Think, Design and Build Green

Think Design and Build Green

To usher in a Green Building Revolution, save energy and water and increase the productivity of the people working in the building, builders, architects and landscape designers are trying their best to protect the green environment by designing and constructing buildings accordingly, says Mariya Rasheeda.

The natural environment is the most precious resource we have as it sustain all forms of life on the earth. Due to the mismanagement of the environment many socio-economic problems have cropped up. To overcome these problems the World Green Building Council, a top global not-for-profit organization is working to transform the property industry towards sustainability. India is also one of its members. The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) is in the process of indigenizing the LEED Green Building Rating System to suit India. The IGBC mission is to usher in a green building revolution in India and to become one of the world leaders in green building by 2010. So, we can say that green is making its way everywhere and it is very much the in thing now!

Think Design and Build Green
India does not have the long standing tradition for environmentally friendly buildings that we find in European countries. As the development has commenced, and the country has its first green building, the CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Center in Hyderabad (India). This green building uses natural lighting while maintaining pleasant temperatures through air-conditioning inbuilt into the construction. Aerated concrete blocks have been used for facades, while use of imported double glazed glass stops substantial sunlight and heat from coming in, resulting in an overall 50 percent saving in energy consumption for air-conditioning and 80 percent saving in lighting in comparison to a normal building. The building has been rated on its water efficiency, sustainability of site, energy efficiency, efficient use of materials and resources, and quality of indoor environment.

Following the example set by the CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre, which won the coveted Platinum award from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), three buildings have subsequently achieved this rating.

The ITC Centre (of ITC Ltd.) in Gurgaon became the second building in the country to achieve a Platinum rating from the USGBC. ITC is the first corporate house in India to have achieved this unique international distinction.

A few of the salient green features incorporated in the building are: Zero water discharge, 53% energy savings over conventional building, 40% reduction in potable water use, use of treated gray water for flushing & landscaping, use of fly-ash in bricks & concrete, high efficiency equipment, eco-friendly housekeeping practices and a well-designed green education program.

On the same lines is Grundfos Building (of Grundfos India) in Chennai, which achieved Gold certification from the USGBC. Grundfos’ new building, is a brilliant example of green building in India today. It became the first Indian building project to be awarded a Gold prize at the Green Building Congress in New Delhi. The award was instituted by the US Green Building Council that strives to further buildings that are environmentally sound and healthy to live and work in. The chairman of the Indian Green Building Council estimates that green buildings could save up to 50 per cent on energy and water consumption and increase the productivity of the people in the buildings by 10 to 15 per cent. The Rs.60-million building in the IT corridor on the Old Mahabalipuram Road has been designed by Vineeta Badawe, an architect trained in Denmark.

The Wipro Software Development Centre in Gurgaon is another building to achieve the Platinum rating from the USGBC. According to Mr. Laxman K. Badiga, Corporate Vice-President and CIO, Wipro Technologies “Recognition like the Platinum Rating from the US Green Building Council for its Gurgaon Software Development Centre is only one milestone in this endeavor. There have been other achievements too, like the paper recycling unit at the company’s Electronics City campus, making note-pads for employees for the last six months. The Kochi Development Centre is likely to get Gold Rating from the US Green Building Council. There is also the conversion of canteen waste into bio-fuels at the Bangalore office.”

Think Design and Build Green

There are several other prestigious installations coming up across the country, like the North Delhi Power Ltd. (NDPL) also vying for this prestigious certification.

While platinum or gold ratings are laudable achievements, it is enough for a building to be simply “Certified” as a Green Building, as even that goes a long way in protecting the environment. Recognising this, several corporate giants in the country such as Tatas, Wipro, etc. have now taken the decision to ensure that all future constructions will be green buildings.

Most of the architects and property developers such as the Rahejas, the Hiranandanis and M/s. Lavasa Corporation have also taken up the Green cause seriously and are looking at ways of increasing their Green Footprints.

As the idea of green building is catching the imagination of the construction and real estate industry world wide, it is opening up new challenges and opportunities for everyone from architects, builders, materials and equipment suppliers to real estate developers, property operators and owners.

In order to propagate the idea of Green Buildings not only among property developers, but also among material manufacturers and suppliers in the construction industry in the country, the CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre organises the Green Building Congress each year. This receives strong backing from national and international delegates. The objective of the Green Building Congress is to create awareness, to provide a platform for networking, to promote business opportunities and to facilitate market transformation of green products.

The construction of Green Buildings has now become the focus of attention for all, as industry knows that in future not being green, will be financially risky and not acceptable by community. Over 100 green buildings are already underway. Now green building projects are coming up as residential complexes, exhibition centers, hospitals, educational institutions, laboratories, information technology parks, airports, government buildings and corporate offices in Indian cities.

To set off the green-building revolution in India, a sort of green-building movement should be undertaken that may well end up transforming the built landscape in India and the way Indian live. The LEED-India ratings, is an important aspect of this development. India is the only country, other than Canada, to have licensed its green-building ratings programme from LEED US, developed by the United States Green Building Council. Clearly, a ratings standard is important as it helps to quantify the efforts of real-estate developers to incorporate environment-friendly material and methods in their construction

LEED-India, which has been developed by the Indian Green Building Council and is now being assessed by American reviewers, followed by LEED-US closely. Since more buildings in India have gensets to provide back-up power, LEED-India makes adherence to pollution-control norms a pre-requisite if a building is to be pronounced green. Also, with groundwater being such a scarce resource in India and the construction industry accounting for 10 per cent of water consumption, saving water is imperative and LEED-India proposes several new credits for doing so.

India will need more LEED-accredited professionals to catalyse local projects. More importantly, what India needs is manufacturers and suppliers of green-building materials - fly-ash cement products, recycled aggregate for concrete, recycled steel and tiles, low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints and adhesives etc.

Merits of Green Building

  • 30 to 40 percent reduction in operating costs
  • Health and safety of building occupants
  • Enhanced comfort for occupants
  • Improved productivity of occupants
  • Imbibe best operational practices from day one
  • Incorporation–the–latest–technique and technologies
  • Minimize the demand on non-renewable resources
  • Maximizes the use of renewable sources of energy.
  • Provides comfortable and hygienic indoors.

Conclusion

Think Design and Build Green

The need to design a green building, the essence of which would be to address all these issues in an integrated and scientific manner. It is a known fact that it costs more to design and construct a green building. However, it is also a proven fact that it costs less to operate a green building that has tremendous environmental benefits and provides a better place for the occupants to live and work in. Thus, the challenge of a green building is to achieve all its benefits at an affordable cost. A green building depletes the natural resources to the minimum during its construction and operation. The aim of a green building design is to minimize the demand on non-renewable resources, maximize the utilization efficiency of these resources, and maximize the reuse, recycling and utilization of renewable resources. It maximizes the use of efficient building materials and construction practices; uses minimum energy to power itself; uses efficient equipment to meet its lighting, air-conditioning, and other needs; uses efficient waste and water management practices; and provides comfortable and hygienic indoor environment.
MGS Architecture November-December 2007
Futuristic High-Rise Buildings

Futuristic High-Rise Buildings

High-rises are the result of innovations and advancements in structural and mechanical systems, design, lighting, façade, building materials, and construction technologies. Use of ICT has resulted in designing complex forms of high-rise

Read more ...

Fire in Tall Buildings An Overview of Resources

Fire in Tall Buildings An Overview of Resources

In 1800 B.C. the Amorite king, Hammurabi, took the throne of the new Babylonian dynasty and established an extensive law system which encompassed nearly every area of ancient life. The code of Hammurabi made the builder accountable for the houses

Read more ...

Need for Vertical Fire Fighting Solutions in High-Rise Buildings for Faster & Safer Evacuation

Need for Vertical Fire Fighting Solutions in High-Rise Buildings for Faster & Safer Evacuation

Despite the increasing number of fire accidents in high-rise buildings, Mumbai is still looking for answers to fire safety and evacuation measures. Once again, the city’s vertical development turned the spotlight on evacuation plans in high-rise buildings

Read more ...

Draft Revision of Code IS: 16700 for ‘Tall Concrete Buildings’

Draft Revision of Code IS: 16700 for ‘Tall Concrete Buildings’

High-rises in India have reached 280m; 300m tall buildings are under construction, and 500m are at proposal stages. This recent development has pushed the need to stipulate Indian building codes. IS 16700 deals with tall buildings, but now, some

Read more ...

Stability of Tall Buildings

Stability of Tall Buildings

N. Munirudrappa, Professor of Civil Engineering (Retd), Bengaluru University, reveals the behavior of multi-storey buildings and structures of R.C.C and steel under Elastic Stability in his study on the stability of tall buildings

Read more ...

SALSETTE 27 Another Attractive Landmark

SALSETTE 27 Another Attractive Landmark

Work at the Salsette 27 high-rise residential project by Peninsula resumed after the lockdown restrictions were eased. On completion, Salsette 27 will add to the skyline of the city of Mumbai and will be viewed as yet another

Read more ...

SOBHA Winchester A Towering Inspiration

SOBHA Winchester A Towering Inspiration

Indian cities are witnessing a steep growth in the number of high-rise structures owing to the increased migration of people to cities. With the advent of modern technology, constructing a high-rise building is perhaps

Read more ...

Prestige Trade Tower

Prestige Trade Tower

High-rise buildings are built to achieve high density projects due to rapid growth of population and lack of available land for development. Their design is the outcome of various technological and social developments

Read more ...

The National Bank of Kuwait Tower An Iconic Engineering Marvel

The National Bank of Kuwait Tower An Iconic Engineering Marvel

Located on a prominent site in Kuwait City, the 300-meter-high, 60-floor tower, headquarters of the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) is set to have a distinctive presence amongst other high-rise buildings in Sharq

Read more ...

LEED Certification and Sustainable Buildings

LEED Certification and Sustainable Buildings

The LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement. Its purpose is to recognize buildings that have made attempts to create environmentally friendly building and provides a framework to create healthy

Read more ...

ITC Colombo One Towers in Sri Lanka

ITC Colombo One Towers in Sri Lanka

Welcom Hotels Lanka is currently setting up the ITC Colombo One Project at Colombo in Sri Lanka. The proposed project is located on the coast of Colombo, having the oceanfront on the west side and Beira Lake on the east. Gensler of Los Angeles

Read more ...

MVRDV completes first project in India, Future Towers, in Pune

MVRDV completes first project in India, Future Towers, in Pune

Though "context-sensitive", "diverse", and "community-focused" may not be the first terms that come to mind when imagining a building that houses over 5,000 people, MVRDV's Future Towers is an attempt to upend those

Read more ...

Smart Cities: Planning & Implementation

Smart Cities: Planning & Implementation

Rudrabhishek Enterprises Limited (REPL), an Integrated Urban Development & Infrastructure consultant, has the assignment of preparing a detailed project report (DPR) and related

Read more ...

Unpacking Composite Construction: Global Trends

Unpacking Composite Construction: Global Trends

The construction of tall buildings has had a marked shift away from a North American dominance that has lasted from the first steel skyscrapers in New York and Chicago in the early 1900s until the emergence of a new

Read more ...

2017 Sets Records for Geographical Diversity, Number, and Height of Skyscrapers

2017 Sets Records for Geographical Diversity, Number, and Height of Skyscrapers

The 2017 Tall Building Year in Review / Tall Buildings in Numbers data analysis report shows that more buildings of 200 meters’ height or greater were completed in 2017 than in any other year, with a total

Read more ...

Vertical Construction Equipment - Concrete Pumps, Tower Cranes, Man-n-Materials Hoist

Vertical Construction Equipment - Concrete Pumps, Tower Cranes, Man-n-Materials Hoist

To arrest cost and time overruns for project delivery to end-customers as per the new regulations in the real estate sector, and faced with a paucity of funds by developers, contracting companies are striving to meet their

Read more ...

COMPARITIVE STUDY OF G+30 MULTISTOREYED STEEL-CONCRETE COMPOSITE, RCC AND STEEL BUILDING USING TIME HISTORY ANALYSIS

COMPARITIVE STUDY OF G+30 MULTISTOREYED STEEL-CONCRETE COMPOSITE, RCC AND STEEL BUILDING USING TIME HISTORY ANALYSIS

In this present paper the comparative study of G+30 steel concrete composite, steel and RCC building is done using dynamic analysis i.e. time history analysis. Etabs structural package is used for the analysis

Read more ...

Torre Reforma: An Eye-catching Addition to the Skyline of Mexico City

Torre Reforma: An Eye-catching Addition to the Skyline of Mexico City

Designed by Mexican architect L. Benjamin Romano Arquitects (LBRA) and engineered by Arup, ‘Torre Reforma,’ an iconic triangle-shaped tower, the tallest in Mexico, is not only striking in appearance, but also

Read more ...

Sky City

India’s Towering Aspirations - A Reality Now

Sky City by Oberoi Realty located at Borivali (E) is a masterpiece par excellence, with thoughtfully chosen amenities, grand design aesthetics, beautifully carved out landscapes and acres of open spaces

Read more ...

Vertical Hospital Design

Challenges and Opportunity in Vertical Hospital Design

Vertical healthcare design is an emerging field with its own particular set of benefits and challenges. This building type will become more desirable and popular for reasons including the location of health

Read more ...

To get latest updates on whatsapp, Save +91 93545 87773 and send us a 'Saved' message
Click Here to Subscribe to Our eNewsletter.