“Green” means different things to different people.
For some, it is a fad - a statement to be made, a dress to be worn or the way one decorates one’s home, with the subtle display of various “green” concepts & artifacts. Being very fashionable!
For some it means being aware of the prevalent environmental issues and being environmentally friendly in one’s own little ways in daily life.
For others it means an organic orientation, living a life that is healthy by following certain consumption norms & criteria.
And to some it is almost a spiritual crusade by actively following a “green” eco-friendly lifestyle and also being a change-agent, a catalyst and a propagator of “green” principles in their community and in the world at large.
Today, more and more people are becoming conscious about the adverse effects of man’s activities on the environment, on the planet and its ecological system. And even if some are yet to believe in the phenomenon of global warming, the threat is very real, as indicated by realities we cannot run away from:
Ozone depletion
Air & water pollution
Destruction of world’s forests & green spaces
Species & biodiversity loss
Acid rain
Collapse of world’s fisheries
Fresh water scarcity
Topsoil loss; Soil contamination
And if one does believe in global warming taking place across the world, then some of its clear & definite fall-outs are:
Crop failures on a massive scale
Increases in drought frequency
Deadly heat waves
Rising sea levels / coastal flooding
Increased frequency & duration of storm activity
Expansion of desert areas
Increases in disease vectors
On a more local or a personal context, there are other equally disturbing issues facing us today:
Rapidly rising energy costs
Escalating prices on consumer goods
Blackouts/ brownouts
Water shortages / Water tables are now falling in countries that contain over half the world’s people
Supply chain interruptions
More frequent economic losses due to increased storm intensity & flooding
The incidence of asthma has increased dramatically over the last 25 years in the industrialized nations
It has been estimated that indoor air can be up to five times as contaminated as outside air
It has also been reported that the airborne contaminants found in our homes are three times more likely to cause cancer than the pollutants outside
Cancer clusters have been identified in some more-affluent communities and have been attributed to chemically-intensive landscape management practices
China recently caught up to the United States in terms of overall energy consumption. India isn’t far behind. The U.S. &Canada are still the per capita leaders by far
Where do buildings come in, in all of this?
Half of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings (construction/ operation)
Buildings account for nearly half of the total energy use in the United States
Buildings represent the single largest energy consumer in the U.S., followed by the transportation Sector
What we know for sure:
It has been estimated that in order for the current population of the Earth to maintain the same quality of life as the industrialized nations, it would require the resources of four Earth equivalents
We live on a planet with finite natural resources. We are currently using those resources at an unsustainable rate
Energy prices are likely to tread in only one direction for the foreseeable future. Most other resource prices are likely to follow the same trend
These conclusions are rooted in simple physics, chemistry, biology and economics.
Typically results in a more durable, maintenance free building
Provides security/ passive survivability
The prime movers are:
Economic benefits
Reduce operating costs
Create, expand, and shape markets for green products and services
Improve occupant productivity
Optimize life-cycle economic performance
Environmental benefits
Enhance and protect biodiversity and ecosystems
Improve air and water quality
Reduce waste streams
Conserve and restore natural resources
Address the greater good of minimizing environmental footprint
Social benefits
Enhance & maintain a safe and healthy environment for occupant comfort
Heighten aesthetic qualities
Minimize strain on local infrastructure
Improve overall quality of life
So what is a “Green Building”?
The effective and responsible integration of the built environment into the natural world for protecting natural resources and ensuring healthy and comfortable indoor environments.
A green building is an environmentally sustainable building, designed, constructed and operated to minimise the total impact on the environment.
Low embodied energy (entire lifecycle)
Minimizes impact on wildlife habitat, green space, waterways, etc
Minimizes depletion of natural resources
Poses minimal harm to humans during its manufacture, transport, installation, end-use or disposal
Green Building Strategies
The main strategies to achieve a green building include:
Minimize impact on building sites/ area
Incorporate energy efficient design details / reduce energy consumption
Create a high-performance building envelope
Employ water conservation & recycling strategies
Employ natural day-lighting techniques
Use energy-efficient lighting, equipment & appliances
Create comfortable & healthy indoor environments
Recycle waste
Well designed green buildings save money, increase comfort and create healthier environments for people to live and work in, using improved indoor air quality, natural daylight, thermal comfort and non-toxic material especially for the interiors.
In 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development defined sustainability as:
“Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
Sustainable Development
Sustainable Architecture or Sustainable Development is a general term that describes environmentally conscious design techniques in the field of architecture.
Sustainable architecture is framed by the larger discussion of the Sustainability of the planet we live on and its natural resources and the pressing economic and political issues of our world.
In a broader context, Sustainable Development seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by enhancing efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, and development space. Simply put, the idea of Sustainability, or Ecological Design, these terms can be used to describe an energy and ecologically conscious approach to the design of the built environment to ensure that our actions and decisions today do not inhibit the opportunities of future generations.
Sustainability in the design of building projects considers the context of the building in its larger environmental setting and does so in every possible aspect. Today, green building projects are challenging old ways of thinking about the use of materials, energy, water, and human spaces. The results are exciting to see as this challenge leads the world into a greener tomorrow.
Tacking on green building products to a design may earn points in a green rating system but it is a lousy strategy for realizing enduring architecture that the people and the planet will love. There is a whole industry being built on sales of green building technologies and products, from paints that are free of harmful chemicals to the latest solar photo voltaic panels.
But, going green is a lot more than just developers, designers and contractors adding green gadgets to buildings and taking the first opportunity to slap on a green logo in their advertisements to create a favourable impression among prospective customers. It takes a bigger perspective to realize genuinely sustainable development processes and structures, the kind that are durable, energy efficient and healthy places to work and live, from a doable and a long-term point-of-view.
Making green buildings is not adding “green things” or increasing mechanical equipment or plugging in a plethora of green products. The point is not to tick off boxes in some green rating system. Architecture that is genuinely sustainable begins with a pre-designed planning & thought process that starts from an understanding the culture of the proposed building occupants, its consequent requirements & the identification of “green” objectives basis these. This process also ensures the wellbeing and health of occupants. Only when all such factors have been explored, it is time to begin an integrated or collaborative design process, an essential part of any sustainable exercise.
Appliances with Energy Star ratings and LED lighting systems are valuable additions to the green home, but the attainment of the holy grail of sustainability begins long before green gadgets are chosen to enhance the design intention. Green products are no substitute for good design. Well-informed and inspired design, together with quality construction, result in architecture that will stand the test of time. Thoughtful selection of green products is a complement to this kind of building, not a starting point.
Why does one need a benchmark? How does one building perform when compared with other similar buildings?
One needs to be able to measure & compare the “green” aspect performance between various buildings. Comparing the energy consumption data with benchmarks can provide an indication on how well a building is performing on the energy parameter. And like-wise for a host of other parameters that have been set down & established as the parameters for such measurements by different rating systems across the world.
The types of buildings that have been included in the rating systems include:
Residential
Commercial (Office Building)
Other (Special Purpose)
Supermarkets
Hospital
Schools
Rating Systems
Rating systems aim to provide an indication of building performance. There are many rating systems around the world.
LEED (USA) “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” is one such rating system that is popularly followed across the world.
The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) / LEED India / LEED Ratings
Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) is a part of CII-Godrej Green Business Centre, which is actively involved in promoting the Green Building movement in India. The council is represented by all stakeholders of the construction industry comprising of corporate, government & nodal agencies, architects, product manufacturers, institutions, etc. The council is industry-led, consensus-based and member-driven. The vision of the council is to serve as single point solution provider and be a key engine to facilitate all Green Building activities in India.
Leadership In Energy Efficient Design (LEED) India is the indigenized version of the LEED rating system and is administered by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) under license agreement with the USGBC. Launch of LEED India Green Building rating system for New Construction and Core & Shell led to a significant growth in registration of new commercial building projects for green certification. LEED India rating system refers to local and national codes wherever available and to international benchmarks in the absence of an Indian equivalent. LEED India rating system is a performance based approach. Rather than prescribing specific technologies & materials LEED India sets the performance benchmarks and encourages the project team to achieve them with optimal resource inputs in their context.
Local Regulations: designed as per local norms e.g. FSI / land use / approvals
Soil Erosion: SSC plan need incorporated into the design
Basic Amenities
Select a site with access to at least five amenities, within a walking distance of 1 km.
Natural Topography & Landscape
Avoid disturbance to site by retaining the natural topography of the site and / or design landscape for at least 15% of the site area.
Heat Island Effect - Roofing
Use material with high solar reflectance and thermal emission (such as, white china mosaic or white cement tiles or any other highly reflective materials) and / or provide vegetation to cover at least 50% of the exposed roof areas.
Parking Facilities for Visitors
Parking capacity to be provided as per local byelaws and parking for visitors to be provided as follows:
For individual homes provide 1 visitor car park
For multi-dwelling units provide an additional 10% parking area over and above the local code, reserved for visitors only
Electric Charging Facility for Vehicles
Provide electric charging facility within the site, as follows:
For individual homes provide at least one such facility
For multi-dwelling units provide electric charging facility, to cover 10% of the total parking capacity reserved for building occupants and visitors. The electric charging facility should cater to both two wheelers and four wheelers.
Design for the Differently Abled
The building design should incorporate the following provisions for differently abled people, as applicable:
Appropriately designed preferred car parking spaces in an area which has easy access to the main entrance or closer to the lift (one parking space for every 100 dwelling units)
Provision for easy access to the main entrance
Uniformity in flooring level/ ramps in common areas
Rest rooms (toilets) in common areas designed for differently abled people
Braille and audio assistance in lifts for visually impaired people
Green Home Guidelines
Marketing and design stage:
Include green design features proposed along with details of the green home ratings pursued in the marketing brochures
Post Occupancy stage:
Publish green home guidelines providing information that helps occupants to implement green ideas post occupancy
(2) Water Efficiency
Mandatory Requirement
Rainwater Harvesting
Provide rainwater harvesting or storage system to capture at least 50% of the runoff volumes from the roof surfaces
Water Efficient Fixtures
Turf Design
Limit the use of turf on the site so as to conserve water
Drought Tolerant Species
Ensure that at least 25% of the landscaped area is planted with drought tolerant species
Management of Irrigation Systems
Provide highly efficient irrigation systems incorporating at least two features
Grey Water Treatment
Provide an on-site grey water treatment system to treat at least 50% of grey water generated in the building, in accordance with standards suitable for flushing and landscaping purposes
Treated Grey Water for Landscaping
Treated Grey Water for Flushing
Water Metering
(3) Material Efficiency
Mandatory Requirements
Separation of Wastes
Provide separate bins at individual house level to collect organic waste, plastics and paper.
Waste Reduction during Construction
Avoid at least 75% of the waste generated during construction from being sent to landfills and incinerators. Calculate percentage either by weight or volume.
Organic Waste Management
Materials with Recycled Content
Rapidly Renewable Materials
Use rapidly renewable building materials and products (made from plants that are typically harvested within a ten-year cycle or shorter) such that the renewable material content constitutes at least 2.5% of the cost of the building materials.
Local Materials
Reuse of Salvaged Materials
Certified Wood Based Materials and Furniture
(4) Energy Efficiency
Mandatory Requirements
CFC-Free Equipment
Refrigerants used in Heating, Ventilation & Air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment and unitary air-conditioners installed must be CFC-free.
Minimum Energy Performance
Energy Performance
Energy Metering
Refrigerators
All Direct Cool and Frost Free Refrigerators installed must be rated at least three stars under BEE labeling or equivalent.
Solar Water Heating Systems
Captive power Generation
Onsite Renewable Energy
Install renewable energy systems for at least 2.5% of annual consumption of the building.
Efficient Luminaries & Lighting Power Density
Energy Saving Measures in other Appliances & Equipment
(5) Indoor Environment Quality
Mandatory Requirements
Tobacco Smoke Control
Day lighting
Achieve a minimum glazing factor of 2% in each of the living spaces. 50% of the total floor area of all regularly occupied spaces which include kitchens, living rooms, bed rooms, dining rooms and study rooms
Fresh Air Ventilation
Exhaust Systems
Enhanced Fresh Air Ventilation
Design a ventilation system for air conditioned spaces, to meet a requirement of 6.5 cfm per person for each air conditioned space
Low VOC Materials
Use paints with low or no VOC content to the extent of 100% of interior wall surface area.
Carpets
Use CRI certified carpets for 5% of the carpet area
Building Flush Out
(6) Design Innovation
Innovation and Design process
Some of the points that can be earned under this credit are as follows
Innovation and Design Process Identify the intent of the proposed innovation credit, the proposed requirement for compliance, and the proposed documentation to demonstrate compliance, and the design approach used to meet the required elements.
