Cocoon structure can help design sustainable buildings for extreme temperature conditions

The cocoon, according to a team of scientists at IIT-Kanpur, is an architectural marvel that can help design sustainable buildings for extreme temperature conditions. They say that architects should look at nature to build temperature regulated green homes. The team studied how the cocoon creates optimum temperature and living conditions within the cocoon. The scientists were also intrigued that how pupa is in a cocoon for a dormant phase of a few weeks to months and then a healthy, adult moth emerges from it!

The study by the team found that the cocoon membrane is asymmetric; it allows preferential gating of CO2 from inside to outside and this allows CO2 to pass out from inside the cocoon but not the other way round. Hence, there is no build up of CO2 inside the cocoon. Also, the temperature within the cocoon is also regulated, irrespective of the temperature outside. 

To study how the cocoon responds to extreme temperatures, cocoons were exposed to two extreme natural temperature regimes of 5 and 50 degree C, but a temperature of 25 and 34 degree C respectively were maintained inside the cocoons. It was found that CO2 gating and thermo-regulation helps in maintaining an ambient atmosphere inside the cocoon for the growth of pupa.

The study concludes that cocoon is an architectural wonder that can help design sustainable buildings for extreme temperature conditions. The study was published recently in the Biointerphases journal.

All For One Goal

Experience isn't the only secret of success for any organization. There's another factor also and it's teamwork. Working as a team, we have one common goal - to serve our community and clients through architecture. It is important to have contributions from everyone. And therefore, we value each other and need everybody's perspectives.

Design Atelier boasts of a highly qualified team whose expertise matches the project scope and consists of multidisciplinary staff and technical partners. We have highly qualified professionals in the areas of Architecture, Landscape, Urban & Environmental Design, Strategic Planning & Communication, Structural Engineering, Air Conditioning, Electrical Engineering, Civil and Public Health Engineering, Project & Construction Management.   

We continue to expand our multi-disciplinary teams and technical partners of over 50 professionals to solve design challenges.

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We want to leave good marks on the earth and would like to measure our work by the pleasure of the lives lived in our buildings and projects. Click Here to meet our people.

India: Green building footprint to touch 2 billion sq ft by 2015

The concept of green buildings is gaining ground among developers of India and the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) believes that green building footprint to touch 2 billion sq ft by 2015. According to IGBC, 1,745 eco-friendly building projects with over 1.21 billion sq ft of green footprint are registered with the council.

"Green buildings consume 40-50 percent less energy and 20-30 percent less water. Besides, the intangible benefits of green buildings include better indoor air quality, enhanced ventilation, better view and ample sunlight that significantly improve the productivity of the occupants," says Gurmit Singh Arora, vice chairman of IGBC Mumbai chapter.

Though the building cost of a green building may be marginally (3 to 5%) higher than the conventional building, but the incremental cost gets paid back within two-three years with substantial reduction in operational costs. Developers have realized the importance of the green concept as it also offers them a good financial business model.

Energy is the first step to green

Most architects would agree that a green building must be an energy efficient building. To be energy efficient, green buildings must include measures to reduce energy consumption. Over the years, embodied energy has assumed more importance and they make up for as much as 30% of the overall life cycle energy consumption. For instance, a study by the U.S. LCI Database Project reports that the buildings built primarily with wood will have a lower embodied energy than those built primarily with brick, concrete or steel. Green architects recommends passive solar building design. They will orient windows and walls and place awnings, porches, and trees to shade windows and roofs during the summer while maximizing solar gain in the winter. Similarly, windows are placed effectively to attract natural light and lessen the need for electric lighting during the day. Solar water heating further reduces energy costs. 

Also, energy efficient buildings must also be water and building material efficient. Reducing water consumption and protecting water quality should be key objectives of these buildings. Green architecture also seeks to reduce waste of energy, water and materials used during construction. Rain water harvesting is also a good idea.

A restaurant has to be a memorable experience not only for its food but also interiors!

The interiors for a restaurant has to be a memorable experience! An interior designer would start his thinking process with defining what the brand is, where the space is positioned and who is the target audience. The interiors of a restaurant will actually create original food experiences. Therefore, its is wiser to use a far wider range of colours to fulfil any demands from the brand identity.

The work of an interior designer, according to a Wikipedia entry on interior design, draws upon many disciplines including environmental psychology, architecture, product design, and traditional decoration (aesthetics and cosmetics).

Each restaurant project (by Design Atelier) is a signature design, differentiated by architectural elements, finishes, furnishings, accessories, lighting and art to create style, image and an inviting ambiance.

Stepwells (Bawdi) for Natural Cooling of Buildings

A bawdi or stepwell is a small body of water that is constructed either below ground or surrounded by walls above ground. The nearby spaces gets cooled when the water in the enclosed area evaporates. Stepwells are certainly one of India's most unique, but little-known, contributions to green architecture. 

The architecture of these stepwells clearly suggests that these structures were not only used for rain water harvesting but also provided relief from daytime heat. The ancient cooling techniques of stepwells could be adapted in modern architecture as natural way of cooling the buildings. Even if air-conditioners are used in the building planned with the ancient cooling techniques, they will consume significantly less energy as the temperatures will be low in these building because of the natural air chilling.