APPLICATION OF BIOCLIMATIC PRINCIPLES TO REDUCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN THE DESIGN OF SENATE BUILDING FOR NASARAWA STATE UNIVERSITY

(A CASE STUDY OF KEFFI)

By

Author

Presented To

Department of Environmental Design

ABSTRACT
In the Traditional Architecture of any settlement, one can find a very strong relationship between the forms of architecture and the local climate. The form of shelter decides the bulk of its energy consumption. The climate becomes the dominant forces in finding the solution when there is scarcity of available resources. The modern buildings’ unrealistic faith in artificial systems leads to designs which disregard the climate and produce buildings that are both physiologically and psychologically in hospitable as well as more energy consuming. Therefore, the need to design with climate for comfort has become necessary for modern architecture. The study is the application of bioclimatic principles to reduce energy consumption in the design of senate building for Nasarawa State University, Keffi. The aim is to design a senate building that will achieve bioclimatic comfort in hot humid climate region with reference to Keffi, Nasarawa state where the proposed project will be sited. This is done by researching into the general principles of bioclimatic design to adopt the requisite design strategies for the attainment of human comfort. The study was conducted and data’s acquired through the review of literature and physical site survey. The data are examined using descriptive analysis by means of tables and charts. The study revealed that, temperature and solar radiation are the major elements that can have negative effects on the building. The discomfort level is higher during dry season and consumes more energy for ventilation and lighting. Lasting solution are drawn to reduce these energy consumption and evident constraints and some of the necessary measures required for achieving comfortable bioclimatic performance of the building (senate building), articulated as- proper siting and orientation of the building, use of energy efficient forms and shapes, shading devices, courtyard system, microclimate, materials and construction techniques. The study concludes with the view that if the above factors are properly applied , it would help in reducing the over dependent on mechanical and electrical means for achieving comfort in the building(senate building). Therefore, the evaluation of human comfort in relation to climate of the study area has been positively achieved.