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The Path to Intelligent Ambiance Here's are the comforts that smart homes can offer you and do to reduce pollution

By Sapna Khakharia

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CANVAS Design

As designers, we pledge to take an oath that our first responsibility is towards the environment and the habitat within it. We are here to shape life, offer life and take none in return. With the growing atrocities and drastic climate change, the temperature of land and ocean combined has been increasing by 0.17per cent every year for the last one decade.

As observed in 1880, the temperature rise was only 0.07per cent, which leads us by 0.10per cent of acceleration in global warming hence resulting in a fast drive towards the end of time for our planet. Artificial intelligence and technology has developed quite rapidly over the past few years to resolve the current environmental issues, it is not only the need of hour but also the practice of conservation and protection for future generations, as they will have to find bigger answers for bigger upcoming issues, this is an obligatory step everyone has to take to enlarge and elongate life on this planet.

The complimentary factor along with this is that we get a chance to rise above simplicity and minimalist lifestyle and adapt a much more diligent design approach to make life easier on a daily basis while having the most cost effective appliances. The idea is to reduce the carbon footprint by energy conservation while one takes the least amount of effort to operate it. By adapting this we can cut back on the cost in the bills and pollution in the environment. Here, we are filling two needs with a single deed.

So What is the Answer to it All?

Smart Housing

What is Smart Housing And How Does it Help us?

Smart housing is an amalgamation of prudent design strategies and delicate technology implementation that entails us to an easy lifestyle while reducing the absorption of nature and enhancing the inner and outer environment by temperature control and austere constraint on carbon footprint being emitted into the atmosphere.

How to Achieve Smart Housing?

A smart house has a set of features that is needed to be followed and opted for achieving the final objectivity of the idea and notion after it.

Some of those are as follows:

Lighting: Every space has two sorts of lights, natural and artificial. Natural lighting application is one of the most beneficial design phenomenon that can enhance the ambience and aesthetics of any given space while proving to be successful for preventing the use of light in the day and saving up the same energy to be used at night, reducing the cost and consumption and responding to nature in a compassionate manner.

It all depends upon the choice of lighting the consumer opts for, but an ideal suggestion would be to have daylights and luminaries designed to have access control on the flux, those are functioned by a motion detector system, assisting the design to create the perfect mood and vibe for any hour of the day using the same appliances.

A Bluetooth headset to monitor it all for necessary comfort. This would play a huge role in commencing a vogue of perpetuation of our natural resources.

Ventilation: A house is desired to be well ventilated to upkeep the internal temperature from rising and make it positive that it helps in passive cooling the interior spaces. Vents on the opposite ends and vents oriented in the direction of the window at relative angles provide cross ventilation, where as having vents on different skill levels on the same wall can assure letting in the cool air for circulation, while releasing the warm air from above following the physics of air density providing an excellent passive cooling system for the building.

As these stand some of the design principles to be admired for saving energy and manufacturing breathable spaces, artificial ventilation by HVAC systems can also be chosen based on the amount of power the appliances work on. Choosing a lower power consuming appliance can radically help in making amends with nature.

The material chosen for fenestration also plays a distinguishing character in the amount of wind entering a space along with the amount of heat absorbed (ex: double glazed windows can provide great heat insulation), which eventually decides the use of artificial ventilation. A wise choice can fixate a lot of parameters necessary for saving energy.

Colours and Style: The mood of a space is created partly by the tones and textures it follows and therefore it is important to have set the right colors for the right places considering the relative functions taking place. Darker colors are advised to be used the least as they absorb and emit heat, whereas lighter shades are friendly reflectors.

The quality of paint and enamels decide the plasticity in the material and therefore eco-friendly finishing is the new way to go for creating a difference on an initial level. Colors also choose to create a state of mind and therefore selecting the right palette of colors will help in the longer run.

The style of any given space is the aura that has been created by smart planning of areas, and orientation of the furniture. Smart furniture is furniture that takes up comparatively lesser space or provides multi purposes, reducing the footprint of construction which contributes to reducing co2 emission. Having the correct style is fundamental given the time we live in.

Security And Appliances:

Security is one of the must haves while designing a building as they guarantee and regulate the flow and circulation of users, along with creating a sense of protection. It is preferred to have a hierarchy of spaces to decide the placement of the same. It is ideal to always have private spaces on the back or above, to separate them from the public spaces as they require more seclusion.

Whilst cautious scheming of spaces is necessary, with the help of technology it is now possible to be providing zero escape policy using smart security. Smart security gives you the provision of seeing who is outside the door without opening it, and an alarm system that activates when there has been an intrusion because of the sensory mechanism used around the walls and openings of a space.

This system can be controlled and operated manually or technically. At the same time, choosing heavier and denser materials for openings or powerful locking systems can prove to be some of the basic requirements. All appliances used must be smartly opted on the basis of their power usage and restoration along with their function to have no lack of efficiency in the space.

One of India’s leading architectural design studio, The Canvas, stands tall on 15+ years of industry
experience of its Founding Evangelist, Ms. Sapna Khakharia. Sapna is a passionate leader and through her
vast management experience, she always ensures that clear objectives and expectations are delivered
and maintained always.

Building relationships with clients, authorities and professional colleagues have ensured that Sapna has
been able to draw upon a vast diversity of Architectural and ID typologies for her career till date. Her
penchant for Workspace Architecture, Hotels, F&B, Residential and Interior Design facilitates her
understanding of global trend and retrospective influences.

She seeks to examine and execute the opportunities that each site and project possesses in order to
fulfil the site’s design potential. She truly believes that responsiveness to the end user’s needs is
imperative in creating a functional and inspired sense of place. Sapna is of the belief that architecture
without people is like an art piece without its soul. The world is getting smaller and global thinking
motivates her to transcend architectural boundaries both geographically and culturally. Sapna’s
burning ambition and dogged determination led to The Canvas to win the prestigious title of iNFHRA FM
Excellence Award, which is the only jury led award in the fraternity, in the best design category for
one of its client - Tata Sky, India’s leading content distribution platform.

Sapna draws a huge chunk of inspiration from her father who she also considers as a mentor and the
pillar of support, under the guidance of whom she went on to achieve success in her life. She has honed
her design sensibilities from him and they share various common interests. Being one of the few women
in a typically male-dominated industry, she has navigated her share of growth and challenges, only to
emerge supreme.

She is an advocate for gender inclusivity at the workplace and has pioneered many
policies within The Canvas for the betterment of women employees. Additionally, Sapna has been
instrumental in making The Canvas, one of the top 5 companies in India to have an official policy on
menstrual leave for its women employees.

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