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Colliers International to launch ‘r.e. Design’
Simon Carter
Colliers International is all set to release Asia’s first green real estate guide called ‘r.e.Design’ in the second week of June 2008. The expectations are already very high as many believe it will be quite an eye opener for the industry, says Simon Carter, Regional Director of Sustainability, Asia Pacific, Colliers International, in an exclusive video conference from Singapore with The Hindu PropertyPlus. Excerpts:
What is the lifecycle of a green building as compared to a conventional building?
Green buildings are designed and developed with much greater consideration for the full lifecycle of the building than conventional buildings. They are designed to minimise construction impacts, use less resources and be healthier during the operation phase and also, in the demolition phase, be suitable for recycling and minimisation of waste. They may also not be demolished if they are designed for long life and adaptability to different uses.
Is the concept suitable to conditions in South India?
It is suitable anywhere from Antarctica to Angola to Austria to Australia, hence South India is no exception as there is no standard green building concept in this region.
It is in fact a philosophy, bringing in a number of design principles and technologies which are used in accordance with location, climate, use, economic constraints etc. Colliers International released the highly acclaimed ‘Go Green Report’ in India last year and if you read through this report we have mentioned that most of these principles and technologies about green buildings are not modern or high tech, they are developed over hundreds or thousands of years and found in vernacular architecture around the world, including Southern India. Does a green building require completely different skill sets from its architect and contractor?
It frequently does. The emergence of green buildings is largely a knowledge issue and in places such as Australia where designers and developers have been working on them for over a decade now, it has become standard practice. We all need to get over a ‘learning hump’ and the quicker we do it, the quicker we will be able to reduce costs and maximise returns.
(For details contact simon.carter @colliers.com)
Mythili G. Nirvan, Hyderabad
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