Climate Responsive

Design
NAME MOIZ NAVEED

ROLL # CE 590950

noor
[Type the company name]
[Pick the date]
Question # 01

How Is Climate Responsive Design & Sustainability related? How can

CRD contribute to sustainability? Discuss with applicable examples in
your context.

Answer

A climate-responsive building design reflects the weather conditions in

the precise area where the building is constructed. The design utilizes
data on the region’s weather patterns and accounts for factors like
seasonality, intensity of the sun, wind, rainfall and humidity.

While Sustainability means meeting our own needs without

compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs. In addition to natural resources, we also need social and
economic resources.

So building up a structure or design under the factors like intensity of

sun, wind or air pressure, precipitation data and humidity level for a
long term plan by taking less from Earth and giving more to humanity .
This is how Climate responsive design and sustainability are co related.

How can CRD contribute to sustainability?

Climate-responsive design is not only more sustainable from an

environmental perspective, but it also increases occupant comfort and
workplace satisfaction. Designing within the climatic envelope means
the building will be quieter because it doesn’t need as many noisy
mechanical systems, will be more comfortably lit with appropriate day
lighting rather than electric lighting, and will be healthier due to the
presence of fresh rather than recycled air.
For example if a building is planned to heat its internal structure
through passive solar energy i.e directly through sun light rather than
by means of heater or internal heating system than the design will be
sustainable in case of any environment.

If a building is planned to get more light from the source of sun through
passive means though light well on roof or open space or attics than
less electricity will be spent and less electric equipment will be use and
the design and system will be more stable and sustainable.

Light well . An pasive heating and lightening source.

Another Best example of climate responsive design which contributes
to sustainability is Rainwater harvesting. Rainwater harvesting or
collecting system is the technology that collects and stores rainwater
for human use. The infrastructure can vary from simple and inexpensive
to complex and expensive. Rainwater harvesting is the collection and
storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected
from a roof-like surface and redirected to a tank, cistern, deep pit,
aquifer, or a reservoir with percolation, so that it seeps down and
restores the ground water.
Question # 02
With focus on warm climates within Pakistan, discuss the
following:
a) Nature of warm climates.
b) Climate responsive strategies for building in warm
climates.
Answer :
Pakistan lies in the temperate zone. The climate is generally arid,
characterized by hot summers and cool or cold winters, and wide
variations between extremes of temperature at given locations. There
is little rainfall. These generalizations should not, however, obscure the
distinct differences existing among particular locations. For example,
the coastal area along the Arabian Sea is usually warm, whereas the
frozen snow-covered ridges of the Karakoram Range and of other
mountains of the far north are so cold year round that they are only
accessible by world-class climbers for a few weeks in May and June of
each year.

Pakistan's climate is a continental type of climate, characterized by

extreme variations in temperature, both seasonally and daily, because
it is located on a great landmass north of the Tropic of Cancer (between
latitudes 25° and 36° N).

Very high altitudes modify the climate in the cold, snow-covered

northern mountains; temperatures on the Baluchistan plateau are
somewhat higher. Along the coastal strip, the climate is modified by sea
breeze. In the rest of the country, temperatures reach great heights in
the summer; the mean temperature during June is 38 °C (100 °F) in the
plains, the highest temperatures can exceed 47 °C (117 °F). During
summer, hot winds called Loo blow across the plains during the day.
Trees shed their leaves to avoid loss of moisture. Pakistan recorded one
of the highest temperatures in the world, 53.7 °C (128.66 °F) on 28 May
2017, the hottest temperature ever recorded in Pakistan and also the
second hottest measured temperature ever recorded in Asia.

The dry, hot weather is broken occasionally by dust storms and

thunderstorms that temporarily lower the temperature. Evenings are
cool; the daily variation in temperature may be as much as 11 °C to 17
°C. Winters are cold, with minimum mean temperatures in Punjab of
about 4 °C (39 °F) in January, and sub-zero temperatures in the far
north and Baluchistan

. Pakistan has are four seasons: a cool, dry winter from December
through February; a hot, dry spring from March through May; the
summer rainy season, or southwest monsoon period, from June
through September; and the retreating monsoon period of October and
November. The onset and duration of these seasons vary somewhat
according to location.

The climate in the capital city of Islamabad varies from an average daily
low of 2° C in January to an average daily high of 40° C in June. Half of
the annual rainfall occurs in July and August, averaging about 255
millimeters in each of those two months. The remainder of the year has
significantly less rain, amounting to about fifty millimeters per month.
Hailstorms are common in the spring.
Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, which is also the country's industrial
center, is more humid than Islamabad but gets less rain. Only July and
August average more than twenty-five millimeters of rain in the Karachi
area; the remaining months are exceedingly dry. The temperature is
also more uniform in Karachi than in Islamabad, ranging from an
average daily low of 13° C during winter evenings to an average daily
high of 34° C on summer days. Although the summer temperatures do
not get as high as those in Punjab, the high humidity causes the
residents a great deal of discomfort.

Most areas in Punjab experience fairly cool winters, often accompanied

by rain. Woolen shawls are worn by women and men for warmth
because few homes are heated. By mid-February the temperature
begins to rise; springtime weather continues until mid-April, when the
summer heat sets in. The onset of the southwest monsoon is
anticipated to reach Punjab by May, but since the early 1970s the
weather pattern has been irregular. The spring monsoon has either
skipped over the area or has caused it to rain so hard that floods have
resulted. June and July are oppressively hot. Although official estimates
rarely place the temperature above 46° C, newspaper sources claim
that it reaches 51° C and regularly carry reports about people who have
succumbed to the heat. Heat records were broken in Multan in June
1993, when the mercury was reported to have risen to 54° C. In August
the oppressive heat is punctuated by the rainy season, referred to as
barsat, which brings relief in its wake. The hardest part of the summer
is then over, but cooler weather does not come until late October.

Drought
The drought has become a frequent phenomenon in the country.
Already, the massive droughts of 1998-2002 has stretched the coping
abilities of the existing systems to the limit and it has barely been able
to check the situation from becoming a catastrophe. The drought of
1998-2002 is considered the worst drought in 50 years. According to
the Economic Survey of Pakistan, the drought was one of the most
significant factors responsible for the less than anticipated growth
performance. The survey terms it as the worst drought in the history of
the country. According to the government, 40 percent of the country's
water needs went unmet.

Dust storm

Dust storm occur during summer months with peak in the months of
May and June. These dust storm are quite violent. Dust storms during
summer indicate arrival of monsoon while dust storms in winter mark
the beginning of the winter season.

Heat waves

Heat waves occur during May and June, and lead to a high incidence of
heat strokes among the residents of the city during these months.

Monsoon

South West Monsoon also occur in the summer from the month of June
till September. Monsoon rains bring much awaited relief from the
scorching heat of the summer. These monsoon rains are quite heavy.
Climate responsive strategies for building in warm
climates.
Ceiling strategies
• Open-plan living areas with high ceilings, to maximize air
movement and reduce radiant heat to occupants.
• Ceiling heights- ventilation of the roof space, to reduce heat build-
up there: the increased heat loss in the cooler season is not
important
• Two floors to three maximum.

Orientation
• The building should be elongated on an east-west axis
• The square house is not the optimum form in any location
• The whole building should be lightweight to allow rapid cooling
down at night
• To reduce the roof area, two story building can solve the problem
• Raising the building off the ground can improve the potential of
ventilation.
• Living-room and Guest- room can be located in the south or
north.
• Bed-rooms can be located in the east.
• Services such as kitchen and toilets can be located in the west.
• East-west direction/single blanked room for cross ventilation.

Roofs
 • Vaults and domes are climatically superior to flat roofs
• Using light colours for walls and roof, to reflect the heat of
the sun
• Metal roofs which cool rapidly at night. Daytime heat gain
can be minimised by using sheeting with a reflective
coating on its underside
• Shade the roof with suspended reed matting or timber
boards or by vegetation above the roof
• Using insulation layer on the outside of concrete slab can
increase the time lag to eight hours
• Lightweight roofs have important effects on the thermal
performance of buildings (even with extra-heavy walls)
• The outer surface of the roof and the thermal resistivity of
its materials are of primary important
• Properly designed roof gardens help to reduce heat loads
in a building.

Walls
• The external envelope should be have high thermal mass
• The walls should be reflective and/or well insulated.
• Using vertical wing walls to shade windows and walls from the
low west-southwest and east-southeast sun
• Location of internal walls with respect to cross-ventilation.
 • Incorporating walls with cavities that acted as air ducts for heat-
exchange purposes.
• Using wall materials with good insulation properties.
• Light internal walls are preferable in rooms which are used by day
such as living room and kitchen.
• The heat storage capacity and heat conduction property of walls
are key to meeting desired thermal comfort conditions.

Floors
• Marble and Tiles can be helpful in warm climate conditions.
• A suspended floor with a large well ventilated under-floor cavity
will give a quicker response when temperatures drop slightly in
the evening than a floor directly in contact with the ground.

Doors
• For open plan dwellings, privacy can be provided by designing
doors made like shutters blocking the view but giving passage to
airflow, also to leave the upper part of a room-height door open
hinges at the top.

Windows
• The openings should be few and of a small size; East and west
walls should have minimum or no windows in order to exclude
the low angle east and west sun
• To provide cross ventilation, north and south walls should be as
open as possible
• Skylight windows offer the best airflow
 • Use two widely spaced windows if a room can have windows on
only one side
• Make the outlet openings slightly larger than the inlet openings
• Place the inlets at low to medium heights to provide airflow at
occupant levels in the room
• blinds and lattices in the openings help in reducing heat gain
• Windows positions should be opposite each other to allow cross-
ventilation and all windows should have curtains
• To achieve good ventilation, windows should be located in both
sides of the building
• avoid openings in west elevations, and if widows are poorly
oriented or too large, external shading devices with additional
shutters can help to reduce heat gain
• Using ventilation blinds is useful in regulating solar radiation and
wind flow into room

Finishing
• To reduce the effects of sun on building the outside walls should
be painted white or light in color.
• The reflectivity of façade with respect to insulation could be
increased by painting in white or utilized by glazed brick-facing.

Natural shades
• Natural shades and shelter like trees and pine plants should be
use beside the building for cooler environment.
Question # 03

What are the major characteristics of Urban and Rural climates? How
both have been effected due to pollution and urbanization? Discuss in
detail.

ANSWER

Urban climate

Any set of climatic conditions that prevails in a large metropolitan

area and that differs from the climate of its rural surroundings.

Urban climates are distinguished from those of less built-up areas by

differences of air temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, and
amount of precipitation. These differences are attributable in large part
to the altering of the natural terrain through the construction of
artificial structures and surfaces. For example, tall buildings, paved
streets, and parking lots affect wind flow, precipitation runoff, and the
energy balance of a locale.

Also characteristic of the atmosphere over urban centres are

substantially higher concentrations of pollutants such as carbon
monoxide, the oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, hydrocarbons, oxidants,
and particulate matter. Foreign matter of this kind is introduced into
the air by industrial processes (e.g., chemical discharges by oil
refineries), fuel combustion (for the operation of motor vehicles and for
the heating of offices and factories), and the burning of solid wastes.
Urban pollution concentrations depend on the magnitude of local
emissions sources and the prevailing meteorological ventilation of the
area—i.e., the height of the atmospheric layer through which the
pollutants are being mixed and the average wind speed through that
layer. Heavy concentrations of air pollutants have considerable impact
on temperature, visibility, and precipitation in and around cities.
Moreover, there occasionally arise weather conditions that allow the
accumulation of pollutants over an urban area for several days. Such
conditions, termed temperature inversions (increasing air temperature
with increasing altitude), strongly inhibit atmospheric mixing and can
cause acute distress in the population and even, under extremely
severe conditions, loss of life. Atmospheric inversion caused an air-
pollution disaster in London in December 1952 in which about 3,500
persons died from respiratory diseases.

The center of a city is warmer than are outlying areas. Daily minimum
temperature readings at related urban and rural sites frequently show
that the urban site is 6° to 11° C (10° to 20° F) warmer than the rural
site. Two primary processes influence the formation of this “heat
island.” During summer, urban masonry and asphalt absorb, store, and
reradiate more solar energy per unit area than do the vegetation and
soil typical of rural areas. Furthermore, less of this energy can be used
for evaporation in urban areas, which characteristically exhibit greater
precipitation runoff from streets and buildings. At night, radiate losses
from urban building and street materials keep the city’s air warmer
than that of rural areas.

During winter the urban atmosphere is warmed slightly, but

significantly, by energy from fuel combustion for home heating, power
generation, industry, and transportation. Also contributing to the
warmer urban atmosphere is the blanket of pollutants and water vapor
that absorbs a portion of the thermal radiation emitted by the Earth’s
surface. Part of the absorbed radiation warms the surrounding air, a
process that tends to stabilize the air over a city, which in turn
increases the probability of higher pollutant concentrations.

The average relative humidity in cities is usually several percent lower

than that of adjacent rural areas, primarily because of increased runoff
of precipitation and the lack of evapotranspiration from vegetation in
urban areas. Some moisture, however, is added to urban atmospheres
by the many combustion sources.

The flow of wind through a city is characterized by mean speeds that

are 20 to 30 percent lower than those of winds blowing across the
adjacent countryside. This difference occurs as a result of the increased
frictional drag on air flowing over built-up urban terrain, which is
rougher than rural areas. Another difference between urban and rural
wind flow is the convergence of low-level wind over a city (i.e., air tends
to flow into a city from all directions). This is caused primarily by the
horizontal thermal gradients of the urban heat island.

The amount of solar radiation received by cities is reduced by the

blanket of particulates in the overlying atmosphere. The higher
particulate concentrations in urban atmospheres reduce visibility by
both scattering and absorbing light. In addition, some particles provide
opportunities for the condensation of water vapour to form water
droplets, the ingredients of fog.

A city also influences precipitation patterns in its vicinity. Such city-

generated or city-modified weather factors as wind turbulence, thermal
convection, and high concentrations of condensation nuclei might be
expected to increase precipitation. Although appropriate continuous,
quantitative measurements have not been made for a sufficient length
of time, there is some data to suggest that the amount of precipitation
over many large cities is about 5 to 10 percent greater than that over
nearby rural areas, with the greatest increases occurring downwind of
the city center.

Effect of pollution/Urbanization on urban and rural climate

The urban environment is an important factor in determining the

quality of life in urban areas and the impact of the urban area on the
broader environment. Some urban environmental problems include
inadequate water and sanitation, lack of rubbish disposal, and industrial
pollution. Unfortunately, reducing the problems and ameliorating their
effects on the urban population are expensive.

The health implications of these environmental problems include

respiratory infections and other infectious and parasitic diseases.
Capital costs for building improved environmental infrastructure for
example, investments in a cleaner public transportation system such as
a subway and for building more hospitals and clinics are higher in cities,
where wages exceed those paid in rural areas. And urban land prices
are much higher because of the competition for space. But not all
urban areas have the same kinds of environmental conditions or health
problems. Some research suggests that indicators of health problems,
such as rates of infant mortality, are higher in cities that are growing
rapidly than in those where growth is slower.

Urbanization also affects the broader regional environments. Regions

downwind from large industrial complexes also see increases in the
amount of precipitation, air pollution, and the number of days with
thunderstorms. Urban areas affect not only the weather patterns, but
also the runoff patterns for water. Urban areas generally generate
more rain, but they reduce the infiltration of water and lower the water
tables. This means that runoff occurs more rapidly with greater peak
flows. Flood volumes increase, as do floods and water pollution
downstream.

Many of the effects of urban areas on the environment are not

necessarily linear. Bigger urban areas do not always create more
environmental problems. And small urban areas can cause large
problems. Much of what determines the extent of the environmental
impacts is how the urban populations behave their consumption and
living patterns not just how large they are.

Question # 04

Devise strategies for Natural light optimization in built environment

to achieve energy and lighting load efficiency. Explain the statement
with examples focusing on natural light techniques in residential
buildings.

Answer

There are many benefits to bringing more natural light into your home.
For one, utilizing natural light instead of flicking on your light fixtures
saves energy, and thus lowers your electricity bill. It also brings out the
beauty of fabrics and furniture and gives an instant boost to your mood
and your immune system. Here are a few ways to increase and
maximize the natural light in your own home:

Use mirrors

Mirrors reflect, rather than absorb, light. So hanging or propping a large

mirror on a wall opposite a window doubles the light streaming in. You
can use smaller mirrors to line the backs of bookshelves, or arrange
several of them on one wall. Another idea is to buy furniture with glass,
chrome, or mirrored accents.

Lighten up your color palette

Light colors and whites reflect natural light better than darker colors. So
paint walls in cool tones, such as blue-grays and taupes, and use
reflective, metallic finishes on ceilings. Get furniture—especially larger
pieces such as sofas and love seats—in light colors. You can add
brighter or deeper splashes of color in the form of pillows, throws,
knickknacks, and smaller furnishings.

Lighten up your fabrics

Heavy fabrics, like velvets and brocades, can weigh a room down, while
lighter fabrics such as linen and cotton lighten a room and evoke
summer days.

Work with your windows

Some window treatments, such as Roman shades, block sunlight even

when they’re open. But sheer draperies hung on rings are easy to open
fully to let in light. Hang a single drapery rather than a double set.
Venetian blinds are also a good choice: They allow you to control the
amount of light that comes in, and you can angle them to direct the
light into a particular area.

Add skylights

While they can be a costly home improvement, skylights will reduce

electricity costs in the long run. Install them in rooms that are used
most often, such as bathrooms, and in locations that receive the most
sunlight.

Remove obstacles

Trim hedges and trees that may be blocking windows, and keep
windowsills free of clutter.

The science of daylighting design is not just how to provide enough

daylight to an occupied space, but how to do so without any
undesirable side effects. Beyond adding windows or skylights to a
space, it involves carefully balancing heat gain and loss, glare control,
and variations in daylight availability. For example, successful
daylighting designs will carefully consider the use of shading devices to
reduce glare and excess contrast in the workspace. Additionally,
window size and spacing, glass selection, the reflectance of interior
finishes, and the location of any interior partitions must all be
evaluated.

A daylighting system consists of systems, technologies, and

architecture. While not all of these components are required for every
daylighting system or design, one or more of the following are typically
present:

• Daylight-optimized building footprint

• Climate-responsive window-to-wall area ratio
• High-performance glazing
• Daylighting-optimized fenestration design
• Skylights (passive or active)
• Tubular daylight devices
 • Daylight redirection devices
• Solar shading devices
• Daylight-responsive electric lighting controls.Daylight-optimized
interior design (such as furniture design, space planning, and
room surface finishes).

Since daylighting components are normally integrated with the original

building design, it may not be possible to consider them for a retrofit
project.

If possible, the building footprint should be optimized for daylighting.

This is only possible for new construction projects and does not apply
to retrofits. If the project allows, consider a building footprint that
maximizes south and north exposures, and minimizes east and west
exposures. A floor depth of no more than 60 ft., 0 in. from south to
north has been shown to be viable for daylighting. A maximum facade
facing due south is the optimal orientation. Deviation from due south
should not exceed 15° in either direction for best solar access and ease
of control.

With the building sited properly, the next consideration is to develop a

climate-responsive window-to-wall area ratio. As even high-
performance glazings do not have insulation ratings close to those of
wall constructions, the window area needs to be a careful balance
between admission of daylight and thermal issues such as wintertime
heat loss and summertime heat gain. The American Society of Heating,
Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) offers guidance
on these ratios per climate zone in their Standard 90.1 energy code, but
these are primarily minimal for thermal performance and do not
consider admission of daylight.
Question# 5 : How can active and passive ventilation techniques
could be used to achieve sustainability in domestic building? Explore in
context of your city.

Answer: Passive ventilation systems are less consistent than active

ventilation systems due to their reliance on natural air currents. As
their name implies, passive systems do not actively
create ventilation for your attic or garage. They merely guide the air
currents that already exist.

Passive systems are structures whose design, placement, or materials

optimize the use of heat or light directly from the sun. Active systems
have devices to convert the sun's energy into a more usable form, such
as hot water or electricity.

Active and Passive Sustainable Stratergies

• Passive design maximises the use of 'natural' sources of heating,

cooling and ventilation to create comfortable conditions inside
buildings. ... Hybrid systems use active systems to assist passive
measures, for example; heat recovery ventilation, solar thermal
systems, ground source heat pumps, and so on.

• A well-insulated, well-designed home may only need to use active

ventilation for rooms where extra moisture is generated
(bathroom, laundry and kitchen), while passive ventilation will
be sufficient for maintaining air quality through the rest of your
home.
• In residential buildings, air is often supplied through the facade
and extract air is removed from selected rooms (often kitchen and
bathrooms) through ducts.

• The air supply can be through fresh air grilles in the facade or
through the ventilation flaps of VELUX roof windows. It can also
enter through leakages in the facade. It is important to ensure an
efficient air flow path through the building, Mechanical
ventilation systems use electric fans to direct the airflow in the
building. Mechanical ventilation can provide a constant air change
rate independently of external weather conditions, but it uses
electricity and usually cannot change the ventilation rate as the
need changes over the day and year.

• Mechanical ventilation requires filters to be changed regularly.

Dirty filters are a source of pollution of the indoor air and reduce
indoor air quality, which, in turn, reduces the performance of the
occupants of the building and increases the prevalence of SBS
symptoms.

Hybrid ventilation : Hybrid ventilation is a system that

combines natural and mechanical ventilation. Hybrid ventilation is
a relevant solution for new residential buildings, especially if roof
windows are available to facilitate stack effect. Several variations
of hybrid ventilation systems exist.

Mechanical ventilation is used in the heating period and natural

 ventilation in the rest of the year. This principle provides a good
energy performance for newbuilt houses and works well in
combination with VELUX roof windows. This principle is mainly
used in larger commercial buildings where the natural driving
forces are inadequate in some periods. A fan is therefore used for
assistance.

Question # 6 : With reference to cold climate regions of Pakistan

, devise stratergies for climatic responsive designs of buildings in
these context.
Answer: Design strategies for cold-climate homes
• Passively heat your house. Passive housing uses certain features to heat
your home using the energy from the sun.
• Use airtight construction.
• Have a steep roof.
• Cover the entrances.
• Clear paths.
• Install railings outside.

• Basement foundations are most common in the northern

parts of the country although they may be found in any
location. They are especially suited for cold climates because
they provide additional insulation from the elements as well
as space for heating equipment. For many cities in Pakistan
having a cold climate like Quetta in winters , Chitral , Gilgit
etc, it is a best stratergy to adopt.
Building Orientation:
 Generally, building or house oriented along an east-west
axis is more efficient for both winter and summer cooling.
This orientation allows for maximum solar glazing (windows)
to the south for solar capture for heating.

For cold climates, Loose-fill Fiberglass Insulation is the best as it

has an R-Value of 60.

Making A House Warm:

1. Good Insulation is Critical.
2. Add Thermal Mass for Heat Storage.
3. Two Heat Sources are Better Than One.
4. Choose the Right Windows and Doors.
5. Add an Enclosed Porch.
6. Get a Backup Generator.
7. Take Advantage of Passive Solar Heating.

Passive Solar Heating:

The idea of passive solar heating is simple, but applying it
effectively requires attention to the details of strategic design,
analytic techniques and method of construction. Modest levels
of passive solar heating, also called sun tempering, can reduce
building auxiliary heating requirements from 5% to 25% at little
or no incremental first cost and should be implemented for all
small buildings in cold and cloudy climates. More aggressive
passive solar heated buildings designed by using combined
passive strategies can reduce heating energy use by from 25 to
 75% compared to a typical structure while remaining cost-
effective on a life-cycle basis. This approach should be
considered for many small buildings in cold and cloudy
climates.

Question#7: Write a note on the following with context of the

building;

• Design needs
• Technical requirements

Answer: Definition:

Building design resolves client requirements into a set

of instructions for the construction of a building.

The process described is that of a typical, medium-sized

commercial project on a traditional procurement route. Smaller or
larger projects tend to confront the same questions and follow the
same processes, albeit on a different scale, as will projects on
other procurement routes, the difference being the nature of
the contractual matrix between the client, designers and contractors.

The growth of the design team

Whilst historically, buildings tended to follow set patterns that could be

repeated without a great deal of consideration or instruction,
as buildings became more complex, so specialist designers emerged,
and increasingly, building design has proved too complex for any one
individual to undertake alone, other than on very straight-
forward projects.

Today a project may sometimes begin with just one designer, but as
the design develops and the level of detail increases, so the design
team will tend to grow. A full design team on a typical commercial
or residential building project will include
a core team of; architect, structural
engineer and services engineer(mechanical and electrical engineers)
along with other designers as necessary, such
as landscape designers, interior designers, and specialists such
as acoustic designers, fire engineers, and so on.

Increasingly, contributions are also made by contractors and suppliers,

and the design team is supported by experts in health and
safety, cost, programme, planning, sustainability, accessibility, project
management and so on.

Design requirements are the functional attributes that enable the team
to convert ideas into design features.

Design and Construction as an Integrated System.

Broadly speaking, design is a process of creating the description of a
new facility, usually represented by detailed plans and specifications;
construction planning is a process of identifying activities and resources
required to make the design a physical reality.

Technical Requirements:
 ➢ Technical requirements, together with other PPP structure
parameters, lie at the heart of the contract. The technical
requirements should provide enough technical details about the
project so as to allow a precise definition of the design of the
infrastructure (and the characteristics of the service) to be
implemented, while avoiding being too prescriptive as explained
below.

➢ Through the technical requirements design process, costs are

assessed, which are a key input for the commercial feasibility
analysis

➢ The technical requirements are also a basic input to the other

feasibility analyses, such as the environmental feasibility, economic
feasibility, Value for Money assessment, and the affordability
analysis.

➢ Furthermore, a precisely designed set of technical requirements

offers an essential body of data for bidders to assess the technical
risks the private partner will be exposed to, as well as to price the
service, which effectively contributes to a more competitive tender.

➢ It is a good practice for the design of the technical requirements to be

preceded by the identification of benchmark projects which can be a
precious source of historical data, as well as of significant lessons on
the design of the infrastructure and details of service delivery. These
benchmark projects can be either PPPs or traditionally procured
infrastructure, but they need to be comparable in terms of complexity
and risks and must address a similar scope of service to the PPP
project under analysis.
 ➢ The project team must ensure that the technical requirements comply
with applicable regulatory standards and policy directives for the
respective sector. For example, the policy regulations of a particular
country might dictate that the minimum size of a classroom is 1.5
square meters (m2) per student, or that certain safety standards are
necessary in a road such as the minimum radius of curves.

In practice, the exact content of the technical requirements depends upon

the type of project, the type of contract, and the legal requirements of the
jurisdiction. However, the technical requirements are typically composed of
a project design and construction requirements, as well as the performance
requirements.

Question# 8: With respect to diversified concept of Pakistan , it’s seismic

zoning is of critical importance to stability of design and structure itself .
With reference to statement write note on the following,

• Cantilevered coloumn
• Light steel framing

Cantilivered coloumn:
• Cantilever column systems are seismic force-resisting systems in
which the lateral forces are resisted entirely by columns that act
as vertical cantilevers. Cantilever columns provide a simple
alternative to a moment frame, braced frame, or shear wall for a
variety of low-rise structures.
 • A cantilever footing is a component of a building's foundation. It is
a type of combined footing, consisting of two or more
column footings connected by a concrete beam. This type of
beam is called a strap beam.
• For the purpose of seismic design of buildings, Pakistan has been
divided into five zones
• The requirements of the seismic zoning map shall be superseded
if a site-specific hazard analysis, probabilistic, deterministic or
both, is carried out for a building or structure.
• The results of site-specific seismic hazard analysis may be
represented by response spectra and acceleration-time histories.

Light Steel Framing:

Building systems with light steel members, gypsum plasterboards and
mineral wool have a wide spread use in the US, Australia and Japan and
are gaining market in some European countries. The systems have
often load-bearing walls and the floors may be of lightweight steel
profiles or concrete. Such systems are suited for industrial production
and can contribute to a more efficient building process. Examples of
components and systems are given in the paper. For low and medium
rise buildings it is natural to use the walls as stabilising for horizontal
loads from wind and imperfections.

AGIBS® is a lightweight wall steel framing system that is specifically

designed with pre-punched holes and recesses dimples in the framing
system to act as locators for easy assembly and flush finish, and
multiple services holes for services to run without the needs to drill
holes.

Light Gauge Framing System (LGFS) or Light gauge Steel framing (LGSF)
is a construction technology using cold-formed steel as the construction
material. It can be used for roof systems, floor systems, wall systems,
roof panels, decks, or the entire buildings.

Benefits of light steel framing:

One of the main advantages of light steel framing is its versatility and
the range of building types for which it can be used.

Applications of light steel framing range from low-rise housing to multi-

storey, multi-occupancy developments, including panelised structural
frames, external infill walling systems and fully finished offsite modular
construction.

The wide range of applications is in addition to the benefits one would

expect with a modern construction method: rapid speed of
construction, high quality and performance, excellent safety and cost-
effectiveness

A major sector for light steel framing is four to eight-storey residential

buildings and mixed-use buildings often comprising commercial space
and car parking at the lower levels.

In these cases, the lightweight characteristic of the construction system

is crucial to minimising the loads on the supporting structure.