INTRODUCTION TO SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY IN SETTLEMENT DESIGN SUSTAINABILITY IN BUILDING DESIGN SUSTAINABILITY IN MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION BUILDING RATING SYSTEMS

1. AR3002 - SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
QUESTION BANK
ACADEMIC YEAR 2023-24
YEAR : III
SEM :V
NOTE: THE QUESTIONS HIGHLIGHTED IN BOLD FONT ARE THE REPEATED
AND IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
2 MARKS
1. Define “sustainable development” as given in Bruntland report.
2. Give any two visions of sustainability.
3. Describe the components of an ecosystem.
4. Distinguish between ecological footprint and bio-diversity.
5. What do you mean by recurring embodied energy?
6. State the significance of life cycle analysis (LCA)
7. Write any two major factors that affect green building choices.
8. Distinguish between green building and sustainable building.
9. Define “urban ecology”.
10. Write down the concepts of sustainable community.
11. Define sustainability.
12. What is a food chain?
13. What is climate change?
14. Define energy crisis.

2. 15. What do you mean by loss of bio-diversity?
16. Brief renewable energy.
17. Name any two rating systems.
18. What is biomimicry?
19. What is urban heat island effect?
20. Explain the need for green buildings now.
21. Brief low-impact construction.
22. Brief the visions of sustainability.
23. Name the principles of sustainable development.
24. Write the three pillars of sustainability.
25. When was the Bruntland report commissioned?
26. Define ecology footprint.
27. What is an eco-system?
28. Give any two examples each for renewable and non-renewable energy.
29. Give the abbreviation for LEED and TERI.
30. Mention any two criteria for a green building design according to GRIHA.
31. List four sustainable building materials.
32. Suggest ways to promote low-impact construction.
33. What is the need to study embodied energy?
34. Outline the significance of using recyclable products.
35. Name any two international green building rating systems.
36. What is a green building?
37. What is the impact of urban heat island effect?
38. What is an eco-city or eco-community?
39. What is radiative cooling?

3. 40. What is evaporative cooling?
41. Define earth coupling.
42. Define dessicant cooling.
43. What is photo voltaic electricity generation?
44. Define thermal energy storage.
16 MARKS
1. Summarise the concepts ,ethics and visions of sustainability.
2. Discuss the outcome of the Bruntland report.
3. Explain the Simple passive design considerations involving site conditions, building
orientation, plan form and building envelope for sun and wind.
4. Discuss Passive heating of buildings- direct, indirect and isolated gain with diagram.
5. “Climate change is everyone’s challenge and architect must play an important role
commensurate with their impact” – Discuss.
6. Describe the significance of ecological footprint. Also, suggest ways to minimize it.
7. Briefly explain the concept of biomimicry in architecture through examples.
8. “Global civilization can only escape the life-threatening fossil-fuel resource trap if
every effort is made to bring about an immediate transition to renewable and
environmentally sustainable resources and thereby end the dependence on fossil
fuels” – validate the statement.
9. State the advantages and disadvantages of the green building rating system.
10. Illustrate with sketches and explain the salient feature of any one green building in
India.
11. “The current assessment methods for the sustainable built environment are limited to
building science criteria, lacking consideration for socio-economic aspects relating to
architecture” – Discuss and debate.

4. 12. Explain the case study of a project that engages sustainable design principles.
13. Highlight the key points put forth in “Our Common Future” for sustainable
development.
14. Discuss passive cooling of buildings – shading of buildings, insulation, induced
ventilation.
15. Discuss the various impacts of urbanization on climate change.
16. Elaborate on the various components of an ecosystem with suitable examples.
17. Explain biomimicry with any one building case study.
18. Elaborate on the available technologies to harness renewable resources with
examples.
19. What is a green building design according to TERI? Explain with a case study.
20. What are the various parameters in choosing a sustainable site according to LEED?
Elaborate in detail.
21. What are sustainable communities? Explain with a suitable case study.
22. Elaborate on the socio-economic dimension of sustainability.
23. Discuss the concept of sustainability and sustainable development.
24. Discuss the Bruntland report on sustainable development.
25. Discus GRIHA rating system with case studies for achieving sustainability in
buildings.
26. Discuss LEED rating system with case studies.
27. Discuss the eco-friendly building material for construction.
28. Discuss the renewable and non-renewable energy sources.
29. Discuss the emerging vulnerabilities of global warming and climate change and
understand the contribution of the building industry to the same.

5. 30. Discuss the ecosystem as seen in any natural cycles of the environment with an
example.
31. Discuss urban heat island effects with a case study.
32. Explain cradle to cradle concept in detail.
33. Discuss sustainable architecture and development with a case study.
34. Elaborate on ethical challenges involved in the promotion of sustainability.
35. Define carrying capacity. State the limiting factors related to the carrying capacity.
List the factors that affect the carrying capacity.
36. What do you mean by ecology footprint? What are the factors that contribute to the
ecological footprint? How the ecological footprint does affect the environment?
37. When it comes to climate change tough questions need to be answered concerning the
costs of cutting carbon emissions, the feasibility of transitioning to renewable energy
and whether it is already too late to do anything about climate change”. – Discuss and
debate.
38. Outline the process of appropriate selection of environmentally preferable
material with examples.
39. Illustrate the sketches and explain how biomimicry can be applied to architecture
through a case study.
40. Write short note on the following green building rating system with relevant
examples. 1.LEED 2.BREEAM 3.GRIHA
41. Identify four unsustainable features of buildings in Tamilnadu. Propose how you
could improve the sustainability of these identified features using traditional
sustainable methods and or any of the green building rating systems.
42. Elaborate on the causes of urban heat island effect. Suggest way to mitigate it.
43. Discuss in detail about the sustainable communities with suitable case study.

6. 44. Discuss in detail about nano material and smart materials.
45. Explain zero energy building. How to obtain a zero energy building?
46. Discuss why recyclable products are important in construction industry with example.
Prof. AR.NIVEDITHA