Papers by Harshalatha A P
This Series focuses on the entire spectrum of human settlements -from rural to urban, in differen... more This Series focuses on the entire spectrum of human settlements -from rural to urban, in different regions of the world, with questions such as: What factors cause and guide the process of change in human settlements from rural to urban in character, from hamlets and villages to towns, cities and megacities? Is this process different across time and space, how and why? Is there a future for rural life? Is it possible or not to have industrial development in rural settlements, and how? Why does 'urban shrinkage' occur? Are the rural areas urbanizing or is that urban areas are undergoing 'ruralisation' (in form of underserviced slums)? What are the challenges faced by 'mega urban regions', and how they can be/are being addressed? What drives economic dynamism in human settlements? Is the urban-based economic growth paradigm the only answer to the quest for sustainable development, or is there an urgent need to balance between economic growth on one hand and ecosystem restoration and conservation on the other -for the future sustainability of human habitats? How and what new technology is helping to achieve sustainable development in human settlements? What sort of changes in the current planning, management and governance of human settlements are needed to face the changing environment including the climate and increasing disaster risks? What is the uniqueness of the new 'socio-cultural spaces' that emerge in human settlements, and how they change over time? As rural settlements become urban, are the new 'urban spaces' resulting in the loss of rural life and 'socio-cultural spaces'? What is leading the preservation of rural 'socio-cultural spaces' within the urbanizing world, and how? What is the emerging nature of the rural-urban interface, and what factors influence it? What are the emerging perspectives that help understand the human-environment-culture complex through the study of human settlements and the related ecosystems, and how do they transform our understanding of cultural landscapes and 'waterscapes' in the 21st Century? What else is and/or likely to be new vis-à-vis human settlements -now and in the future? The Series, therefore, welcomes contributions with fresh cognitive perspectives to understand the new and emerging realities of the 21st Century human settlements. Such perspectives will include a multidisciplinary analysis, constituting of the demographic, spatio-economic, environmental, technological, and planning, management and governance lenses.
Architectural design is crucial for enhancing the energy performance as well as achieving thermal... more Architectural design is crucial for enhancing the energy performance as well as achieving thermal comfort in a hospital building, requiring a focus on climate as a key design criterion. Daylighting plays a vital role in hospital design, influencing both energy performance and comfort. The research investigates the impact of courtyard building form variants on daylighting and aims to identify the most suitable building forms ensuring optimal daylighting performance while adhering to reference hospital building envelope details located in the warm humid climate of India. This research introduces a combination of simulation and statistically rigorous, datadriven framework to optimize building forms based on daylight metrics. By combining metrics like illuminance, DF, and UDI with ANOVA, it brings a novel methodological approach to architectural research, enhancing the precision and reliability of daylight performance evaluations. The importance of the study in advancing theory and practice in sustainable design is emphasized by its potential to expose novel concepts in similar context. The findings provide valuable insights into develop efficient space layout that balance energy performance and user comfort. This analysis serves as a critical step in the design process, ensuring that chosen courtyard building forms meet functional requirements while prioritizing daylighting, energy efficiency, occupant comfort, well-being, and environmental sustainability.
This research paper addresses the calibration of an energy simulation model for a naturally venti... more This research paper addresses the calibration of an energy simulation model for a naturally ventilated hospital building located in Mangalore, Karnataka, India, in a warm, humid climatic zone. The study aims to enhance the accuracy of energy consumption calculations through a calibration process by developing the energy model of a reference hospital building using EnergyPlus software. The required architectural design data, construction details, occupancy and schedule data and services are collected through documents, energy audits and documentation, measured drawings, and semi-structured interviews. Calibration parameters are systematically identified and adjusted through an iterative process. The monthly electricity bill is used to validate the simulation model. The simulation model reached during the validation process has an excellent Coefficient of Variation-Root Mean Squared Error of 4.24% and a Normalized Mean Bias Error of-4.42%, both of which meet the ASHRAE-approved accuracy standards. The paper also discusses the challenges and emphasizes the need for a nuanced approach to modeling healthcare facilities. Notwithstanding the challenges faced, the study offers insightful information about how to calibrate simulation models for hospital energy usage with the significant influence of scheduling for artificial lighting and equipment usage. By pioneering a manual calibration approach tailored to hospital simulation models in the warm humid climate of India, this paper offers a novel and practical solution to address the challenges of energy performance analysis in resource-constrained environments. The calibrated simulation model presented in this study is a valuable tool for assessing and improving the energy performance of naturally ventilated healthcare facilities. By creating alternative space layouts, the research findings aim to foster the development of hospital infrastructure that is both ecologically friendly and energyefficient in a specific climatic context. This research is assured to make a substantial contribution to the advancement of sustainable hospital design in warm-humid climates, with implications for both academia and industry.
This research paper addresses the calibration of an energy simulation model for a naturally venti... more This research paper addresses the calibration of an energy simulation model for a naturally ventilated hospital building located in Mangalore, Karnataka, India, in a warm, humid climatic zone. The study aims to enhance the accuracy of energy consumption calculations through a calibration process by developing the energy model of a reference hospital building using EnergyPlus software. The required architectural design data, construction details, occupancy and schedule data and services are collected through documents, energy audits and documentation, measured drawings, and semi-structured interviews. Calibration parameters are systematically identified and adjusted through an iterative process. The monthly electricity bill is used to validate the simulation model. The simulation model reached during the validation process has an excellent Coefficient of Variation-Root Mean Squared Error of 4.24% and a Normalized Mean Bias Error of -4.42%, both of which meet the ASHRAE-approved accuracy standards. The paper also discusses the challenges and emphasizes the need for a nuanced approach to modeling healthcare facilities. Notwithstanding the challenges faced, the study offers insightful information about how to calibrate simulation models for hospital energy usage with the significant influence of scheduling for artificial lighting and equipment usage. By pioneering a manual calibration approach tailored to hospital simulation models in the warm humid climate of India, this paper offers a novel and practical solution to address the challenges of energy performance analysis in resource-constrained environments. The calibrated simulation model presented in this study is a valuable tool for assessing and improving the energy performance of naturally ventilated healthcare facilities. By creating alternative space layouts, the research findings aim to foster the development of hospital infrastructure that is both ecologically friendly and energyefficient in a specific climatic context. This research is assured to make a substantial contribution to the advancement of sustainable hospital design in warm-humid climates, with implications for both academia and industry.
The space layout is very essential in building design development and can significantly influence... more The space layout is very essential in building design development and can significantly influence the energy performance of the built environment. Space layout design, which occurs during the early stages of scheme conception and design development, is one of the most important tasks in architectural design. This systematic literature review focused on the investigation of space layout and perimeter design variables on the energy performance of the buildings and the study of major energy performance indicators, such as lighting, ventilation, heating, and cooling load considering climatic factors. The Scopus database was used for a thorough investigation of the publications using space layout relevant keywords to study building energy performance. About 55 primary articles were assessed based on the impact of different variables concerned with space layout design mainly building perimeter variables on the energy performance of the building. From the review, we can conclude that by enhancing the perimeter design variables and spatial configuration substantial amount of energy can be saved. The orientation of the building, climate occupancy, and building form have a major role in the energy consumption investigation. According to the study, hospitals consumes more energy due to specific functional requirement than other buildings, and studies on the spatial configuration of the hospital is comparatively less where further studies can consider this issue along with the combination of multiple performance indicators. Well-configured space layout design may prevent unreasonable energy consumption and enhance the overall sustainability of the building and contribute to climate change mitigation.
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Papers by Harshalatha A P