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Green Apartment

2. Literature/ Data Collection

Green Building:
1. Introduction
A green building is one which uses less water, optimizes energy efficiency, conserves
natural resources, generates less waste and provides healthier spaces as compared to a
convectional building.
The concept of green buildings is not as nascent as we think it is. For example, our own
ancestors worshipped the five elements of nature - Earth as 'Prithvi, Water as "Jal', Agni as
'Energy', Air as 'Vayu', and Sky as 'Akash'. Today through the LEED (Leadership in Energy &
Environmental Leadership) green building rating system, we are rediscovering the Indian ethos.
Green buildings are operationally very efficient compared with similar conventional
buildings. The various operational savings and other benefits are stated below.
Energy Efficiency
Green buildings are around 25-30% more energy efficient, with gold-rated buildings as
much as 37% efficient. On an average, green buildings obtain 2% of their energy from
renewable or green sources. This energy efficiency proves beneficial during peak periods, when
energy costs rise due to higher demand. This reduces the demand for fossil fuel-generated
electricity and reduces pollution and the emission of GHGs.
Water Efficiency
Green buildings use 20-30% less water compared with similar conventional buildings.
This reduces the operational water expenses and the pressure on civic amenities. Moreover, 70100% of used water is treated and reused for landscaping and air conditioning. This reduces the
load on an area's sewage system. Through these measures of conservation and the reuse of water,
green buildings save on operational costs and simultaneously promote sustainability.
Waste Reduction
Green buildings emphasize waste reduction. Construction wastes and demolition debris are
the main wastes produced during the construction process, and these wastes degrade the quality
of the environment. Green buildings ensure waste reduction by: the reuse and minimization of
construction wastes and debris and diverting them to recycling units; the use of existing building
structure and reclaimed building materials in the core and shell of a project; the

Increased use of recycled content in construction materials; designing the structure to produce less
scrap and execute it according to the plan. Green buildings reduce construction waste by
approximately 50% compared with that of similar conventional buildings, hence accruing all the
above-mentioned benefits.

Perceptions and Realities


Having covered on the benefits it is also important to know that people have different
perceptions on green buildings; some are correct and some are otherwise. It is important to look at
these: Green buildings are costlier
Reality: Considerable research and analysis has been carried out with regard to the cost impacts of a
green building. The cost could be slightly higher than a conventional building. But the
incremental cost is always relative and depends on the extent of eco-friendly features already
considered during design.
The incremental cost would appear small if the baseline design is already at a certain level of good
eco-design; It would appear huge if the base design has not considered green principles.
The second and rather a critical paradigm is to look at the incremental cost in relation to the life
cycle cost. Over its life cycle, the operating cost would work out to 80-85 % while the
incremental cost which is a onetime cost is only 8-10 %.
The table below captures the typical payback period in the recently constructed green buildings in
India.
There is a decreasing trend in the incremental cost over the years. This trend would continue and
we all look forward to the day when the cost of a green building is lower than a conventional
building.
Green buildings have to be air-conditioned
Reality: Green building concepts and the LEED rating can be applied for non-air conditioning buildings.
It has been applied on three such buildings in India viz., IGP office Hyderabad, the Royal Engineering
College, Gulbarga, LIC office, Shimoga.
While performing the energy analysis using software tools, such buildings will input the same cooling
system both in the baseline and the proposed design. This ensures that the building is recognized for
any of the other energy efficiency measures incorporated, for example - the envelop, lighting, roof
insulation etc.,
This kind of an approach also ensures that an apple-to-apple comparison is made while evaluating
two green buildings, whether conditioned or not.
Green buildings take more time
Reality: There is a general perception that going the green way may affect the project schedules.

This was perhaps the case for the CII-Godrej GBC building when it was the first time that a
green building rating tool was being applied in the country.
The design in this case took about one-and-half years while the construction was completed in
about 9 months!
Thanks to the Green building movement; now there is so much of capacity building that has
happened in the country. Now, there is absolutely no difference in the time involved in
constructing a green building vis-a-vis a normal building. The time schedule for the rating can be
synchronized with that of the building. This has been amply demonstrated in buildings like the
Wipro in Gurgaon and Grundfos in Chennai.

Why are Green Buildings Relevant in India?


There is no debating that the human race is growing faster than the planet earth can sustain. This
unsustainable growth is clearly causing certain environmental changes that need to be reversed, or at
the very least, slowed down.
Now, there are many different things that can do to correct our ways and minimize environmental
degradation. However, green buildings seem to be the lowest hanging fruit in this quest to
achieve reasonably sustainable growth.
Buildings are responsible for a large portion of our emissions, especially in a country like India
where the sector contributes significantly to GDP, is a huge employment generator, energy
consumer, water consumer, wastewater and waste generator. Yet green buildings are easy to design
and build. Additionally, green buildings do not cost much more to build than non-green buildings,
and they are not prone to political disagreement, unlike other clean development measures. These
factors make building green a very attractive option for governments to pursue.
India is a large country with a large population and huge developmental challenges.
It is practically impossible for even the most efficient government machinery to supply water and
electricity for 1.3 billion people. Aside from that, they cannot manage the waste generated by the people
and these processes at no additional cost.
We are a water-deficient country and the energy crisis seems to be perennial in nature. Moreover the
unsustainable energy and water policies are not helping the cause.
Green building has become the "something new" that has not been done before. Developers are
trying hard to leverage their green building credentials for branding purposes and tapping into the new
niche market.

The Future of Green Building in India


As of 2012, there are close to 2500 buildings registered for green certification with over two
billion square feet of built up space. The green building market is expected to touch $50 billion by
the end of 2012, creating thousands of jobs in the process.
It's extremely optimistic about the future of this sector in India. Green buildings and the concept of
smarter living offers tremendous opportunity for overhauling an average Indian's lifestyle.
As the general public becomes more aware of the benefits of green buildings, developers will get
creative and find new ways to brand, market and sell green buildings, hence creating a conducive
atmosphere for the sector to grow exponentially. One only hopes this frantic activity remains clean
and green the way it was envisioned to be.
Sustainable design is not a recent concept - it's a recently lost one.
The reason we make buildings today is much the same as the reason we have always built - to
make safe, healthy shelters that protect us from wind and rain, keep us warm when it's cold, and keep
us cool and shaded when it's hot. Over long periods of time, by trial and error, people have evolved
the tried and proven solutions that we call vernacular building - and these solutions all contain
elements of sustainable design.
Since the time when humans lived in caves and enjoyed the benefits of stable temperatures and
natural ventilation with zero mortgage and environmental impact, we have been refining our use.
of resources to provide improved shelter. Until very recently in human history, this refinement
occurred within sustainable principles because it was dependent on available resources and
technologies. These limitations meant that solutions had to be effective yet still work with the
environment and available materials rather than transforming and dominating them.
Cheap, accessible, fossil energy sources and the proliferation of technology and new
materials have encouraged us to solve building problems differently.

Unfortunately, many of these new methods are compromising the ability of our planet home to
sustain us in the long or even medium term.
Despite our technological advances, our housing needs have remained similar - albeit with
increased levels of comfort and technology. This is because in the last few thousand years,
humans have evolved very little physically. It is our technology that has changed and it has
changed the way we build - not always for the better.

The new challenge is to use our technology to minimize environment impacts, whilst
continuing to improve the comfort and performance of the homes we create.

Vernacular Homes

Industrial Homes

Green Building

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