conventional buildings, the centre’s buildings save nearly 60 per cent of electrical energy.

P.B. Sajan, joint director and architect at Costford, says advantages of such buildings include energy saving in the use of air conditioning and daytime lighting. The courtyards, filled with trees and shrubs, keep the environs cool. Locally available materials not only help to reduce the cost of construction but also conserve energy. ‘Costford’ has constructed several such buildings in Kerala.

M. Bhuvanasundar, secretary of the Tamil Nadu chapter of the Indian Institute of Architects, says a normal, non-air-conditioned conventional building consumes nearly 47 units of energy per square metre a year.

Energy conservation features can reduce the level of consumption. Energy consumption at the SACON building works out to just 28 units.

The rat-trap design in brick work creates cavity in the walls. This reduces the heat inside. Similarly, the arches and courtyards allow sufficient light into it. In Coimbatore, more than a dozen buildings have been built with such features.

Pointing out that such eco-friendly buildings are more suitable for the weather conditions of the western parts of the State, he emphasises that workers need to be trained before being employed for building such structures. The residents have to be orientated in maintenance, as the walls are not plastered. Though consumer awareness of environment-friendly and energy-conserving buildings is high, a change in the mindset is needed to make more people go in for such structures.

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