Application of information modelling for sustainable urban-poor housing in India

Abstract

Building information modelling (BIM) is one of the effective ways for deciding the suitable building orientation and envelope that controls project cost, time and energy. The present paper elaborates the application of BIM for sustainable urban-poor housing. A systematic methodology is briefly discussed that considers the design challenges and suitable masonry products for achieving sustainability. The designed methodology is applied to a single-storey urban-poor house in a representative location in India. With reference to current practice, eight orientations and seven masonry options in all were analysed for achieving sustainable building design. A zero-degree orientation with the analysed suitable masonry option (recycled paper mill waste brick) resulted in reductions in the embodied energy, cost and peak cooling load of 13, 16 and 19%, respectively, over the base case.