Green Buildings

Mukul Chandra Bora, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam

Buildings account for one-sixth of the world’s fresh water withdrawals, one-quarter of its wood harvest and two-fifths of its material and energy flows. The type of buildings which are constructed by incorporating tripod of attributes; energy efficiency (both in material selection and actual energy use), healthy living including indoor air quality, and careful resource management are termed as Green Buildings. Green building does not require any architectural style which looks visually green. It doesn’t have to be expensive to build, nor does it have to look “different”. It can be designed in any style, or any shape. The main focus of green building is to provide benefits to the occupants. These include: Less expensive to heat and cool, Greater comfort, Healthier, particularly for children, Greater durability and less maintenance. A green building, also known as a sustainable building, is a structure that is designed, built, renovated, operated, or reused in an ecological and resource-efficient manner. Green buildings are designed to meet certain objectives such as protecting occupant health; improving employee productivity; using energy, water, and other resources more efficiently; and reducing the overall impact to the environment. The different aspects of green building constructed for sustainable development are described here.