I guess everyone atleast once in their lifetime must have used shadows of tree to protect themself from scorching sunlight.

Here is a small article which tells about the benefits of building green environment in the present world.

http://buildinggreenlife.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/saving-through-shades-of-trees/
http://green-growth.blogspot.com

Students from even commerce and humanities streams can pursue course:

Many students are still unaware that architecture is a career option even for those who did not take up science in class XII. Those from commerce and humanities streams can also get into architecture provided they have studied mathematics in class XII. According to the Council of Architecture (COA), only maths is essential to apply for bachelor of architecture contrary to the popular perception that those who haven’t studied physics, chemistry and maths PCM) can’t dream of becoming architecture.

However, most school pass-outs remain unaware of the latest eligibility criteria  for architecture and only science students end up applying for the 142 architecture colleges in the country. “To apply for architecture you are only required to have studied maths in class XII and secured at least 50% aggregate. Earlier, English was also required but we have dropped that requirement now,” said Prof Vijay Sohoni, president, COA.

Sohoni said that while COA has often advertised the eligibility criteria in newspapers, only 10-15% of the students in each architecture institution are from the non-science streams. All the rest are science students despite the fact that knowledge of any science subject is not essential for architecture, Sohoni added. “In architecture we need people who have studied arts and aesthetics or even social sciences,” Sohoni said.

The confusion started with COA and AICTE following their own eligibility criteria with the latter making PCM a pre-requisite for architecture. However, COA had ruled in 1983 that only English and maths would be required. After six cases were settled in different high courts, it was decided that COA was the sole authority to regulate the education in architecture. “After the Bombay High Court decided in the favour of COA, the AICTE approached the Supreme Court. But the SC declined a stay on the HC order in 2005,” said Vinod Kumar, registrar, COA. After this, in January 2006, COA notified that only maths was essential for applying to architecture.

There are 142 architecture colleges in the country out of which 123 conduct admissions through a National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA). The others are regional and centrally-funded institutes, which consider AIEEE rankings. “The confusion over the eligibility criteria for architecture still prevails because AIEEE puts it in the same bracket as engineering. The entrance exam for architecture and engineering is clubbed under AIEEE that requires a student to have passed class XII with PCM. A case in this regard is still pending in the Supreme Court,” Sohoni said.

So, the students who had maths in class XII and wants to pursue architecture can take NATA-an outline test conducted across 100 centers in the city. “The test is not annual. It happens between January and September. One needs to approach the designated center, take an appointment and appear for the test at the allotted time,” Sohoni said.

Report presented by Neha Pushkarna (TIMES CITY)

As the time is proceeding further, the demands for energy are increasing. This is not only causing the depletion of energy sources but also increasing the threat for the future generations. So it is very importat to have a sustainable development by the means of renewable sources of energy like Solar Energy. Sustainable Architecture aims to create environment friendly & energy –efficient buildings. This entails actively harnessing Sun’s energy to do the daily work.

Solar energy is the most readily available source of energy.  It is also the most important of the non-conventional sources of energy because it is non-polluting and, therefore, helps in lessening the greenhouse effect.  Solar energy can be put to great use in our day to day life vis-à-vis the use of Solar Devices. This energy is used for: Cooking/Heating, Drying/Timber seasoning, Distillation, Electricity/Power generation, Cooling, Refrigeration, Cold storage

Here is a presentation on the Solar Energy Devices and there importance.

Solar Energy Devices

• PASSIVE COOLING TECHNIQUES are least expensive means of cooling a home which  maximizes the efficiency of the building envelope without any use of mechanical devices.

• It rely on natural heat-sinks to remove heat from the building. They derive cooling directly from evaporation, convection, and radiation without using any intermediate electrical devices.

•All passive cooling strategies rely on daily changes in temperature and relative humidity.

•The applicability of each system depends on the climatic conditions.

Here is a presentation on PASSIVE COOLING TECHNIQUES which i have prepared. Hope you get all the information you ever needed.

Presentation on PASSIVE COOLING TECHNIQUES

Do leave a comment if you like my work…

As in previous post, i discussed about the concepts of energy efficiency, here i am dealing with the design Parameters for Energy Efficiency.

Green building is a design process that grows out of a connection with the natural landscape. It is a set of informed decisions that considers the site and materials to reduce the cost, maintenance, and energy usage of the home.

For further information, here is a presentation which i have prepared about the parameters for energy efficiency.

We have entered in such an era where energy efficiency has become a prime concern. It not only has become important to save energy but also to generate it through various passive means which are costless.

Here is a presentation about the concept-of-energy-efficiency.

·         Louis Kahn was born an 20^th Feb. 1901 in Estonian Isel of Osel 

·         He was U.S. architect  educator and philosopher and is one of tore most 20^th century architect.

·         In 1905 he migrated to Philaphedia with his parents  and thus Philaphedia became base for his  activities and vehicles for many of his planning theories.

·         He was gutted at both painting and music and had scholarships in either.

·         At the age of 16, inspired by his school he took architecture

·         In 1924 the graduated from university of Pennsylvania school of arts.

·         In 1928 because Art  of Education send him to Europe due to his drawing abilities where he saw antiquity of Roman and Greek which impressed him a lot.

·         In 1947, he visited, Yale as a critic and soon made professor there.

      5 years later he designed an extension to yale which was the first modern  building of  Yale.

·         In 1950 he became an architect of international status.

·         Le corbusier touched his sense of architecture a lot i.e. he was inspired by him.

·         After Frank Lloyd wright he was on his position.

·         After Louis I’ Kahn’s death his drawings and papers were purchased by common wealth of Pennsylvania and placed in custody of Pennsylvania and museum commission. 

For more information, check this word document.  Louis I.Kahn

We all know that Council of Architecture is the prime athority for ARCHITECTS in India. Without its affiliation, no architect can carry on with his or her practise. So, here is some information about what C.O.A is all about and how it functions.

http://www.coa.gov.in

# GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON (1874-1936)

I don’t think of form as a kind of architecture. The architecture is the result of the forming. It is the kinesthetic and visual sense of position and wholeness that puts the thing into the realm of art.

 # JOHN RUSKIN (1819-1900) English art critic

Form ever follows function.

Architecture

Ah, to build, to build! That is the noblest art of all the arts. Painting and sculpture are but images, are merely shadows cast by outward things on stone or canvas, having in themselves no separate existence. Architecture, existing in itself, and not in seeming a something it is not, surpasses them as substance shadow.

 # LOUIS H. SULLIVAN

 When you look on one of your contemporary ‘good copies’ of historical remains, ask yourself the question: Not what style, but in what civilization is this building? And the absurdity, vulgarity, anachronism and solecism of the modern structure will be revealed to you in a most startling fashion.

# ARTHUR ERICKSON

Life is rich, always changing, always challenging, and we architects have the task of transmitting into wood, concrete, glass and steel, of transforming human aspirations into habitable and meaningful space.

For more quotations, log on to– http://quoteslist.blog.co.in  

These are the elements or materials used for designing. They are used to attain certain design goals. These can be categorized in different categories:-

1. Origin:- Natural or Manmade

The landscape materials can be classified on the basis of there origin i.e. natural or manmade.

Natural materials include those which are available from nature like plants, stones, earth, sand etc.

Man-made materials are those which are used after synthesising the natural materials or machine made. They include artificial lakes, ponds, cascades, bridges, fountains, gazebos, street furnitures, etc.

There may be a category in which only chemical is used to make elements  like plastic (for pipes), trellis, etc.

Tree houses for birds, dove coats are the elements which enhance the space added with the lanterns, railings (in stone or bamboo) or music.

2. Degree of Hardness :- Hard or Soft

Hard elements include stones, bricks and concrete while Soft materials include plants, water, mud or soil. In order to recharge ground water, protect soil and climatic conditions, we need to provide a lot of soft spaces in our landscape.

3. Growth:- Living or Non-Living

Living elements includes plants which require regular maintainance, fertilisation and good investment while Non-Living elements are installed once.

4. Water requirement:- Dry Gardening or Wet Gardening

Phenomenon of Dry Gardening was taken from the Japenese Gardens. They require less of water in plants like cactus, moss, etc. While Wet Gardening requires a lot of water.