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The green building concept is gradually gaining momentum in India. Such a building typically applies practices such as energy recovery, water recycling and use of environment-friendly materials in design, construction, operation and maintenance to sustain the environment.
India has come a long way in making the green building footprint larger. From one building in 2001, there are now around 300 such buildings with 150 million sq ft registered for certification in India.
The number is expected to rise to 2,000 by 2012. Apart from ITC, several Indian firms are participating in the green building movement like Infinity Benchmark in Kolkata, Olympia Tech park in Chennai, CII Sohrabji Green Business Centre in Hyderabad and Patni Knowledge Centre in Noida, these buildings collectively save a high amount of energy in a year.
There are various factors that are responsible for fuelling growth of such buildings in India, including a push from governing bodies such as the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, The Energy Research Institute of India, Indian Green Building Council and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (Leed), which evaluates and certifies such buildings.
A major energy guzzler in any building has always been the air-conditioning, contributing to approximately 30 per cent to 40 per cent of total use. Thus comes the need of a technology which reduces electricity consumption without affecting the outcome. In this, energy recovery ventilation systems have become increasingly important to conserve energy and also enhance indoor air quality.
Conditions such as sick building syndrome become worryingly common due to structural changes in buildings that affect the quality of air circulating inside. Energy waste constitutes another serious consequence. End users in green buildings are not only aware of this issue but also take an active interest in reducing building energy costs. The buildings also reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as add value in terms of savings and beneficial impact on occupants.
China is a perfect example of a nation taking firm proactive steps to become an energy-compliant country. The case in point being last year’s Olympics games in Beijing. Apart from preparing itself in terms of the infrastructure, China laid equal importance on eco-friendly means to reduce the impact on environment. It managed air quality in all its indoor venues, thus raising the standards for all future games.
Indoor air can be 2-5 times more polluted than outdoor air. Low outdoor air ventilation rates result in health risks to occupants and reduces productivity. With the commonwealth games organising committee recently declaring greater emphasis on waste management, energy efficiency, water management, eco-friendly transport, green procurement, ozone friendly initiatives and carbon mitigation and offset, the Indian tiger may not remain too far behind the Chinese dragon in the environment race.
Sometimes what comes in the way of adopting better policies is the lack of knowledge on energy-saving practices. Typically, facility managers and building owners rely on contractors to select the equipment for the building. Contractors, however, work within a budget and tend to purchase equipment based on price rather than long-term efficiency and cost benefits.
The challenge, therefore, lies in educating them about energy savings, air quality and sustainability. According to the US green building council, savings of up to 30 per cent in energy, 50 per cent in water use, 50 to 90 per cent in waste cost and 35 per cent in carbon savings can be made by shifting to green norms before starting construction. With such obvious gains, it would be amazing if buildings continue to be made in the old energy-guzzling ways.
The writer is vice president, Corporate Communications, Dessicant Rotors International
Read FC Estate issue dated Thursday July 30 for detailed report on green buildings
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