Sustainable Urban Housing Design & Construction Practices, A Case Study Of Dadu, Sindh

Abstract

Integration of sustainability in house design and construction practices is gaining importance all over the world encompassing various dimensions of sustainability such as environmental quality, low cost, social cohesion and physical strength. The idea of sustainable housing is more popular in developed countries as compared to developing countries. Hot and dry weather condition is one of the major concerns for sustainable house design and construction particularly in areas near equator, because it creates problems. Climate-related severity of weather affects thermal performance of buildings. Climate responsive building provides ease to its inhabitants and minimizes energy cost. Pakistan is a country enjoying diverse climate in different geographical locations. Southern part of Pakistan falls in hot and dry climatic zone. There are a few previous studies focusing on environmental, economic, social and physical dimensions of sustainable housing design in hot and dry regions of Sindh, Pakistan. It is, therefore, imperative to explore sustainable design and construction practices including the above-mentioned dimensions. District Dadu is the case study of the research. This study intends to review existing literature both from national and international journals, investigate current design and construction practices in Dadu, Sindh and recommend strategies for cities with similar climatic conditions. The methodology employed for this research consists of three phases i.e. conceptualization, data collection, and analysis. In conceptualization phase, literature was reviewed to investigate key dimensions and indicators of sustainable housing. Both primary and secondary data was gathered from case study area. Primary data collection includes questionnaires from households, semi structured interviews from field experts and focus group discussions from local contractors in the context of District Dadu, Sindh, Pakistan. Secondary data consists of data from secondary sources i.e population statistics, climate related informations and master plan of the city. SPSS is used for analysis of data. Quantitative analysis technique was used to analyze the existing situation with respect to various dimensions of sustainable housing design. The proportion of houses having a size of 200 sq yards is 41%, greater among all other categories. Results show that 36% of houses are built with poor orientation, while 78% houses lack cross ventilation. Only 8% houses have plants in their courtyards. Similarly, 84% of houses are having only front setback and people do not leave rear and side space for cross ventilation. 100% houses in Dadu are 2 constructed with English bond. This research recommends proper orientation, provision of courtyard, natural ventilation and envelope insulation. Economic dimension deals with low cost house design and construction techniques. This research recommends usage of rat trap bond instead of currently used English bond masonry. The study of social dimension of urban housing reveals that people in Dadu are more concerned about elements regarding privacy hence 6’ high parapet wall and user-friendly stairs are recommended. Several strategies for promotion of sustainable housing design and construction practices have been suggested. Moreover, keeping in view the environmental, economic, social and physical dimensions of sustainability, this study also recommends a model housing design suitable for cities in hot and dry climatic zone. This study will contribute valuable information to policy making in construction industry and in the implementation of sustainable housing practices in Pakistan.