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`Green' home
A HOUSE which results in less maintenance costs even as it grows older, one that draws lower power bills even as the air-conditioning goes up. It may sound impossible, but not so in a `green' home.
The green building movement is a rapidly growing global movement which encourages construction designs which use natural resources efficiently and which has less impact on the environment. It is a design philosophy which aims at the creation of an environmentally responsible, sustainable building, which is also safer and healthier for its occupants, leading to increased productivity.
Green homes are environment-friendly, energy efficient, uses water efficiently and lets in plenty of fresh air and light. No compromises are made on providing comfort or amenities in these buildings, yet they use less energy and causes less pollution or destruction of natural areas and habitats.
Kath Williams of the World Green Building Council, who addressed a workshop on `Green buildings' here on Thursday, said the Government should support this movement by offering tax incentives, by expediting the processing and by giving awards and codes to buildings which have been built on the concept. Non-governmental organisations and educational institutions could chip in by creating awareness about the movement. Corporates could take pride in their `green' image.
An integrated approach is adopted in designing these buildings. Use of efficient materials and construction practices, adherence to bio-climatic or solar passive architectural principles, efficient systems and equipment, including effective practices of waste and water management and dependence on renewable sources of energy are what make green buildings different from other structures.
Economic benefits
The economic benefits of green buildings are also many: the operating costs are reduced, economic performance is optimized, leading to sustained savings.
The concept of green buildings is being discussed in the U.S. since decades, but the rating system for green buildings, such as the Leadership in Energy an Environmental Design (LEED) rating system is quite recent.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Green Building Council has been trying to adapt this system to Indian situations. The LEED system is a design tool, which addresses site selection, water use efficiency, energy efficiency, materials used and the interior environment quality to ensure that the construction is environment-friendly and resource-efficient. Most buildings normally last for 20-30 years with heavy use of inputs, but a green building is envisaged to last longer with less use of resources.
The initial investments in green buildings might be high but this is compensated by low maintenance costs. The concept of green buildings is in fact the promotion of a holistic approach to sustainable development The concept has taken off in India too in a big way: the CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre in Hyderabad is the first `Platinum' building in the world, under LEED version 2, scoring 56 points out of the 60 parameters set.
By C. Maya
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