And now, energy-efficient homes too

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 07, 2004 03:00:43 AM ]

LUCKNOW: Bid adieu to the new age Chinese import Feng shui. With comfort reigning supreme in the mind of the new age king consumer, housing planners have gone a step ahead to plan for the future. Keeping in mind the past as a ready reckoner, too. Welcome to the world of ‘solar passive architecture', which has been developed to keep you cool throughout summers and cozy through the icy cold, that too, without shelling out thousands of rupees for that new air-conditioner on the shelves.

At a workshop organised jointly by the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) and Non-conventional Energy Development Agency (Neda), minister for additional energy resources and public enterprise Paras Nath Yadav highlighted the importance of tapping alternative energy resources to save non-renewable energy resources. Mentioning that India was an agri-based economy and should develop bio-energy resources, the minister said that while quality, comfort and cost were significant parameters for the housing sector, ancient architecture used certain principles which had substantial relevance even now. The concept of ‘solar passive architecture' had been derived from these ancient architectural models, he remarked. Earlier, principal secretary additional energy resources department and chairman Neda, GB Patnaik said the Government of India had also identified six different types of environmental conditions and was providing partial financial assistance to both government and non-government organisations for building energy-efficient houses.

Special secretary housing Sanjay Bhoosreddy said that with this architecture model, an air-conditioned and healthy environment could be provided in buildings without using electromechanical devices. It was possible if the buildings use the sun's rays in a scientific manner taking into account the sun's direction along with air pressure while also using a maximum glass in windows, he said. Bhoosreddy added that while other states had already incorporated this model which had a resemblance with Mughal architecture, in their buildings, the LDA would step ahead in UP with the help of Neda.

LDA vice-chairman Manoj Singh said that it was imperative to start constructing buildings on the model to save the environment from pollution while also making the society less dependent on commercial energy. Head of the School of Planning and Architecture Arvind Krishn and energy consultant Anil Misra, both from New Delhi, gave technical lectures along with architect and consultant Orissa and Chhattisgarh government Taradhal and senior architect Rajkiya Nirman Nigam KK Asthana.