Thursday, November 27, 2008

Green Buildings-Customise the Criteria

In Indian Context : Green Real estate must include
Town Planning , sanitation & relevant social Infrastructure

Green BLDGS CONSUME 10-20 % LESS ENERGY & 50% LESS WATER
High Quality Indoor Envo. Continuous Supply ofhigh quality , fresh indoor air
1st Green Bldg in 2004
Currently we have 259 Registered Bldgs
0.9 watts energy per Lighting Sq.ft as against prescribed 1.3. Watts

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Making Buildings Green
Buildings are responsible for more than half of harmful greenhouse gas emissions in most cities – and in major cities such as New York and London that number can reach to more than 70%. CCI’s Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit Program brings together banks, energy services companies, cities, and building owners to perform energy efficiency retrofits that guarantee energy and cost-savings.
Energy Performance Contracting
Many of the world’s leading energy service companies (ESCOs) have entered into agreements with CCI to take on projects under a unique set of contracting terms and conditions guided by CCI’s best practices: greater transparency, standardization, and streamlining of pricing and processes to reduce project cost and business risk. ESCOs who support the CCI vision agree to contractually guarantee energy savings and maximum project cost on each project and to compensate the owner financially for shortfalls.
Financing
For many building owners, capital costs are a barrier to investing in building retrofits. Using energy performance contracting, a building retrofit generates guaranteed energy savings over a number of years, with the objective of exceeding the cost of the retrofit. Under the program, owners may receive 100% financing for a retrofit project, based on the projected cost-savings, allowing them to proceed without initial capital expenditure.
Using energy performance contracting, owners retain 100% of the energy cost savings from their projects. These savings can be used to repay loans for the work, or can be kept by the owner, as an immediate demonstration of the positive impact energy efficiency can have on operating budgets.
Purchasing Assistance
CCI is working to leverage the buying potential of cities throughout the world to achieve favorable pricing on – and thus faster adoption of – energy-efficient and clean energy products and technologies. CCI has negotiated discounts on products including lighting, chillers, solar control window films, and “cool” roofing, and we continue to target additional products. These discounts also will help to lower the costs of building retrofits.
Sharing Best Practices
Building on the experience gained in initial retrofit projects, CCI aims to develop standardized models and packages for procurement, contracting, project implementation, financing, and measurement that can be replicated and expanded, with the goal of dramatically scaling up the global market for building retrofits.
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The office she designed for Patni computers in NOIDA has special insulation on the roof to prevent heat from entering, glass on the north face which receives less sunlight than other parts of the building and daylight sensors that allow lights to come on only once it gets dark and so on. As a result, the building consumes an average of 0.65 watts per sq ft as opposed the 1 watt per sq ft it would have consumed without its energy-saving features. “If we don’t do it this way, I don’t know where we’re going to head,’’ she says.
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Green building rating system to facilitate design, construction, operation and evaluation of environment friendly buildingsA voluntary rating system for new commercial,residential and institutional buildings.Point based scoring system to evaluate buildings on "green scale"Based on Indian codes, standards and best practicesEvaluation panel comprising of eminent professionals
Steps Registration (form) Submission of documentationPreiliminary evaluation by TERI Technical team Evaluation by panel of expertsPreliminary rating with comments sent to project teamFinal submission of documentsFinal evaluation by panel of expertsAprroval of rating by advisory committeeAward of rating
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Buildings have major environmental impacts over their entire life cycle. Resources such as ground cover, forests, water, and energy are depleted to give way to buildings. Resource-intensive materials provide the skin to the building and landscaping adds beauty to it – in turn using up water and pesticides to maintain it. Energy-consuming systems for lighting, space conditioning, and water heating provide comfort to its occupants. Hi-tech controls add intelligence to ‘inanimate’ buildings so that they can respond to varying conditions, and intelligently monitor and control resource use, security, and usage of fire systems, etc. in the building. Water is another vital resource for the occupants, which gets consumed continuously during building construction and operation. Several building processes and occupant functions generate large amounts of waste, which can be recycled for use or can be reused directly. Buildings are thus one of the major pollutants that affect urban air quality and contribute to climate change. Hence, the need to design a green building, the essence of which would be to address all these issues in an integrated and scientific manner. It is a known fact that it costs more to design and construct a green building. However, it is also a proven fact that it costs less to operate a green building that has tremendous environmental benefits and provides a better place for the occupants to live and work in. Thus, the challenge of a green building is to achieve all its benefits at an affordable cost.
A green building depletes the natural resources to the minimum during its construction and operation. The aim of a green building design is to minimize the demand on non-renewable resources, maximize the utilization efficiency of these resources, when in use, and maximize the reuse, recycling, and utilization of renewable resources. It maximizes the use of efficient building materials and construction practices; optimizes the use of on-site sources and sinks by bio-climatic architectural practices; uses minimum energy to power itself; uses efficient equipment to meet its lighting, air-conditioning, and other needs; maximizes the use of renewable sources of energy; uses efficient waste and water management practices; and provides comfortable and hygienic indoor working conditions. It is evolved through a design process that requires all concerned –the architect and landscape designer and the air conditioning, electrical, plumbing, and energy consultants – to work as a team to address all aspects of building and system planning, design, construction, and operation. They critically evaluate the impacts of each design decision on the environment and arrive at viable design solutions to minimize the negative impacts and enhance the positive impacts on the environment. In sum, the following aspects of the building design are looked into in an integrated way in a green building. Site planning Building envelope design Building system design HVAC(heating ventilation and air conditioning), lighting, electrical, and water heating Integration of renewable energy sources to generate energy onsite. Water and waste management Selection of ecologically sustainable materials (with high recycled content, rapidly renewable resources with low emission potential, etc.). Indoor environmental quality (maintain indoor thermal and visual comfort, and air quality)
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The criteria have been categorized as follows.
Site Selection and Site planning
Conservation and efficient utilization of resourceObjective – To maximize the conservation and utilisation of resources (land, water, natural habitat, avi fauna, and energy) conservation and enhance efficiency of the systems and operations.
Criterion 1 Site Selection
Criterion 2 Preserve and protect the landscape during construction/compensatory depository forestation.Commitment Proper timing of construction, preserve top soil and existing vegetation, staging and spill prevention and erosion and sedimentation control. Replant, on-site, trees in the ratio 1:3 to those removed during construction.
Criterion 3 Soil conservation (till post-construction).Commitment Proper top soil laying and stabilization of the soil and maintenance of adequate fertility of the soil to support vegetative growth.
Criterion 4Design to include existing site features.Commitment Minimize the disruption of natural ecosystem and design to harness maximum benefits of the prevailing micro-climate.
Criterion 5 Reduce hard paving on-site and /or provide shaded hard - paved surfaces.Commitment Minimize storm water run-off from site by reducing hard paving on- site.
Criterion 6 Enhance outdoor lighting system efficiency.Commitment Meet minimum allowable luminous efficacy (as per lamp type) and make progressive use of a renewable energy- based lighting system.
Criterion 7 Plan utilities efficiently and optimize on-site circulation efficiencyCommitment Minimize road and pedestrian walkway length by appropriate planning and provide aggregate corridors for utility lines.
Health and well beingObjective –To protect the health of construction workers and prevent pollution.
Criterion 8 Provide at least, the minimum level of sanitation/safety facilities for construction workers.Commitment Ensure cleanliness of workplace with regard to the disposal of waste and effluent, provide clean drinking water and latrines and urinals as per applicable standard.
Criterion 9 Reduce air pollution during construction.Commitment Ensure proper screening, covering stockpiles, covering bricks and loads of dusty materials, wheel-washing facility, and water spraying.
Building planning and construction stageConservation and efficient utilization of resources
Objective – To maximize resource (water, energy, and materials) conservation and enhance efficiency of the system and operations.
Water
Criterion 10 Reduce landscape water requirement.Commitment Landscape using native species and reduce lawn areas while enhancing the irrigation efficiency, reduction in water requirement for landscaping purposes.
Criterion 11 Reduce building water use.Commitment Reduce building water use by applying low-flow fixtures, etc.
Criterion 12 Efficient water use during construction.Commitment Use materials such as pre-mixed concrete for preventing loss during mixing. Use recycled treated water and control the waste of curing water.
Energy: end use
Criterion 13 Optimize building design to reduce the conventional energy demand.Commitment Plan appropriately to reflect climate responsiveness, adopt an adequate comfort range, less air-conditioned areas, daylighting, avoid over-design of the lighting and air-conditioning systems.
Criterion 14 Optimize the energy performance of the building within specified comfort limits. Commitment Ensure that energy consumption in building under a specified category is 10%–40% less than that benchmarked through a simulation exercise.
Energy: embodied and construction
Criterion 15 Utilization of fly ash in the building structure.Commitment Use of fly ash for RCC (reinforced cement concrete) structures with in-fill walls and load bearing structures, mortar, and binders.
Criterion 16 Reduce volume, weight, and time of construction by adopting an efficient technology (e.g. pre-cast systems, ready-mix concrete, etc.).Commitment Replace a part of the energy-intensive materials with less energy-intensive materials and/or utilize regionally available materials, which use low-energy/energy-efficient technologies.
Criterion 17 Use low-energy material in the interiors.Commitment Minimum 70% in each of the three categories of interiors (internal partitions, panelling/false ceiling/interior wood finishes/ in-built furniture door/window frames, flooring) from low-energy materials/finishes to minimize the usage of wood.
Energy: renewable
Criterion 18 Renewable energy utilization.Commitment Meet energy requirements for a minimum of 10% of the internal lighting load (for general lighting) or its equivalent from renewable energy sources (solar, wind, biomass, fuel cells, etc). Energy requirements will be calculated based on realistic assumptions which will be subject to verification during appraisal.
Criterion 19 Renewable energy - based hot- water system.Commitment Meet 70% or more of the annual energy required for heating water through renewable energy based water-heating systems.
Recycle, recharge, and reuse of water
Objective– To promote the recycle and reuse of water.
Criterion 20 Wastewater treatment Commitment Provide necessary treatment of water for achieving the desired concentration of effluents.
Criterion 21 Water recycle and reuse (including rainwater).Commitment Provide wastewater treatment on-site for achieving prescribed concentration, rainwater harvesting, reuse of treated waste water and rainwater for meeting the building’s water and irrigation demand.
Waste management
Objective –To minimize waste generation, streamline waste segregation, storage, and disposal, and promote resource recovery from waste.
Criterion 22 Reduction in waste during construction.Commitment Ensure maximum resource recovery and safe disposal of wastes generated during construction and reduce the burden on landfill.
Criterion 23 Efficient waste segregation.Commitment Use different coloured bins for collecting different categories of waste from the building.
Criterion 24 Storage and disposal of waste.Commitment Allocate separate space for the collected waste before transferring it to the recycling/disposal stations.
Criterion 25 Resource recovery from waste.Commitment Employ resource recovery systems for biodegradable waste as per the Solid Waste Management and handling Rules, 2000 of the MoEF. Make arrangements for recycling of waste through local dealers.
Health and well-beingObjective –To ensure healthy indoor air quality, water quality, and noise levels, and reduce the global warming potential.
Criterion 26 Use of low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints/ adhesives / sealants.Commitment Use only low VOC paints in the interior of the building. Use water –based rather than solvent based sealants and adhesives.
Criterion 27 Minimize ozone – depleting substancesCommitment Employ 100% zero ODP (ozone depletion potential) insulation; HCFC (hydrochlorofluorocarbon)/ and CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) free HVAC and refrigeration equipments and/Halon-free fire suppression and fire extinguishing systems.
Criterion 28 Ensure water quality.Commitment Ensure groundwater and municipal water meet the water quality norms as prescribed in the Indian Standards for various applications (Indian Standards for drinking [IS 10500-1991], irrigation applications [IS 11624-1986]. In case the water quality cannot be ensured, provide necessary treatment of raw water for achieving the desired concentration for various applications.
Criterion 29 Acceptable outdoor and indoor noise levels.Commitment Ensure outdoor noise level conforms to the Central Pollution Control Board–Environmental Standards–Noise (ambient standards) and indoor noise level conforms to the National Building Code of India, 2005, Bureau of Indian Standards, Part 8–Building Services; Section 4–Acoustics, sound insulation, and noise control.
Criterion 30 Tobacco and smoke control.Commitment Zero exposure to tobacco smoke for non-smokers and exclusive ventilation for smoking rooms.
Criterion 31 Provide the minimum level of accessibility for persons with disabilities.
Commitment To ensure accessibility and usability of the building and its facilities by employees, visitors, and clients with disabilities.

Building operation and maintenanceObjective – Validate and maintain ‘green’ performance levels/adopt and propagate green practices and concepts.
Criterion 32 Energy audit and validation.Commitment Energy audit report to be prepared by approved auditors of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Government of India.
Criterion 33 Building operation and maintenance .Commitment Validate and maintain 'green' performance levels/adopt and propogate green practices and concepts. Ensure the inclusion of a specific clause in the contract document for the commissioning of all electrical and mechanical systems to be maintained by the owner, supplier, or operator. Provide a core facility/service management group, if applicable, which will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the building and the electrical and mechanical systems after the commissioning. Owner/builder/occupants/service or facility management group to prepare a fully documented operations and maintenance manual, CD, multimedia or an information brochure listing the best practices/do’s and don’ts/maintenance requirements for the building and the electrical and mechanical systems along with the names and addresses of the manufacturers/suppliers of the respective system.
Criterion 34 Innovation points.Commitment Four innovvation points are available under the rating system for adopting criteria which enhance the green intent of a project, and the applicant can apply for the bonus points. Some of the probable points, not restricted to the ones enumerated below, could be
1. Alternative transportation2. Environmental education3. Company policy on green supply chain4. Lifecycle cost analysis 5. Enhanced accessibility for physically/mentally challenged.6. Any other criteria proposed by the client
Scoring points for TERI–GRIHA
TERI–GRIHA is a guiding and performance-oriented system where points are earned for meeting the design and performance intent of the criteria. Each criterion has a number of points assigned to it. It means that a project intending to meet the criterion would qualify for the points. Compliances, as specified in the relevant criterion, have to be submitted in the prescribed format. While the intent of some of the criteria is self-validating in nature, there are others for example : energy consumption, thermal and visual comfort, noise control criteria, and indoor pollution levels which need to be validated on-site through performance monitoring. The points related to these criteria (specified under the relevant sections) are awarded provisionally while certifying and are converted to firm points through monitoring, validation, and documents/photographs to support the award of point.
TERI-GRIHA has a 100 point system consisting of some core points, which are mandatory to be met while the rest are optional points, which can be earned by complying with the commitment of the criterion for which the point is allocated. Different levels of certification (one star to five star) are awarded based on the number of points earned. The minimum points required for certification is 50. Buildings scoring 50 to 60 points, 61 to 70 points, 71 to 80 points, and 81 to 90 points will get one star, ‘two stars’, ‘three stars’ and ‘four stasr’ respectively. A building scoring 91 to 100 points will get the maximum rating viz. five stars.
Points scored
Rating
50–60
One star
61-70
Two star
71-80
Three star
81-90
Four star
91-100
Five star

Evaluation procedure of criterion of TERI-GRIHA
List of criteria
Points
Remarks
Criteria 1: Site Selection

1
Partly mandatory
Criteria 2: Preserve and protect landscape during construction /compensatory depository forestation.
5
Partly mandatory
Criteria 3: Soil conservation (post construction)
4

Criteria 4: Design to include existing site features
2
Mandatory
Criteria 5: Reduce hard paving on site
2
Partly mandatory
Criteria 6: Enhance outdoor lighting system efficiency
3

Criteria 7: Plan utilities efficiently and optimize on site circulation efficiency
3

Criteria 8: Provide, at least, minimum level of sanitation/safety facilities for construction workers
2
Mandatory
Criteria 9: Reduce air pollution during construction
2
Mandatory
Criteria 10: Reduce landscape water requirement
3

Criteria 11: Reduce building water use
2

Criteria 12: Efficient water use during construction
1

Criteria 13: Optimize building design to reduce conventional energy demand
6
Mandatory
Criteria 14: Optimize energy performance of building within specified comfort
12

Criteria 15: Utilization of flyash in building structure
6

Criteria 16: Reduce volume, weight and time of construction by adopting efficient technology (e.g. pre-cast systems, ready-mix concrete, etc.)
4

Criteria 17: Use low-energy material in interiors
4

Criteria 18: Renewable energy utilization
5

Criteria 19: Renewable energy based hot-water system
3

Criteria 20: Waste water treatment
2

Criteria 21: Water recycle and reuse (including rainwater)
5

Criteria 22: Reduction in waste during construction
2

Criteria 23: Efficient waste segregation
2

Criteria 24: Storage and disposal of waste
2

Criteria 25: Resource recovery from waste
2

Criteria 26: Use of low - VOC paints/ adhesives/ sealants.
4

Criteria 27: Minimize ozone depleting substances
3
Mandatory
Criteria 28: Ensure water quality
2
Mandatory
Criteria 29: Acceptable outdoor and indoor noise levels
2

Criteria 30: Tobacco and smoke control
1

Criteria 31: Universal Accessibility

1

Criteria 32: Energy audit and validation
Mandatory
Criteria 33: Operations and maintenance protocol for electrical and mechanical equipment
2
Mandatory
Total score
100

Criteria 34: Innovation (Beyond 100)
4

Total score
104
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The contextInternationally, voluntary building rating systems have been instrumental in raising awareness and popularizing green design. However, most of the internationally devised rating systems have been tailored to suit the building industry of the country where they were developed. TERI, being deeply committed to every aspect of sustainable development, took upon itself the responsibility of acting as a driving force to popularize green building by developing a tool for measuring and rating a building's environmental performance in the context of India's varied climate and building practices. This tool, by its qualitative and quantitative assessment criteria, would be able to ‘rate’ a building on the degree of its ‘greenness’. The rating would be applied to new and existing building stock of varied functions – commercial, institutional, and residential.The challengesThe Indian building industry is highly decentralized, involving diverse stakeholders engaged in design, construction, equipment provision, installation, and renovation of buildings. Each group may be organized to some extent, but there is limited interaction among the groups, thus disabling the integrated green design and application process. Hence, it is very important to define and quantify sustainable building practices and their benefits. It is also imperative to delineate the role of each actor in ensuring that the building consumes minimal resources in its entire life cycle and leaves behind minimal environmental footprint.The benefitsTERI's green building rating will evaluate the environmental performance of a building holistically over its entire life cycle, thereby providing a definitive standard for what constitutes a ‘green building’. The rating system , based on accepted energy and environmental principles, will seek to strike a balance between the established practices and emerging concepts, both national and international. The guidelines/criteria appraisal may be revised every three years to take into account the latest scientific developments during this period.
On a broader scale, this system, along with the activities and processes that lead up to it, will benefit the community at large with the improvement in the environment by reducing GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions, improving energy security, and reducing the stress on natural resources.
Some of the benefits of a green design to a building owner, user, and the society as a whole are as follows: Reduced energy consumption without sacrificing the comfort levels Reduced destruction of natural areas, habitats, and biodiversity, and reduced soil loss from erosion etc. Reduced air and water pollution (with direct health benefits) Reduced water consumption Limited waste generation due to recycling and reuse Reduced pollution loads Increased user productivity Enhanced image and marketability
TERI-GRIHA’s green design practices, and the array of individual and institutional professionals who put these in practice, would be publicized and promoted for the following reasons.
It has immense replication probability for ‘seeing is believing’. It motivates the user and the owner to fulfil their commitment to the environment by emulating the example it sets. It helps generate awareness on the concept of green bulding. It stimulates competition among peers to achieve the same performance or to endeavour to better it.The development processTERI's green building rating system (TERI–GRIHA) has been developed after a thorough study and understanding of the current internationally accepted green building rating systems and the prevailing building practices in India. The team has researched on several international rating systems. A few team members were also sponsored under a study tour by USAEP (United States Asia Environmental Partnership) to understand the eco-rating systems prevalent in the US. The team has vast experience in providing design assistance to green buildings in the country and long and varied experience in carrying out energy conservation studies in existing hotels, offices, and other commercial building. The team has effectively utilized the several multi-disciplinary strengths and experiences of the colleagues at TERI to arrive at the tools that addresses cross-cutting issues in the design, development, and operation of a green building.
The primary objective of the rating system is to help design green buildings and, in turn, help evaluate the ‘greenness’ of the buildings. The rating system follows best practices along with national/international codes that are applicable to achieving the intent of green design.The green building rating system devised by TERI is a voluntary scheme. It has derived useful inputs from the upcoming mandatory voluntary building codes/guidelines being developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources, MoEF (Ministry of Environment and Forests), Government of India, and the Bureau of Indian Standards. The rating system aims to achieve efficient resource utilization, enhanced resource efficiency, and better quality of life in the buildings.The basic featuresCurrently the system has been developed to help ‘design and evaluate’ new buildings (buildings that are still at the inception stages). A building is assessed based on its predicted performance over its entire life cycle – inception through operation. The stages of the life cycle that have been identified for evaluation are the pre-construction, building design and construction, and building operation and maintenance stages. The issues that get addressed in these stages are as follows. Pre-construction stage (intra- and inter-site issues) Building planning and construction stages (issues of resource conservation and reduction in resource demand, resource utilization efficiency, resource recovery and reuse, and provisions for occupant health and well being). The prime resources that are considered in this section are land, water, energy, air, and green cover. Building operation and maintenance stage (issues of operation and maintenance of building systems and processes, monitoring and recording of consumption, and occupant health and well being, and also issues that affect the global and local environment).
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Himalayan Centre, Mukteshwar
OverviewNestled in Latey Bunga, Mukteshwar, 2300 metres above the sea level, stands TERI’s Himalayan Centre. Blending the best that nature has to offer with the latest in technological innovation, this green building is ideal for purposes off repose and research. In addition to a residential wing, this TERI Centre boasts a state-of-the-art conference hall, complete with a meeting area, rest rooms and Internet facility.
Panoramic view from TERI’s Himalayan Centre
ArchitectureThe architecture of the building reflects the local style. Practical considerations of locale and availability of resources also determined its design. The result – a simple, yet aesthetically designed building, which can capture the interest and imagination of the beholder.
Landscaping and lighting
Sunlight spills into sun spaces, warming the indoor areas
In accordance with strategic landscaping principles, trees have been planted on the northern side of the building to provide a buffer against cold winds. The general orientation of the building is south-east, ensuring that all major openings are in line with the sun. This positioning allows for optimal use of daylight for purposes of lighting as well as heating. Furthermore, each suite comes attached with unique solar passive features known as ‘sun-spaces’. These enhance heat gain by day and emit it by night, when it is required. Judiciously planned corridors in front of the habitable spaces dilute the glare of the sunlight, while trapping solar radiation to be emitted at night.
Renewable energy systemsRenewable energy systems in the form of photovoltaic solar panels have been integrated into the roof of the utility building and conference hall to meet a portion of the electrical requirements. An effective solar water heating system is in place to meet the hot water requirements of the building’s inhabitants. In the absence of sufficient sunlight, battery banks provide a power back-up of three days. Fibreglass panels in the ceilings and walls act as insulators, preserving heat and improving acoustics.
Solar water heating system
Photovoltaic solar panels for harnessing solar power
Water managementDespite the ample rainfall in the area, it faces a severe shortage of potable water. As a result, innovatively designed, twin-chambered water tanks are deployed in the harvesting and subsequent filtering of rainwater for human consumption.
The Himalayan Centre was designed with the basic purpose of disseminating relevant technological information at the grassroots level. A purpose it adequately fulfills by training farmers and villagers as to the latest techniques in agriculture. It is proposed that the water harvesting system used here be popularized amongst the locals in order to facilitate the conservation of the precious resource of water.
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Introduction
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Southern Regional Centre, Bangalore
OverviewIn Dolmur, 3 km from the Bangalore airport, is the TERI office-cum-guest house. This building is designed to house an office block with a capacity of 75 workstations, a small guest house and several interaction spaces, such as conference rooms, a library and laboratories.
The front view of Southern Regional Centre, Bangalore
Functional designThe design of this building is dictated by the landscape surrounding it. It is flanked by roads in the north and the east, an open ground in the west and a 9 m open drain in the south. As a result, entry to the building is from the road on the northern side, which is not as busy as the one on the east. The office block is towards the east, close to the main road for high visibility and the guest house is located on the quieter western side. An open space exists between the office and the guest house, should further expansion be necessary.
Solar wall with cavity to aid ventilation
Energy-efficient features and renewable energy system
The elemental forces of earth, wind, fire and water are imperative to the architectural design of the building. It opens towards the northern side facilitating access to glare-free light. A solar wall towards the south (drain side) of the building directs the flow of the breeze over the building, which, in turn, creates a negative pressure and pulls fresh air from the north into the building.
Natural ventilationThe sections are worked out so as to allow hot air to rise towards the top. Natural ventilation occurs with the air flowing from the ground floor to the terrace because of the open nature of the volumes.
Diagrammatic representation of the ventilation system at Southern Regional Centre, Bangalore
LightingBy creating atrium spaces with skylights, sections of the Centre are designed in such a way that natural daylight enters into the heart of the building, considerably reducing the dependence on artificial lighting. This is supplemented by a skylight roof and energy-efficient artificial lighting.
Atrium space with SkylightSolar water heaters
Strategic window placement for daylight optimization
Water heating systemA solar water heating system is in place to meet the hot water requirements of the kitchen and the guest rooms.
Solar water heatersAtrium space with Skylight
Reclamation of the drainIn addition to basic filtration and aeration, it has been proposed that certain impurity-absorbing plants be planted in the vicinity of the drain, improving its condition in terms of sanitation and aesthetics. Investing in such a long term, yet permanent solution is necessary if the building is to eventually open towards the drain as well.
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Green building
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This article is about green buildings. For the building on the MIT campus, see Green Building (MIT).

US EPA Kansas City Science & Technology Center. This facility features the following green attributes:*LEED 2.0 Gold certified*Green Power*Native Landscaping
Green building is the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings use resources — energy, water, and materials — while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment during the building's lifecycle, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal.[1]
Green buildings are designed to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by:
Efficiently using energy, water, and other resources
Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity
Reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation[2]
A similar concept is natural building, which is usually on a smaller scale and tends to focus on the use of natural materials that are available locally.[3] Other commonly used terms include sustainable design and green architecture.
The related concepts of sustainable development and sustainability are integral to green building. Effective green building can lead to 1) reduced operating costs by increasing productivity and using less energy and water, 2) improved public and occupant health due to improved indoor air quality, and 3) reduced environmental impacts by, for example, lessening storm water runoff and the heat island effect. Practitioners of green building often seek to achieve not only ecological but aesthetic harmony between a structure and its surrounding natural and built environment, although the appearance and style of sustainable buildings is not necessarily distinguishable from their less sustainable counterparts.
Contents[hide]
1 Environmental impact
2 Green building practices
2.1 Green building materials
2.2 Reduced Energy Use
2.3 Reduced Waste
3 Green building rating system worldwide
4 International frameworks and assessment tools
5 Regulatory instruments, R&D, financial and policy processes & examples in some countries
5.1 Australia
5.2 Canada
5.3 France
5.4 Germany
5.5 India
5.6 Israel
5.7 Malaysia
5.8 Mexico
5.9 New Zealand
5.10 South Africa
5.11 United Kingdom
5.12 United States
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
//

[edit] Environmental impact
Green building practices aim to reduce the environmental impact of buildings. Buildings account for a large amount of land use, energy and water consumption, and air and atmosphere alteration. In the United States, more than 2,000,000 acres (8,100 km2) of open space, wildlife habitat, and wetlands are developed each year.[1]
As of 2006, buildings used 40 percent of the total energy consumed in both the US and European Union.[4][5] In the US, 54 percent of that percentage was consumed by residential buildings and 46 percent by commercial buildings.[6] In 2002, buildings used approximately 68 percent of the total electricity consumed in the United States with 51 percent for residential use and 49 percent for commercial use. 38 percent of the total amount of carbon dioxide in the United States can be attributed to buildings, 21 percent from homes and 17.5 percent from commercial uses. Buildings account for 12.2 percent of the total amount of water consumed per day in the United States.[citation needed]
Considering these statistics, reducing the amount of natural resources buildings consume and the amount of pollution given off is seen as crucial for future sustainability, according to EPA.[7]
The environmental impact of buildings is often underestimated, while the perceived costs of green buildings are overestimated. A recent survey by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development finds that green costs are overestimated by 300 percent, as key players in real estate and construction estimate the additional cost at 17 percent above conventional construction, more than triple the true average cost difference of about 5 percent.[8]

[edit] Green building practices
Green building brings together a vast array of practices and techniques to reduce and ultimately eliminate the impacts of buildings on the environment and human health. It often emphasizes taking advantage of renewable resources, e.g., using sunlight through passive solar, active solar, and photovoltaic techniques and using plants and trees through green roofs, rain gardens, and for reduction of rainwater run-off. Many other techniques, such as using packed gravel for parking lots instead of concrete or asphalt to enhance replenishment of ground water, are used as well. Effective green buildings are more than just a random collection of environmental friendly technologies, however.[9] They require careful, systemic attention to the full life cycle impacts of the resources embodied in the building and to the resource consumption and pollution emissions over the building's complete life cycle.
On the aesthetic side of green architecture or sustainable design is the philosophy of designing a building that is in harmony with the natural features and resources surrounding the site. There are several key steps in designing sustainable buildings: specify 'green' building materials from local sources, reduce loads, optimize systems, and generate on-site renewable energy.

[edit] Green building materials
Building materials typically considered to be 'green' include rapidly renewable plant materials like bamboo and straw, lumber from forests certified to be sustainably managed, dimension stone, recycled stone, recycled metal, and other products that are non-toxic, reusable, renewable, and/or recyclable (eg Trass, Linoleum, sheep wool, panels made from paper flakes,compressed earth block, adobe, baked earth, rammed earth, clay, vermiculite, flax linen, sisal, seagrass, cork, expanded clay grains, coconut, wood fibre plates, calcium sand stone... [10]) The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) also suggests using recycled industrial goods, such as coal combustion products, foundry sand, and demolition debris in construction projects [11] Building materials should be extracted and manufactured locally to the building site to minimize the energy embedded in their transportation.

[edit] Reduced Energy Use
Main articles: Low-energy house and Zero-energy building
Green buildings often include measures to reduce energy use. To increase the efficiency of the building envelope, (the barrier between conditioned and unconditioned space), they may use high-efficiency windows and insulation in walls, ceilings, and floors. Another strategy, passive solar building design, is often implemented in low-energy homes. Designers orient windows and walls and place awnings, porches, and trees[12] to shade windows and roofs during the summer while maximizing solar gain in the winter. In addition, effective window placement (daylighting) can provide more natural light and lessen the need for electric lighting during the day. Solar water heating further reduces energy loads.
Finally, onsite generation of renewable energy through solar power, wind power, hydro power, or biomass can significantly reduce the environmental impact of the building. Power generation is generally the most expensive feature to add to a building.

[edit] Reduced Waste
Green architecture also seeks to reduce waste of energy, water and materials used during construction. For example, in California nearly 60% of the state's waste comes from commercial buildings[13] During the construction phase, one goal should be to reduce the amount of material going to landfills. Well-designed buildings also help reduce the amount of waste generated by the occupants as well, by providing on-site solutions such as compost bins to reduce matter going to landfills.
To reduce the impact on wells or water treatment plants, several options exist. "Greywater", wastewater from sources such as dishwashing or washing machines, can be used for subsurface irrigation, or if treated, for non-potable purposes, e.g., to flush toilets and wash cars. Rainwater collectors are used for similar purposes.
Centralized wastewater treatment systems can be costly and use a lot of energy. An alternative to this process is converting waste and wastewater into fertilizer, which avoids these costs and shows other benefits. By collecting human waste at the source and running it to a semi-centralized biogas plant with other biological waste, liquid fertilizer can be produced. This concept was demonstrated by a settlement in Lubeck Germany in the late 1990s. Practices like these provide soil with organic nutrients and create carbon sinks that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, offsetting greenhouse gas emission. Producing artificial fertilizer is also more costly in energy than this process
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