Query
For internal zoning of floor plate wherein it is required to demonstrate that 50% of the external wall area on unfavorable orientation are abutting buffer zones/service areas, GRIHA manual does not clearly mention, which directions are to taken as unfavorable orientations. Manual mentions only West, whereas in some projects reviewers have asked us to submit analysis for East and West and some have asked to submit analysis for South and West.
In this particular project, reviewer has asked to submit buffer zone analysis for all 4 orientations and later during the visit, it was said to submit analysis for 3 orientations East, West and South.
If 3 or more directions are to designed with abutting buffer zones, where will the project place its regularly occupied areas where daylighting is also a mandatory requirement ?
Kindly clarify the directions to be taken for buffer zones analysis.
Response
As per the analysis requirement, project team need to "demonstrate that at least 50% of total external wall area on unfavorable orientations like West, are abutting buffer zones/service areas" now it is not mentioned in the requirement that only west orientation is to be considered which is incorrectly been interpreted in the query.
Unfavorable orientations for a project are design and location dependent and hence it needs to be considered accessing the solar morphology of the region.
It is the responsibility of the green building consultant to guide and suggest the design and execution team to design openings and zoning for harvesting daylight and create solar barriers.
Additionally, "Low impact design is a subjective criterion and acceptance of a strategy is totally at the discretion of the evaluator".