What is a "Green" Building?
Does going green make economic sense?
Green Building is all about the complete building life cycle; it is also regarded as sustainable building or environmental building.The term “Green Building” is often used in combination with “high-performance building”, “sustainable design” and “preserving precious resources”.
Importance of Green Building
The related green building 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
3. Reduced environmental impacts by, for example,reducing storm water runoff and the heating effect.
Practitioners of green building concepts often seek to achieve not only ecological but aesthetic harmony between a structure and it’s surrounding of natural and built environment. The appearance and style of sustainable homes and buildings can be nearly indistinguishable from their less sustainable counterparts.
An increasing number of authorities, organizations and institutions are working on raising consciousness about “Green Building”. It is increasingly governed and driven by standards, such as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system in U.S. as well as The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI).
According to the CII, India - “Green” is regarded as ‘The voluntary pursuit of any activity which is concerned with energy efficiency, environmental management, water management, renewable energy, and waste management and recycling.’ Green practices ultimately leading to sustainable development and equitable growth
Advantages of Green Building
Following are the benefits of Green Building:
- Reduction of natural resource consumption
- Reduction of operating costs
- Health, comfort and safety for all residents
- Energy optimization and reduction of energy consumption
- Increased productivity of the occupants
- Better indoor air quality (IAQ has a tremendous impact on human health)
- Green Building encourages companies to benefit from the Green corporate image and to leave a very positive impression on customers, employees, business partners and shareholders.
Choosing a green building concepts for a home is not just an option but a lifelong commitment to uphold the virtues of natural, sustainable living...a conscious decision to arrest resource depletion and protect nature for our future generations.
While a good design is essential to green building, the actual operation, maintenance, and ultimate disposal or deconstruction of the building also have very significant effects on buildings' overall environmental impact.
“Green Building” is not only related to the selected construction material but also to the long-term impact on environment and on people’s health.
The characteristics of the green building material itself constitute points which have to be reconsidered by building professionals when planning sustainable design projects (GreenSpace criteria, Building Green, Inc):
- The used materials should be natural and environmental-friendly.
- The impact on the environment with regards to manufacturing, distribution, construction, renovation and demolition is relatively small.
- Minimum quantity of chemicals necessary to prepare the material for construction is used.
- The material can be recycled.
Case studies : LEED Rated Buildings using Wienerberger products
Indian School of Business Hyderabad
Porotherm Smart bricks reduce the dead load for economical use of Fe 500 grade steel reinforcement.
The building achieves its green status through the deployment of pre-dominantly passive means – UPVC windows with performance glass, rain water harvesting, water-saving fixtures, solar energy, effective cross ventilation and adequate natural lighting.
PUMA's first LEED Rated Retail Outlet in Bangalore
PUMA has launched their first sustainable store in Bangalore, India making it an exceptional retail experience. It is the first one globally that will revolutionize the concept of retail spaces. The project has used WIenerberger's Porotherm Clay blocks.
Geojit BNP Paribas’ Green Building, Corporate office @ Kochi
The landmark building is constructed keeping in mind the environmental health, sustainability and the comfort of the occupants. It focuses on efficient energy management and low water consumption and will generate less waste materials, thus creating a space for a healthy work environment. The building that boasts of 1,04,580sqft area is expected to consume 25% less energy than other conventional buildings.
