MScDissertation C1768229 PDF

 
Studies into the usage of passive design strategies to inform

early design decision making in an Indian context with hot-arid
climate for residential buildings
A dissertation submitted to Cardiff University in partial fulfilment of the

requirements for the degree of Master of Science
By: Arsh Bansal 

MSc Environmental Design of Buildings  
The Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University
 
September 2018
© Copyright
This Dissertation is protected by copyright. Do not copy any part of this study for any other 
purpose than academic study without the authorisation of the author.
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CANDIDATE’S ID NUMBER C1768229
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Mr / Miss / Ms / Mrs / Rev / Dr / Other please specify ..............
CANDIDATE’S FULL FORENAMES Arsh Bansal
DECLARATION
This work has not previously been accepted in substance for any degree and is not concurrently
submitted in candidature for any degree.
Signed ................................................................... (candidate) Date 15.09.2018
STATEMENT 1
This dissertation is being submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
of ..............................(insert MA, MSc, MBA, MScD, LLM etc, as appropriate)
STATEMENT 2
This dissertation is the result of my own independent work/investigation, except where otherwise stated.
Other sources are acknowledged by footnotes giving explicit references. A Bibliography is appended.
STATEMENT 3 – TO BE COMPLETED WHERE THE SECOND COPY OF THE DISSERTATION IS

SUBMITTED IN AN APPROVED ELECTRONIC FORMAT
I confirm that the electronic copy is identical to the bound copy of the dissertation
STATEMENT 4
I hereby give consent for my dissertation, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and for inter-
library loan, and for the title and summary to be made available to outside organisations.
STATEMENT 5 - BAR ON ACCESS APPROVED
I hereby give consent for my dissertation, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and for inter-
library loans after expiry of a bar on access approved by the Graduate Development Committee.
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List of Figures 4
Abstract 7
Acknowledgement 8
1. Introduction 9
1.1. Background 9
1.2. The Problem 9
1.3. Research Questions 10
1.4. Motivation and Justification 10
1.5. Structure of the Research 12
2. Literature Review 14
2.1. Introduction 14
2.2. Nature of Design Process 14
2.3. Climate comfort and Passive design strategies 18
2.4. Summary 22
3. Methodology 23
3.2. The Qualitative Process 23
3.3. Document Analysis 24
3.4. The Experiment 24
3.5. The Design Brief 25
3.6. Selection of Participants 30
3.7. Limitations 31
4. Results & Discussion 32
4.2. Results: Designing with respect to Passive Design Strategies 33
4.3. Results: Designing with respect to Low Cost Conditions 48
4.4. Discussion 58
5. Conclusion 68
6. Recommendations 70
Appendix 71
References 77
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List of Figures
Figure 2.2.1.1: shows knowledge vs design freedom during design process. (Ullman,
2003 in Zeiler et al., 2007)
Figure 2.2.1.2: shows the layer of design process in the design process. (Petersen, 2011)
Figure 2.3.1.1: shows one of the ways to use ventilation to provide comfort inside.
(Blanco, 2014 in Sow, 2016)
Figure 2.3.2.1: shows possible forms of the courtyard and its locations in a building.
(Edwards,2006 in Abbas et al. 2016)
Figure 2.3.3.1: shows the possibility of orientation according to sun and wind. (Blanco,
2014 in Sow, 2016)
Figure 3.5.1.1: denotes the hypothetical site (shown in purple) used in the design briefs
for the architects.
Figure 3.5.1.2: shows the sizing of of built up area for affordable housing. (MoHUPA,
2011)
Figure 3.5.2.1: showing climate classification of India and specifically Jaipur (black dot)
according to Köppen and Geiger.
Figure 4.1.1: shows the schematic used to develop a criteria on which the results will be
based.
Figure 4.2.1.1: shows subject 1’s first focus : wind speeds and direction.
Figure 4.2.1.2: shows subject 2’s understanding of wind direction which helped in
understanding spatial arrangement.
Figure 4.2.1.3: shows subject 3’s process of assessing the wind direction
Figure 4.2.1.4: shows subject 4’s understanding of wind direction and how it can be
utilised.
Figure 4.2.1.5: shows the wind catcher strategy used by subject 3.
Figure 4.2.1.6: shows subject 1’s usage of the wind tunnel effect.
Figure 4.2.1.7: shows the cross ventilation strategy used by subject 1.
Figure 4.2.1.8: shows the air movement for cross ventilation for subject 3.
Figure 4.2.1.9: shows openings on the lower levels throughout the space which will be
used for cross ventilation.
Figure 4.2.2.1: shows subject 1’s use of wind to determine positions of rooms.
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Figure 4.2.2.2: shows subject 2’s use of sun path and wind directions to produce zoning
maps.
Figure 4.2.2.3: shows subject 3’s understanding of wind and sun.
Figure 4.2.2.4: shows the sun movement being used as a reference to spatial planning by
subject 4
Figure 4.2.2.5: shows the courtyard strategy being developed by subject 3.
Figure 4.2.2.6: shows a different way to implement a courtyard (subject 4).
Figure 4.2.3.1: shows the 3d conceptualisation of the building by subject 1 with

consideration going into placement of spaces to reduce indoor temperatures.
Figure 4.2.3.2: shows the idea of subject 4 to understand division of spaces.
Figure 4.2.3.3: shows the prioritisation of spaces (such as courtyard) and how it effects
the indoor temperatures.
Figure 4.2.3.4: shows the usage of materials in the pergola which could affect internal
temperatures.
Figure 4.2.3.5: shows the idea of earth being used to generate cooler interiors by subject
4.
Figure 4.3.1.1: shows subject 5's analysis of wind and sun and how it plays a role in
determining spaces.
Figure 4.3.1.2: shows the development of program and space division according to the
earlier analysis (subject 5).
Figure 4.3.1.3: shows subject 6’s understanding of sun movement and placement of
rooms accordingly.
Figure 4.3.1.4: shows spatial planning by subject 8.
Figure 4.3.1.5: shows subject 7’s understanding of solar gains from the south to help with
the planning.
Figure 4.3.1.6: shows the strategy of a courtyard being used by subject 6.
Figure 4.3.2.1: shows subject 7 discussing openings.
Figure 4.3.2.2: shows subject 5’s analysis regarding fenestrations.
Figure 4.3.2.3: shows subject 6’s notes regarding windows.
Figure 4.3.2.4: shows subject 8’s way of reducing costs using windows in a unique way.
Figure 4.3.2.5: shows the analysis subject 6 used for material selection.
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Figure 4.3.2.6: shows how subject 5 analysed options to consider for cost saving.
Figure 4.3.2.7: shows the understanding towards low cost analysis by subject 8.
Figure 4.3.3.1: shows the usage of shading devises by subject 5.
Figure 4.3.3.2: shows subject 6’s use of shading devices.
Figure 4.3.3.3: shows the usage of thick walls and ceilings for lowering temperatures by
subject 6.
Figure 4.3.3.4: shows subject 8’s use of lower ceilings as a way to reduce temperatures.
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Abstract
This research paper describes an experiment where architects were asked to design
according to a brief with a focus on the medium of passive design strategies to help advise
early design decision making. The Indian context is regarded as one of primitive examples
to have started the usage of passive design strategies not for only thermal comfort but also
in regards to the social context. The need of passive design strategies in the built
environment can be noted as an important factor because it helps in reducing mechanical
loads and saving electricity. The architects’ work was used to determine specific
parameters and emerging themes which helped in analysing the design decisions in early
stages of a project. The process of solving a design problem with an emphasis on relating
the design features to passive elements was the target to gain perspective towards
prioritisation of elements while designing in the early stages. A qualitative method was
used to help find emerging concepts within the design journals. The ideologies that
materialise from the journals provide insight into how architects make particular decisions
with regard to the importance of specific architectural features. The study compares the
design of two groups of architects which focus on a) solely passive design strategies and
b) designing in low cost conditions. The resultant themes and sub themes are observed to
be similarities that prove to act as possible solutions for a design problem when reaching
decisions in the early stages.
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Acknowledgement
Foremost, I sincerely thank my parents, Alok Agrawal and Sandhya Agrawal, for always
believing in my potential to do the best I can and always being there when I needed the
motivation to move forward. It would not have been possible without them.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Prof. Clarice Bleil de Souza,
of Welsh School of Architecture, for her continuous support for my MSc Dissertation. Her
guidance helped me reach the maximum potential in the area of study. I would like to
thank her for patience constant motivation during the research. I have been extremely
lucky to have a supervisor who took a keep interest in my work, and who responded to my
questions and queries so promptly.
Completing this work would have been all the more difficult were it not for the support and
friendship provided by my colleagues in Cardiff University. These people provided a
necessary form of escape from my studies and deserve many thanks for helping me keep
things in perspective.
Lastly, I would like to thank the eight Indian architects who took part in my research by
presenting their work. This research would not have been possible without their efforts
towards designing within a limited amount of time.
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1. Introduction
1.1. Background
“Humans have always needed buildings in order to perform daily activities as they provide
safety from harsh effects of nature and facilitate in performing various tasks.” (Ahmed et
al., 2016). Due to buildings being high energy consumers, the building sector has
developed into one of the leading sectors that has an impact on global climate change. In
a world of climate change and energy crisis, India is playing a vital role as one of the top
polluters. As it is viewed as one of the most heavily affected countries in the world by this
staggering crisis, a step needs to be taken to avoid this catastrophic climate change. Since
the building industry holds a big chunk of stake in energy consumption, the industry
possesses a large potential to deal with it.
“Sustainable building design is no longer just about pursuing energy-saving and

environmentally friendly targets from a technical perspective; it is also about improving
buildings’ overall performance from functional, aesthetic, and many other perspectives,
with an ultimate goal of achieving harmony among humans, buildings, and nature.” (Ren
2013).The introduction to sustainability in buildings is an ongoing approach that considers
the impact that buildings have on habitats. Even though global warming is a major
problem, there are others issues that are present that need to be dealt with, such as
solving the social and economic conditions. “Problems the environment is facing are
caused by ways people have established a lifestyle with poor consideration for the
environment. The consequences of either the overuse of non-renewable resources or the
failure of integrating the built environment into the natural environment are putting the
comfort and needs of this generation and that of the future generations at stake.” (Sow
2016). Environmental issues are the root causes that lead to many of these world wide
concerns, and to improve and enhance all these problems, solutions are needed to
radicalise at the very grassroots level. The architectural industry faces the substantial
problem of designing more “eco friendly” buildings which are highly sustainable for the
present, but can also help and be used by future generations at similar operational
strengths.
1.2. The Problem
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“Architectural design is a project-oriented operation. Each design project carries its goals
or mission, thus creating its orientation for organising people to execute design activities,
including design communication, problem solving, and documentation.” (Chiu 2002).
Decision making comes into play when a client and an architect(s) agree to a contract
where an architect designs a particular structure for a client. The focus of the architect is to
design a wholesome and aesthetic building that includes the clients needs but also
reciprocates the awareness of sustainability. "Architectural design is exploratory, ill-defined
and uncertain by nature. The better the search in solution space, the better the outcome.
Exploring design during early stages considering multi-disciplinary aspects constitutes the
work process of an architect.” (Attia 2012). During the early stages of the design,
numerous decisive decisions are made regarding different aspects of the building and how
the design will grow to its full potential. The decisions are required to take many elements
into consideration- social, economical and predominantly the environmental factor. “During
early design phases, 20% of the design decisions taken subsequently influence 80% of all
design decisions.” (Bogenstätter 2000). The uncertainty regarding multiple aspects of a
building are extremely high, since a design cannot be solely dependant on intuition and
architectural experience. “Particular tasks such as form finding should include
environmental performance and energy efficiency aspects beside space layout, aesthetics,
circulation, etc.” (Attia 2012).
1.3. Research Questions

The research tries to answer these questions:
1. At what stages of design do architects consider the usage of passive design
strategies?
2. What is the sequence of decisions that the architects take during the design phase of a
project?
3. How does the process of prioritisation play a role in designing an environmentally
friendly house?
These questions will help provide validated answers that reoccur throughout the research.
The themes of passive design systems and early design decision making processes are
explored in the literature review to help the research move forward.
1.4. Motivation and Justification
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Throughout a designers’ architectural education, they learn to understand the importance
of passive design strategies and the need of them in modern architecture. With global
warming and rise of external temperatures causing serious damage to the comfort
requirement of humans, its necessary to note that environmental conscious design is of
utmost importance. Throughout this research, it will be noted and seen that most decisions
are rarely documented. This research will not only focus on the Indian context, but also
other regions of the world, whilst examining that the decision making system lacks
transparency and causes trouble when reaching consensus in a particular group of
designers. When looking at different typologies of buildings, multiple types of people are
involved. “To make a decision we need to know the problem, the need and purpose of the
decision, the criteria of the decision, their sub criteria, stakeholders and groups affected
and the alternative actions to take.” (Saaty, 2008). After understanding the above, its
important to find the best alternative or find a way that prioritises the allocated resources
so that it is beneficial for all. “The lack of clear and shared rationale often requires
decisions to be changed late in the design process, which results in the waste of time and
resources if a solution can be found at all.” (Arroyo 2014).
Environmental information of the past, the present and the future play a vital role in todays
understanding of how a design should go forward. “Architecture is one of the main
manifestations of a culture; hence, it is important to use the determinants of climate in
architecture.” (Hyde, 2017). The correlation between understanding local climatic
conditions and design go hand-in-hand to investigate a desirable design solution. The
focal point of each design should be the local environmental conditions, therefore the
design and elements of architecture should revolve around this. The utilisation of these
local conditions require a vital decision making process to help guide the design ideology
in such a way that the ambiguity of the decisions lead to absolute certainty of the design.
Here, design knowledge is key in determining the growth of design decisions to help
achieve a greater output.
“The term “passive design” refers to a series of architectural design strategies used by the
designer to develop a building in order to respond adequately to climatic requirements,
among other contextual necessities.” (Kroner 1997). The usage of passive design
strategies has been ever present in the Indian context when it comes to designing.
Traditional architecture coupled with the idea of building with nature were the norm in the
past until they broke away from the elements to grow towards a more Western influence.
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The passive design strategies served the purpose of providing thermal comfort for the
users inside the building. In the present day, the empathy to the environment is lacking in
each design that an Indian architect creates, therefore it is important to bring back those
traditional approaches to help reduce the energy loads and consumption. It is true that
designers of the present cannot dramatically revert back to the tried and tested methods of
the vernacular architecture, but need to bring forth new ideas that would merge the
present with the past to create a new brand of ideas that would salvage the environmental
conditions to its greatest potential. “The passive design solutions that the traditional
vernacular architecture offered cannot be ignored, considering the potential they offer.
Hence, there arises a need to explore these strategies and reinterpret the knowledge of
the past to suit the needs of the present and the future.” (Srivastav, Jones 2009). The need
to provide an integrated solution that involves the use of nature can be examined as a
priority to define the situation of thermal comfort for a space.
Designing a building that aims at reducing building loads and increasing comfort ranges
with the help of external environmental conditions is an extremely complex problem that
deals with uncertainty and makes the early decision making process a vital part of the
design. Informed decision making is required to gain insight for the design to go forward,
making it a design that will be a good solution in all the architectural departments. “The
‘traditional’ design process is based on the assumption that by optimising each individual
part (design, construction, operation) and each component (structural, mechanical,
electrical, interiors, etc.), the whole building will be optimised.” (Arroyo 2014). Throughout
projects seen in different parts of India, it can be noted and confirmed that these elements
from the ‘traditional’ design process may not be enough to produce highly optimised
buildings due to many intrinsic details that are mostly overlooked while designing.
Hence, the overall aim of this research is to promote the usage of passive design
strategies in low cost conditions by analysing the requirements of using the right strategies
to inform early design decision making.
1.5. Structure of the Research

This research compromises of five main chapters that help establish a strong hold of the
topic. Chapter one has five parts which includes the background, the problem, motivation
and justification of topic and the research questions that will be answered. Chapter two
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deals with the literature found regarding the topic. This chapter is divided in two main
sections which include the nature of design process and the understanding of climate
comfort and passive design strategies. Methodology is encapsulated in chapter three and
identifies the way in which the research and data will be collected. The penultimate
chapter is the fourth one, which delves into the results and the data set provided by the
architects. Chapter four also analyses these results as part of the discussion. The final
chapter is the conclusion, which is divided into three sections of summary of findings,
recommendations and suggestions for future study.
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2. Literature Review
2.1. Introduction
This chapter focuses on introducing and reviewing the concept of passive design
strategies and the process of decision making in the early design stages. The involvement
of passive design is a major part of understanding sustainability on the whole, which is one
of the primary concerns that the world faces today. Focusing on understanding the
relationship between passive design strategies and the role it plays in early design stages
is needed to prevent the deterioration of the environment. Since a design process can be
interpreted in different ways, its vital to respect the steps that each architect takes because
of the importance it has in the overall development of the design.
2.2. Nature of Design Process
2.2.1. The Conceptual Design Process

In the design phases, the features and design of a building may be influenced by multiple
factors such as functionality, creativity, site knowledge and its environmental impact,
resulting in important moves to be considered during the initial stages. The architectural
design process is highly repetitive and delves from a very conceptual understanding to a
detailed understanding. (Aliakseyeu, 2003 in Ochoa, 2008). This conceptual or pre design
stage is vital to approach a quality solution because this stage allows for altercations to be
done which may have a major effect on the project when the project is completed. “ A
Figure 2.2.1.1. shows knowledge vs design freedom during design process. (Ullman, 2003 in Zeiler et al., 2007)
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sustainable design needs an integrated design process and a more involved approach
than a conventional design process.” (Braganca et al., 2014). Figure 2.2.1.1. shows the
period of conceptual design being a pivotal step to developing a profound design solution.
As the knowledge about the design problem grows, the freedom to change aspects of the
design reduces, proving that careful considerations need to be taken in the conceptual
phase of the design.
The determination to provide a probable solution to the design problem is when there is
interaction between abstract ideas, synthesis and analysis. (Petersen, 2011). “ The
concept of design phases is related to a set of consecutive actions that guides the
development process.” (Braganca, 2014). Each goal has a influential role to play that
guides the design process forward, making it vital to respect each move by a process of
prioritisation. The conceptual design phase demands the involvement of design objectives
which will be the basis on which the design grows. Since the conceptual phase delves into
pre design affiliated work, it deals with the gathering of information regards to the project
brief. (Kim and Kim, 2007). The information gathered is understood as the site information
that has a vital role in the sequence of decisions that are needed. The problem seeking
starts with the site closely affiliated to the majority of the problem, leading to find
conceptual solutions at the pre design stage. “What is called ‘creative part’ usually refers to
the schematic design phase where main concepts of form and space are generated.” (Kim
and Kim, 2007).
Figure 2.2.1.2. shows the layer of design process in the design process. (Petersen, 2011)
The co-relation between multiple design ideologies can be seen in figure 2.2.1.2. The
structure of the design process deals with the overall understanding of what needs to be
done and who it involves at particular stages. “The second layer is the design cognition
and is concerned with how architects (or design teams for that matter) treat the information
and process it in order to move from problem descriptions to a design
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proposal.” (Petersen, 2011). The final step delves into the “selection” of methods to
counter the problems the design brief brings. An architect’s understanding of not only
social concerns, but also knowledge regarding environmental issues, and spatial
identification, play a role in determining the strategies involved in the process.
2.2.2. Understanding decision making in early design stages
Decision making might be a major study in the field of engineering but there seems to be
minimal knowledge in the field of architecture. Generally, the design process deals with the
idea of having multiple activities that formulate to create one possible solution out of many.
In terms of process, it is seen as the beginning of a building design until the building is
finished; this can be seen in the description provided by RIBA from a British context.
(Lawson, 2006). This describes the traditional structure that is followed by architects from
the beginning of a project to its completion. The importance of this traditional structure is
vital because it determines the responsibilities involved to reach a design solution.
Decisions taken during the early design stages allow more adaptability of new ideas which
leads to a higher effect on the desired outcome. (Derelov, 2004). During the handling of
each project, it is noted that the information flow is broken and it is not described well in
drawings and documentation which leads to lower quality of decision making internally.
(Pittman, 2003 in Petersen, 2011).
The sequence of decisions goes from ambiguity-through the information collected- to the
idea of absolute certainty, where the final decision is made. (Ren, 2013). There is an
argument between designers whether design should be focused on the process or the final
product. (Atkin, 1993 in Ren, 2013). Designers are responsible for production of alternative
solutions for a design proposal and might require other stakeholders (structural engineers,
etc.) to help reach that pinnacle. Mulder (Mulder, 2006) identifies that sustainability is not
just an “add-on criterion”, but a characteristic that should be met by all designs.
Decision making in a design process is highly dependant on three ideologies: a)

knowledge access, b) idea generation and c) sketching as a way to find a possible
solution. (Almendra, 2010). It can be noted that design knowledge can influence the quality
of decisions being made regarding the possible output. (Wang et al., 2008 in Almendra,
2010). Since knowledge is supporting the decision making process of a designer, the steps
taken are dependant on the designer’s contextual understanding. The utilisation of
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information throughout the design process can be two-fold; one set of information
originates from the knowledge and experience generated from the designer’s past and the
other set deals with the idea of information coming from external sources. (Eastman, 2001
in Almendra, 2010). Decisions involved in the process of idea generation work hand in
hand with the development of creativity. It can be theoretically noted that the creative ideas
that flow through can have lesser quality than some ideas but, it is implied that designers
will produce some creative yet achievable idea which could possibly be the design
solution. The protocol of generating an idea “can be seen as a matter of generating,
developing and communicating ideas, where ‘idea’ is understood as a basic element of
thought that can be either visual, concrete or abstract.” (Jonson, 2005 in Almendra, 2010).
Its vital to note that the creative thoughts should encompass originality as well as
relevance. The knowledge of experience becomes vital to help develop creative ideas
during the design process. (Downing, 2000). The relationship between idea conception
and sketching go together as sketching is a primary way to show the ideas that an
architect is thinking. The importance of sketching as part of a decision making process is
reinforced by the Van der Lugt, stating that sketching affects the idea generation process.
(Almendra, 2010). “Sketching is useful (i.e., leads to more creative results) to those who
due to experience are proficient users of sketching in design problem solving, in certain
types of spatial manipulations of simple forms.” (Goldschmidt, 2006). The usage of
sketching is not only for storing possible solutions, but also helps in identifying conflicts
and future possibilities of the design. (Akin, 1978). With the help of sketching, the skill is
able to provide the much needed support and reduce the stress on the thinking process
since an architect is able to visually explore the ideas.
A common problem that occurs during the early design stages concerning the quality of
the solution, is that the designers find it difficult to express the creative process going on in
the mind. This is due to the amount of ideas that the creative process generates, and the
architect is not able to fully visualise and provide reasoning for it in the end. (Kim and Kim,
2007). Each architect has their own way of proceeding with the design process which
leads to different order of steps in design. “Some designers may follow the standard order
in an organised manner, but some may not.” (Kim and Kim, 2007).
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2.3. Climate comfort and Passive design strategies
“The term “passive design” refers to a series of architectural design strategies used by the
designer to develop a building in order to respond adequately to climatic requirements,
among other contextual necessities.” (Kroner 1997). The usage of passive design
strategies aims to harness the environmental factors and use it so that a particular building
does not rely highly on mechanical loads. The goal of a “passive” oriented building is to
help provide the needed integration with the nature to increase the thermal comfort inside
a building. (Sow, 2016). An important consideration when considering passive strategies is
the informed use during the design stages which helps in reduce mechanical
considerations.
2.3.1. Importance of ventilation

The need of providing natural ventilation into a household is one of the primary ways to
achieve thermal comfort. Air movement is a vital part to help achieve natural ventilation
entering the building and it has to link up with the strategies of building form, orientation
and openings which will be discussed further in the chapter. (Siew et al., 2011). The usage
of passive based strategies were implemented way before the usage of HVAC’s came into
play, proving the importance of passive strategies in today’s world. “From the earliest times
building designers have made use of naturally induced air movement to address two basic
needs in buildings: the removal of foul air and moisture, and personal thermal
comfort.” (Aynsley, 2007). To compensate for the extra heat that buildings are absorbing
due to climatic circumstances, the usage of air conditioning has increased enormously,
Figure 2.3.1.1. shows one of the ways to use ventilation to provide comfort inside. (Blanco, 2014 in Sow, 2016).
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which then increases the maintenance cost. The need to reduce this cost and save on
energy by using the ventilation based passive strategies with the integration of mechanical
cooling will help promote the passive aspect of designing.
For obvious reasons, the primary concern of buildings is the comfort (cooling) during the
summer months. To provide sufficient cooling for this season, its vital to have enough air
pressure from an external source to help distribute the air inside the space. In the context
of India, the tropical climate requires a reduction in humidity and also the usage of air
when its temperature drops down to a tolerable level. (Aynsley, 2007). Winters of some
localities causes problems for the usage of natural ventilation due to the cold draughts that
might enter by merely allowing excess air to enter. The performance of natural ventilation
has a direct relationship with the provision of cross ventilation because it deals with
allowing fresh air to enter and exit across a space for better ventilation as seen in figure
2.3.1.1.
2.3.2. Importance of courtyard design in an Indian context
“The simple idea of including an open space (like a courtyard) in a building comes to mind
when we need natural lighting, heating, cooling and ventilating in a solid building.” (Zamani
et al., 2012). The Indian traditional architecture has always had a strong relationship
between social presence and the provision of architectural elements. The courtyard has
been deeply rooted in Indian culture but due to many arguments being raised against it in
the modern era, the usage of a “courtyard house” seems to be decreasing. With striving for
sustainability being the norm of architects and designers alike, the need of courtyards
could still be useful to act as a social space as well as help in reducing the carbon
footprint. (Gangwar, 2016).
The functionality of the courtyard is highly dependant on the behavioural context of the
user and also the environmental aspect. From the behaviour of the user, it can be noted
that different regions have unique ways of using a courtyard. (Gangwar, 2016). These
unique ways range from a playing scape for children to an area used for washing. The
flexibility in the plan recognises user activity and with the determination of the space the
limitations are set. Sometimes, the courtyard acts as an informal extension of the living
area which is a plausible way to distinguish traditional courtyard uses from the modern
ones. The contemporary courtyards lack the need to create a space that reminisces the
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social space a person needs. (Yu, 1999 in Gangwar, 2016). “The courtyard in a hot dry
climate is usually the heart of the dwelling spatially, socially, and environmentally.” (Soflaee
and Shokouhian, 2007). It can be observed that the courtyard increases thermal benefits
and also has the potential to increase the environmental benefits. (Abbas, 2016). As seen
in figure 2.3.2.1. the positional effect of the courtyard is extremely high and can be
dependent on the climatic conditions in which it is being built in.
Figure 2.3.2.1. shows possible forms of the courtyard and its locations in a building. (Edwards,2006 in Abbas et al. 2016)
2.3.3. Importance of orientation

One of the primary concerns of buildings, especially in the Indian context, is the
overheating that buildings have to deal with during the summer months. Orientational
design of a space is rather important as it delves into the path of understanding the sun
and wind movement. This analysis is extremely vital in guiding the way for orienting a
building. Orientational positioning of spaces allows division of spaces according to the
needs and the amount of light it needs. “Building block orientation governs the passive
technologies implementation within the design.” (Altan et al., 2016). The adaptation of the
right techniques used for orientation governs the right operation of openings which will in
turn affect the overall performance of the building and also the contextual demand.
Orientation is particularly dependant on the contextual usage of the space as well as the
privacy requirements of the space. Some spaces in a residential block require more solar
radiation comparatively which reassures the architects of placement of these spaces.
“Well-designed buildings should be oriented, and the spaces arranged in such a way, that
the majority of rooms face towards the equator.” (Altan et al., 2016). As seen in figure
2.3.3.1., the usage of climatic data of wind and sun movement can help determine the right
orientation of spaces which leads to better comfort standards for the users. The east and
20
Figure 2.3.3.1. shows the possibility of orientation according to sun and wind. (Blanco, 2014 in Sow, 2016).
west facades of the building get the highest amount of solar radiation and to prevent this,
its necessary to provide spaces that face towards the equator. Summer and winter sun
angles play a vital role in helping solve the problem of defining spaces as per orientation.
“Consideration of orientation is an important first stage in the integration of passive solar
design concepts at the building and development stages.” (Morrissey et al., 2011). During
the design stages, the issue of orientation is solved relatively easily, helping incorporate
other difficult passive strategies to help provide better thermal comfort. (Morrissey et al.,
2011).
2.3.4. Importance of material consideration

The basis on which the importance of material selection for sustainable buildings is built
upon, is the need to consider materials that are locally available which helps in reducing
the overall carbon footprint of a building. Mourtada (2013), talks about the characteristics
that should be considered a criteria for building materials: a) should be locally available
(extracted or manufactured), b) the embodied energy should be as low as possible, c)
have minimum effect on the environment, d) should be procured according to climatic
region, and e) should generate low counts of waste. (Sow, 2016).
The impacts of material consideration on ecology can be noted as highly relevant because
of the relationship materials has to the overall sustainability of a building. “Sustainable
technologies” (Pearce et al., 2012) considers the effect it has on the environment and are
careful to note the limitations in which they work. “The first way in which materials
selection can contribute to sustainability is by providing the building blocks for sustainable
technologies.” (Pearce et al., 2012). By using the right selection of materials, maximum
performance of the materials is achieved, but consideration needs to go towards negating
21
the impact it has on the systems around it. Material selection for product design can be
seen in the writings of Van Kesteren, Stappers and Kandachar (2005), it is observed that
procedure of selecting materials vary in architecture when compared to product design.
The same ideology for product design cannot be replicated in architecture because the
field of architecture involves the interactions between a building and the user constantly.
(Wastiels and Wouters, 2008).
2.3.5. Prioritisation of Passive design strategies

As discussed earlier, the usage of passive design strategies such as the ones discussed
above, are needed to help provide a sustainable solution for a design problem. In helping
solve the design brief, its vital to understand the process through which the strategies
should be considered to help achieve the maximum thermal comfort. Prioritisation is
largely dependant on the selection process of strategies that will deem suitable for the
design. “The selection of an appropriate passive (…) strategy for a building of a particular
location is based heavily on the local climatic condition of that location.” (Ahmed et al.,
2014). For providing good thermal comfort for the users, its important to consider the
factors of temperature and humidity. Hence, climatic conditions are extremely vital in
recognising the selection of passive strategies. The usage of climatic analysis in the early
design stages helps in the selection of passive design strategies. Each climatic conditions
require different types of passive strategies that help with the cause of thermal comfort.
2.4. Summary
Throughout the past, the usage of passive design strategies has been present to provide
thermal comfort for users in the Indian context. It can be understood via these strategies,
the importance of selection plays a vital role depending on the climatic configurations of
the site. The nature of design process is needed to fully understand the multifaceted
decision making techniques needed to devise a solution for a design proposal. It should be
noted that design decision making, especially in the early design stages, prove to be a vital
stepping stone on which ideologies of sustainability can be built on, helping architects go
forward with design solutions to create a comfortable living standards for the users.
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3. Methodology
3.1. Introduction
The aim for this particular research is to promote architects to implement the ideologies of
passive design strategies and low cost construction to develop climate responsive
residential dwellings in the context of an Indian hot and dry climate in the early design
stages, with emphasis on going into finding solutions by the process of prioritisation.
Experimental testing may be the best way of achieving this (Cohen and Crabtree, 2006).
The usage of participant interaction over theory will always be able to produce more
introspect data that can be used for a better analysis.
“Research methods refer to the specific techniques of doing the particular research, while
methodology has to do with the strategy of the research as a whole.” (Baba, 2013). The
methodology followed here is dependent on design development by two unique groups of
architects and designers which base their designs on a design brief provided by the
researcher to help investigate the role of decision making. The two unique groups of
architects are formulated on the basis of provision of validated documentation which can
be seen in the latter chapters.
This chapter focuses on the method used in the study which would help in thematically
analysing the data which is the resultant of this method. The general method used here
will be able to help evaluate the effectiveness of early design decision making by providing
the researcher with the data. The basis on which this research method was adopted was
the qualitative process which is used principally in understand subjects related to social
sciences.
3.2. The Qualitative Process

A qualitative method refers to the usage of a “thematic analysis” which simply is the search
for themes or patterns that emerge in written pieces of work (Bryman, 2008). The method
involves the study of human behaviour and problems which is part of social science. In this
method, its important to stress on the theoretical ideas that emerge from data. The few
strategies which come under the qualitative approach are; ethnography; grounded; case-
study, phenomenological and narrative (Ikpe, 2009). A major difference between the
qualitative process and quantitative process is that in the qualitative process, concepts
23
emerge from the data rather than being a prerequisite (Bryman, 2008). In this study, the
focus is on the decisions that architects make in early design stages regarding passive
design and low cost conditions. Since both of these genres have an effective role in
contributing to sustainability in a residential design, multiple patterns will emerge between
them that would help recognise the order of decisions that architects take. The method of
making architects design a hypothetical project was to understand the thinking process of
each individual and the key elements each architect prioritises during the initial stages of
design.
Reliability and validity criteria is an important aspect of a qualitative research because they
measure the quality of the research as well as the wider potential (Bryman, 2008). There is
high importance for internal validity which reciprocates good research observations with
the theoretical ideas that develop for a subject. The qualitative process starts with the
assessment of research by administering research questions and concerns. It leads to the
selection of relevant data which is done by one of the many sub processes involved with
qualitative methods stated in the earlier paragraph. In the form of dependability, a research
should determine an approach relating to auditing (Bryman, 2008). Records need to be
kept for all parts of research process to help produce complete validated data analysis.
3.3. Document Analysis

The method of analysing documents (letters, diaries, photographs, journals, newspapers,
magazines, etc.) is a process that involves rigorous understanding of similarities and
differences between each piece of document. For this particular study, the use of design
journals were taken as the document which were provided by each architect to understand
the process and prioritisation of each architect’s decisions. The quality of the documents
depend on a few variables which includes authenticity, credibility, representativeness and
meaning. (Scott, 1990). The usage of design journals acts a personal document of each
architect which allows the researcher to focus on developing the themes that arise from it
by studying each journal in depth. While analysing documents, it is important to relate the
design journal to the design problem that was given to the architects. The documents
symbolise their process of understanding the design brief and finding solutions.
3.4. The Experiment
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The methodology that is used in this chapter examines the aspects that related to the early
design process that architects and designers use to design a social housing unit in a hot
and dry climate in Jaipur, India. The methodology used here is includes a hypothetical
design exercise where the architects are asked to analyse and understand a particular
design brief. The knowledge gained from the experience of an observation rather than
intuition and introspection is a much more positive approach to a research (Bryman, 2004).
Here, observation is understood to be of the documentation that each architect is
providing. To help analyse what can be done to achieve better building performance and
choose the right passive design strategies for low cost conditions, it is imperative to
determine what the process is. The importance of this experiment is to understand how
architects make decisions during the early design phase regarding the use of elements
and strategies of low cost conditions and of passive design. The experiment is set up in
such a way that two unique groups are created which denote the usage two separate
ideas. The two unique groups act as a basis where a comparative and thematic analysis
would be done to understand the similarities and differences between the two groups. For
this scenario, one group focuses on the passive design aspect of designing while the
second group focuses on the low cost condition aspect. The importance of high quality
data collection is pivotal in recognising what patterns emerge between the two groups.
Since the entire experiment is dependent on the design brief, the brief itself has important
parts which are vital for the process in which the architects develop their designs.
3.5. The Design Brief

Since the experiment is totally based on the process that the architect takes towards a
project, the primary and most crucial part of the experiment was developing a ‘design brief’
that would function as a backdrop and reference to each architect’s own design. The
importance of the design brief is such that it is a stepping stone from which everything
evolves and its against this that other alternatives are tested. The design brief acts a
communicational front on which the whole experiment is built on since the brief is only
document that is available to the architects to start their design. The brief has multiple
parts to it which helps the architect in choosing particular design elements. The many parts
of the brief include:
i. the site
ii. the climate
iii. requirements.
25
All three of these elements work together hand-in-hand to form the vital parts of the design
brief. As said earlier there are two unique groups which are proposed with different design
briefs which would be used in the latter stages as part of the thematic analysis. There is no
significant difference between the two briefs (provided in the appendix), just enough
background information is provided to guide the architects in the right path to produce
drawings and notes that can be analysed. As stated earlier, the definition of the experiment
is dependant on the architects’ understanding of the design briefs and how they approach
the design problem, and hence, that’s why the process of analysing the documents
produced by them can help in optimising the results.
3.5.1. The Site
The site of every project is the foundation on which every design is built on. The architect
has a pivotal role to play, especially in understanding what the site offers and how it can be
used to an advantage to create a wholesome space needed for the client or whoever it
may concern. As stated earlier by the researcher, this experiment focuses on designers
being given a hypothetical site on which they are to design a social housing unit. Choosing
the perfect site for this scenario is also very vital as it forms the basis on which the
Figure 3.5.1.1 denotes the hypothetical site (shown in purple) used in the design briefs for the architects.
26
architects go about their research regarding the site. Location of the site here is given in
Jaipur, India (26.9124° N and 75.7873° E) which boasts of a climatic condition of hot and
dry (will be discussed later). In figure 3.5.1.1, the site, which is part of a social housing
community, can be seen. The site dimensions were given as 9m x 13m. The site
dimensions were given according to similar size of social housing plots found in similar
location and community. This particular site was chosen due to the location of it- its located
in very central area of Jaipur. This particular site has extremely good connectivity to the
main roads and sub roads proving the logic behind site selection. The idea of social
housing in India is deemed as a major subject due to the limited housing options that are
present for the lower and middle income groups. The requirements of affordable housing
has increased due to the rapid urban growth the country faces (Gopalan, 2015). The
government bodies of each city and state issues laws that help find homes for the lower
income groups and thats why the provision of affordable housing is done. The site is part
of a social housing community which dealt with MIG (middle income group) and proved to
be a good place to set up a hypothetical site. As seen in figure 3.5.1.2, the average
requirements for built up area can be seen for all the income groups. As per the
government of Rajasthan, “Affordable housing for all and integrated habitat development
with a view to ensure equitable supply of land, shelter and services at affordable prices in
Rajasthan, with special focus on urban poor and excluded groups of society.” (Department
Figure 3.5.1.2 shows the sizing of of built up area for affordable housing. (MoHUPA,
2011) (http://www.jll.co.in/india/en-gb/Research/Affordable_Housing_in_India_2012.pdf)
of urban development, 2009).
The site’s neighbourhood context is vital information that the architects needed as it could
be used to determine different strategies and elements which could be implemented in
27
each architect’s work. A site analysis by the architect is of utmost importance because it
helps in understanding the intangible opportunities created by design. Understanding the
site is a vital tool in creating a masterful space and by providing this information in the
brief, the architects have a set backdrop to produce free flowing designs. As stated earlier,
an architect should always look to find more than what’s on site because the surrounding
has an equal part to play in a particular design. An architect can only conceptualise a
particular building after understanding how the site is behaving according to different
elements of the environment. The importance of site analysis also denotes how an
architect designs a space functionally. When there is very minimal knowledge of the site
and its context, the architect is limited to ideas and creativity. The expectation of analysing
the site should should be based on the design process of each individual. For example, a
designer could focus on the orientation of the site and how it plays in tandem to the
movement of the sun or to the transport networks it has around it. The designers could
also develop their designs around the basis of providing the best vantage points for street
visibility or the park which is opposite the site. The design briefs provide some sort of
support for the design to go forward which helps in the process of doing a site analysis.
3.5.2. The Climate

Not only is it equally important but the climatic information provided has a very significant
role to play in helping architects and designers determine what strategies and design
elements are needed for a particular building. The role of the climatic data is there to help
guide designers in the right way which in turn would lead to the creation of introspect
designs which focus on using the environment to its advantage rather than it having a
negative effect. As stated earlier, the climate classification for the site is ‘BSh' according to
Köppen and Geiger, which translates into an arid climate, steppe precipitation and hot arid
temperatures as seen in figure 3.5.2.1. The Indian subcontinent has different climates, but
focusing on this particular climate is done to find out a probable solution for a harsher
climate. This experiment has characteristics of climate which is felt in some parts of
Northern India. In the Indian construction industry, many of these climatic factors are not
considered important in the early design stages. Rather architects think about the
consequences of environmental factors in the latter stages when the construction is about
to finish. Climate, not only often, but always has a hand in determining particular elements
of a design and thats why its important for the architect to acknowledge the climatic
conditions on which the site is so that architects can incorporate it in designs. The
28
Figure 3.5.2.1 showing climate classification of India and specifically Jaipur (black dot) according to Köppen and
Geiger. (http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Geography_of_India)
understanding of how and when the climatic conditions (wind direction, sun movement,
humidity levels, etc.) can be used to the architect’s advantage is the reason why climatic
data is provided within the brief.
Different types of weather data sources are available for use which are shown by different
ways of representation. The usage of these datasets could be considered a huge
advantage when looking and designing at the initial design stages because the knowledge
an architect can gain from the micro and macro climate is extremely vital. In this scenario,
an Energy Plus Weather file (EPW) was provided to the architects which represented
some of the major environmental factors that take place in the city (seen in design briefs in
the Appendix). This was provided in the form of charts and graphs which showed the
climatic data. Factors such as temperatures, wind speeds, daylight hours were some of
the factors that were given to establish how the environment works in and around the site.
The reason to provide this dataset with the design briefs was to make the designers
understand the conditions in which they have to design during the initial stages of design.
3.5.3. Requirements
The requirements of any particular building change as per the design brief or client’s
needs. It is always important to consider what the need of client is so that an architect can
29
make that the focal point of the design. In this particular scenario, the architects were
asked to design a dwelling which was part of social housing community. The dwelling was
meant to be occupied by a family of four and needed all provisions that a house would be
provided with. The architects were not given a particular list of spatial requirements but
were allowed to design as per their perspectives and knowledge on what social housing is.
The only major requirement that they needed to adhere to was to design according to the
different brief provided to each of them. The two different design briefs were:
i. design by proposing passive design strategies only
ii. design with respect to low cost conditions only;
Both the briefs also stated that the designers needed to pay attention to the environmental
conditions that the site had to offer and how it could be harnessed to be used to an
advantage. Since the aim of the research is to focus on the initial design stages of the
project, it was important for the participants to document every decision they took in
regards to designing the structure with careful consideration going into clarity of the
documentation.
3.6. Selection of Participants
The selection of participants was entirely based on a simple criteria of finding participants
who could document their entire decision process with clarity and provide it in an
organised way. Since this falls under the category of a qualitative research, its important to
note that the process of selecting participants is extremely important. Participant selection
is done in a way that it can be observed that all the participants understand and enhance
the research, providing the researcher with rich results. Since this is a qualitative research
as said earlier, the number of participants is not predetermined. To qualify and identify
emerging themes between the two groups of participants, participants are chosen by
considering their perspectives, experience levels and also the diversity (Sargeant, 2012). It
was also vital to consider architects who would be able to understand and break down the
brief in substantial ways to produce interesting perspectives into conceptual designs.
In this particular scenario, eight architects are chosen to help analyse common themes
between passive design and low cost conditions. The chosen participants are asked to
submit their design journals after a time period. These design journals will include their
thoughts and ideas that reflect a possible solution to the design brief. As stated earlier, the
30
eight architects are divided into two unique groups which focus on two similar but distinctly
unique design briefs. The differences between the briefs is that one of them focuses on the
passive design aspect while the other focuses on the low cost condition aspect; the site,
climate, location remain the same for both briefs. The chosen architects were Indian since
the research is based in the Indian context. As the study was based in India, the data
provided by architects from a similar background would be of a higher quality when
compared to architects who do not have much understanding of the climate that study is
based in. The designers chosen have experience of working in an architectural firm and all
have a background of studying architecture.
3.7. Limitations
One of the most important aspects of this experiment is the time allotted for the designers
to show and document the work that is produced. The duration for the architects to design
and conceptualise the building was given as approximately seven days. This limitation is
present to replicate an architectural office environment, where architects have to work
towards a deadline. Taking into account that all designers have other priorities, the given
duration was enough for the architects to provide valid drawings and notes for the
experiment. Since the study is based within the context of India, communication a
significant hurdle. Getting in touch with each individual was a problem which led to some
architects taking more time to hand in their submissions. The communication between the
researcher and the participants was through the medium of the social networks to ensure
speed and efficiency while communicating.
31
4. Results & Discussion
4.1. Introduction
In this chapter, the researcher reviews the themes and sub themes that emerged from the
data set from the two design briefs that were given to the architects to follow. The data
which was obtained from all the designers were in the form of a design journal where all of
the architects have described their early design process, similarly they would be asked to
design for a client. Both group of designers were asked to note down every single decision
they made regarding the elements of passive design strategies or low cost conditions
which would act as a theme that could be analysed. The extraction of information from the
data driven by the architects is a pivotal point in understanding what sort of patterns and
ideologies emerge when comparing the two groups of architects which had different briefs
to act upon. To ensure high quality of data was collected, it was imperative for the
designers to provide detailed early stage design journals which would reflect the rational
approach they took to find a solution for the design brief.
To understand the relationships that both groups (passive design and low cost conditions)
have with each other, each design journal was examined to its fullest potential until all
information regarding the use and prioritisation of passive design elements in buildings,
with respect to decision making, was found. The basis on which this idea revolves is to
collect different perspectives of different designers to a contextually similar problem on
how the architects would go on designing. As stated in the methodology chapter, the
selection of participants in a way that a good data set was created was pivotal to establish
a perspectives of two unique yet similar problems.
Eight participants from an architectural background were chosen to formulate their ideas
into notes and drawings. All eight design journals were analysed in a detailed manner to
understand how each architect portrayed their perspectives about passive design
strategies and low cost conditions to the best of their ability. It has to be noted that if a
larger group of architects was taken and different approaches were used, data would show
different patterns emerging which would make the present information unusable. The
understanding of the qualitative level is by far the most important aspect that needs to be
considered to help analyse the data provided. The usage of techniques used in the field of
32
social sciences were used to identify the unique design approaches that architects have
taken to formulate a solution for the design briefs given by the researcher.
Identification of themes or patterns from the information provided by the architects is

pivotal in gaining knowledge regarding decision making in early design stages. “TA
(thematic analysis) is a method for systematically identifying, organising, and offering
insights into patterns of meaning (themes) across a data set.” (Braun and Clarke, 2014).
For the researcher, the usage of the process of thematic analysis is done to understand
the collective experience that is present when studying the data set provided by the
architects which are part of the experiment. “The themes and sub themes are essentially
recurring motifs in the text that are then applied to the data.” (Bryman, 2008). During the
analysis, numerous patterns could be identified that would help resolve and answer the
questions or objectives put forth in the beginning of the research. The findings of themes
and sub themes are needed to replicate a system by which the data set is based on.
The criteria on which the results are based are established on understanding similarities
and differences between the different design journals of both groups when the journals are
compared to each other. The development of the criteria model is dependant on the similar
thematic patterns that emerge from the dataset. As seen in figure 4.1.1., the criteria
developed is to understand the sequence of decision making during the early design
stages which is determined by the similar sub themes present in two groups of architects.
Each architect has their own thought process and order of decision when designing and
therefore, to understand this process of the architects, this criteria is developed.
Sub themes Similar sub sequence of decisions that

of passive themes that the architects take
Themes design and emerge according to the similar sub
low cost between the themes found
condition two groups
Figure 4.1.1. shows the schematic used to develop a criteria on which the results will be based.
4.2. Results: Designing with respect to Passive Design

Strategies
33
The usage of passive design in this scenario is of utmost importance to provide the user
with comfortable temperatures to live in. As stated in the methodology chapter, designing
with primarily passive strategies was the focal point of one brief which was given to a
group consisting of four architects. The four designers provided their design journals which
were analysed to assess the findings. Using all the data that was present, themes and sub
themes were developed that would help in understanding the process the architects take
while designing in the early stages. Three basic themes emerge from critically observing
the design journals which are seen in Table 1. These themes are categorised into sub
themes which explore similar ideas that were followed by all four of the subjects
(participants). By critically exploring each design journal, it was observed that the order of
Theme Sub themes
Approach to solving assessment of wind usage of wind tunnels/ importance of cross

ventilation issues direction/ wind speeds wind catchers ventilation
Approach to spatial using to the sun/wind importance of courtyards

planning movement to define as a central feature
space positioning
Approach to lower orientation of building understanding the importance of materials

internal temperatures division of spaces being used and
architectural elements
Table 1 showing themes and sub themes for designing with respect to passive design.
design decisions that each architect makes is dependant on variables which relate to the
sub themes emerging from the data set. The overall aim of these designers was to
produce buildings that would stand the test of sustainability, efficiency (reduce loads) and
be able to provide thermal satisfaction.
4.2.1. Theme 1: Approach to solve ventilation issues

Due to environmental conditions, one of the themes to emerge from the data set is the
approach architects use to counter the problem of ventilation. As stated in the earlier
chapter, the site is located in a very central part of Jaipur, having taller cityscapes, which
restrict higher ventilation rates to enter the site. All four of the subjects in the study focus
on solving the problem related to ventilation by providing different elements of passive
design and architectural design. “Natural ventilation is believed to be capable of enhancing
indoor air quality through proper passive designs.” (Chan, et al., 2013). The provision of
34
natural ventilation is one of the most important things that an architect considers, as it can
be seen in the design journals provided by the four subjects.
Subject 1 primarily started with instrumental focus on the wind direction and speeds for the
city of Jaipur. As observed in the previous chapter, climatic data that was provided in the
briefs included wind speeds and it can be notably seen that subject 1 took this element as
a priority while designing. As seen in figure 4.2.1.1, subject 1 took to understanding wind
speeds and directions annually to investigate the effect the wind will have on the site. The
participant also focused on analysing monthly wind directions to set up a preliminary
zoning for the entire site. Subject 2 focused on the wind directions particularly which
worked hand in hand with the spatial planning of the site as seen in figure 4.2.1.2. The
considerations were done to see how the direction of wind would be used as an advantage
and disadvantage during the summers and the winters. By the controlled analysis of wind
direction, subject 2 was able to add elements of design which would initiate better
circulation of air inside the space. Subject 3 uses sections to understand the direction of
the winds and how it would effect the internal spaces accordingly. As seen in figure 4.2.1.3,
the subject uses simple architectural features adeptly to reign in the wind and use it as an
advantage for the site. Subject 4 also follows a similar process of analysing the wind
direction and providing the building with some architectural feature that would be
considered beneficial as a whole as seen in figure 4.2.1.4.
Figure 4.2.1.1. shows subject 1’s first focus : wind speeds and direction.
35
Figure 4.2.1.2. shows subject 2’s understanding of wind direction which helped in understanding spatial
arrangement.
Figure 4.2.1.3 shows subject 3’s process of assessing the wind direction
36
Figure 4.2.1.4 shows subject 4’s understanding of wind direction and how it can be utilised.
Throughout the design journals of the four participants, another sub sub theme that
emerged was the usage of wind catchers or the provision of an wind tunnel effect.
Although two of the participants did not use this passive strategy to its full potential, the
idea was conveyed through other elements of design. Subject 1 proposed the provision of
Figure 4.2.1.5. shows the wind catcher strategy used by subject 3.
a wind tunnel effect while subject 3 focused on developing the idea of a wind catcher.
Subject 3 uses the wind catcher in such a way that it uses the wind direction to an
optimum level and helps guide the direction of wind into the spatial arrangements of the
house (figure 4.2.1.5.). On the other hand, subject 4 does not use the idea of wind
catchers but provides a new way to help utilise the wind speeds and make sure the roof
37
Figure 4.2.1.6. shows subject 1’s usage of the wind tunnel effect.
keeps cool as seen in figure 4.2.1.4. The usage of the wind tunnel effect can effectively be
seen in figure 4.2.1.6 where subject 1 uses it to maximise the air speed and quality for the
internal corridor space leading into the primary private and public spaces of the residence.
Subject 3 uses the wind catcher to good effect by locating it centrally, which would be able
to provide the needed natural ventilation in that area.
Figure 4.2.1.7. shows the cross ventilation strategy used by subject 1.
The third sub theme to transpire is the usage of cross ventilation. This is one of the most
important passive design strategies needed for proper air exchanges to occur between the
inside and outside. The four designers end up using this strategy to help increase the
airflow inside the building. Subject 1 focuses on air movement throughout the building by
understanding how cross ventilation works and relating to the placement of openings as
seen in figure 4.2.1.7. Subject 2 provides similar understanding of cross ventilation by
placement of windows and other architectural elements. Via the option of spatial planning,
38
Figure 4.2.1.8. shows the air movement for cross ventilation for subject 3.
subject 2 is able to demonstrate that cross ventilation will work by providing a courtyard in
the middle which would help extract warm air and keep the spaces cool as seen in figure
4.2.1.2. Subject 3 focuses on the same phenomenon with the use of sections to
Figure 4.2.1.9. shows openings on the lower levels throughout the space which will be used for cross ventilation
reciprocate how cross ventilation will work across the central spaces as seen in figure
4.2.1.8. Using the entire stretch of the space, subject 4 is able to use the strategy of
natural ventilation to its advantage in trying to reduce inside temperatures as seen in figure
4.2.1.9.
4.2.2. Theme 2: Approach to spatial planning

Planning of spaces is a vital part to architectural design and with the importance of climate
change taking place, the need of spatial understanding has proven to play a bigger role. In
other words, “spatial planning has been identified as a critical mechanism through which
climate change adaptation can be facilitated.” (Hurlimann & March, 2012). Through the
observations done in the four journals, it was noted that all four of the subjects use spatial
planning in their designs therefore making this another important theme related to passive
design strategies.
39
Figure 4.2.2.1. shows subject 1’s use of wind to determine positions of
rooms.
Figure 4.2.2.2. shows subject 2’s use of sun path and wind directions to produce zoning
maps.
40
Figure 4.2.2.3. shows subject 3’s understanding of wind and sun.
The first sub theme to emerge from the journals is the way that each subject evaluates the
sun positions and wind movements to define spatial positioning. Figure 4.2.2.1 shows how
subject 1 uses the pre-dominant wind speeds and the placement of the bedrooms which
are the primary private spaces of the house. The rooms are placed in such a way that they
encompass the fresh air coming into the house. Subject 2 highly focuses on the heat
generated by the sun during the day by analysing the sun path movement as seen in
figure 4.2.2.2. From understanding the heat map, subject 2 is able to provide a starting
Figure 4.2.2.4. shows the sun movement being used as a reference to spatial planning by subject 4
41
point for the spatial organisation. Subject 3’s understanding of the wind analysis allows the
spaces to be created by breaking them down to different types of spaces. Figure 4.2.2.3.
shows how the participant relates the spatial requirements to the environmental factors
and allows wind and sun to guide the evolution of the space. Subject 4 also uses the sun
path movement to develop a sense of spatial organisation in a similar way to subject 2, as
seen in figure 4.2.2.4.
The importance of using courtyards as a passive design strategy can be seen in a majority
of participants design journals, and therefore is one of the most vital sub themes to
Figure 4.2.2.5. shows the courtyard strategy being developed by subject 3.
emerge. Subject 2 and 3 use the courtyard as a central space from which all the other
spaces evolve. This can be seen in figure 4.2.1.2., where subject 2 uses the strategy of a
courtyard to maximise spatial involvement towards the courtyard. While subject 3’s
approach shows how the courtyard creates higher and lower pressure zones that effect
the planning of the site (figure 4.2.2.5). Subject 4 does not use a traditional courtyard for
the design but provides a terraced roof which is able to provide similar effects to public
spaces of the house on level 1 of the design. Since the public space is detached from the
ground, the open space prevents the space from heating up as seen in figure 4.2.2.6.
Subject 1 focused on the usage of wind tunnels rather than courtyards as observed earlier.
42
Figure 4.2.2.6. shows a different way to implement a courtyard (subject 4)
4.2.3. Theme 3: Approach to lowering Internal Temperatures

Thermal comfort in a building is only achievable by reducing overall internal temperatures.
In a city like Jaipur, where the outdoor temperatures are almost double the thermal comfort
temperatures, different steps and strategies need to be taken to provide comfort for the
users. The architects role here is of understanding and providing the best solutions to
provide this comfort. “Applying passive cooling means reducing differences between
outdoor and indoor temperatures, improving indoor air quality and making the building both
a better and more comfortable environment to live or work in should be the target.” (Taleb,
2014). Lowering of temperatures for the indoors reciprocates the idea of energy saving
and maximising use of passive design strategies to lower mechanical uses as well. This
theme proved to be a key theme, due to the similar concepts that emerged between the
four architects that were examined.
The first sub theme to emerge between the four design journals was how the orientation of
the building in each design was figured out in order to help in reducing indoor
temperatures and increasing thermal comfort. Subject 1 utilises the sun path movement to
help reduce temperatures in the bedrooms since the users will spend a majority of time
there. Putting the public spaces on the southern face allows the private spaces to be put
on the northern face of the site which is surrounded by buildings as seen in figure 4.2.3.1.
Subject 2’s analysis is highly dependant on the heat map, understanding which side of the
building will be hottest during which periods as seen in figure 4.2.2.2. Hence, using
43
orientation, the subject is able to devise a plan which will help keep the indoors cool.
Figure 4.2.2.3. shows how subject 3 would be utilising the orientation concept to maximise
temperature drop. Proposing a building that works on the north- south axis, the architect is
Figure 4.2.3.1. shows the 3d conceptualisation of the building by subject 1 with consideration going into placement
of spaces to reduce indoor temperatures.
able to find possible solutions which would provide higher wind speeds to enter from the
higher pressure zones into the lower pressure zones. Subject 4 also analyses orientation
with high consideration going into sun path movement like the subjects discussed earlier
(figure 4.2.2.4). The focus being on which side of the dwelling will heat up more and using
that as a priority to propose the orientation of the building.
44
Figure 4.2.3.2 shows the idea of subject 4 to understand division of spaces.

The second sub theme to emerge from the journals is the architects’ understanding of
division of spaces. All four of the designers propose ways to divide the spaces in different
ways which would help in reducing temperatures. For example, subject 4 uses the idea of
“inversion of functions” which places the public spaces on a higher level than the private
spaces, as seen in figure 4.2.3.2. The same thing can be seen in figure 4.2.2.4. where the
subject provides the service spaces towards west (since its usage is less) and the living
spaces in the middle to keep it cooler. The public spaces are placed in the bottom to keep
it cooler during the day hours while the private spaces are kept on top since they are used
at night when the outdoor temperatures are relatively lower. Subject 3 uses the idea of
breaking up a built volume to determine which spaces require what kind of attention, as
seen in figure 4.2.2.3. Placing the kitchen and the toilets towards the area which would be
heated the most is one of the ways subject 3 divided the spaces. Subject 1 divides the
spaces in such a way that the temperature of the spaces are lowered by the environmental
factors. As seen in figure 4.2.2.1., the subject places the bedrooms closer to the side
where there are predominant winds. Architectural elements such as the usage of a roof for
the provision of ventilation is another way subject 1 uses to reduce temperatures in
defined spaces. Subject 2 is able to divide spaces by positioning it according to the
position of the sun.Every room is able to open up into the courtyard, which in turn is able to
reduce the temperatures. As seen in figure 4.2.2.2., the first rendition of zoning is seen and
it is observed that prioritisation is key to placement of spaces which results in lower
temperatures. The usage of the courtyard towards the eastern side is done to help keep it
cool during late afternoon hours when the sun is setting, as seen in figure 4.2.3.3.
Figure 4.2.3.3. shows the prioritisation of spaces (such as courtyard) and how it effects
the indoor temperatures.
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Figure 4.2.3.4. shows the usage of materials in the pergola which could effect internal temperatures.
Figure 4.2.3.5. shows the idea of earth being used to generate cooler interiors by subject 4.
The final sub theme to emerge from the journals is the pivotal role materials and
architectural features play in the making of the building. Majority of the architects pay
particular attention to this sub theme in the initial design stages which provides as insight
to how valuable it is. Subject 2’s approach to the materials begins with the understanding
of local materials which are readily available for the site as seen in figure 4.2.2.2. The
architect also considers using materials which are present and used in local Rajasthani
houses to provide context. As seen in figure 4.2.1.2., the usage of terra cotta can be seen
for the provision of a “natural air conditioning system.” Architectural features such as
louvres are present in the design to guide wind into the primary spaces. Subject 3 utilises
46
materials such as translucent polycarbonate sheets in the feature of a pergola which could
prevent the harsh sunlight coming in and also reduce the harsh daytime temperatures
during the summers, as seen in figure 4.2.3.4. Using architectural features such as
inclined roof can also be seen, which helps in providing circulation throughout the space.
Making some area sunken, which would incorporate using the material earth as a way to
reduce temperature, can be seen in subject 3 and 4’s design. Subject 4 uses an
architectural feature of split roof (seen in figure 4.2.1.4.) to help encompass and provide
thermal comfort inside the building. Material consideration is seen in the use of a cavity
wall (figure 4.2.2.4.). Subject 1 also uses similar design features like the usage of latticed
timber windows that help in reaching thermal comfort by the guidance of wind showing the
usage of materials and architectural features (figure 4.2.2.1.).
Passive design strategies are of utmost importance when designing a building and this can
be observed in the four architects’ journals. Each architect uses their own unique way to
make decisions that brings a design together. The sub themes that emerged in the design
journals were examined to see which architects used it (table 2). The sub themes that
emerged were determined by the architects using them throughout their thought process in
each design.
Theme Sub Theme Which Architects’ used it?
Approach to solving ventilation assessment of wind direction/ All

issues wind speeds
usage of wind tunnels/ wind 1 and 3

catchers
importance of cross ventilation All
Approach to spatial planning using to the sun/wind movement All

to define space positioning
importance of courtyards as a 2 and 3

central feature
Approach to lower internal orientation of building All

temperatures
understanding the division of All
spaces
importance of materials being All

used and architectural elements
Table 2 shows sub themes and which architects use this in their designs from observing the journals.
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4.3. Results: Designing with respect to Low Cost Conditions
The second brief to be given to the remaining four architects involved designing according
to low cost conditions. Unlike the other brief, designers here had to focus on providing
design elements and strategies that would help be considered as a part of low cost
conditions. Similar to the results regarding passive design, the architects provided design
journals that represented all their thought process and design ideas. Using all the data that
was present, themes and sub themes were developed that would help in understanding
the process the architects take while designing in the early stages. Table 3 shows the
basic themes that emerge after analysing each design journal separately. After exploring
each design journal, it was noted that the order of design decisions that each architect
makes is dependant on variables which relate to the sub themes emerging from the data.
As stated in the earlier, the primary aim of the architects was to provide a sustainable
solution to the dwelling that could be made within a minimum budget and at the same time
provide satisfaction to the users.
Theme Sub Themes
Approach to spatial planning spaces defined by sun and wind importance of using courtyards
directions and other strategies (prioritising)
Approach to save overall costs/ importance of optimising usage of locally sourced materials
reduce energy loads fenestrations throughout building
Approach to low internal usage of architectural features importance of materials

temperatures and elements
Table 3 showing themes and sub themes for designing with respect to low cost conditions.
4.3.1. Theme 1: Approach to spatial planning

One major themes to emerge again from the journals is the approach each architect takes
to understand the spatial needs of the user. Spatial needs directly relates to the concepts
that come forth such as the planning being highly dependant on radiation levels of different
facades and the usage of a courtyard playing a vital role in determining space allocation.
One of the sub themes that come forth is the understanding of sun movement and the
wind confines that the site deals with. While observing the design journals for the four
architects, it was keenly noted that while this sub theme is considered an important cog in
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Figure 4.3.1.1. shows subject 5's analysis of wind and sun and how it plays a role in determining spaces.
Figure 4.3.1.2. shows the development of programme and space division according to the earlier analysis (subject 5).
Figure 4.3.1.3. shows subject 6’s understanding of sun movement and placement of rooms accordingly.
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the process, few of the designers did not take it into consideration. Subject 5 was one of
the designers that placed importance into understanding and analysing how the sun
movement and wind directions could affect the designing of zones as seen in figure
4.3.1.1. This understanding led to the development of the “programme orientation” for
subject 5 which explains that the architect used the environmental conditions analysis
(wind and sun) to produce a zoning map which would prevent heating of spaces (figure
4.3.1.2.). Subject 6 also provides proof of understanding the importance of sun movement
and thats why decides to place the bedrooms on the northern facade (figure 4.3.1.3.).
Subject 7 and subject 8 use similar ideologies but do not have valid representation of
understanding the sun path movement and wind directions like subject 5. The placement
of formal living spaces towards the northern facade can be noted in subject 8’s drawings
(figure 4.3.1.4.). Subject 7 notes that solar gains will be higher on the southern face (figure
Figure 4.3.1.4. shows spatial planning by subject 8.
4.3.1.5.).
The second sub theme to emerge is the usage of courtyard. The courtyard is a vital
passive design strategy that is used in architects’ design throughout this experiment even
though half of the participants do not use it. “They seem to have fulfilled the needs of their
inhabitants from the points of view of functional requirements, socio-cultural and religious
demands, micro-climatic and internal thermal environment performance, energy saving,
and economic means.” (Gangwar, 2016). Subject 5’s prioritises the usage of a courtyard in
the design during the initial steps of design which involves zoning of the site as seen in
figure 4.3.1.2. The importance of using a courtyard can be noted by observing when the
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Figure 4.3.1.5. shows subject 7’s understanding of solar gains from the south to help with the planning.
Figure 4.3.1.6. shows the strategy of a courtyard being used by subject 6.
architect proposes to use it. Subject 5 considers it when analysing ways to reduce costs
and decrease indoor temperatures. Subject 6 also uses the strategy of a courtyard in the
design which reciprocates a similar ideology to subject 5 (figure 4.3.1.6.). Subjects 7 and 8
do not use the courtyard in their respective designs but consider other passive design
strategies. The subjects also focus on developing a courtyard that would cater the need of
thermal comfort primarily due to jaipur having a semi arid climate. The focus was on
providing solutions for ventilation via the use of courtyards rather than the shading of
courtyards which is needed when climate is hot and dry.
4.3.2. Theme 2: Approach to cost saving & energy efficiency
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With India facing high demands of housing requirements, there seems to be a short fall of
housing for a part of the population. “It has become a necessity to adopt cost effective,
innovative and environment-friendly housing technologies for the construction of houses
and buildings for enabling the common people to construct houses at affordable
cost.” (Tam, 2011). The cost saving techniques that qualify are related to the localisation of
all characteristics of the building which includes elements like the materials. Working
towards finding solutions for low cost construction, reducing energy loads of the building
plays an important part as well. For this theme to emerge between the architects, the
involvement for the architects to consider materials which are locally available was vital.
Figure 4.3.2.1. shows subject 7 discussing openings.
Figure 4.3.2.2. shows subject 5’s analysis regarding fenestrations.
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The first sub theme to emerge in the journals was the idea of optimising fenestrations
throughout the buildings. Subject 7 considers the usage of different types of fenestration
on different faces of the building according to the amount of sun each facade will get as
seen in figure 4.3.1.5. The participant also recommends usage of small openings which
could act as cost saving option as seen in figure 4.3.2.1. Subject 5 uses windows as a way
to prevent cost saving and also prevent sand to come inside the building which is a big
issue for the city of Jaipur. Using smaller windows which can be pre cast and made on site
saves overall costs (figure 4.3.2.2.). Subject 6 provides the design with possible solutions
of fenestrations depending on facade which would make sure the building is achieving
Figure 4.3.2.3. shows subject 6’s notes regarding windows
Figure 4.3.2.4. shows subject 8’s way of reducing costs using windows in a unique way.
energy efficiency (figure 4.3.2.3.). By reducing the window sizes and the amount, subject 6
is able to help reduce costs as well. Subject 8 uses a unique idea to create a “jalli” pattern
by the removal of bricks which ends up in cost saving while constructing the wall itself as
seen in figure 4.3.2.4.
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Figure 4.3.2.5. shows the analysis subject 6 used for material selection.
The second concept to emerge is the usage of locally sourced materials which would help
in the reduction of costs and help with the energy efficiency of the building. Subject 7
considers the usage of locally available materials by highlighting the importance of stone
(figure 4.3.2.2.). The architect considers to be a good solution for walls to prevent thermal
lag. Subject 6 provides ample types of ideas into the usage of materials which would help
not only make the building energy efficient and cost effective but also lower internal
temperatures. As seen in figure 4.3.2.5., the participant discusses the insulation materials
provided for walls as well as thickness as a possible solution. Subject 6 proposes for the
usage of clay tiles which are found to be extremely cost effective and readily available in
Jaipur. Subject 5 provides vital points to consider for low cost solutions when designing.
Figure 4.3.2.6. shows how subject 5 analysed options to consider for cost saving
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Figure 4.3.2.6. shows the architect’s considerations into finding possible solutions for low
cost during the early design stages. It can be seen that locally sourced materials like
limestone and usage of mud walls were considered as vital options to produce a lost cost
Figure 4.3.2.7. shows the understanding towards low cost analysis

by subject 8.
design and be used for cladding. Figure 4.3.2.7. represents the ideas that subject 8 used
to gain perspective of not only using low cost materials but also providing local labour
which would help reduce the overall construction costs. The architect also thinks about the
idea of local construction technologies which would in turn save time and make it energy
efficient.
4.3.3. Theme 3: Approach to lowering Internal temperatures

Reduction of internal temperatures and producing thermal comfort within a space is
dependant on the elements of design that are used to harness the environmental
conditions. “Well-designed envelopes maximise cooling movement of air and exclude the
sun in the summer season.” (Taleb, 2014). By using the facades of the building, majority of
the environmental conditions can be utilised to maximise the thermal comfort of the
building. Using architectural design features with the help of passive design strategies, it
can be noted that, solutions can be provided to lower the indoor temperatures.
Usage of architectural features to reduce the internal temperatures is the sub theme to
emerge from the design journals that were studied. Subject 5 uses the element of shading
devises as a main design feature which could be used to reduce heat gains which in turn
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Figure 4.3.3.1. shows the usage of shading devises by subject 5.
Figure 4.3.3.2. shows subject 6’s use of shading devices.
would lower temperatures (figure 4.3.3.1.). Subject 6 also utilises the idea of shading
devises such as pergolas and louvres or even vegetation which help in the cooling of
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Figure 4.3.3.3. shows the usage of thick walls and ceilings for lowering temperatures by subject 6.
external facades as seen in figure 4.3.3.2. The architect also uses thick walls and floor
slabs which possibly help in reduction of temperatures (figure 4.3.3.3.). Subject 7 also
proposes the usage of thick walls like the previous subject which would be heat reflective,
helping internal temperatures to go down (figure 4.3.2.1.). Lastly, subject 8 proposes the
usage of lower ceilings with the addition of maximum fenestration that would lead to
lowering of temperatures due to the cross ventilation present inside the space (figure
4.3.3.4.).
Figure 4.3.3.4. shows subject 8’s use of lower ceilings as a way to reduce temperatures.
Designing with respect to low cost considerations has produced themes and sub themes
that majority of the architects have used as seen in table 4. All the participants use
different processes to come up with similar results which shows importance of low cost
conditions in initial design stages.
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Theme Sub Theme Which Architects’ used it?
Approach to spatial planning spaces defined by radiation levels All

and wind directions
importance of using courtyards 5 and 6

and other strategies (prioritising)
Approach to save overall costs/ importance of optimising All

reduce energy loads fenestrations throughout building
usage of locally sourced materials All
Approach to lower internal usage of architectural features All

temperatures and elements
use of materials All
Table 4 shows sub themes and which architects use this in their designs from observing the journals.
4.4. Discussion
4.4.1. Similarities between themes and sub themes of passive

design and low cost conditions
The cross comparison of the themes and sub themes that emerge between the two groups
of architects can be notably done to see the similar decisions that the subjects took during
the initial design stages. The comparison between the two groups showed the actions that
each architect takes during the designing stage making the resultant designs apparent.
The focus of low cost conditions group and the passive design group provide similar
outputs for the initial design stages which are the sub themes that can be used to help
distinguish how the subjects take decisions.
This chapter focuses on answering the research questions that were stated in the
Introduction which includes:
1. At what stages of design do architects consider the usage of passive design

strategies?
2. What is the sequence of decisions that the architects take during the design phase of a
project?
3. How does the process of prioritisation play a role in designing a environmentally
friendly house?
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Two major themes are found to be similar between the two groups when a cross
comparison is done. The similarities are found due to the approaches taken by each
architect. These themes are highly dependant on the usage of specific parameters in each
subject’s design. These design themes or streams are identified as:
i. approach to spatial planning- which focuses on understanding and defining spaces

ii. approach to lowering internal temperatures- deals with ways to help make the indoors
more comfortable for the user;
These themes delve deeper into understanding the process of the subjects and the actions
each of them took to deliver a design during the initial stages. The similar sub themes to
emerge were:
i. study of sun and wind directions for defining spaces

ii. the importance of courtyards
iii. considerations of materials being used for construction
iv. prioritisation of architectural features/elements;
4.4.1.1. Study of sun and wind directions for defining spaces

The study of understanding the aerodynamic phenomena and the movement of the sun is
a vital step in creating liveable spaces of any building. “Architecture and urban design are
influenced by the wind in many ways, including structural loading considerations, building
natural ventilation and minimisation of ground level winds with design of pedestrian
shelters.” (Castro, 2015). The outdoor environment causes designers to harness these
factors so as to help provide shelter for the users. Urbanisation has caused severe issues
regarding the wind environment due to high rise buildings creating wind tunnel effects.
Micro climate is one of the most important parts of understanding how the environment is
around the site and how it can be used to the designer’s advantage in creating
aesthetically comfortable living spaces. The interaction between the wind environment and
architecture has been a major concerning point in the industry that has needed
addressing, and architects have found it necessary to apply the knowledge regarding the
study of wind into the early design process in multiple ways.
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The study of wind and sun directions can be seen in the results to be one of the focal
points of all subjects. Subjects 1 through 8 utilise the knowledge of wind directions
specially to position different spaces of the dwelling. From the results it can be observed
that by using the development of spaces via understanding of wind directions, the subjects
try to mitigate the wind comfort issues and help prevent the possibility of gusts that enter
the house and its surroundings. (Lee & Song, 2010). The subjects are seen to be providing
different routes and solutions to counter the problem of warm winds that enter the site
which lead the subjects to determine the placement of spaces within the dwelling. The
position of spaces have a big dependancy on the the way that each subject uses the factor
of wind to allow maximum fresh air to enter the building. The understanding of the wind/
sun movement is directly related to the heating impact on each space. By defining which
spaces act as primary living and public spaces, the subjects are able to gain insight into
which spaces need to be cooler than others and during what time of day.
With the analysis that the northern facade will remain cooler due to the sun’s movement on
the southern hemisphere, the subjects are able to induce that providing living spaces
towards the northern facade would produce a greater comfort in the spaces. Consideration
also go into utilising the south and south western winds from which the subjects are
observant and are able to devise a plan for spaces that would enhance the wind speed
and let fresh air operate within the spaces by making the southern facade more open. With
a large open space towards the southern side acting as a way to increase wind speeds,
the subjects take that to their advantage to provide higher air pressure zones in the site
resulting in more cross ventilated spaces that remain fresh.
4.4.1.2. The importance of courtyards

“The positioning of the building spaces with regard to the path of the sun, prevailing winds,
openings locations and landscape design can lead to improved thermal comfort in relation
to the functions and climatic requirements.” (Attia, 2012). The usage of a courtyard space
can be seen in the design journals of half the architects. Courtyards are considered a vital
cog in designing within these climatic conditions and is highly dependant on the way they
are used in a building. “One of the major roles of courtyard spaces is to protect the
occupants from the harsh outdoor conditions and provide environmental functions such
as natural lighting and ventilation.” (Hyde, 2000). The formation and spatial planning of the
courtyard is related to the climatic factors a city provides. By considering it during the early
60
design stages, courtyards can be incorporated into design and can be used as other space
if not needed later on in the design. The usage of a courtyard in a residential building has
a much more pivotal role to play as compared to other big structures because it helps build
a concept of heat zoning which is needed for this particular climate.
Throughout the analysis of the design journals, a similar pattered emerged between the
two groups of study. Out of the four architects that focused on designing on the basis of
passive design strategy, only two of subjects used the courtyard as a central figure to build
around. The same pattern emerges in the second group which focused on designing
based on low cost conditions. The four subjects that considered the usage of courtyards
were subjects 2,3,5 and 6. These architects revolved their designs around a central
courtyard which was seems like a highly efficient way to plan the space as well help
improve the thermal comfort of the entire house. All four of them considered a courtyard in
the beginning of the design stages which implies that the subjects want to develop the
spaces around the courtyard. The subjects that have considered the usage of the earlier,
also utilise the strategy of stack effect to optimal use to help reduce the indoor
temperatures as well. Stack effect deals with the idea of warm air rising during the day and
the cool dense air coming down into the courtyard.
On the other hand, the remaining four subjects provided different ways to counter the
problem of spatial planning and thermal comfort. The reasoning behind the neglected use
of a courtyard comes down to two primary points; the first being that since this is a social
housing unit, is it an economically viable solution to reduce internal space that could be
used as for other requirements and secondly, providing a better option in a way to achieve
thermal comfort. As seen in the results, subjects 1 and 4 devising a new way to help
achieve thermal comfort which incorporates the idea of ventilation and lowering of
temperatures by the usage of the roof. Subjects 7 and 8 focused on economic side of the
courtyard in which their designs counter the argument of providing a courtyard. The usage
of a courtyard is not deemed a progressive idea due to the spatial constraints that the site
has. By indulging into the idea of providing a courtyard for a social housing prototype could
make the mass replicability counter productive.
4.4.1.3. Consideration for Materials
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Another common sub theme that was found during the cross-comparison of the two
groups is the usage of materials. “A measure of sustainability for material selection
includes consideration of the level of resource consumption, the degree to which human
satisfaction is achieved, and the net level of negative environmental impacts.” (Pearce,
2012). The process of material selection is highly dependant on the type of construction
the architect wants to deal in. It can be observed that the goal of materials selection
towards sustainability is to provide the basic administration it has on the ecology. The
contribution a material has towards sustainability is proportionally related to the usage of it
(Pearce, 2012). An architect’s choice in material revolves around the idea of preventing
environmental degradation which would lead to a sustainable construction process. The
choosing of materials during the early design stages sets up the process by which a
holistic approach towards sustainability is possible.
In the results, it is apparent that all the subjects consider the usage of materials as a major
way to enhance the design process. It can be seen that all of the above subjects try to
administer the use of materials in such a way that the dwelling is economically reasonable
and also is a viable choice for the considered climate. The importance of locally sourced
materials can be understood when the architects which focused on low cost conditions
analysed the types of materials that would be readily available in the city of Jaipur. It can
be observed that a choice of a material influences the building space and contributes to
create a expression. (Wastiels et al., 2008). “Built facilities are made more economically
sustainable through minimising the total life cycle cost of projects by selecting material
components with the lowest life cycle costs.” (Pearce, 2012). Here, the life cycle costs
relate to the transportation, maintenance and assembly of a particular material.
The design journals of all the subjects prove to enhance the above stated point that
material selection during early design stages have a vital role to play in helping produce
effective and sustainable buildings. Selection of materials depends on the contextual
consideration to be able to provide the best decision of choosing the right material. From
the dataset, it can be observed that the subjects prefer the usage of materials which are
not only available close by, but also consider the material depending on the contextual
relationship it has to the modern buildings and the local construction work.
4.4.1.4. Prioritisation of architectural features/elements

62
To enhance the building ergonomically and environmentally, architectural design features
are used to make the building better. The usage of architectural features are needed to
help when trying to use the environmental conditions to an advantage. Design
considerations require understanding of different types of elements that could be used to
help achieve thermal comfort and lower internal temperatures. The usage of these
elements not only helps in solving the issue of thermal comfort, but also is able to provide
insight into the savings of cost and energy. An architect’s usage of these elements
revolves around the understanding of the types of features that would, for example,
generate higher wind velocities, provision of more shade and lower solar penetration
through on the facades.
Observations done in regards to the design journals of the eight subjects, it was noted that
all of the participants focused on using architectural elements to help guide their respective
designs. Majority of the subjects relied heavily on the determining possible solutions for
fenestrations because of the major leeway that the subjects had. Changes of the indoor
temperature depend highly on the amount of windows present in a building and how much
solar radiation is let in. Provisions of shading devises play a vital role in reducing the
amount of direct sunlight the facades get. The results show that element of shading
devises being a priority in majority of the subjects. The different types of shading devices
present include: the usage of louvres, pattern-like structures and overhangs. Facade
glazings have been used to provide architectural aesthetics and modernity to buildings but
have been a major cause of concern with regards to thermal discomfort and increased
energy consumption. (Hien et al., 2005). So, to help reduce the amount of direct solar
gain, the surfaces which are hit by the rays need to be protected. Since the glazing is the
main component which provides the income of heat, the emphasis to design shading
devices should be placed higher. (Datta, 2001).
Another stand out element that majority of the subjects work to find solutions for is the
roofing system. All the subjects provide ways that influence the indoor temperatures as
seen in the results. The emphasis is on having a deeper (thicker) roof component which
would help in keeping the temperatures lower inside. By using a rational approach to
roofing systems, an architect is able to achieve ideal sustainable building which leads to
energy efficiency as well thermal comfort. (Ahmad et al., 2015). Some subjects tend to
focus on the usage of flat roofs while some use sloping roofs to provide better ventilation
throughout the space, as seen in the results. The emphasis on the flat roof is seen due to
63
the rainfall being marginally low in the city of Jaipur. On the other hand, the subjects who
consider the usage of sloping roofs for parts of the space use it to merge it with the need
of solar collectors which would gain maximum sunlight due to the angle.
4.4.2. Differences between the design considerations of low

cost construction and passive design strategies
The design considerations between the two groups provided an outlook on how different
the ideologies were. Results of both groups concluded that even though many similarities
are intertwined between the two groups, there is minimal amount of differences that is able
to create a diverging bias. This bias is based on the sequence of decisions that both the
groups consider important and considerations of reducing the overall costs of the building.
Through the observation of the design journals, it was apparent that the low cost group
considered it extremely important to develop ways to reduce the overall costs of the
structure by any means possible. While on the other hand, the passive design group
primarily focused on developing designs that were enhancing the thermal comfort of the
building. The initiative taken by the low cost group determined that vital determinants
needed to be taken care of to help produce a probably ‘low cost’ alternative to a design
problem. These vital elements include the understanding of social housing and what sort
of architectural elements are present in these type of housing units. Since social housing is
meant to be low cost, developing solutions that cater to these needs is the first step that
needs to be taken to find a reassured design solution. Also, it needs to be noted that the
usage of materials plays a demanding role in helping cut down costs because of its
importance towards reducing temperatures as well. Understanding the economic factor of
the design problem is vital into deciding what factors effect the design solution in a manner
of sequence, which in turn relates to prioritising sequential moves by the architect. Even
though the step of considering materials came at a latter stage, the idea regarding material
selection was developed simultaneously with other steps, like the approach to planning.
The solutions of the low cost group seemed to focus more heavily towards a cheaper yet
sound solution.
4.4.4. Analysis of design decision making

From the analysis of individual design processes, it is observed that two groups of
architects provide similar data which was used to define the concepts that emerge. It was
64
Sequence of decisions (themes & sub themes used)
Approach to spatial planning Approach to lower internal

Subject temperatures and save overall costs
study of sun/wind importance of considerations for usage of

directions for courtyard in materials architectural
defining spaces design features/elements
Subject 1
Subject 2
Subject 3
Subject 4
Subject 5
Subject 6
Subject 7
Subject 8
possible to note the moves that each architect took was unique in its own way and the
1st step 2nd step 3rd step 4th step
Table 5 shows the sequence of decisions taken by architects which relate to the sub themes.
resultant designs saw different ideas but backed up by similar themes. The decision
making of each architect could be seen in the way they considered what steps were more
important over other steps. The subjects took similar actions during the initial design
stages which led to patterns and themes emerging from the dataset as discussed earlier.
The two design briefs produced similar concepts which can be seen in the results.
Table 5 shows the process that each subject took defined by the sequence of steps during
the design phase. Throughout the study and analysis of this research, the subjects
determined that study of the wind and sun movement is the pivotal point to bring forth a
design concept and process. Understanding of this first step is able to help create spaces
that would help environmentally because it utilises the environmental factors of the sun
and wind. By using the process of prioritisation, it can be observed that architects consider
this to be a major step towards designing a holistic building. The study of sun and wind
directions lead to the findings regarding orientation of a building. “Proper orientation can
lead to significant reduction in lighting and space conditioning load if coupled with passive
design technologies.” (Altan et al., 2017). Another reason that subjects have taken this as
65
a primary step is due to the need to relate to the climatic conditions that the site is on.
“Consideration of orientation is an important first stage in the integration of passive solar
design concepts at the building and development stages.” (Morrissey et al., 2011).
Understanding the context related to its climate has high value in determining orientation
of the spaces as well as defining the massing entity of the structure.
The second step that the architects consider in the early design stages as per the data is
the inclusion of a courtyard. As discussed earlier, all subjects do not partake into using the
strategy of a courtyard for a variety of reasons, but to relate the structure contextually, the
courtyard plays a vital role in the design. The basis on which the provision of a courtyard at
such an early stage is present is because of the potential it has to provide a thermally
comfortable area for living. (Zamani et al., 2011). The validity behind the usage of
courtyard can be noted by the underlying understanding of the context as well as the
environment that the site is in. Due to the subjects’ knowledge regarding site and context,
the importance of the “courtyard” grows, making it a decisive decision that needs to be
taken. The decision involves many aspects to life in the Indian context, which is outside
the scope of design itself; courtyards provide a psycho-social benefit to the users in
multiple ways. (Abass et al., 2016). The implementation of this decision is needed since it
offers a big potential towards a holistic approach to achieving thermal comfort.
Optimising the building usage and its thermal comfort was a major target for all the
subjects. Optimisation can only take place when considering the right architectural
features in the right spaces. The decision of understanding architectural details and
features is the third step to be taken in the early design stages by architects. As stated
earlier, the importance of architectural elements can be forgotten, the architect’s design
phase establishes that other important climatic factors play a more vital role. The
progression to include architectural features in the design grows slowly according to each
subject and the inclusion is highly dependant on coupling the elements with other concepts
of the design. For example, the usage of passive design strategies was combined with
architectural elements to help improve thermal comfort by majority of the subjects. Hence,
the study and understanding of architectural elements is a vital due to the importance it
plays when formation and designing of spaces occurs. The development process of a
building is dependant on the knowledge of architectural detail and elements because it
configures the process to proceed into the next step of design.
66
Highlighting the importance of considering materials is last step that was considered in the
initial stages of design by the subjects in the experiment. This emerging sub theme from
the data gives notion that even though understanding the need of materials is a important
factor during the early stages of design, its priority is lesser to the other sub themes that
have been talked about. An architect’s consideration of material is dependant on the
feasibility and the attributes it has to sustainability. There are many aspects by which
architects consider the selection of materials: (1) physical aspects, (2) cultural context and
(3) appearance. The physical aspect relates to the understanding of characteristics the
material has; the appearance relates to the visual importance it is given and cultural
context relates to the style or qualities the material has. (Wastiels et al., 2008). Even
though the selection of materials is one of the final steps that is considered in the design
process, it can be linked up with step that involves the usage of architectural elements.
Both these steps go hand in hand and need to be used in a collaborative process to bring
forth the best design solutions for the brief.
4.4.3. Summary
The decision making behind each step is the way that the process moves forward with the
design. During the initial design stages, many steps were considered by the multiple
subjects which were observed via their design journals. It was noted that themes and sub
themes that emerged between groups of subjects had a vital role to play during the
conceptual process of design. The major sub themes to come forth were: (1) study of sun
and wind directions, (2) considerations of a courtyard, (3) importance of material selection
and (4) prioritisation of architectural elements. Majority of these themes directly relate to
the understanding of passive design strategies and how they can be used in spaces to
provide thermal comfort. Also, it was observed that each subject has a unique way of
assessing a design problem and finding solutions. By analysing which steps are taking
during the design, the researcher was able to understand the process that the subjects
took to inform of design decision making.
For further research, the researcher recommends to use a larger spectrum of designers
that would help enhance the quality of data that is provided since some of the subjects
were not able to provide high quality solutions regarding the brief.
67
5. Conclusion
The aim of this research was to promote the usage of passive design strategies in low cost
conditions by analysing the requirements of using the right strategies to inform early
design decision making. From the earlier chapters, it can be observed that the reader is
truly informed about the usage of passive design and design decision making. The findings
from chapter 4 show how the architects conducted their designs in unique manners and
how the focus of each architect was similar yet different from the other designers. The
need to use passive design strategies in the early design stages is seen to be a vital way
forward to help reach the goal of sustainability and reduce the carbon footprint the industry
is creating. The correlation between low cost conditions and passive designing systems
are intertwined with numerous possibilities to solve design issues during the early design
stages and help reduce the design errors that occur in the latter stages. The data sets
represent vital knowledge regards to the processes each designer takes to find a possible
solution to a design problem.
The conceptual design stage of a project is one of the most important phases where the
creative flow of a idea is derived from. The initial design stages of a project demand
innovative ideas to be developed depending on the decisions regarding climatic
requirements. Throughout the observations of the design journals, there were a few
themes and sub themes that were used to develop design schemes by architects when
looking at passive design and low cost conditions. The relevance of sun and wind
movements in the micro climate of the site played a important role to guide the design
towards a sustainable design solution. The importance of these steps can be noted as
imperative because of the way it helps in guiding the designer to use architectural
elements that work for those particular conditions, rather than against it. With the climate
of Jaipur in focus, the vitality of including a courtyard in the design helps improve the
thermal comfort inside a space more effectively and also proves to be a important part
through the social context. The usage of a courtyard in a social housing unit can have a
differentiated opinion between architects due to the spatial restrictions that social housing
has. The selection process regarding materials used for the construction can be seen to
be a prominent ‘move’ by the architects in the early design stages. Placing importance on
the usage of locally sourced material is priority to help build towards the norm of a holistic
sustainable effort. Prioritisation of architectural components can be seen to have an affect
68
on the thermal comfort of the building, making it necessary to understand the need of
validating the types of elements that would fit in for this particular climate.
Even though the resultant designs of all the architects seemed to have varied approaches,
the themes that emerged from the data set reveal that a similar decision making process
was taken by the designers of both groups to inform the usage of passive strategies in the
designs. The significance of climatic analysis, especially focusing on the sun and wind
movement, prove to be one of primary starting moves by designers which helps define
many aspects of the building. The grappling need to provide a courtyard is observed to
have an opinionated view between designers, questioning the economic factors that are
affecting the decision making. Coupling the ideologies of passive design with contextual
architectural elements proved to be a step that architects needed to help generate
plausible environmentally friendly design solutions. Architectural elements link with the
selection materials in the decision making process to demonstrate that most of the steps
actually go hand-in-hand and need to be intertwined to provide a holistic sustainable
solution.
The value of this research is noted to be a vital one because of the fact that sustainable
architecture needs to have a prolonged future in order to protect the environment. The
demand of sustainable designs has been growing rapidly and requires designers to take it
forward in order to provide a stepping stone for the future generations. The beneficiaries of
the information provided in this research would likely be architects who work towards
coupling the ideas of passive design with the modern architectural elements. The decision
making in the early design stages is seen to be a vital cog in the design process. The need
to utilise this phase with regards to passive strategies for better thermal comfort is the
priority of all designers. This particular research adds on the to the underlying importance
of encouraging passive design to play a central role in architecture, especially when it
comes to providing creative solutions in the design stages of a project.
In the end, the need to analyse the sequence of steps that architects take in the early
design stages acts as a benchmark to the solutions of sustainable design decision making.
Unlocking the potential of passive design strategies in the early design stages would be a
definite way to promote the usage of these strategies and discover new potential for
sustainable design.
69
6. Recommendations
The need to address environmental issues with respect to architectural solutions has been
a procedure that has come a long way, and to optimise a building’s performance, the
design process and the design thinking involved has become ever important. The
approach to design during the early stages requires expert knowledge and is used to make
informed design decisions which translates into high performance of buildings with respect
to spatial configurations as well as architectural features.
A few recommendations include:

- The relationship of architectural expression and the environmental performance of
building needs to be explored more thoroughly to reach a solitary opinion on how
adopting particular strategies in early design stages can affect a project on the whole.
- The usage of digital tools may provide a greater leap in understanding role of the climate
and thermal comfort but needs to be considered in a very critical manner. The adaptive
use of the digital tools only comes after sufficient knowledge has been gained in relation
to environmental performance of buildings. Tools such as design builder could be given
to architects to adapt to and test whether they is an improvement in their design
decisions.
The recommendations that are listed above aim at finding focal points in a design process
that could be altered to be a better solution. These recommendations focus on
collaboration to help achieve design which has a better environmental performance.
70
Appendix
Design Brief (1)

To design with the use of strategies which would help reduce overall costs in low cost
conditions
Introduction
The aim of this brief is to design a residential building for a family of 4 people on a
particular site and climate. The residential block is part of a social housing community
which could be used as a prototype to replicate in other social housing communities
throughout the city. The target of the design is to develop and determine the right elements
that are needed to help design a residential dwelling. Low cost conditions are needed
especially in social housing since the amount of users in this sector is enormously high.
For achieving a low cost building its important to consider the things that effect it.
Consideration needs to go in understanding the elements of low cost housing and how
these elements can be used together to create a space which is comfortable for the user.
Low cost conditions play a vital role in reducing the overall carbon footprint.
Site Context
The site is located in Jaipur in a social housing community. Jaipur has a hot and dry
climate classification according to Koppen Geiger. The site dimensions are 40’X60’. The
surrounding buildings are a maximum of two to three storey tall. A road is present on the
southern side of the site which has a width of approximately 16m. A green space is also
present on the southern side of the site which could be used to the sites advantage.
Figure 1 shows the location of the site in Jaipur and its surrounding context.
71
Requirements
You are required to design a house which is solely dependant on elements which would be
used in low cost conditions. Important things to consider are materials (windows, facades,
etc.), sizes of openings and other such related elements. Your design should be such that
it uses the environmental factors to help achieve comfort inside the dwelling. Focus on
environmental factors such as outdoor/indoor temperature, rainfall, wind speeds and wind
directions, humidity levels, amount of solar radiation and lighting (natural vs artificial).
Below are some examples of representing the design. All that is needed are labeled
conceptual sketches to show what strategies you would use in section, elevation and plan.
If you want you can use simulation tools to understand the thermal comfort inside the
dwelling but its not mandatory.
Weather Data: https://www.worldweatheronline.com/jaipur-weather-averages/rajasthan/

in.aspx
72
Climate Data from Climate Consultant
Temperatures Wind Speeds
Temperatures during the day Wind Directions
73
Design Brief (2)
To design with the use of passive design strategies only
Introduction
The aim of this brief is to design a residential building for a family of 4 people on a
particular site and climate. The residential block is part of a social housing community
which could be used as a prototype to replicate in other social housing communities
throughout the city. The target of the design is to establish the right passive strategies that
would help reduce the power load of the structure and use the environmental factors to its
advantage. Passive design strategies have always had a cultural and traditional impact on
buildings in India and provided with important approaches that led to comfortable interiors
when the temperatures were harsh outside. The continued use of passive design is of
utmost importance because of the over population and the amount of carbon footprint that
we as humans are producing.
Site Context
The site is located in Jaipur in a social housing community. Jaipur has a hot and dry
climate classification according to Koppen Geiger. The site dimensions are 40’X60’. The
surrounding buildings are a maximum of two to three storey tall. A road is present on the
southern side of the site which has a width of approximately 16m. A green space is also
present on the southern side of the site which could be used to the sites advantage.
Figure 1 shows the location of the site in Jaipur and its surrounding context.
Requirements
You are required to design a house which is solely dependant on passive design strategies
such as cross ventilation, wind catchers, thermal mass (materials), orientation, green
74
roofs, etc. Your design should be such that it uses the environmental factors to help
achieve comfort inside the dwelling. Focus on environmental factors such as outdoor/
indoor temperature, rainfall, wind speeds and wind directions, humidity levels, amount of
solar radiation and lighting (natural vs artificial). Also focus on the types of materials used
for openings, the basic structure (facades).
Below are some examples of representing the design. All that is needed are labeled
conceptual sketches to show what strategies you would use in section, elevation and plan.
If you want you can use simulation tools to understand the thermal comfort inside the
dwelling but its not mandatory.
Weather Data: https://www.worldweatheronline.com/jaipur-weather-averages/rajasthan/

in.aspx
75
Climate Data from Climate Consultant
Temperatures Wind Speeds
Temperatures during the day Wind Directions
76
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MScDissertation C1768229 PDF

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MScDissertation C1768229 PDF

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Studies into the usage of passive design strategies to inform

A dissertation submitted to Cardiff University in partial fulfilment of the

By: Arsh Bansal

CANDIDATE’S SURNAME Please circle appropriate value

CANDIDATE’S FULL FORENAMES Arsh Bansal

Signed ................................................................... (candidate) Date 15.09.2018

Signed ................................................................... (candidate) Date 15.09.2018

Signed ................................................................... (candidate) Date 15.09.2018

STATEMENT 3 – TO BE COMPLETED WHERE THE SECOND COPY OF THE DISSERTATION IS

Signed ................................................................... (candidate) Date 15.09.2018

Signed ................................................................... (candidate) Date 15.09.2018

STATEMENT 5 - BAR ON ACCESS APPROVED

Signed ................................................................... (candidate) Date 15.09.2018

1.2. The Problem 9

1.3. Research Questions 10

1.4. Motivation and Justification 10

1.5. Structure of the Research 12

2.2. Nature of Design Process 14

2.3. Climate comfort and Passive design strategies 18

3.2. The Qualitative Process 23

3.3. Document Analysis 24

3.4. The Experiment 24

3.5. The Design Brief 25

3.6. Selection of Participants 30

4. Results & Discussion 32

4.2. Results: Designing with respect to Passive Design Strategies 33

4.3. Results: Designing with respect to Low Cost Conditions 48

Figure 4.2.1.5: shows the wind catcher strategy used by subject 3.

Figure 4.2.1.7: shows the cross ventilation strategy used by subject 1.

Figure 4.2.2.3: shows subject 3’s understanding of wind and sun.

Figure 4.2.2.5: shows the courtyard strategy being developed by subject 3.

Figure 4.2.2.6: shows a different way to implement a courtyard (subject 4).

Figure 4.2.3.1: shows the 3d conceptualisation of the building by subject 1 with

Figure 4.2.3.2: shows the idea of subject 4 to understand division of spaces.

Figure 4.3.1.4: shows spatial planning by subject 8.

Figure 4.3.1.6: shows the strategy of a courtyard being used by subject 6.

Figure 4.3.2.1: shows subject 7 discussing openings.

Figure 4.3.2.2: shows subject 5’s analysis regarding fenestrations.

Figure 4.3.2.3: shows subject 6’s notes regarding windows.

Figure 4.3.3.1: shows the usage of shading devises by subject 5.

Figure 4.3.3.2: shows subject 6’s use of shading devices.

“Sustainable building design is no longer just about pursuing energy-saving and

1.2. The Problem

1.3. Research Questions

1.4. Motivation and Justification

1.5. Structure of the Research

2.2. Nature of Design Process

2.2.1. The Conceptual Design Process

2.2.2. Understanding decision making in early design stages

Decision making in a design process is highly dependant on three ideologies: a)

2.3.1. Importance of ventilation

2.3.2. Importance of courtyard design in an Indian context

2.3.3. Importance of orientation

2.3.4. Importance of material consideration

2.3.5. Prioritisation of Passive design strategies

3.2. The Qualitative Process

3.3. Document Analysis

3.4. The Experiment

3.5. The Design Brief

3.5.1. The Site

of urban development, 2009).

3.5.2. The Climate

3.6. Selection of Participants

By: Arsh Bansal 

CANDIDATE’S SURNAME Please circle appropriate value 