A behemoth with best practices
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GMR International Airport is a trend-setter with its sustainable building practices, writes D.V.L PADMA PRIYA
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Anew era of India's airport infrastructure was recently given a thrust when GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) won the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation's award for airport environmental performance of the year.
The airport which
bagged the award for its
best sustainable practices is
also the first in Asia to
achieve a LEED Silver Certification
for Leadership in
Energy and Environmental
Design from the US Green
Building Council.
Spread over 5,425 acres,
the airport won the prize
for its sustainable practices
and energy conservation.
For example, the airport
generates over 875 KL of
waste water per day, while
the daily consumption
amounts to 900 KL per day.
Of this approximately 850
KL of waste water is treated
within its in-house Sewerage
Treatment Plant (STP).
The airport houses two
STPs with a capacity of 925
KL.
Energy-saving
In tune with green building
norms, the airport has
successfully incorporated
energy-saving measures in
design and construction itself.
The building envelope
has been developed in such
a way that natural light is
available all through the
day using the double sealed
glass to faade. This ensured
that heat was kept
outside and at the same
time reduced the need to
use artificial light. The walls
and roof were also provided
with good thermal insulation.
"By using several other
energy efficient
equipments and designs, we
have managed to bring the
energy consumption down
by 15 per cent. Currently, it
consumes an average of
83,700 KWH of energy per
day," said P. Sripathy, Chief
Executive Officer, GHIAL.
The recycled water is
used for gardening, flushing
and in the cooling tower
makeup, thereby cutting
down on consumption of
fresh water. "We have developed
a green belt around
the airport using native
species which require low
irrigation", Mr.Sripathy informs.
Indoor environment
Steps have also been taken
to ensure indoor environment
too is maintained
at an optimum level. For instance,
the passenger terminal
building has
dedicated smoking lounges
at various levels to ensure
that the indoor air quality
in public and other areas is
not affected. Also, carbon
dioxide level monitoring is
being carried out for all occupied
areas. The air is
modulated to ensure that
difference between indoor
and outdoor CO2 levels is
maintained less than 530
parts per million.
Apart from this, the airport
is also setting standards
in the field of
environmental performance
by incorporating
other measures. "Plans are
on to segregate biodegradable
waste and convert the
same into compost," says
Mr.Sripathy adding that efforts
were also on to measure
the carbon foot
printing of the various operations
at GHIAL and also
minimise carbon emissions.
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