ASHRAE Journal - February 2015 - S10

Figure 1: Some principles used in the design of traditional building façades in India are finding their way into modern architectural practice.

High Performance
Building Façade Solutions
BY ASHISH RAKHEJA, MEMBER ASHRAE; AND ANCHAL AGARWAL

The architectural façade has long been a compelling focus of interest for building physicists and
designers, combining attributes of both appearance
and performance in a holistic manner. Façades as
building envelopes form the outer skins of buildings, portraying the project image and creative
intent. Interestingly, they are also important environmental moderators. A thoughtfully designed
skin can make a building work more effectively
for its owners, occupants and the environment.
The technology has gradually emerged in recent
decades, driven largely by the pursuit of transparency in the building façade among designers.
Façade plays an important role in influencing energy consumption in a building and the Indian Energy Code (ECBC)
as we well as Green Building rating systems (IGBC/GRIHA/
LEED) lay emphasis on its optimization. However, traditionally, the façade design has been considered the responsibility
of Architects and Façade Consultants who are driven largely
by aesthetic considerations. As India begins its journey
towards 'Net Zero Energy Buildings', it is important that the air
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FEBRUARY 2015

conditioning engineers' fraternity starts playing an active role
by providing inputs on thermal considerations. In India, with
a predominantly hot climate, there is a need to regulate heat
gain through the skin as it influences the total air conditioning
load of a building.
In this article, the importance of façade design has been
covered under three segments. In the first part, a building
About the Authors
Ashish Rakheja is a B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering from REC University, Allahabad and M.Tech. in Thermal Engineering from IIT Delhi.
He has work experience of over twenty years in design and coordination of multi-disciplinary engineering activities, has worked on writing codes and standards with various Government agencies, and has
handled design activities of services for thirty six LEED Platinum rated
green building projects in India. He is spearheading the green building
movement in India as Chairman, Technical Committee of IGBC and is
a certiﬁed LEED India Trainer. He heads the sustainability division at
AECOM India. He is a Past National President of ISHRAE, and has won
several national awards and recognitions.
Anchal Agarwal is an M.Sc. in Building Performance and Sustainability
from National University of Singapore and a Bachelor of Architecture
from Punjab Technical University, Bathinda. She has ﬁve years' experience in the ﬁeld of sustainable building design, and has been working on
international projects to optimize building design and energy efﬁciency
and achieve LEED-USGBC Green Ratings.

ASHRAE Journal - February 2015

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