Property Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Hyderabad
Kochi
Malabar
Thiruvananthapuram
Occupy green and live green
|
Green building concept should be a philosophy of builders and promoters, says Colliers International
|
Simon Carter
Colliers International has launched “r.e.Design,” Asia’s first green real estate guide. Simon Carter, Regional Head of Sustainability (Asia Pacific) for Colliers International and author of the guide, presented this initiative as a big challenge for the real estate world market in the context of the climate crisis.
Since the recognition last year of the effect of human activities on global warming, preserving the environment is becoming a priority for nations. “We are just beginning to understand the challenge. We need a radical transformation of our economy and real estate has to face the challenge especially since a large part of greenhouse gas emissions is due to buildings,” explains Simon Carter.
Residential and commercial buildings represent 15.3 per cent of the world greenhouse gas emissions, hence the importance to this specific issue.
“We have to manage green, develop green, occupy green and live green,” says Joe Verghese, Managing Director Colliers International-India.
The challenge
The challenge for real estate is to adopt green as a standard practice in developing new buildings and in improving existing ones. The 32-page guide aims at spreading information about green buildings and the different ways to be eco-friendly in real estate from saving energy to managing waste, reducing operational cost, and using the rights materials. “Green buildings are more expensive than conventional ones but in the long run they could save up 40 to 80 per cent of the energy costs,” says Simon Carter. “Green buildings are not only good for the environment but make also good economic sense.”
The Indian scene
Indian real estate has started looking slowly towards green buildings since the last few years. In 2003, the country got its first green building in Hyderabad, certified as one of greenest buildings in the world. Today, India has 26 green buildings covering a total area of 11 million sq.ft. In Bangalore only one building has got the green building label.
“The green concept requires innovation”, explains Joe Verghese, “The challenge is to see what is appropriate to each building. We have to find local solutions which means, for example, in India to go back to traditional and ancestral techniques.”
ZELIHA CHAFFIN
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Property Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Hyderabad
Kochi
Malabar
Thiruvananthapuram
|
