“Green building” this term says a lot for buildings, as building construction contribution to waste production increasing there is a alarming need for green buildings. Green buildings are structures which are constructed either by reusable material or Eco friendly material. it also refers to a building which do not contribute in waste production but itself consumes all its waste(Net Zero). There are countless benefits of green buildings, they are not opposite to nature, they are a part of nature after 100 years building or structure when demolished do not shed any harmful effect on environment. Cost efficient construction, maintenance and demolition. our monuments still stand straight apart from other loss(painting, statues, polishes etc.) these structures are way back time and still they can provide us a healthy and cool environment during summers and warm during winters.

A building is green when it helps reduce the footprint it leaves on the natural environment and on the health of its inhabitants. some technologies which contribute in green buildings are:

  1. Solar Power  Utilising sun’s energy which is a huge source of light is one of the method. it can be utilised into two ways: Active and Passive Solar Power
    1. Active solar power This system is generated when solar panels are placed on to the roof of any other open space where a good amount of sun rays can help reduce billing costs. this system absorbs sun’s radiation and convert it to gas and electricity provision. It has a upfront cost whereas in the long run it will help you to consume less resources. solar panels have a guarantee of 25 years or depend on the product.
    2. Passive Solar Power  This system involves a smart planning according to the climatic and sun orientation of site, the planning and construction keeps the building warm in winters and cool in summers and it do no contain any upfront cost and has a long run benefit.
  2. Materials Constructing green building requires eco friendly materials which decomposes well with nature, material which are consumable or recyclable. such as: Mud bricks, Hollow Bricks, Mud brick bonds as Rat-trap bond, Cavity Walls, wall with insulation boards. Wood being a nature’s material can be used instead of RCC or any other Material which do not provide a good insulation but both have there own advantages and disadvantages. RCC can bear a good span and load whereas Wood requires support after some interval of span. Selecting material wisely. Apart from that Stone, Strawbale, Bamboo, Timbercrete, Ferrock Cement these are common material available near to the site and are cost effective as well as eco friendly.
  3. Net Zero Buildings are those which do not allow any waste pass to nature back, it consumes all its waste and only waste goes out which is hazardous or can be recycled in recycling plants only. It means site contains its own sewage treatment plant, Rain water harvesting plant, Solar Panels to generate its own power, Wastewater management system, Planning according to the passive architecture. being embedded with so many features green buildings are not economical but it barely affect the environment.
  4. Passive Architecture  Use of Passive architecture helps a structure reach maximum of its green building requirements as GRIHA, LEED, IGBC all have there own Bylaws over which a building is rated as green. Passive Architecture includes Material of structure, Orientation of Site, Type of construction(Trombe wall, Earth tunnel cooling, Roofing system, Solar chimney, light shelf), Climatic condition of site, Vegetation. Inshort climatic responsive architecture is passive architecture.
  5. Green Building rating system   Three primary rating system in india are : GRIHA, IGBC, BEE .
    Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) is India’s own rating system jointly developed by TERI and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India. It is a green building design evaluation system where buildings are rated in a three-tier process. The process initiates with the online submission of documents as per the prescribed criteria followed by on site visit and evaluation of the building by a team of professionals and experts from GRIHA Secretariat.  GRIHA rating system consists of 34 criteria categorised in four different sections. Some of them are  – ( 1) Site selection and site planning, (2) Conservation and efficient utilization of resources, (3) Building operation and maintenance, and (4) Innovation. (Know more about the criteria for the GRIHA rating system)

IGBC Indian Green Building Council was formed in the year 2001 as a part of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The vision of the IGBC is, “To enable a sustainable built environment for all and facilitate India to be one of the global leaders in the sustainable built environment by 2025”.

The council offers an extensive array of services which include:

  • Developing new green building rating programmes
  • Certification services
  • Green building training programmes

BEE developed its own rating system for the buildings based on a 1 to 5 star scale. More stars mean more energy efficiency.   BEE has developed the Energy Performance Index (EPI). The unit of Kilowatt hours per square meter per year is considered for rating the building and especially targets air conditioned and non-air conditioned office buildings. The Reserve Bank of India’s buildings in Delhi and Bhubaneswar, the CII Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre and many other buildings have received BEE 5 star ratings.  (Know more on BEE green buildings rating system)

Indians were aware of Green Building concepts from the beginning.  Conventional homes with baked red colour roof tiles and clay made walls is a really good example of energy efficient structures that are used to keep cool during summers and warm during the winter’s.  Most of rural India is still attached to this building technology with naturally available materials like clay, wood, jute ropes, etc.  Today we have advanced technologies that create smarter systems to control inside temperature, lighting systems, power and water supply and waste generation. Green buildings might be a bit heavy on the pursebut are good for the environment. In this rapidly changing world, we should adopt the technology that helps us to save precious natural resources. This would lead us to true sustainable development.

Concluding that the use of natural material and eco friendly construction techniques and methods can provide a better and green future with less amount of waste disposal and ensuring a better place with less pollution and diseases.

Together we can

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