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Nano technology& Green BuildingsAuthor: Nitin Narang, LEED APNitin’s 10-year international background offers involvement in architecture and urban design projectsfocused on sustainable design in India, USA, UAE & Europe. This study was initiated by Nitin as independentresearch while at University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign. (Email: nitin@greenroutesinc.com)The biggest plans for the future of our built environmentare actually very, very small. The multi billion dollar per yearnanotechnology industry has already begun to transformour buildings and how we use them; if its potential becomesreality, it could transform our world in ways undreamed of.Nanotechnology has the potential to radically alter our builtenvironment and how we live. It is potentially the mosttransformative technology we have ever faced, generatingmore research and debate than nuclear weapons, spacetravel, computers or any of the other technologies thathave shaped our lives.It brings with it enormous questions, concernsand consequences. It raises hopes and fears in everyaspect of our lives—social, economic, cultural, political, andspiritual. Yet its potential to transform our built environmentremains largely unexplored. The nanotech revolution isbringing dramatic improvements in building performance,energy efficiency, environmental sensing, and sustainability,leading the way to greener buildings.Chromogenic Technology: Application of Nanotechnology to Green BuildingsNanotechnology, the manipulation of matter at the molecular scale, is opening new possibilities in green building throughproducts like solar energy collecting paints, nanogel high-insulating translucent panels, and heat-absorbing windows. Evenmore dramatic breakthroughs are now in development such as paint-on lasers that could one day allow materials to sendinformation to each other, windows that shift from transparent to opaque with the flip of a switch, and environmentallyfriendly biocides for preserving wood. These breakthrough materials are opening new frontiers in green building, offeringunprecedented performance in energy efficiency, durability, economy and sustainability.
Smart MaterialsA number of companies are using nanotechnology to add special characteristics to product surfaces, which can be anythingfrom stain-resistance and colour durability to self-cleaning, improved hardness and scratch-resistance, corrosion and UVresistance, and improved thermal performance. Two nanoparticles that stand out in their application to construction materialsare titanium dioxide (TiO2) and carbon nanotubes. The former is being used for its ability to break down dirt or pollution andthen allow it to be washed off by rain water on everything from concrete to glass and the latter is being used to strengthen andmonitor concrete. Coatings made from nano-particles can be unusually tough or slippery, or exhibit unusual properties, suchas changing color when current is applied or cleaning themselves when it rains. Hybrid Materials with desired properties andproducts like Nano Solar Paints provide unimaginable benefits.Building Envelope and Thermal PerformanceBy tweaking molecular properties affecting thermal performance, manufacturers have been able to significantly improve thisquality in some materials, offering potential energy-efficiency benefits to buildings. Aerogels, very lightweight solids made fromsilica and carbon, are a high-performing thermal product benefiting from nanotechnology.Structural SystemsAn outline research agenda for nanotechnology in cement and concrete covering the next two decades has been enacted;however, practical applications have not yet emerged. Goals include improving mechanical and shrinkage properties, reducingenergy consumption during cement production, developing self-powered sensors to monitor the performance of installationsand developing innovative concrete materials. Material can be made ten times as strong & durable as steel for the same mass.At Nanoscale different laws of physics come into play, properties of traditional materials change, the behavior of surfacesstart to dominate the behavior of bulk materials, and whole realms open for us. Researchers suggest that nanotechnology willincreasingly help the building industry to improve the performance of its buildings. For the time being, cost and therelatively small number of practical applications hold back much of the prospects for nanotechnology in theconstruction industry. However, materials are the core business of construction, and the prospectsfor change are significant in the not too distant future. The sheer size and scope of theconstruction industry means that the accompanying economic impact will be huge.NanotechnologyEnergy Revolution/Sustainable MethodsbuildingTrans-humanismSemiconductorsSmart MaterialsStructural SystemBuiltFormBuilding EnvelopeAdaptable ProcessesFlow chart showing Nanotechnology,Sustainability and impacts on Built FormStructural System –Use of Carbon FiberInspired to be GREEN I Volume 7 I 35
Page 9 and 10: The concept is based on traditional
Page 12 and 13: What is a Green Building?Buildings
Page 14 and 15: Tamil Nadu Leglislative Assembly, L
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Page 55: Living wall features• This is the

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