Green Buildings – Indian Perspective
Deteriorating Environmental conditions
pan India entails we MUST focus more on Environment Friendly Buildings &
Infra development. We are a country of 1.5 billion people and counting , in
which 32% of population lives in urban areas.India’s increase in commercial energy consumption in
the last four decades has been 700% and is growing. Energy consumption in India
will grow unto 3 times of current consumption by 2030. There is a shortage of
about 250 million liters of water per day, if we only consider the major Indian
cities. The crisis is approaching, lest we stem it. Green building construction
presents a solution for sustainable growth.
What is a Green Building?
Green building, or sustainable design,
is the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings and their sites
use energy, water, and materials, while reducing the negative impacts of the
building on human health and the environment over the entire life cycle of the
building. Green building concepts extend beyond the walls of buildings and
should include siting, design,
construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition; as also, community and land use planning as
well.
There are numerous ways to make your
buildings more Eco friendly. We list a few below
Sustainable Site Selection:
Easy availability of public
transport/ Mass Transit system and conveniences helps cut down energy
consumption for transportation. Rehabilitation of sites damaged by
environmental contamination is a better option than any new piece of land where
large amount of energy and resource is needed to make the land worthy of
building on, thus saving large amount of energy.
It is very important to protect the
existing Flora & Fauna, the soil and natural features. Avoid hard paving on
the site to preserve top soil and ease rain water harvesting. There should be
minimum storm water runoff.
Sustainable Building Components /
Material
Material which can be recycled, have
low toxicity, nil / low harmful air emissions, as also, have a long shelf life
are better. Planning the Building’s structure and dimension can reduce the
construction costs. Construction and demolition material can be reused and
recycled for landfills. Proper planning for managing materials through
deconstruction, demolition and construction is done.
Using renewable materials like
bamboo flooring, wool carpets, straw board, cotton ball insulation (made from
denim scrap) is good. Locally available materials must be given priority; Saves
transportation costs. Alternative materials that can be generated from waste
with lesser energy is used over conventional building materials, e.g.
alternative materials for timber, like MDF board, Mica Laminates and Veneers on
composite boards should be used instead of natural timber. Industrial waste
based bricks and blocks, aerated lightweight BPC concrete blocks, can be used
for masonry structures and Fly ash, for bricks, outdoor paving and in concrete.
Solar Energy
Indian
Govt is giving numerous subsidies, including sharing of Solar energy generated
in the Grid so that excess energy generated during day can be bartered for
energy at night, thus being economically efficient, as also environment
friendly.
Water Efficiency
Installation of water efficient or
low flow equipment in kitchens and bathrooms to reduce water consumption is
very important. Newly designed Vapor generating taps save 80% water while being
as efficient.
· Incorporating
waste water management technologies like dual plumbing for using recycled water
in toilet flushing or using water conserving fixtures such as low flow shower
heads, self closing nozzles on hoses, water closets with dual flush options.
· Use
of Micro irrigation techniques at sites instead of high pressure sprayers.
· Re-circulation
system for centralized hot water distribution.
· For
landscaping purpose, local plants and trees are used as they consume less
water.
· Provisions
for reusing and recycling water are made to ensure efficient water management.
· Using
treated waste water, non potable water for site irrigation. Raw sewage can
be recycled using aquatic plants like duckweed and water hyacinth to produce
clean water suitable for re-use in irrigation and industry.
· Integrating
Rain water harvesting system in building design to ensure maximum possible
utilization of rain water.
1 billion sft building area has been
certified as green by leading green building rating system LEED-INDIA.
There are two established Green
Building rating system in India.
-
LEED-INDIA
- GRIHA
Some Green Building Projects in India
·
Suzlon
Energy Limited - Pune
·
Biodiversity
Conservation India - Bangalore
·
Olympia
Technology Park - Chennai
·
ITC
Green Centre - Gurgaon
·
The
Druk White Lotus School - Ladakh
·
Doon
School - Dehradun
·
Raintree
Hotels - Chennai
·
Nokia
- Gurgaon
·
Rajiv
Gandhi International Airport - Hyderabad
·
Palais
Royale at Worli – Mumbai
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