Green buildings of the world

LEED Gold for Netmagic Data Centre, Chennai

2011-04-10T22:26:00.000-07:00

Netmagic Solutions Pvt. Ltd., a managed IT hosting service provider contributed to the dream of a Greener India by earning a LEED Gold for Commercial Interiors (CI) for its Chennai data centre from the US Green Building Council (USGBC). This is India’s first data centre to have received this coveted rating.

Netmagic’s Chennai data centre has embraced several green features to make the premise truly energy-efficient. The additional cost of incorporating these much-needed features was less than 10%.

Green Attributes

This consists of a long list that includes site ecology, water conservation, smart energy meters and equipment, reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, recycled content, effective waste management, eco-friendly interiors and so on.

Site ecology has been maintained by reusing the evacuated top soil for landscaping.
There is a rain water harvesting system that collects rain water for landscape irrigation and toilet flushing; and a 50% reduction in potable water consumption has been achieved by using water efficient fittings and water meters.
Dependence on fossil fuels has been reduced by providing carpool facilities, bicycles and alternate fuel options through provision of electric vehicle charging points.
The lighting system has a lighting power density of 0.69 W/Sqft as against 1 W/Sqft for office space.
The roof has been treated with high reflective paint to minimize heat ingress and has brought about a 3-4 Degree Centigrade reduction in temperature in the indoor spaces.
The furniture, seating, carpet, glass, composite wood, aluminium, false ceiling, etc is made of recyclable material.
All paints, adhesives, furniture, carpets and housekeeping chemicals are eco-friendly and free of harmful components.
Waste bins for different categories of waste have been provided.
It is a ‘No Smoking’ premise with several operable windows to facilitate cross ventilation.
Occupants have been provided with task lighting and lighting control to ensure better comfort and high productivity.
Energy meters have been installed to measure and monitor energy consumption of the building. An overall 20% higher energy efficiency has been achieved through these innovative energy efficiency measures integrated right at the design stage.

LEED Platinum for ConAgra Foods

2011-04-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

ConAgra Foods' Lamb Weston sweet potato processing facility in Delhi, Louisiana, received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification from the US Green Building Council (USGBC).

The plant, started in September 2010, primarily processes sweet potatoes from Louisiana and the surrounding states’ prime sweet potato-growing regions, and was built from the ground up using the latest and best processing and packaging technologies.

The ConAgra says that this Lamb Weston Delhi facility is the first frozen food manufacturing plant in the world to be conferred LEED Platinum. To earn a LEED certification, a building is evaluated by the USGBC on a number of criteria: sustainable sites (protecting the environment), water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and the innovation and design process.

Notable green features of the Lamb Weston plant include:

The entire plant is climate controlled to increase worker productivity, safety and comfort. Climate control in such a hot, humid environment includes reduction of condensation build up and water on the floors, reducing slip and fall and hazards.

Materials low in Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) are used, such as in carpeting, cleaning products and paints. This brings down occupant exposure to airborne pollutants.

Energy-saving equipment is projected to save 40% of the annual energy consumed at a comparable plant. By identifying and recovering potential wasted energy within the building systems and processes, energy demand is greatly reduced.

Biogas, produced by treating waste water, is piped back to the plant boilers to produce steam. This process is expected to offset approximately 20% of the annual natural gas requirement of the plant, and prevents methane, a harmful greenhouse gas, from entering the atmosphere.

More than 100 acres of the property will be maintained as open space, including protected wetlands, ponds and restored native vegetation. Water is conserved outside the building through landscaping with native plant species that require no irrigation once established.

Priority parking is provided for the low-emission and fuel efficient vehicles like hybrids and electric cars.

ACREX India 2011 by ISHRAE

2011-02-23T03:48:00.000-08:00

ACREX India is the largest biannual International Exhibition and Conference catering to the Air Conditioning, Refrigeration, Ventilation and Building Services' Industries. Following the success wings of ACREX India 2010 with 300 exhibitors and 20,000 visitors and delegates, ACREX India 2011 is scheduled to be held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India from 24th to 26th Feb 2011.

In its 12th edition, ACREX India 2011 will surpass all previous performances and is set to offer a perfect stage for industry get-together with a focus on future trends. ACREX INDIA will provide an ideal platform for exchange of ideas among professionals and an opportunity to showcase latest products, trends & innovations in the industry.

Organizer

This exhibition is being organized by Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating & Air Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE), the largest national body of Engineering Professionals connected with the Indian HVAC&R industry and supported by a large number of professional societies from India and abroad.

Highlights

ACREX India 2011 will be the largest ACREX India show held so far, showcased over an area of 30,000 sq.m. at Pragati Maidan, and intends to attract more than 50,000 business visitors.
It will host series of technical workshops covering a spectrum of technology, opportunities, challenges and concerns facing the HVAC&R industry.
International participation is expected from Germany, Denmark, France, U.K., Italy, Turkey, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, USA, UAE, Japan, China and Malaysia.
This event has also attracted a number of sponsors and partners, which include several leading companies from the industry like Carrier, Blue Star, Schneider, DAIKIN, Notifier, Danfoss, Norfolk, SPC Heat Pipes, Tomkins, Armacell, UP Twiga, Easyflex, Cooper Safety, K-FLEX and JCI.

ACREX India 2011 – Workshop

ACREX India 2011 includes workshops in parallel sessions at Hall 7 & Hall 8 of Pragati Maidan. These workshops will be very useful and cover the following topics.

Low Carbon Communities: Design & Applications
Healthcare facilities design
Design Approach to Net Zero Energy Buildings
Cold Chain: from farm to display
Harnessing Geothermal Energy
Smoke Management in tall buildings
Data centre design and best practices
Emerging HVAC Technologies - Chilled Beam, Underfloor, Displacement, DOAS
High Performance Building Design - Basic
High Performance Building Design - Advanced

Target Visitors

Architects
Interior Designers and Consultants
Engineering Companies
Project Managers
Facility Managers
Developers of Buildings and Infrastructure
End Users from the private and public sector for Residential, Commercial and Industrial buildings
Plumbers
Electricians
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers
Heating & Ventilation Engineers / Contractors
Wholesalers
Distributors
After Sales and Maintenance Contractors

Exhibitors’ Profiles

Building automation
Cabling systems
Heating and domestic hot water
Air-conditioning & air treatment
Quality of energy
Power supply
Lighting management
Renewable energies
Facilities management operation and maintenance
Energy suppliers and distributors
Refrigeration
Building management systems
Measurement-monitoring
Voice-Data-Image Networks
Safety
Security
Fire safety & access control
Ventilation

Green Buildings Asia - 2011

2011-02-23T03:27:00.000-08:00

The second chapter of Green Buildings Asia, an annual conference on design and construction strategies for Green Buildings of the future, will be held from 22nd to 25th February 2011, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Singapore. This green conference will be organized by IBC Asia (S) Pte Ltd.

This conference will focus on critical issues, global trends and cutting edge solutions associated with Green Buildings and Sustainable Architecture in Asia. It will provide an update on latest government policies and initiatives driving the growing Green Building industry while examining related sustainability products, technologies and practices in green roofing, mobility systems and energy-efficient building systems.

This conference paves the way to meet regional authorities, industry leaders as well as experts who will share their sustainability strategies and award-winning designs that contribute to the betterment of the built environment.

Pre-Conference Workshop [Day-1]

The pre-conference workshop will be conducted on 22nd Feb, 2011, as a day-long event. This workshop will set the focus on strategies for the transformation of existing buildings into Green Buildings within shorter time frames and with less investment when compared to demolition and re-building.

This workshop will equip attendees with the following know-how.

The cost benefit of retrofitting existing buildings

An in-depth understanding of the retrofit assessment models for different infrastructures

Preparing the groundwork for retrofit work

A look at green retrofit processes.

Day Two

Rani Virdee will open day two (23rd Feb) of the conference with a session on ‘Enhancing Green Buildings Materials with Carbon Neutral Profiling’, discussing:

The role of green building materials in reducing the carbon footprint of a green building

The requirements to complete LCA of buildings materials

The percentage reductions in overall carbon emissions that can be achieved during construction by using Carbon-neutral Green concrete?

Case studies of several green and sustainable buildings will be discussed in this conference.

Post-Conference Workshop [Day-4]

A post-conference workshop will be conducted on 25th Feb., 2011, highlights of which will be the following.

Attendees can become part of the committee setting the practical agenda for the next wave of leadership for 2011

There will be scope for collaboration to re-invent businesses and unlock opportunities

A chance to establish strategic industry linkages through shared projects and strategies

Attendees of Green Buildings Asia

Architects
Property Developers
Real Estate Companies
Urban Planners
Building and Property Owners
Government Officials and Authorities
Construction and Engineering Companies
Facilities and Property Management Companies
Energy and Green Technology Solution Providers
Venture Capitalists
Banks and Finance Companies
Real Estate and Property Consultants

Another Green Wonder in Glass: Mudra House

2011-02-16T03:49:00.000-08:00

The Mudra Group, one of India’s leading advertising and media agencies, recently unveiled its new office complex, another architectural marvel in glass.

This new Mudra House is located opposite the Grand Hyatt in Mumbai. And as a manner of exemplifying its philosophy of creative collaboration across units, this new office building has been constructed to provide workspaces to over 450 Mudra employees under a single roof. And with a LEED Gold certification form the IGBC, the building has a lot more to be proud of than just dimension.

The 8-storeyed office complex of the Mudra Group sports a combination of glass and red brick tiles on the exterior, giving it unmatched aesthetic appeal. There are two levels of valet parking in the basement, with a capacity of 120 cars. The parking area has been fitted with numerous electrical points as a provision for recharging battery-operated cars.

The Mudra Complex embraces modern architectural design through the generous use of glass on its exteriors, and remains in sync with tradition through artwork displays in the interiors.

The lobby of the building illustrates a description of life in contemporary times, using traditional ‘Warli’ art. This style of art can be seen on each floor of the Complex, in different forms. The Warli art on each floor gives a feel of the ambience within that particular space. Or instance, the workspace is depicted by simple triangle-and-dots figures that vividly capture day-to-day workstation activities. Warli art is also seen on the upholstery, on signage and floor coverings of every floor. The art infuses the ‘Spirit of Community’ throughout the building.

The eighth floor at Mudra House is worth a special mention. This floor that houses Executive Board Members represents exceptional sophistication in its interior design and provides each cabin with a bird’s eye view of Mumbai city. The conference room located on the same floor can accommodate 25 people and has an automatic foldable door that opens up into the adjacent room to create more space when required.

Mudra House is equipped with 1 gigabit IP Telephony, a full blown Unified Communications (UC) system, Video Conferencing (VC) and Audio Visual (AV) facilities, an access control system, a CCTV network and Intelligent Building Management System (IBMS), where the control system is a computerized, intelligent network of electronics, designed to monitor and control the mechanical and lighting systems of the building. In addition, the architecture has incorporated several energy efficient features into the complex.

In addition to the work areas, Mudra House has a recreation area with facilities for table tennis, billiards, and a gymnasium in addition to a cafeteria and a library.

Best Green Building MIPIM Asia Award 2010 - Parkview Green

2011-02-16T02:54:00.000-08:00

The MIPIM Asia Awards are given to real estate projects in the Asia-Pacific region that stand out for innovation in design and excellence in energy performance, among other criteria. There are eight categories of awards that are given away, and the 2010 awards were given away at Hong Kong, on November 10th.

Honours for Parkview Green

Parkview Green was one of three awardees under the Green Building Category. This is the first time a Chinese project has won this Green Building honour. This exemplifies China’s active participation in building a green future. Parkview Green also has the pre-certified LEED® Platinum for core and shell from the USGBC. On completion, it is all set China’s first LEED® Platinum certified urban mixed-use development.

Parkview Green

Parkview Green FangCaoDi is a building that houses world-class shopping centres, Grade-A office complexes and a boutique hotel. Located in Beijing, China, it was designed by Integrated Design Associates (IDA) and given life by developers Beijing Chyau Fwu Properties Ltd.

Parkview Green assumes a unique pyramidal structure with both aesthetic and functional appeal. The building comprises four towers - two 9-storey & two 18-storey towers. Four of these towers are meant primarily for Grade-A office space. There is 82000sq m of office space in total for multiple tenants, connected by air bridges. There is also a commercial business space, a 100 room boutique hotel and 50,000m2 of luxury retail.

The Shield

All four towers are enclosed by a transparent environmental shield. This shield is made of steel, glass walls and an ETFE membrane system roof, and is controlled by an automated Building Management System. The double-glass skin creates an air chamber that stores the thermal energy and reduces energy footprint. It also forms a natural ventilation system that circulates fresh air between the ceilings and floors, allowing the building to “breathe” easily and naturally.

The climate inside the shield is relatively uniform. The shield increases thermal insulation, thus reducing energy consumption. It limits the need for air conditioning in summer and reduces heat loss during winter.

Ventilation louvers are installed at the top of the envelope. These act as chimneys, allowing the warmest air to escape and creating an upward flow of air. As the air escapes, cooler air is drawn up from the bottom of the building, allowing for air movement and natural ventilation.

With its sustainable architectural design, Parkview Green FangCaoDi saves up to 44% in energy consumption and 48% in water consumption. Parkview Green can also recycle 81% of its construction waste material. Moreover, 25% of its total building construction material is made up of recycled content.

More on Parkview

Parkview sports a 236-metre pedestrian bridge that spans the complex, offering a bird’s-eye view of shops and the public plaza. A series of lifts and 18 six-meter-long escalators have been installed. The premium shopping centre offers luxury merchandise on four levels. Boutique Cinema, a mini-spa and a gym on a terraced garden sky lounge on the 18th floor are some other perks the building offers. Fashion shows, car launches, art exhibitions and other attention-grabbing events will be hosted here.

Green Homes - Net Zero Energy, Solar Powered Home

2011-02-07T03:54:00.000-08:00

South India is now home to an iconic “zero energy and solar powered home”, a masterpiece in Green architecture that is set to start a welcome trend in controlled energy consumption in residences.

This zero energy space project was exhibited at the Indian Green Building Congress (IGBC) 2010, held at Chennai from 6th to 9th October last year. The IGBC is Asia’s largest Green building conference. The project was also showcased at the Economic Times’ ACEtech - Mumbai as well as Delhi chapters. These are Asia’s largest construction related expos.

About 60% of this home’s energy requirements are met by the conventional sources, while solar power supplies the remaining 40%. Nevertheless, there is no compromise on performance and comfort.

The chief sponsors of this Green initiative are Aluplast Windows, Breezair, Everest Industries, Nippon Paints, Supreme Pertochem and Roca.

EVEREST FIBRE CEMENT BOARDS

The drywall construction with fibre cement boards from Everest creates a strong, light weight, water resistant and energy efficient building envelope which supports a variety of finishes. 55% of the raw materials used to prepare these boards are recycled.

BREEZAIR FRESH AIR

Air conditioning is known to be the largest consumer of energy in a building. The Breezair system works through an evaporative cooling cycle and consumes 1/10th of the energy of a conventional air conditioning device, apart from providing 100% fresh air ventilation.

PHOTO-VOLTAIC BY TEAM SUSTAIN

This energy-efficient residence sports photo-voltaic solar panels on the rooftop. An inverter and a battery storage device are used for uninterrupted power-supply.

SUPREME INSUBOARD & BEARDSELL

Insulation of the walls and the roof is a vital element of the building envelope, meant to prevent the transfer of heat in both directions. This product reduces heat ingress through the walls/roof and hence cuts down on energy consumption for air conditioning. INSBOARD offers one the highest insulation values for XPS insulation.

ALUPLAST WINDOWS

High performance double glazed units and energy-saving UPVC frames are used to reduce energy consumption as well as sound transmission. This is a German product, which saves energy by reducing infiltration and the frames are provided with thermal breaks to prevent heat ingress.

ROCA BATHROOM

Water efficient fixtures for toilets and taps reduce the fresh water consumption in the building and also help score points for the LEED rating system.

SURABHI BAMBOO

Bamboo improves the sustainability of the building as it grows rapidly and can be harvested in much shorter period compared to hardwoods. With the help of the modern production techniques bamboo is transformed into an excellent materials for flooring, furniture and other interior design works.

NIPPON PAINTS

Low-Voc Paints are used on the interiors to create healthy indoor environment and keep away toxins which could be lead to respiratory problems. Solar Reflective paints are used on the exteriors, which facilitate reflection of sunlight and reduction in solar heat gain.

Source: www.inspiredGreen.in

Sripuram Golden Temple - Green Temple in India

2010-12-07T21:20:00.000-08:00

It is almost passé for architecture of all forms and for every purpose to take the Green route today. Be it educational institutions, corporate buildings, government offices or commercial buildings, public areas like airports, railways stations and sports stadiums, residential constructions or even hospitals - Sustainability and Green are buzzwords that none can ignore. But the winner is the “Golden Temple” of Sripuram in Tamil Nadu. As a place of worship, it stands out as the latest form of architecture, most unusually, that has embraced the Green concept.

This Golden Temple of Sripuram is a spiritual park situated at the foothills of Malaikodi, a village within the city of Vellore in Tamil Nadu, India. Sripuram received “Exnora Green Temple Award” and “Exnora Best Eco-friendly Campus of India Award” from Deputy Chief Minister of Tmail Nadu, Shri M.K. Stalin on 27th October earlier this year.

Exnora International is a non-government environmental service organization. The body has rated the temple as one of the best enviro-models of the world.

The temple is a paradise of sorts, where tranquillity, greenery and peace reign supreme. An attractive-looking terracotta-tiled ceiling over the 1.5 km long star-shaped foot path leading to the temple provides for the entry of ample natural light and wind.

The eco-friendly features include Solid Waste Management (SWM), Liquid Waste Management (LWM), rainwater harvesting, bio-gas generation, organic farming, herbal gardens, paddy fields and tree plantations, hill and campus afforestation and harnessing of solar energy. Manure and water for cultivation are generated internally.

Waste Management

Plastics and glasses are shredded, papers compressed into bales and sent for recycling by the Solid Waste Management system. Sripuram Temple attracts a daily footfall of over 5,000 which translate into two tonnes of waste, both bio-degradable and recyclable. The waste is either turned back into material or into manure which is used for the site’s soil. The waste water is recycled and used to irrigate the grass and plantations. Vegetables for meals are grown internally.

Bio-gas

About 3 tonnes of cow dung aids in the generation of 50 kgs of fuel which in turn is used for cooking. Also, the bio-gas generated from a mixture of cow dung and waste food is used at temple’s accommodations, hospital and community kitchens.

Solar Water Heaters

Solar heaters generate hot water which is also used in the kitchens, thereby reducing the need for procurement of fuel from external sources by 80 percent. Canals and ponds dug up within the site help recharge ground water. The temple generates water for its own needs and also supplies some for public use when rainfall is insufficient.

Zero Waste Management (ZWM)

The temple also practices Zero Waste Management. This system includes a biogas plant. Between April 2002 and November 2003, the system has generated 33.8 tonnes of compost (worth Rs. 52,280) and earned Rs. 22,400 through sale of recyclables. The compost generated is used in various areas within the temple site like the gardens, agricultural fields, nurseries and for hill restoration. The success of the project has encouraged the management to extend the ZWM to the Malaikodi village.

Waste Processing Facility (WPF)

The temple authorities have set up a Waste Processing Facility (WPF). Four to five mega tonnes of garbage generated daily is processed by 70 workers. The bio - degradable waste is converted into organic manure through aerobic composting and vermicomposting. The recyclables are segregated into 48 categories, packed and sold to recyclers. The average income from sale of compost and recyclables is Rs.1 lakh per month. An average of 2 tonnes of garbage is collected everyday from surrounding areas.

During the treatment process, natural manure is created and used at the Sakthi Amma Greenery Afforestation Revolution (SAGAR) and the Sakthi Amma Afforestation Program (SAAP). Cleaning powders are made from fruit and vegetable peels.

Sustainable Technosphere In Dubai’s Technopark

2010-11-24T23:36:00.000-08:00

“Whopping Bubble” – A Technosphere by James Law Cybertecture will be launched shortly as the centrepiece of eight-square-mile Dubai's Technopark, an information technology park currently under construction in the heart of the emirate's industrial zone. The building will be an iconic symbol and will shine as a crown jewel of the Technopark city, hence the name ‘Technosphere’. Its innovative globe shape differs it from the conventional buildings, and is likely to attract tourists.

This Technosphere is designed by famous architect James Law from James Law Cybertecture. He is well-known for his work in ‘Cybertecture‘, which is a combination of advanced technologies, architecture, and multimedia experiences for users.

Replica of the Earth

This sustainable spherical building replicates the earth as a structural concept and also reflects the state of our planet in current and future times. Inside the eco-sphere is an entire world which serves as a vehicle to explore the issues of self-sustaining life on a smaller level.

Sustainable Techniques of Technos

Constructed as a mixed-use building, technosphere provides office and residential space as well as a hotel and public courtyards. Technosphere would be a carbon-neutral building to live and work. Technosphere will follow many sustainable technologies and energy-saving systems to lower the building’s carbon footprint.

The Technosphere has several key technology systems and architectural spaces that will enable the building to generate a self breathing environment. Technosphere will also be provided with water recycling and air-purifying (or “self-breathing”) gardens as highlighted components. This living, breathing building operates in a similar fashion to the Earth itself, providing energy, recycling water, and providing sustenance to its occupants.

The exterior forms a shell around the interior spaces and will house solar panels for electricity generation to supplement the energy needs of the building.

An intelligently distributed array of sky gardens for offices and hotel not only gives a outdoor terrace advantage to the occupants but also provide passive solar shielding from the sun to regulate the interior temperature and reduce the energy needed to artificially to heat or cool the building. The natural green plantation of the sky garden filters the air to contribute fresh oxygen to the indoor environment.

The water recycling system will minimize the use and wastage of water in this vast building.

Rashtrapati Bhawan – India’s First ISO certified Residential Green Building

2010-11-19T03:52:00.000-08:00

Government constructions taking the ‘green’ blanket are by far the best precedent to the massive task of building a greener and better tomorrow for the country.

Recently, none other than the Rashtrapati Bhawan - the official residence of the President of India – became the first urban dwelling to receive an ISO certification (International Organisation for Standardisation) by UK's Bureau Veritas, following the introduction of solar power and waste management systems among other energy-efficiency measures under the project 'Roshini', which was inaugurated by ruling President Pratibha Patil in 2008.

This certification was one of the objectives of Project Roshini. The project is an initiative that aims at making the President's Estate a green and an environment-friendly habitat, wherein in practices like conservation and efficient use of resources are encouraged.

The Rashtrapati Bhawan achieved this end by adapting eco-friendly practices such as recycling of water, rain water harvesting, use of natural gas and biogas instead of LPG, zero waste management and making the estate a plastic-free zone.

Solid Waste Management

A new Waste Segregation and Recycling Programme - RRR (Recycle, Reuse and Reduce) has been introduced with the active support of the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC). Residents have been trained in segregating bio-degradable and non-biodegradable waste generated in each house and a system of door-to-door collection of this waste has been put in place.

A Self Help Group (SHG) of women has been trained in composting the biodegradable waste, which on an average is between 300 - 400 kgs per day. The organic manure generated is used in the President's Gardens. So far about 320 quintals of vermi-compost has been prepared by the SHG since October 2009.

Rain Water Harvesting

The focus is a concept of zero wastage of water. All waste water will be recycled and the rain water will be harvested in the President's Estate. 100 percent Rain Water Harvesting

is adapted in Rashtrapati Bhavan in collaboration with the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB).

Environmental Protection

Increase in green cover, tree census, protection of flora and fauna and replacement of dry and dead trees are also carried out. More than 11,000 trees have been planted in the President's Estate, Rashtrapati Nilayam, Hyderabad and the Presidential Retreat at Shimla. The survival rate of these plantations is 90 percent. A Tree Census and report was taken up with the help of the Horticulture Wing of NDMC. A report on the Field Study of Peacocks has also been prepared under the aegis of the World Pheasant Association.

Nature Trail

A “Nature Trail”, spread over 75 acres has been developed with the help of the Department of Environment and Forests, Govt. of NCT of Delhi. This trail showcases the bio-diversity of the President's Estate. Since its inception, more than 3000 visitors, mainly from schools have come to the Trail which has 136 wild and cultivated plant species as well as 84 animal and 32 bird species.

Ban on Plastic

Usage of plastic products, specifically plastic bags, is discouraged in the President's Estate. Now under the Roshini Project, the use of more eco-friendly products is being promoted. Under this initiative, SHGs of women have been trained in making paper bags, which are being used in shops inside the Estate.

Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation

Solar photovoltaic panels have been installed in the new Auditorium, Health Centre and President's Secretariat Officers' Institute. In addition, 100 solar street lights have been installed in the Estate. Solar powered water heating devices are being installed in residences. As a result, in one year more than one lakh kilowatt hour of electricity consumption has been reduced, resulting in monetary savings of Rs. 6.50 lakh.

Houses are quipped with CFL lighting, besides solar lamps installed at 110 points within the campus. Electric cars and carts are used for running local errands within the campus. Even the auditorium is run on solar power though it does have a regular power source as back-up.

In addition, a 25 CUM Bio-gas plant has been installed in collaboration with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and the Khadi and Village Industries Corporation (KVIC) for the kitchen of the President's Body Guard (PBG) and the Army Guard Kitchen situated in the President's Estate. These kitchens' were previously using LPG cylinders for cooking purposes. The plant uses about 600 kgs of cattle dung per day and provides cooking fuel for about 70-80 persons in the PBG Mess.

More than 1000 houses in the Estate have been converted to PNG, supplied by Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL). In addition, PNG is also being supplied to the President's main kitchen.

As per the statistics of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, during January-June 2009, 78.95 lakh units of electricity were consumed in the President's Estate. "Due to the energy efficient measures, the corresponding electricity consumption from Jan-June 2010 has come down to 64.03 lakh units, which is a reduction of 14.92 lakh units saving more than Rs 90 lakh," the statistics report said.

Source: presidentofindia.nic.in

Prison in India going Green through use of Solar Water Heaters

2010-11-19T03:42:00.000-08:00

While the “Green” fever is known to strike the architecture of corporate buildings, educational institutions, sports stadiums, residential apartments, hotels, convention centers, manufacturing plants and so on, a Green prison is, unarguably, quite unheard of. The Indian subcontinent is the proud home to the world’s first eco-friendly prison, and what’s more – It has been built by its own prisoners. This clearly exemplifies the Green awareness and the in-depth participation towards Green in the country.Recently, the inmates of Central Jail in Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal, India successfully developed and installed a centralized hot water system, which was later inaugurated by Shri Raghavji, Finance Minister of Madhya Pradesh.

Close to 40 LPG cylinders are emptied daily for heating water used in preparing tea and meals for all the prisoners in the Bhopal Central Jail. The solar hot water system provides 2,500 litres of hot water - enough to supply all the hot water needed to make tea and meals for 3,000 inmates. This efficient solar-powered hot water system reduces the need for LPG cylinders by 3.5 in number, per day. Besides this, children of women prisoners will get hot water during winters from the 2000-litre water heater.

This idea was the brainchild of the jail director, Prem Lal Pandey, who has a master’s degree in Radio Physics and Electronics. The first attempt by the inmates was to construct a 200-litre solar water heater. Following the success of this endeavour, the capacity was scaled up to 2,000 litres of hot water.

Bhopal now plans to equip all eight of its central jails in Madhya Pradesh with similar solar systems, as well as deliver 1,000 litres of water per day to 22 district jails and 500 litres per day to 92 subordinate jails in the state. Madhya Pradesh gets ample sunlight and high temperatures, which are conducive to the harnessing of solar energy.

Furthermore, the prisoners are now equipped with a new skill - solar water heater manufacturing – which they can exploit to earn a living.

Eco-Friendly New Terminal at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport

2010-10-18T23:54:00.000-07:00

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India, divulged its new Eco-Friendly terminal on July 4th, 2010. The terminal was opened for public use on 15th August 2010. Constructed at a cost of Rs 316 crore and over 41000 sq. meters of total floor area, this terminal will host 2,200 passengers per hour, across the arrival and departure terminals. This project has been planned as per International Air Transport Association (IATA) norms for various facilities and intelligent building management systems.

Façade & Skylight

The most distinct feature of the terminal is its skylight that resembles a kite, making a reference to the international annual Kite festival held every year on January 14 in Ahmedabad. The kite-shaped skylights help flood the interiors with ample natural light, along with sheer glass and louvered facades.

The surrounding surface area is a membrane of ceiling finish from below and roofing above. With trapezoidal-shaped frames, the three dimensional compositions will taper to a single node at the middle of the roof.

The terminal has 32 check-in counters that can be used by any of the airlines, five conveyor belts for smooth flow of baggage, four aerobridges, seven elevators, two information booths, besides several escalators.

Includes a 51,975 sq m new apron (aircraft parking space) which facilitates the parking of nine A-321 and four ATR-72 type of aircraft.

Energy Efficiency

Air conditioning is concentrated only in the first 3m to 4m of space, being a measure to improve the energy efficiency. Moreover, Air-conditioned is carried out with energy-efficient devices.
Terminal is equipped with software-enabled aerodrome operation control centre for optimum utilization of resources like energy.
There are fountains inside and outside the building. It has sewage treatment plant to recycle water that could be used for horticulture and air-conditioning
Constructed with steel frames and glass, the terminal does not require any artificial light during the day. It also has energy-efficient lights for night time.
Also equipped with the state-of-the-art fire-fighting equipment and protection system.

Travelators

This is the only airport in western India to be equipped with underground travelators (walkalators). Travelators has underground link with the existing domestic terminal. Passengers will be able to travel from new to old terminal using the travelators, which are similar to conveyor belts or say horizontal escalator or moving path where they don’t need to walk.

With11 metres wide and 410 metres long, travelators have been put in place in an air-conditioned tunnel at a cost of Rs. 80 crore.

Aerobridges

Next iconic feature of this new terminal is the 4 glass aerobridges with visual docking system. Passengers will be able to easily and comfortably board or alight from the aircraft without even setting foot on the ground because of the aerobridges.

Parking

There is space for 900 cars to be parked, which is double the combined parking capacity of the old domestic and international terminals. The car parking will be handled by electronically operated gates with provision of computerized ticketing.

The airport building has 2 information booths, 5 conveyor belts for arrival, 4 escalators, 7 elevators and two passengers boarding bridge. It also maintains an inline X-ray baggage inspection system integrated with state-of-the-art departure baggage conveyors and carousals type arrival conveyors. New air traffic control tower and new radar will be installed soon.Having an international airport with international standard add the country’s pride and exemplifies the nation’s growth.

Giant Glass Tower of Apple in China

2010-10-04T23:33:00.000-07:00

Apple Inc. unveiled its newest store in the Pudong district of Shanghai, China on July 10th, 2010. This structure is very similar to the glass cube of the Fifth Avenue store in New York.

This uniquely-shaped construction was covered with red curtains before its opening, to create an element of curiosity for the townsfolk. The store lies in the shadow of two of Shanghai's skyscrapers – the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Centre. This is the second Apple store in China and is among the largest Apple Stores in the world.

This store, located below ground level of the International Finance Center, sports a rather stunning entryway. The Center is a giant cylindrical glass tower equipped with a glass stairway descending to the store below. This spectacular glass tower is constructed with a 40-foot high glass cylinder which contains the largest curved glass panels in the world. The cost of these glass structures is estimated at 1.5 million Yuan apiece. All parts of the structures are unbreakable.

Apple uses some of the largest pieces of glass in the world to construct this first cylindrical store. The glass cylinder represents a pebble dropped into a pond, and the concentric circles stand for ripples of water and the energy that radiates throughout China. Glass towers allow natural light to flood the interiors in the day time. A spiral staircase in the cylinder winds its way down to the retail shop below the surface.

Twelve rounded glass panels towering over a height of 12.5 meters (41 feet) are used to form this cylindrical dome. Inside, the computer maker’s distinctive bitten-apple logo is suspended above a glass stairway that corkscrews into the underground retail space. The atrium foyer is also a crystalline sign of the times: It was made entirely in China, establishing a fresh benchmark on workmanship for the world’s largest glass industry.

The new store boasts 1500 square meters of retail space, chock-full of Apple products. The Shanghai store will also offer more than 100 Macs, one of the longest Genius Bars and 175 employees. The workers won’t be your average electronics mouth-breathers, either. There are more hands-on gadgets to play with than any other Apple Store and it also includes one of the largest Genius Bars.

Eaton’s Sustainable Headquarters in China Earns LEED Gold

2010-10-04T23:15:00.000-07:00

The Asia-Pacific headquarters of Eaton Corporation in Shanghai, China received the prestigious LEED Gold certification for commercial interiors from the USGBC recently. This is the largest building in the country to earn this level of green standards and to be honoured by LEED. This is also the first Eaton facility to have this honour.

Eaton is a global technology leader in electrical components and systems for power quality, distribution and control; hydraulics components, systems and services for industrial and mobile equipment; aerospace fuel, hydraulics and pneumatic systems for commercial and military use; and truck and automotive drivetrain and powertrain systems for performance, fuel economy and safety. Eaton has approximately 70,000 employees and has a presence in more than 150 countries.

Being a leading global power management company, sustainability is at the core of Eaton's business, and the highlight of this new headquarters is its emphasis on sustainable materials and equipment. Protecting and improving the environment are the highest priorities of Eaton.

This ‘Green Headquarters’ of Eaton in China consists of a five-storey building spread over a 10,000-square-meter office building. To achieve LEED certification, this building incorporated within its architecture, several energy-efficient features like reduced water consumption, optimized energy performance, efficient usage of construction materials, best indoor environment and so on.

Here’s a list of the green features of this building.

Daylight and external views for 9 out of 10 workstations and other seats inside the building
Fixtures that reduce water consumption by 34 percent
31 percent of the furniture is stuff that has been used before
70 percent of the wood used in this building is Forest Stewardship Council certified wood
76 percent of materials used are sourced regionally
100 percent of the carpeting is recyclable
88 percent of demolition debris was recycled to construct this structure

The building is powered by Eaton's industry-leading energy efficient uninterruptible power system (UPS) equipment, breakers, switchgear and lighting control systems, which make significant contributions to environmental protection and emissions reduction.

Uninterruptible power system reduces the electricity cost and minimizes the carbon footprints.

More Green Architecture in India: Cybertecture Egg

2010-09-25T03:38:00.000-07:00

From as far back as the days of ancient civilization, Indian architecture has always inspired the world – be it through its religious temples, monuments or ancient buildings. Those marvellous works are still a benchmark for modern architects. Now, architecture has evolved and India has taken the lead here as well. Welcome to the “Cybertecture Egg”, Mumbai, India.

Cybertecture Egg

“Cybertecture Egg” is an egg-shaped building under construction in Mumbai. This landmark building is the first Cybertecture Office Building in the world. James Law Cybertecture International has introduced this innovative design; the commissioners of the design are Vijay Associates (Wadhwa Developers). The building is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2010. It is expected that this building will act like a “jewel” for the new Central Business District of Mumbai, and is likely to evoke feelings of envy from other commercial buildings in the district!

Architecture

This office building covers 32,000 sq m of total floor area. It also maintains13 floors above the ground with a maximum height of 62m, and 3 floors below the ground. This Cybertecture Egg is covered by an intelligent system of an elliptical egg-shaped frame, integrated with glass panels.

This egg-shaped structure consumes approximately 10-20% less surface area compared to conventional buildings. An innovative structure derived from the shell of the egg, that will accommodate up to 30m spans of column-less floors, will be included in the building.

The concept for this building is rather like Planet Earth, where a sustainable natural ecosystem is derived from an integrated and seamless cybertecture that is evolving to give the building’s inhabitants the very best space to work in.

Cybertecture Health

The Cybertecture Egg is quite a step head with its principle of ‘Cybertecture Health’. This interactive feature, installed in various places within the premises, monitors occupants’ vital health and wellness statistics. Bathrooms will monitor worker health by measuring weight and blood pressure. A doctor will be alerted to any drastic changes.

Green Egg

Being of the scale that it is, the building is bound to have as many green features as possible. The Egg tilts in a manner that supports strong visual language, and also enhances the solar gain of the building.

The building has incorporated passive solar design to decrease heat gain and lower energy loads. The Cybertecture Egg will use solar photovoltaic panels and rooftop wind turbines to generate onsite electricity.

An elevated garden also moderates temperate by using natural vegetation to assist with cooling the building envelope. This Sky Garden performs thermolysis (the dissipation of heat from the surface).

A water filtration system will also be incorporated into the building to recycle grey water for flushing and irrigation purposes.

Hangzhou Sports Park, China – A Jumbo “Green Flower”

2010-07-23T00:58:00.000-07:00

Coming up in Hangzhou, China is a flower-shaped green sports complex - Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium. This multi-purpose stadium which is under construction is part of the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center. Upon completion in 2013, it will host 80,000 spectators at a time and will be the largest sports park in China. It is designed jointly by NBBJ and CCDI.

Construction of this Sports Park commenced with a design plan of 400,000 square-meter area on the Qian Tang riverfront. Inspiration for the design for the park and the stadium was drawn from the geometry of the nearby river delta as well as the flora of the nearby lake. The park has a large open space, walking trails, a tennis facility, retail space, community playing fields and of course a massive sports area.

The three major components of this flower-shaped stadium are:

An above-grade platform that defines the ‘sports boulevard,’ linking together programs such as the main stadium and tennis tournament facilities.
Ground level, pathways, gardens and plazas form a network of public recreation activities designed for alternative and extreme sports.
A below-grade level consisting of sunken spaces and courtyards including boutique stores, restaurants and a multiplex cinema hall.

The most distinct feature of the site is a flawless pedestrian path that intertwines sports and commercial programs, along with creating a clear path of circulation between two planned transportation hubs.

The project seeks green building certification, energy and water efficiency, and the use of renewable energy through green building materials. This is a transformational project that redefines sustainable design excellence in sports facilities throughout Asia.

Eco - Green Towers

2010-07-09T05:02:00.000-07:00

0-14 Tower

Constructed in the heart of Dubai’s Business Bay, 0-14 Tower is a twenty-two-storey tall commercial tower standing on a two-storey podium. Designed by Architects Jesse Reiser and Nanoko Umemoto of RUR Architecture, in collaboration with developer Shahab Lutfi, this tower stands out for both its height and area covered – a sizeable 30,000 sq.ft.

The façade of this tower consists of a doubly skinned envelope which contains 1,000 circular openings in the 40c thick concrete outermost skin. These circular openings on the facade serve as a solar screen, letting in light, air, and visibility into the interior occupants. The openings on the shell are modulated depending on structural requirements, views, sun exposure and luminosity. The façade also serves as a structural exoskeleton, absorbing all of the tower’s lateral forces and acting as a physical barrier for the building’s window wall. The concrete shell creates highly efficient, column-free open spaces in the buildings interior.

A space nearly one meter deep between the shell and the glazing creates a 'chimney effect,' a phenomenon whereby hot air has room to rise and effectively cools the surface of the window wall behind the perforated shell. This passive solar technique essentially contributes to a natural component to the cooling system for O-14, thus reducing energy consumption by 30%, just one of many innovative aspects of the building's design.

Dynamic Towers

Dynamic Towers – world’s first building in motion will also be the first skyscraper constructed from prefabricated units in Dubai. This 80-storyed dynamic tower is designed by Italian architect David Fisher with 420 meters height. The apartments will be able to spin 360 degrees, giving the tower a different look every time.

Each floor will be able to move at different speeds and in different directions independently would combine the Emirate’s lavish tendencies and Dubai’s architectural superiority with new eco-friendly technology. This tower is designed in such a way that it can power itself and also for the other five smaller buildings in its surroundings.

This dynamic skyscraper is occupied for various purposes as 1st-20th floors by offices, 21st – 35th floors by luxuries hotels, 36th – 70th by residential condominiums and finally 71st – 80th floors are in use by luxuries villas.

The entire tower will receive its power generated from 79 wind turbines and solar panels. The turbines will be located between each of the rotating floors. Each turbine has the peak ability to produce around 0.2 megawatt hours of electricity and it estimated to produce around 1,200,000 kilowatt-hours of energy per year. The system is not only meant to create enough energy to power to the entire tower but still have juice to spare for five other similar sized buildings in the vicinity. The solar panels will be located on the roof and the top of each floor. The cells will be 15% open to the sun’s rays on all 80 floors for the full day helping to power the building.

Green Buildings of TERI

2010-07-09T01:17:00.000-07:00

The Energy and the Resource Institute (TERI), established in 1974, is a global organisation that addresses environmental issues in the fields of energy and sustainable development. Their focus is on healthy and sustainable development through the advocating of the concept of green buildings. As a manifestation of its dedication to the cause of sustainability, TERI has constructed eco-friendly buildings in several locations, including Gurgaon, Bangalore and Mukteshwar.

TERI has also introduced GRIHA, a rating system to adjudge the 'greenness' of buildings, in order to popularize this initiative.

The TERI buildings

Southern Regional Centre, Bangalore
Himalayan Centre, Mukteshwar
RETREAT (Resource Efficient TERI Retreat for Environmental Awareness and Training), Gurgaon

1. Southern Regional Centre

The Southern Regional Centre of TERI is an office-cum-guest house is in Dolmur, Bangalore, India. This is a set of buildings that host 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 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.

The architectural design of the building lies of the natural forces such as wind, fire, earth and water. 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 ventilation

Building is designed in such a way 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.

Lighting

Atrium spaces with skylights, sections of the Centre are designed to permit the natural daylight enters into the heart of the building. This considerably reduces the dependence on artificial lighting. And this is supplemented by a skylight roof and energy-efficient artificial lighting.

Water heating system

A solar water heating system is installed to meet the hot water requirements of the kitchen and the guest rooms. In 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.

2. Himalayan Centre

Himalayan Centre of Teri is located in Mukteshwar, India. As the Himalayan centre is 2300 metres high above the sea level, it is shining as a place of refreshment. Yes, this green building is ideally designed for purposes of repose and research. This centre consists of the residential wing, state-of-art conference hall, meeting area, rest rooms and internet facility.

The architecture of the building reflects the local style. Practical considerations of locale and availability of resources also determined its design. Trees are planted on the northern side of the building to provide a buffer against cold winds. Fibreglass panels in the ceilings and walls act as insulators, preserving heat and improving acoustics.

Lightings

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. Planned corridors in front of the habitable spaces minimize the glare of the sunlight, while trapping solar radiation to be emitted at night.

Solar panels

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.

Water management

This area faces a severe shortage of potable water, despite of the ample rainfall. Thus 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.

3. RETREAT

Resource Efficient TERI Retreat for Environmental Awareness and Training is part of the 36-hectare Gual Pahari campus of TERI. This is located about 30km south of Delhi, in the state of Haryana. Once a degraded wasteland, it is now an epitome of green practices and sustainability.

Read more about RETREAT…..

Asia’s First LEED-Certified Convention Centre - Songdo ConvensiA

2010-06-07T02:45:00.001-07:00

Songdo ConvensiA is a world-class convention centre built and donated to the city of Incheon for operation and use. Songdo is the first convention facility in Asia to achieve a prestigious LEED NC 2.2 certification from the USGBC. This LEED certified convection centre is located in ambitious eco-city - Incheon, South Korea, covers 1000 square meters and it is built at a cost of $150 million. This convention centre designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, walks and talks in green by fully equipped with the state of art “ubiquitous system”.

An exhibition hall in this convention centre includes 8,416 square meters of usable area, which is partitioned into two with a utility wall including sound proof function. Multi-functional conference room envelops 2,304 square meters, partitioned into 10-23 rooms with “ubiquitous system” including wireless internet, voice recognition cameras, advanced system including sound-proof walls, 28 electronically operated screens, 28 LCD projectors and much more. ConvensiA Lounge and exterior lawns are for various colourful events.

The Songdo ConvensiA Center features extensive access to public transportation, 230 bicycle racks for citizen and worker use, shower facilities for employees who commute to work via bicycle or walking and preferred parking for fuel-efficient, low-emitting, and carpool vehicles. It also incorporates a versatile, energy-saving lighting system, landscape design that does not require irrigation, a 45% water demand reduction in plumbing fixtures each year and low-VOC finishes and thus promoting healthy indoor air quality for visitors and employees. During construction over 80% of construction waste was recycled or diverted from landfills and incinerators, and locally-sourced and recycled-content materials were used to reduce waste.

Energy - Efficient Phoenix Park with EPA’s Environmental Merit Award

2010-05-27T00:31:00.000-07:00

The latest to receive the Environmental Merit Award from EPA, New England is Phoenix Park in Shirley, Massachusetts. This award was given away on the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, April 22nd. The principal owner Eric Shapiro and project manager Robert McDermott were presented the award at a ceremony at Faneuil Hall in Boston.

Background & Building Plan

Phoenix Park has been redeveloped from an old cotton mill; to redevelop an old building into an energy-efficient structure is one of the greatest challenges to modern architecture. And today, Phoenix Park stands as one of those few constructions that has faced and overcome this very challenge. Starting from the development plan and going right up to operation of the building in a way most advantageous to the ecosystem, this business park has left no stone unturned in ensuring that it is one of the most energy-efficient manifestations of great architecture.

Phoenix Park is a 325,000 square foot refurbished 14-building office and industrial complex in Shirley, Massachusetts. It is located on a 56-acre campus setting close to the commuter rail, comprises office and flexes space and is equipped with modern amenities. The frills include a free fitness facility, conference room, cafeteria, internet connectivity and low-cost commercial storage space.

Energy-Efficient Features

Phoenix is equipped with a 506kW solar power harnessing system. This system includes 2,530 Evergreen 200 Watt rooftop and ground-level solar panels and Solectria Renewables Photovoltaic Inverters. The Park’s choice of Massachusetts-made components from Evergreen and Solectria bolsters and reinforces the state’s leadership position in the nation’s growing green economy.

The system offsets roughly 40 percent of the total electricity load on the park. Over its lifetime, the system will offset over 950,000 pounds of carbon dioxide - the equivalent of planting 52,000 trees and eliminating the burning of over 9,800 gallons of gasoline each year.

The entire architecture is also retrofitted with energy-efficient windows and maximum roof insulation. Energy-efficient lighting, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and energy-efficient heating and cooling systems are other salient features of this unquestionably green structure.

Phoenix Park exemplifies the policy of "Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle" in its broadest sense. It has presented the community with an invaluable asset without compromising on advanced technology.

Environmental-Friendly Knowledge centre with LEED Silver

2010-05-26T22:37:00.000-07:00

The latest to be honoured by the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the DuPont Knowledge Centre (DKC) in Hyderabad, India. It received a LEED “Silver” from the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). One of the country’s global research and development centres, the DKC is the first laboratory site in India to have been awarded this green building status. DKC hosts a biotechnology centre, materials research centre and global engineering design centre. As such, it stands as the first integrated knowledge centre and sixth major R&D facility outside the United States.

LEED provides building owners and operators with a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operation and maintenance solutions.

The “Silver” LEED rating for the DKC is the fruit of energy-efficient design and maintenance features, which include measures which permit minimum use of water, conserve energy, preserve natural resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generate less waste, thus offering a healthier and cleaner environment for occupants. The DKC premises allow natural light to illuminate the interiors through the use of high performance glazing. Energy conservation is supported by motion sensors, efficient chillers, energy-conserving lighting systems and so on. Low VOC paint and rain water harvesting are some other green features of the DKC.

The DKC site is well-planned, enhanced with good landscaping and shaded walkways that connect the research centres, clearly demonstrating commitment to environmental stewardship and social responsibility.

An integrated project team from the Indian Green Building Council conducted an independent, third-party verification of the DKC to ensure the centre met the highest green building and performance measures. The parameters on which the DKC was rated include:

sustainable site
water efficiency
energy and atmosphere
material and resources
indoor environmental quality
design innovation.

National Building Code for Residential Apartments in India

2010-05-20T02:11:00.000-07:00

The National Building Code (NBC) is a national instrument that will guide the regulations for construction activity in the country. The code encompasses all the aspects vital for safe and orderly building development. The building that does not satisfy the requirements put forward by the NBC or violates it is bound to suffer penalty, cancellation of sanction or demolition.Basic Requirements

Lift

A building at a height of more than 13 metres is to have a lift that starts from the ground floor, and have a minimum capacity of six persons. On the basis of detailed calculations (based on the relevant provisions of National Building Code) the number of lifts can be variable.

Fire Safety or Fire Protection

In the case of apartment buildings exceeding three storeys above ground level, a certificate of approval from the Director of Fire Force or an officer authorized by him should be obtained before issue of the building permit. All other requirements in respect of fire protection shall conform to Part IV, Fire Protection National Building Code of India.

Every floor of any kind of residential accommodation exceeding 150 sq. meters of floor area with a capacity of more than 20 persons should posses at least two doorways, as remote as practicable from each other. At least one staircase should be provided as a fire exit as defined by the National Building Code

The detailed plan showing the arrangement of pipe lines, booster pumps and water-tanks at various levels should be submitted for approval of the concerned authority along with the plans and sections of the buildings. Every building standing at a height of more than 25 metres is to be provided with diesel generators which can be utilized in case of power failure.

Foundation & Structural Design

All materials and workmanship should be of good quality conforming generally to accepted standards of Bureau of Indian Standard specification & codes as included in National Building Code of India. All materials and workmanship shall be of good quality conforming generally to accepted standards of Bureau of Indian Standard specification & codes as included in National Building Code of India. No building or part of a building shall be constructed or reconstructed or no addition or alteration shall be made to any existing building in the intervening spaces between the building and any overhead electric supply line.

The height of the handrail in the staircase should not be less than 90cms and if balusters are provided, no gap in the balusters should be more than 10cms wide. Every slab or balcony overlooking any exterior or interior open space which are 2 meters or more below should be provided with parapet walls or guard rails of height not less than 1.20 meters and such guard rails shall be firmly fixed to the walls.

Plumbing Services

A plumbing or sanitation code is a set of rules and regulations imposed by cities or counties. Anyone doing work on drinking water and sewer or toilet facilities systems are responsible to make the work in a specific, safe manner to avoid accidents and spread of disease. Water conservation and the health aspects of plumbing have become important in the construction sector now.

Plumbing has to be attuned to the general design of the building. Many technical aspects such as water pressure, venting and concepts of wet and dry areas in toilets have to be looked into in any structure. Recently, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) developed a Plumbing Code for India. The Indian Plumbing Association (IPA), country’s apex body of plumbing professionals, has launched ‘Uniform Plumbing Code’ (UPC).The World Plumbing Council’s uniform plumbing code was mended as per Indian needs and created the code for India.

Lightning Protection

Locations, surrounded partially or fully by unbroken metallic surfaces or nets do not allow lightning to penetrate to the interior and hence a person is safe inside. Lightning prefers to strike the tallest of all objects in the location of strike. Also it prefers metal objects. The larger the metal more is the preference.

Avoid using metallic pipes to fix lamps on terrace of buildings. Also for drying clothes on the terrace, iron poles with metallic or plastic wires are used. The Lightning Conductor which is also known as Lightning Rod or Air Terminal is one of the best known forms of shielding device and has been in use in protecting buildings and facilities where protection is mandatory.

The protective value of Inside buildings is better when at least some unbroken vertical metallic conductors exist, such as rain gutters with down-pipes, water mains, rails for elevators, vertical metal strips, steel braces or reinforcement, electrical installations and wires, etc. Electrical and electronic equipments can be protected to a considerable extent from damage by installing a Lightning Arrestor.

Building Services

The planning, design and installation of electrical installations, air-conditioning and heating work shall be carried out in accordance with part VIII Building Service Section 2 – Electrical installations, Section 3 Air conditioning and Heating of National Building Code of India. The planning, design including the number of lifts, type of lifts, capacity of lifts, depending on occupancy of building, population on each floor and height of building.

Other Building Requirements

National Building Code regulates building construction & building use in order to protect the health, safety & welfare of the occupant. In order to learn which codes are being used and how they will affect you and your construction project, contact your local building inspection department, developers and concerned Authorities. Other building requirements are as follows.

Every room that intended for human habitation shall abut on an interior or exterior open space or to a veranda open to such interior or exterior open space.
Every interior, exterior or air space, unless the later is a street, shall be maintained for the benefit of such building exclusively and shall be entirely within the owner’s own premises.
Every person who intends to erect, re-erect or make alternation in any place in a building or demolish any building shall give notice in writing to the concerned Authority of his intention in the prescribed form and such notice shall be accompanied by plans and statements in sufficient copies.
No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Fire Service, Pollution Control Board, Electrical safety department, Water Supply and Sewage Department and other concerned department.
No land shall be used as a site for the construction of building if the Competent Authority considers that the site is unsanitary or that it is dangerous to construct a building on it.
Building should be safe for occupant and it is important to inspect when your site is getting marked for dimensions. Inspect construction after every two feet progress.

The building will be inspected by concern authorities and you will get completion certificate for your apartment or building. Issuing of Completion Certificate will ensure that the owner has constructed the building as per approved plan. Without the occupancy certificate, it is difficult to get the electricity, water and sanitary connection. The NBC 2005, formulated by the Bureau of Indian Standards, spells out new regulations for adoption by infrastructure departments, municipal administrators, public bodies and private agencies.

Rain water harvesting system and solar water heater are mandatory for newly constructed building in some states. National Building Code will soon be updated with energy saving methods in construction methods. In order to learn which codes are being used and how they will affect you, contact developers and concerned Authorities in your locality for construction of building or apartment. Deviation from approved plan or violation of National Building Code (NBC) will lead to charge penalty, cancellation of approvals or demolition of property.

India’s First Eco-Friendly Green Stadium Unveiled

2010-05-20T02:10:00.000-07:00

Thyagaraj Stadium, constructed for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi has been tagged as India’s first ever energy-efficient stadium. This green stadium was inaugurated jointly by Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister M. S. Gill and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on 2nd April, 2010. This majestic structure stands in the heart of the very quiet residential colony behind the famous INA market of Delhi. The stadium is going to be the venue for the netball event of the upcoming Commonwealth Games from October 3rd - 14th and will continue to be used for sporting events and activities even after the Commonwealth Games.

According to the Public Works Department, Thyagaraj is the only one sports complex in Delhi which has been constructed from scratch at a cost of Rs.300 crore, whereas the other stadiums for the Games have been either renovated or upgraded. Moreover, this one has been built using the latest green building technology and energy-efficient construction material such as fly-ash bricks.

This multipurpose air-conditioned stadium covers an area of 16,000 square metres and provides world-class infrastructure for sporting activities. Seating capacity stands at 5,823 and 450 slots for car parking in the basement.

The stadium has three sets of escalators, separate entrances for players and VIPs, spectators and media people. It is also equipped with three ramps for the physically challenged besides audio-visual signage for those with visual or hearing impairment.

Other features include 10 vertical folding doors with fire sensors, which will enable automatic opening of doors to facilitate mass evacuation in case of fire. Also part of the system are retractable chairs, imported from China, which withdraw within seconds, enabling quick evacuation at the end of the Games.

Glazing

This sports complex has used glass extensively for purposes of insulation, energy saving and water conservation. The stadium has been glazed all around on the outside, thus regulating the ingress of heat from the atmosphere. The glass used allows very high light transmission and very low heat transfer, thereby increasing energy efficiency by regulating the use of artificial lighting as well as air conditioning.

There is also a composite aluminium roofing system with acoustic and thermal insulation properties. Piped natural gas (PNG)-run turbines that generate 3.5 megawatt power have been installed.

Solar Power

The stadium is also soon to be equipped with a gas panel for energy supply. Currently solar energy is being used for lighting purposes alone. The stadium will get power from solar panels and piped natural gas. The solar power generation system will be capable of generating 1 MW of energy, the largest in the country from a single solar unit.

Water Management System

This world class infrastructure also boasts of using recycled water and being equipped with a rainwater harvesting system within a 16.5 acre area. In addition, rain water collected on the roof of the stadium will be amassed in a tank for horticulture and flushing purposes.

Effluent Treatment Plant

Thyagaraj has an Effluent Treatment Plant for sewage processing with a capacity of two lakh litres a day.

The exhaust smoke generated by the gas turbine will be utilized for air-conditioning by installing a Vapour Absorption Machine (VAM) to run the air-conditioning of the building. The changing and rest rooms are fitted with hydrotect tiles, which have a coating of titanium oxide to improve air quality inside. Several steps have also been taken to minimise the carbon footprint of the building. Thyagaraj Stadium is truly worthy of being certified by every green building rating system there is.

The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI)

2010-05-20T02:09:00.000-07:00

Established in 1974, TERI is a research organization that works towards global sustainable development through eco-friendly practices. TERI came into being with the purpose of dealing with the environment-related problems that loom large in the face of mankind,

on account of the steady depletion of the earth's finite and largely non-renewable resources and
on account of the existing methods of the use of these resources, which are polluting

Origin

Over the years, TERI has expanded the interpretation of its core purpose and application. The body intends to create an environment that is enabling and dynamic, through the right approach towards the use of energy, and modify current patterns of development which are largely unsustainable. TERI has grown to establish a presence not only in India but is perhaps the only developing country institution to have established a presence in North America and Europe and on the Asian continent in Japan, Malaysia and the Gulf.

The global reach attained by TERI is substantiated not only by its presence in different parts of the world, but also in terms of the wide geographical relevance of its activities. Symbolic of this fact is the annual Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS), a major event focusing on sustainable development, the pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and assessment of worldwide progress in these critical areas. DSDS attracts the most prominent thinkers and practitioners in a range of fields that impinge on development.

TERI GRIHA Rating System

Being committed to sustainable development, TERI has taken 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, has been able to rate a building on the degree of its greenness.The 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 role of TERI GRIHA would be to bridge this gap, by addressing to these above issues and to promote a sustainable future in the building sector.

TERI’s green building rating evaluates 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 is a voluntary scheme that has been developed based on accepted energy and environmental principles and seeks to strike a balance between the established practices and emerging concepts, both nationally and internationally. Its structural development is a result of a thorough study and understanding of the current internationally accepted green building rating systems and the prevailing building practices in India. It has also derived useful inputs from the 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 guidelines/criteria for appraisal would be revised every three years to take into account the latest scientific developments during this period.

TERI-GRIHA’s green design practices, and the array of individual and institutional professionals who put these in practice, would be publicized and promoted to achieve the following goals.

It has immense replication probability for seeing is believing.
It motivates the user and the owner to fulfill their commitment to the environment by emulating the example it sets.
It helps generate awareness on the concept of green building.
It stimulates competition among peers to achieve the same performance or to endeavour to better it.

Currently 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).

TERI University

The Institute established the TERI University in 1998. Initially set-up as the TERI School of Advanced Studies, it received the status of a deemed university in 1999. The University is a unique institution of higher learning exclusively for programmes leading to PhD and Masters level degrees. Its uniqueness lies in the wealth of research carried out within TERI as well as by its faculty and students making it a genuinely research based University.

TERI now has staff strength of over 700 dedicated employees, drawn from a range of disciplines and experience, supported by infrastructure and facilities, which are world class and distinctively state-of-the-art. The Institute continues to grow in size, spread and intensity of work undertaken.

In this world of increasing globalization and buoyed by optimism generated by the success of the Indian economy TERI moves forward to meet the challenges of the future through the pursuit of excellence embedded in its visionary charter.

Activities of TERI

TERI is a leading Indian non government organization (NGO), a global think tank conducting research and analysis in the genres of energy and environment, is a university with a vast focus, which ranges from micro organisms to global climate change and everything in between. In its 30 years of existence, TERI has completed more than 2600 projects. TERI has about 20 divisions and some important divisions are:

Biotechnology and Management of Bioresources division
Climate Change Division
Energy-Environment Technology Division
Policy Analysis Division
Water Resources Policy and Management Division
Social Transformation Division

TERI’s competence in the water sector

The Water Resources Policy and Management (WRPM) group in TERI comprises a multi-disciplinary team of engineers (civil, chemical, environmental, and water resources), geologists, architects, planners, scientists, economists, and sociologists. The thrust areas of the group include:

Water availability and quality modeling and impact assessment
Socio-economic analysis vis-à-vis water management
Water systems efficiency
Policy, institutional, and regulatory reforms
Watershed planning

Awards

TERI instituted the TERI Corporate Awards for Environmental Excellence in 2001 and TERI Corporate Awards for Corporate Social Responsibility in 2002. In 2007 TERI introduced the Corporate Awards to Business Response to HIV/AIDS in collaboration with GTZ. Since inception we have received more than 600 applications for the awards.

Role of TERI in recognizing environment-friendly initiatives TERI Corporate Environmental Awards

The corporate sector is emerging as a critical player in India’s development process. The environmental implications of India’s industrialization process indicate that pollution has been rising with, and often faster than, the growth in industrial production. Driven by the rising scale and intensity of environmental pressures and society’s changing expectations from the corporate sector, business and the environment, traditionally seen as divergent issues, are steadily coming closer. Realizing the increasing complexities facing the environment, corporates have begun to recognize their responsibility. In the recent years, a number of corporates have taken bold and visible steps to integrate sustainability elements into their overall corporate strategy.

In order to provide impetus to sustainable development and to encourage the ongoing process of environmental management and protection within the corporate sector, TERI instituted the Corporate Environmental Awards in 2000/01. Encouraged by the overwhelming response and sincere interest shown by the Indian corporate houses, TERI confers the awards annually.

TERI Corporate Social Responsibility Awards

TERI CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility Awards) seeks to identify best practices and innovations of Indian corporate in fulfilling t heir responsibilities towards diverse stakeholders. In the process, TERI also aims to sensitize the corporates to their responsibilities as good citizens of a developing world. The prime objective of these awards are to assess the extent of integration of CSR concerns with corporate functioning, responsiveness to the needs of different stakeholders, and development of innovative partnership models to fulfill social responsibility.

Guardian Industries Supports OBAMA’S HOMESTAR Program

2010-05-20T02:08:00.000-07:00

In the wake of the country’s fast-depleting natural resources and increasing pollution levels, US President Barrack Obama has rolled out numerous policies to maximise energy-efficiency and minimise wastage. Recently, he announced a $6 billion “HOMESTAR Program” to retrofit into American homes for a more energy-efficient approach to living.Home Star is expected to save hundreds of dollars a year on the electricity spends of middle-class families in U.S. The highlights of the program are $1,000 - $1,500 Silver Star Rebates and $3000 Gold Star Rebates. Moreover, these rebates are for the direct benefit of consumers.

Home Star will reimburse homeowners for residential energy upgrades such as air sealing, insulation, new light bulbs and new appliances. They would be eligible to receive up to $2,000 for implementing at least two upgrades from a list of qualifying measures, or up to $3,500 for at least four qualifying measures. Higher incentives would be available to homeowners who achieve energy savings of at least 20 percent.

Weatherization projects that reduce energy consumption by 20 percent would be eligible to receive up to $4,000 in incentive money, plus $1,500 for every additional 5 percent reduction in energy consumption. The Times also notes that all Home Star incentives would be capped at 50 percent of project costs, and a percentage of projects would be audited to ensure that the improvements perform as expected. The plan is projected to cost $23 billion over two years.

Guardian Industries - one of the largest manufacturers of fibreglass insulation and energy-saving glass products supports Obama’s Home Star program. The R&D department - Science and Technology Centre of Guardian Industries encourages an energy-efficient approach through the use of its high performance, green products.

“The U.S. can significantly reduce its energy use by promoting home retrofits that rely upon proven techniques and materials,” said Russell Ebeid, chairman of the board.

“We support Home Star because it will save energy and lower homeowners' energy bills.”

Residential energy efficiency improvements covered by the Home Star program can reduce energy waste in most homes by 20 to 40 percent, and when combined with low-interest financing, can be cash flow positive. A nationwide initiative to improve the efficiency of America’s 128 million homes would result in significant reductions in building-related greenhouse gas emissions and generate long-term energy savings for American consumers.

Green Buildings – Roots of Energy Efficient Future

2010-05-18T00:16:00.000-07:00

Over its entire life cycle, a building has tremendous impact on the environment. Natural resources such as ground cover, forests, water, and energy are depleted to give way to buildings. So by itself, a building can be a hazard to the environment as a whole. However, a Green Building, also known as green construction or sustainable building, is

One that is created using processes and materials that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient. This practice expands and complements the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort.

The purpose of a green building design is to minimize the demand on non-renewable resources, maximize the utilization efficiency of these resources, and maximize the reuse, recycling, and utilization of renewable resources.

In summary, the following aspects of a building design are looked into in an integrated way while constructing 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 (maintenance of indoor thermal & visual comfort and air quality).

Elements of Green Buildings

1. Site Planning

Start by selecting a site well suited to take advantage of mass transit.
Protect and retain existing landscaping and natural elements. Select plants that have low water and pesticide needs, and generate minimum plant trimmings. Use compost and mulches to save water and time.
Recycled content paving materials, furnishings, and mulches help close the recycling loop.

2. Design

Energy-efficient buildings have efficient components and systems that are properly designed and sized and are actively managed once occupied. It is important to make sure that these investments are not subverted in the name of green design or value engineering.

Energy-efficient design strategies encompass a wide range of traditional building construction elements, including building envelope design, mechanical systems, HVAC, lighting, controls systems, and so on.

A project may spend green funds on a few solar panels at the expense of better window glazing, which dollar-for-dollar yields far greater energy savings and pollution prevention.

3. Energy Efficiency

Passive design strategies can dramatically affect building energy performance. These measures include building shape and orientation, passive solar design, and the use of natural lighting.
Develop strategies to provide natural lighting. Studies have shown that it has a positive impact on productivity and well being.
Install high-efficiency lighting systems with advanced lighting controls. Include motion sensors tied to dimmable lighting controls. Task lighting reduces general overhead light levels.
Use a properly sized and energy-efficient heat/cooling system in conjunction with a thermally efficient building shell. Maximize light colors for roofing and wall finish materials; install high R-value wall and ceiling insulation; and use minimal glass on east and west exposures.
Minimize the electric loads from lighting, equipment, and appliances.
Consider alternative energy sources such as photovoltaic’s and fuel cells that are now available in new products and applications. Renewable energy sources provide a great symbol of emerging technologies for the future.
Computer modeling is an extremely useful tool in optimizing design of electrical and mechanical systems and the building shell.

4. Water Efficiency

Design for dual plumbing to use recycled water for toilet flushing or a gray water system that recovers rainwater or other nonpotable water for site irrigation.
Minimize wastewater by using ultra low-flush toilets, low-flow shower heads, and other water conserving fixtures.
Use recirculating systems for centralized hot water distribution.
Install point-of-use hot water heating systems for more distant locations.
Use a water budget approach that schedules irrigation using the California Irrigation Management Information System data for landscaping.
Meter the landscape separately from buildings. Use micro-irrigation (which excludes sprinklers and high-pressure sprayers) to supply water in nonturf areas.
Use state-of-the-art irrigation controllers and self-closing nozzles on hoses.

5. Waste Reduction

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. 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

6. Materials Efficiency

Select sustainable construction materials and products by evaluating several characteristics such as reused and recycled content, zero or low off gassing of harmful air emissions, zero or low toxicity, sustainably harvested materials, high recyclability, durability, longevity, and local production. Such products promote resource conservation and efficiency. Using recycled-content products also helps develop markets for recycled materials that are being diverted from California's landfills, as mandated by the Integrated Waste Management Act.
Use dimensional planning and other material efficiency strategies. These strategies reduce the amount of building materials needed and cut construction costs. For example, design rooms on 4-foot multiples to conform to standard-sized wallboard and plywood sheets.
Reuse and recycle construction and demolition materials. For example, using inert demolition materials as a base course for a parking lot keeps materials out of landfills and costs less.
Require plans for managing materials through deconstruction, demolition, and construction.
Design with adequate space to facilitate recycling collection and to incorporate a solid waste management program that prevents waste generation.

7. Indoor Environment Quality Enhancement

The Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) category in LEED standards, one of the five environmental categories, was created to provide comfort, well-being, and productivity of occupants. The LEED IEQ category addresses design and construction guidelines especially: indoor air quality (IAQ), thermal quality, and lighting quality.[22]

Indoor Air Quality seeks to reduce volatile organic compounds, or VOC's, such as microbial contaminants. Buildings rely on a properly designed HVAC system to provide adequate ventilation and air filtration as well as isolate operations (kitchens, dry cleaners, etc.) from other occupancies.

During the design and construction process choosing construction materials and interior finish products with zero or low emissions will improve IAQ. Many building materials and cleaning/maintenance products emit toxic gases, such as VOC's and formaldehyde. These gases can have a detrimental impact on occupants' health and productivity as well. Avoiding these products will increase a building's IEQ.

Personal temperature and airflow control over the HVAC system coupled with a properly designed building envelope will also aid in increasing a building's thermal quality. Creating a high performance luminous environment through the careful integration of natural and artificial light sources will improve on the lighting quality of a structure.

Environmental Benefits

A green building presumably provides short as well as long term savings for the organization. According to the surveys from corporate market report operating costs decreases 8-9% while building value increase 7-8% where ROI value improves 6-7% for green buildings. These drivers also impact the occupancy rate for the overall building up to 4%.
The tangible savings especially come from areas such as reduction in energy use, CO2 emission, water use and solid waste which help us to calculate and to measure the advantages of green building. Other than tangible savings, there are also intangible savings that green building provides.
Higher revenue due to higher rents and occupancy rates. Vacancy rates of green buildings are lower than existing buildings. The CoStar Group found that LEED-certified buildings occupancy rate is 92 percent versus 87 percent for traditional buildings.
Lower operating costs by reducing waste output and energy consumption. The Environmental Protection Agency found that green buildings with a recycling focus can reduce waste output by 90 percent and use 30 percent less energy, which equates to a five percent increase in net operating income.
Attract and retain quality tenants. Improved indoor air quality in green buildings result in reduced absenteeism, and possibly higher productivity that could increase sales. Green buildings also make it possible to have government tenants.
Better insurance risk. Green buildings suffer fewer losses and are safer to insure because of the commissioning process required to become LEED certified.

Economic Benefits

A green building may cost more upfront, but saves through lower operating costs over the life of the building. The green building approach applies a project life cycle cost analysis for determining the appropriate up-front expenditure. This analytical method calculates costs over the useful life of the asset.

These and other cost savings can only be fully realized when they are incorporated at the project's conceptual design phase with the assistance of an integrated team of professionals. The integrated systems approach ensures that the building is designed as one system rather than a collection of stand-alone systems.

Some benefits, such as improving occupant health, comfort, productivity, reducing pollution and landfill waste are not easily quantified. Consequently, they are not adequately considered in cost analysis. For this reason, consider setting aside a small portion of the building budget to cover differential costs associated with less tangible green building benefits or to cover the cost of researching and analyzing green building options.

Asia Eco Green Building Congress: 12th – 14th May 2010

2010-04-27T01:40:00.000-07:00

The all-Asia Eco Green Building Congress was held for the very first time in Shanghai, China from March 17th-19th 2009. Following the success of the event, the 2010 chapter is scheduled to be held from 12th to 14th May 2010 at the Renaissance Hotel in Shanghai. This is one of the most high-level summits for green building communities across Asia. The congress includes a one day pre-conference workshop and a two day conference.

Event Background

China constructs more than 2 billon square meters of floor area annually, which is nearly half of the global figure and higher than any other country in the world. The construction cost of a green building is approximately 5% above the original cost, but this extra spend is more than offset by saving on the use of energy in the long term. It is estimated that the market for efficient buildings and upgrades will be worth over $55 billion by 2012, and the investment in China green building market will reach $ 200 billion by 2020.

Focus

Asia Eco Green Building Congress 2010 will focus on sustainable architecture and maintenance, latest legislations on green buildings, rating systems of green buildings around the world and their standards, case study sharing on LEED Platinum projects, finding the green innovation road to environmental sustainability, the ROI on green buildings, green communities and eco-cities (such as Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city and Dongtan Eco-city), sustainable building technologies, green building materials and so on.

Asia Eco Green Building Congress 2010 will share critical industry information and insights to answer all questions on how to overcome the challenges in creating green buildings and how to make the most of the opportunities provided. This will be a high-level business networking platform featuring speakers and delegates from leading companies and experts from all over the world.

Speakers

Asia Eco Green Building Congress 2010 has confirmed the presence of eminent speakers from among government officials, industry associations and leading industry experts internationally, such as WGCB, ChinaGBC, Building & Construction Authority Singapore, China Green Building Design Label Management Office, Arup UK, HOK, Hyder Consulting, ACLA, DNA Green Design, Dubosc & Associés Atelier, Gammon Construction, China Academy of Building Research, Sun Hung Kai Properties, Capital Land, Keppel Land, Shui On Group, UL Environment etc.
Delegates

Asia Eco Green Building Congress 2010 will bring together Architects, Engineers, Designers, Planners, Investors, Property owners and developers, as well as green technology and energy efficiency solution providers, advisors and consultants to explore & identify the green building requirement of the Asian market, learning innovative green design trends and discussing investment opportunities.

Hot Issues for Discussion

Global trends and policy updated on environment sustainability of buildings
Green property investment and development: find the green value of real estate
Green building rating schemes (breeam, leed, green mark，hk-beam, green star, green building design label)
Architecture design & engineering construction for green building
Design for the climate -- how to engineer buildings respond to their environment
Thoughts on world expo and old town reconstruction
Green community and eco-cities
Showcase of green buildings: leed platinum project
Sustainable retrofits of existing building

Participants

Participants will be from the following fraternities:

Architecture / Urban planning, / Construction / Engineering companies
Real Estate Owners/Developers and Investors
Energy efficiency /green technology solutions providers
Alternative Energy Providers
Green Building Materials Providers

These Participants will be from the under mentioned geographies:

Europe
United States
China
The Middle East
Hong Kong
Singapore
Japan
Vietnam
Korea
Australia
The rest of Asia

Endorsers

This event is endorsed by Building & Construction Authority, HK Green Building Council, HK-BEAM, Hong Kong Association of Energy Service Companies (HAESCO), World Association of Chinese Architects (WACA), India Green Building Council, China Green Building Council, as well as great support from Dongtan Consulting, and Econet.

RETREAT – A Cool Sustainable Habitat from TERI

2010-04-27T01:27:00.000-07:00

Functionally an energy-efficient residential training facility for executives, RETREAT (Resource Efficient TERI Retreat for Environmental Awareness and Training) is part of the 36-hectare Gual Pahari campus of TERI. This is located about 30km south of Delhi, in the state of Haryana. Once a degraded wasteland, it is now an epitome of green practices and sustainability.

Incredibly, RETREAT is completely independent of external power supply sources. Standing for a powerful combination of modern science and traditional knowledge, RETREAT sets a standard in sustainability for future buildings.

Vis-à-vis conventionally designed buildings, RETREAT was constructed at an additional investment of 25% and spends 40%-50% less on energy. Less than 10 kilowatts of energy is used to light the entire complex, with the aid of specially designed skylights, energy-efficient lights, and a sophisticated system of monitoring and controlling the consumption of electricity. A conventionally designed building of the same scale would use close to 28 kilowatts to provide the same level of lighting. Moreover, the estimated CO2 saving is about 570 tonnes/year.

Design Features

Various passive design features of this complex enable reduction of space conditioning load by 10%-15%.

The roof is insulated with vermiculite concrete topped with China mosaic for optimal heat reflection.

Walls are insulated with 40-mm thick expanded polystyrene insulations.

The entire complex is south-facing, and deciduous trees all around it provide shade during summer while letting in the sun’s heat during winter by shedding their leaves.

Part of the building is sunken into the ground in order to take advantage of ground storage and thereby stabilize internal temperature.

East and west walls facing walls are devoid of openings and are shaded.

Shading devices and fenestrations are designed to block the summer sun and let in the winter sun.

RETREAT makes the most of the ample solar energy acquired by the tropical nature of the country through several innovative techniques.

1. Solar Water Heaters

An array of 24 solar water heaters forms a part of the parapet of the living quarters. The system can deliver up to 2000 litres of hot water (at 65oC) every day. In winter, when the days are short and the sun less intense, a 9 kW electrical heating coil serves as a back-up source of heat.

2. Photovoltaic-Gasifier hybrid Power Plant

Photovoltaic Panels

A series of photovoltaic panels capture solar energy and store it by charging a bank of batteries. A number of panels, each measuring 1.1 by 1.2 metres, are joined and form an integral part of the roof of the building. The panels can generate up to 10.7 kilowatts peak of energy, which is fed into a 900 ampere-hour/240 volt battery bank.

Independent panels power most of the lights located outside the building. Each such light has a pair of small photovoltaic panels (roughly a metre wide and half a metre tall) and is thus a self-sufficient ‘stand-alone’ unit. A photovoltaic panel also powers the water pump.

Bio-mass Gasifier

The biomass gasifier is the main source of power during the day. Firewood, dried leaves, twigs and crop residues are used for fuelling the 50KW gasifier. This gasifier runs a generator, whose diesel requirements have been cut down to 30% after appropriate modifications.

The battery bank is thus served by two sources of power - the photovoltaic panels and the gasifier. A control device, the ‘power manager’, constantly works out the most efficient combination, deciding which is the best source at any given time. The system can function for 25–30 years; the batteries have a life of 6 years.

3. Underground Earth Tunnels

The living quarters (south block) are maintained at comfortable temperature (approximately between 20oC to 30oC) around the year by circulating naturally conditioned air using earth air tunnel system, supplemented with the system of absorption chillers powered by LPG in humid season and air-washer in dry summers.

Underground structures are not exposed to the sun and thus do not heat up as much. Secondly, the surrounding earth insulates them, which helps in maintaining a more or less constant temperature. Temperatures recorded at roughly 4 metres below the surface show that they are stable and reflect the average annual temperature of a place.

However, the cooler air underground needs to be circulated in the living space. Each room in the south block has a ‘solar chimney’. Warm air rises and escapes through the chimney, creating an air current; the cooler air from the underground tunnels to rush in to replace the warm air. Two blowers installed in the tunnels speed up the process. The same mechanism supplies warm air from the tunnel during winter.

4. Absorption Chillers

A set of eco-friendly chillers, which run on LPG and require minimum electricity, provide additional cooling when needed. As LPG is a non-renewable source of energy, efforts are under way to run the chillers on producer gas generated by the wood-based gasifiers. The conference centre, which accommodates up to 100 participants, is conditioned by means of ammonia-based absorption chillers.

5. Energy-efficient Lighting

Energy efficient compact fluorescent lamps are used in the residential quarters, corridors, lobby and toilets.

Energy efficient tube-lights with electronic chokes are used in conference halls, recreation rooms, computer rooms, dining hall and in administration areas.

Glare-free daylights are provided in the conference hall, library and recreation hall through the use of specially designed skylights.

6. Waste Water Recycling – Root Zone System

In the RETREAT, waste water is recycled using the root zone techniques. In this natural technique, roots of plants with special capabilities are used to clean the water which is used for irrigation and various other purposes. It is natural waste water treatment process based on aerobic and anaerobic decomposition of the contents in the roots of the reeds and microbial organism. This system cleans (5 m3 per day) from toilets and kitchens, etc.

Celebrate Earth Day & Save Energy

2010-04-22T02:53:00.000-07:00

Today is 40th anniversary of the “Earth Day”!!!! How many of us are aware of this? How are you going to contribute on this Earth Day 2010?

Every contribution of each of you can make a drastic change in the sustainability of the earth. Yes, little drops can make an ocean. Try to follow a few simple tips mentioned below and make your contribution to the Earth. Let us leave a greener Earth greener for our future generation!

Earth Day

Earth Day is a day designed specially to spread the awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in held on April 22, 1970 and is celebrated in more than 175 countries every year. Earth Day is now observed each year on April 22 in virtually every country on Earth and coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network.

Tips to Go Green

Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). They last 10 times longer, putting fewer of them in landfills. They consume two-thirds less energy, emitting less carbon into the atmosphere; and they emit less heat than standard bulbs, so they're safer and cooler. They cost a little more, but in the long run, they save money.

Always bring home Energy Star-rated light bulbs and fixtures, which use at least two-thirds less energy than regular lighting, and install timers or motion sensors that automatically shut off lights when they're not needed.

Turn off the lights when leaving the room for 15 minutes or more

Lighters are usually considered disposable so they will most likely end up in land fills. You can use the cardboard matches which are much more eco-friendly because they are made of recycled material.

Steam that escape from pots while cooking increases the cooking time and heats up the indoor air. More energy is used to cook and to run the air conditioner. Put lids on pots, especially if they contain a boiling liquid, and the food will cook more quickly and use less energy.

Skip rinsing your plates before putting them into the dishwasher. On an average you will save 15 gallons of water per load. Plus, you will save time.

Use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it generates large amounts of container waste.

Bring a reusable water bottle, preferably aluminum rather than plastic, with you when travelling or at work.

Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to wash clothes using machine, heat the water.

Wear clothes that don't need to be dry-cleaned. This saves money and cuts down on toxic chemical use.

Don't take baths, take showers. Showers save half the amount of water comparable with the water used to bath.

Install a low-flow showerhead. They don't cost much, and the water and energy savings can quickly pay back our investment.

Make sure you have a faucet aerator on each faucet. These are inexpensive and conserve heat and water, meanwhile keeping the water pressure high.

Plant a Tree - It's good for the air, can keep you cool.

Plant drought-tolerant native plants in the garden. Many plants need minimal watering.

Intake Locally raised, humane, and organic meat, eggs, and dairy whenever you can. Purchasing from local farmers keeps money in the local economy and also fresh food can be consumed.

Make investments in high-quality, long-lasting products. This might cost more now, but there is no need for replacing the items frequently. Thereby waste can be minimized.

Keep your cell phones, computers, and other electronics as long as possible. Donate or recycle them responsibly when the time comes.

Make it a habit to turn off your computer and the power strip it's plugged into, when you leave for a day.

Support energy-saving computers, monitors, and printers

Print on either sides of the paper or use the back side of old documents for faxes, scrap paper, or drafts. Avoid color printing and print in draft mode whenever feasible.

Buy chlorine-free paper with a higher percentage of post-consumer recycled content.

We ourselves can make very effective, non-toxic cleaning products whenever you need them by using few simple ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, lemon, and soap. Making your own cleaning products saves money, time, and packaging-not maintains the indoor air quality.

Purchase furniture, carpeting, and paint that are free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and won't off-gas toxic chemicals.

Walk or use bike to work. This saves on gas and parking costs while improving your cardiovascular health and reducing your risk of obesity.

Choose a fuel-efficient vehicle.

Going to a car wash is a lot more water efficient than washing your car at home.

The average person uses 6 paper napkins a day. That is a lot of waste going into our landfills. So switch to cloth napkins and wash them in my environmentally friendly laundry product and reuse them.

Reduce, Recycle and Reuse….

How well you are participating to make Eco-smart Earth?

Examine here...

Green Building Index (GBI)

2010-04-15T04:57:00.000-07:00

Green Building Index (GBI) is Malaysia’s industry recognised green rating tool for buildings, founded to promote sustainability in the built environment and raise awareness among Developers, Architects, Engineers, Planners, Designers, Contractors and the general public about environmental issues and our responsibility towards future generations.

In August 2008, PAM (Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia or Malaysian Institute of Architects) Council endorsed and approved the formation of the new Sustainability Committee, tasked primarily with developing and establishing the Green Building Index of Malaysia. A target deadline of April/May 2009 was set to launch this Green Rating. Accordingly, Malaysia’s Green Building Index was introduced on 3 January 2009, at the Green Design Forum organized by the Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia (PAM).

The GBI rating tool provides a yardstick for developers and building owners to design and construct green, sustainable buildings that facilitate energy saving, water saving, a healthy indoor environment, better connectivity to public transport and the adoption of recycling, all to reduce the impact on the environment.

Objectives of the GBI

GBI has been developed keeping in mind the tropical Malaysian climate, environmental and developmental context, and cultural and social needs. It has been created to:

Define green buildings by establishing a common language and standard of measurement;

Promote integrated, whole-building designs that provide a better environment for all;

Recognise and reward environmental leadership;

Transform the built environment to reduce its negative environmental impact; and

Ensure that new buildings are sustainable and existing buildings are refurbished and upgraded to improve the overall quality of building stock.

Tiers of GBI Accreditation

GBI accreditation for buildings is separated into three tiers:

At the highest level is the GBI Accreditation Panel, the independent regulatory body for GBI accreditation.

At the intermediate level are the GBI Certifiers, consisting of experienced professionals that conduct the assessment and accreditation of project submissions.

On the front-end level are the GBI Facilitators - professionals who work together with clients and design teams to enhance their projects to meet or exceed GBI rating system requirements.

GBI Rating System

Buildings are awarded the GBI rating based on the following 6 key criteria:

1) Energy Efficiency (EE)

Improve energy consumption by optimising building orientation, minimizing solar heat gain through the building envelope, harvesting natural lighting, adopting the best practices in building services including use of renewable energy, and ensuring proper testing, commissioning and regular maintenance.

2) Indoor Environment Quality (EQ)

Achieve good indoor air quality, acoustics, visual and thermal comfort. These will involve the use of low volatile organic compound materials, application of quality air filtration, proper control of air temperature, movement and humidity.

3) Sustainable Site Planning & Management (SM)

Selecting appropriate sites with planned access to public transportation, community services, open spaces and landscaping. Avoiding and conserving environmentally sensitive areas through the redevelopment of existing sites and brown fields. Implementing proper construction management, storm water management and reducing the strain on existing infrastructure capacity.

4) Materials & Resources (MR)

Promote the use of environment-friendly materials sourced from sustainable sources and recycling. Implement proper construction waste management with storage, collection and re-use of recyclables and construction formwork and waste.

5) Water Efficiency (WE)

Rainwater harvesting, water recycling and water-saving fittings.

6) Innovation (IN)

Innovative design and initiatives that meet the objectives of the GBI.

GBI Classification

Click here, to view the GBI Classification.

GBI Rating Tools for Non- Residential

The GBI Non-Residential Rating tool evaluates the sustainable aspects of buildings that are commercial, institutional and industrial in nature. This includes factories, offices, hospitals, universities, colleges, hotels and shopping complexes.

Of the six criteria that make up the GBI rating, emphasis is placed on energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality as these have the greatest impact in the areas of energy use and well-being of the occupants and users of the building.

By improving on the efficiency of active (mechanical and electrical) systems as well as incorporating good passive designs together with proper sustainable maintenance regimes, significant reductions in consumed energy can be realised. This can lead to a reduced carbon footprint and also offers long-term savings for the building owners.

Maximum Points Allocation for Non- Residential

GBI Rating Tools for Residential

The GBI Residential Rating tool evaluates the sustainable aspects of residential buildings. This includes linked houses, apartments, condominiums, townhouses, semi-detached and bungalows.

This tool places more emphasis on sustainable site planning & management, followed by energy efficiency. This serves to encourage developers and home owners to consider the environmental quality of homes and their inhabitants through better site selection, provisions of public transport access, increased community services and connectivity, as well as improved infrastructure.

Such achievement will help reduce the negative impact to the environment and create a better and safer place for residents and the community as a whole.

Maximum Points Allocation for Residential

GBI Assessment Process

Stage 1: Application & Registration

First the GBI Application Form with the Applicant’s contact details, project information and supporting documents are to be submitted Greenbuilding index Sdn Bhd (GSB). GBI registration number will be given to the applicant towards the payment of the fees. GBI Certifier will then be appointed for the project.

Stage 2: Design Assessment (DA)

As the next stage, the applicant should submit the project for GBI Design Assessment (DA) either directly or through an appointed GBI Facilitator. The GBI Certifier will then undertake the Design Assessment for GSB. This may involve a presentation by the Applicant and their Project Design Team or by the GBI Facilitator. The GBI Certifier will upon completion, table the assessment report to the GBIAP to register and award the certification. The provisional GBI Design Assessment certification will then be issued with the accompanying GBI score sheet to show the scores achieved.

Stage 3: Completion & Verification Assessment (CVA)

Upon completion of the project, the Applicant should submit for the Completion and Verification Assessment (CVA). This is to be done within 12 months after the completion of the building or when the building becomes 50 percent occupied, whichever is the earlier. The final GBI award will be issued by the GBIAP upon completion of this CVA assessment. Buildings are awarded GBI - Platinum, Gold, Silver or Certified ratings depending on the scores achieved. Buildings will have to be re-assessed every three years in order to maintain their GBI rating to ensure that the buildings are well-maintained.

Here the GBI Registration Fees

Green Glue receives the UL label

2010-04-15T03:08:00.000-07:00

Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics’ acoustic insulation product Green Glue has been certified by Underwriters Laboratories, one of the oldest recognized laboratories in the US, enabling its products to wear the UL label in the USA and ULC in Canada.

This certification follows the safety tests conducted by this laboratory. The evaluation of Green Glue’s combustion characteristics on reinforced inorganic cement panels confirmed that the product meets the UL fire standards for building materials.

Where many local regulations require products to be tested by a nationally-recognized laboratory before being commercialized, contacting Underwriters Laboratories was done on a voluntary basis.

Green Glue products are manufactured in Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics’ Granville facility (New York, USA).

SOURCE: Saint Gobain

Saint-Gobain Solar joins the Desertec project

2010-04-15T02:40:00.000-07:00

Saint-Gobain Solar is one of the four newcomers in the joint venture Dii. Founded in 2009 under the name "Desertec Industrial Initiative", Dii set out to create the necessary framework for running the Desertec project.

And the aim of Desertec: to produce sustainable, climate-friendly power from the energy potential of the deserts in the Middle-East and North Africa (MENA zone) and prepare the integration with the European energy market. From solar power sources, the long-term aim is to satisfy a substantial portion of electricity needs in the MENA zone countries and meet up to 15% of Europe’s electricity demand.

Fabrice Didier, Managing Director of Saint-Gobain Solar, explains: "In cost terms, solar thermal energy is one of the most promising sources of electricity for decades to come. To make this competitive, cooperation between companies is essential. The Desertec project helps set the framework for such cooperation.”

Saint-Gobain Solar develops and offers various key components designed for solar thermal plants, notably mirrors, receivers and heat storage units. Thanks to this expertise, the Saint-Gobain Solar Business Unit will be able to contribute to the Dii initiative and help establish a sound industrial base for solar energy.

Source: Saint Gobain

A brand new furnace for Saint-Gobain Velimat

2010-04-15T02:04:00.000-07:00

Saint-Gobain Technical Fabrics has just celebrated the start-up of the new Saint-Gobain Velimat furnace in Gorlice (Poland).

Larger and more modern than the former installation it is replacing, this furnace serves two glass mat production lines. Using leading-edge technologies, this new equipment is also more environmentally-friendly, consuming less energy and improving the efficiency of the batch-house.

Eric Daniel, General Manager of Saint-Gobain Technical Fabrics Europe for non-woven products, thanked all the teams involved in constructing the furnace. “Starting up a furnace is an exceptional moment in the life of a business, especially right now, as this spells a return to work after several months of down-time.”

Olivier Lluansi, General Delegate of Saint-Gobain for Eastern Europe, reiterated the importance of involving all Group businesses in the implementation of the habitat strategy: “Saint-Gobain is set on becoming the world’s leading provider of solutions for tomorrow’s habitat. We are building these solutions together, step by step, by working as closely as possible to our customers and anticipating their needs, thanks to the combination of all our talents inside the Group. And Saint-Gobain Velimat has its part to play. ”

In the presence of Piotr Mokrzan, General Manager of Saint-Gobain Velimat, the furnace, “godmothered” by a process engineer, was jointly lit by the site’s newest and most senior employees. In keeping with tradition, the flame arrived from another Group plant, in this case Isover in Gliwice, transported by oil-lamp.

SOURCE: Saint Gobain

Call for energy-efficient buildings

2010-03-06T01:54:00.000-08:00

KOCHI: Incorporating energy-efficiency measures in buildings has the potential to save up to 50 per cent energy, since buildings are responsible for 40 per cent of the total greenhouse gas emissions.

For existing buildings, the savings potential through alterations and energy-efficient fittings is between 20 and 25 per cent. Even non air-conditioned buildings can go green, by making optimal use of wind and daylight and by adopting other environment-friendly measures. These were stated at ‘Go Green' – a seminar-cum-exhibition on green buildings, organised here on Friday by the Rotary Club of Thripunithura and KREEPA, as part of their Akshaya Vikas Project.

Making a presentation, Siva Kishan, chief executive officer of GRIHA – Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (which is the national rating system for green buildings), said the Energy Conservation Building Code regulates the usage of power in new buildings. “Green-rating mechanisms have been able to sensitise the construction industry to the benefits of integrated design and resource efficiency, from both the economic and environmental perspective. A rating system for India must respond to the country's diversity and help develop sensible solutions relevant to different building projects.”

In her presentation on ‘Green buildings – the potential to earn carbon credits,' Mayurika Chakraborthy, senior consultant with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India, said that less power consumption for lighting, air-conditioning, etc., would mean lesser usage of electricity from the thermal-power dominated power grid. “This in turn means an equivalent reduction in the amount of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide that are released from fossil fuels. This makes a green building eligible to earn carbon credits.”

Guruprakash Sastry, manager (Green Initiatives) of Infosys, said the IT firm has been aggressively going ahead with its plan to design all its buildings as green buildings, to optimise energy performance and occupant comfort. “Sustainable buildings and saving every percentage of electricity and water make business sense and reduces expenses, especially when the annual electricity bills exceed Rs.120 crore and the water consumption is over 3 billion litres.”

Quoting Winston Churchill, Sathiaram Ram of IGBC, Hyderabad, said, “We shape our buildings. Thereafter, they shape us.” Buildings consume more energy than industry and vehicles. The green concept must become part of society's DNA. Even a 100-sq ft building can make a difference in shaping a better world. The intangible benefits of green buildings include better working/living atmosphere, he said and cited how a 20,000 sq ft green building saved Rs.9 lakh a year.

“India also has a great opportunity to export green-building technologies. Already, India has 508 green buildings spread over 358 million square ft area,” Mr. Ram said.

SOURCE: THEHINDU

Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating & Air-conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE)

2010-03-05T20:56:00.000-08:00

ISHRAE, the "Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating & Air-conditioning Engineers" was founded in 1981 in New Delhi by a group of eminent HVAC&R professionals. Between 1989 & 1993, ISHRAE Chapters were formed in all major cities in India and also in the Middle East. ISHRAE has grown rapidly and now has more than 3000 HVAC&R professionals as members in 11 chapters in India and abroad. The Delhi Chapter is the first and the oldest of the constituent chapters of ISHRAE and has about 700 members.

Organizing successful international and national exhibitions is one of ISHRAE’s major activities. Its primary objective is to further the arts and sciences of heating, refrigerating and air-conditioning. ISHRAE has successfully organized more than ten exhibitions out of which four have been in New Delhi.

ISHRAE is an associate of ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers). ISHRAE Foundation Trust was formed in 1995, mainly to consolidate the Society's resources and to channel them towards projects necessary for achievement of Aims and Objectives, as listed below.

Aims and Objectives

Advancement in Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineering and related Sciences.

Education of interested persons in said sciences through lectures, demonstrations and publications.

Rendition of Career Guidance and Financial Assistance to students of said Sciences.

Encouragement of Scientific Research.

To establish facilities for testing, rating, certification of air-conditioning, refrigeration, and allied equipment and systems.

To offer consultancy services in the areas of Education and Training in said sciences.

To disseminate and make available to the Government, Industry, and General Public information relating to said sciences through papers, reports and periodic publications.

Priority Areas

Training

ISHRAE has recognised that training technical personnel is the single most important need at present, to improve the quality of HVAC & R work and raise it to meet ever-increasing customer expectations. It has also been felt that the existing manpower needs continuing education to equip them with the latest technology. This has become particularly relevant in the wake of globalisation of the Indian economy. Several industry leaders have also strongly expressed the need for such training.

Testing, Rating & Certification of Equipment and Devices

The last few years have seen a surge in manufacturing of both - major equipment as well as ancillaries and devices in the HVAC&R Industry. This has given rise to a need for a facility which will undertake testing, and will develop ratings which will help the industry establish reliable ratings and encourage development work.

Advisory Council

In addition to the Board of Trustees, an Advisory Council consisting of eminent persons in the fields of Air-Conditioning, Refrigeration and Allied fields, are to be formed to deliberate on the activities of the foundation.

Sustainable Development

ACREX INDIA 2010, which is Asia’s largest International Exhibition and Conference catering to Air Conditioning, Refrigeration, Ventilation & Building Services Industry is organised by ISHRAE, endorsed by ASHRAE and supported by the Indian Green Building Council, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, and the Refrigeration & Air-conditioning Manufacturers Association amongst others.

ACREX INDIA 2010 was held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre from 17th - 20th February and brought together leading companies and technologies that focussed on energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and innovation in and products and services that are green and sustainable.

Highlights of the Exhibition:

Exhibitors showcased products that conform to the Energy Conservation Building Code, 2007 of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency

Solar Energy for Air-conditioning was featured by Mamata Energy of Ahmedabad

The Indian Green Building Council (CII organization) and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (Govt. of India) were both supporting agencies that influence the development of the Industry and its products.

ASHRAE (The American Society, with 55 000 members) endorsed ACREX for the 1st time with an active contribution to Workshops, Seminars and overall Promotion

With substantial overseas participation, ACREX demonstrated India as a prime market for efficient products

The event was produced professionally by UBM, a leading International Media and Exhibition Company

Workshop for BEE Energy Star

A Half day workshop on “Workshop for BEE Energy Star Labelling and Energy Efficiency Improvement in Buildings‟ has been organised by ISHRAE.
BEE Star labelling program for buildings has recently been launched by Bureau of Energy Efficiency, New Delhi, for evaluating the energy performance of buildings. There was a provision of issuing “Energy star labels" to buildings as per their energy efficiency, similar to the energy star labels for home appliances (e.g. air-conditioners, tube-lights). Energy audit studies in buildings have shown large potential for energy savings both in government and commercial office buildings.

Council of Architecture (COA)

2010-03-02T21:30:00.000-08:00

The Council of Architecture (COA) has been constituted by the Government of India under the provisions of the Architects Act, 1972, enacted by the Parliament of India, which came into force on 1st September, 1972. The Act provides for registration of architects, standards of education, recognized qualifications and standards of practice to be complied with by practicing architects.Council of Architecture is a body corporate, having perpetual succession and a common seal, with power to acquire, hold and dispose of movable and immovable property, and to contract, and may by that name, use or be used.The Council of Architecture is entrusted with the responsibility to regulate the education and practice of the profession throughout India, besides maintaining the register of architects. For this purpose, the Government of India has framed rules, and the Council itself has framed Regulations as provided for in the Architects Act, with the approval of Government of India.

The COA oversees the maintenance of the standards by way of conducting inspections through Committees of Experts. The COA is required to keep the Central Government informed of the standards being maintained by the institutions and is empowered to make recommendations to the Government of India with regard to recognition and de-recognition of a qualification.

The Head Office of the Council of Architecture is in Delhi at the Indian Habitat Centre. There are 135 institutions which impart architecture education in India for recognized qualifications. The standards of education being imparted in these institutions (constituent colleges/departments of universities, deemed universities, affiliated colleges/schools, IITs, NITs and autonomous institutions) is governed by Council of Architecture (Minimum Standards of Architectural Education) Regulations, 1983, which set forth the requirement of eligibility for admission, course duration, standards of staff & accommodation, course content, examination etc.

Fire Safety Glass - Chat Transcript:Highlights

2010-02-09T23:15:00.000-08:00

Date and Time: 29th, Friday January 2010 02:40:00 PM

Chat Description :

January 29, 2010, 3 PM T M Gopikrishnan, Head - Fire Safety, and Subhrangsu Ghosh, Technical Manager - Fire Safety Glass Solutions from Saint-Gobain Glass India come together to provide answers to your queries on using Fire Glass Systems and Fire Safety solutions for buildings. This session is sure to bring you valuable insights that you can take back to your drawing table, and make your building designs more safe and efficient. This Chat Session is scheduled for one hour on the 29th January 2010, and starts at 3 PM. You are free to join the Chat Session. Chat Session will begin as soon as the Experts logs in.

Chat Transcript

Q: Debashish Das

I am an architect from Calcutta. Being a small practice i need to oversee nearly all aspects - from design to specs to overseeing execution quality ... not to mention making sure that the specs and the workmanship meet best practices.

A: TM Gopikrishnan

India is seeing a revival in construction, and the need for better aesthetics and safety. With this in mind, Saint-Gobain has launched a range of Fire Resistant Glass

Q: Chaitrali Bhide

Can a fire rated glass door swing in both directions?

A: TM Gopikrishnan

Yes, definitely. It can open from both directions.

Q: Ajay Amle

Can we use rubber or vinyl coverings for fire escape staircase handrails? If yes which is the minimum class required to achieve the fire safety norms?

A: TM Gopikrishnan

It is not advisable to place any combustible substances like rubber in fire-risk areas; normally these areas require 2 hours of fire rating

Q: Chaitrali Bhide

what is the maximum fire rating which a glass door can take?

A: TM Gopikrishnan

Two hours if it is a fully glazed fire door

Q: Vishwas

Can you give us a brief preview to your product and how it compares from normal metal fire safety doors from say Shakti or Godrej

A: TM Gopikrishnan

We will send a product brochure to you.. But in brief, we provide the option of using a fully-glazed fire door for upto two hours of resistance from fire as against metal doors with small vision panels - better aesthetics and visual security

Q: Nilesh Wairagade

Hi Mr. Gopi and Mr. Ghosh, can u please throw light about the new range of fire resistant glass u were talking about , earlier...

A: TM Gopikrishnan

We have a range of fully glazed fire rated partitions and door systems which offer integrity and/or insulation (30-120 mins)

Q: D Krishna Kumar

Good afternoon. i am an engineer in CPWD. Does the fire rated door have CBRI certification?

A: TM Gopikrishnan

Our products are certified by international laboratories like Warrington and IFTS

Q: Sachin Mhatre

What role Glass elevation make when it comes to LEED or green building?

A: TM Gopikrishnan

Glass helps in achieving points for LEED NC, CS and MR under energy perf, recycled content, regional materials and daylight and views; upto 14 points can be achieved by using glass efficiently

Q: Chaitrali Bhide

If the door can swing in both directions, it has to be pivoted.

A: TM Gopikrishnan

It will be hinged like a normal door (not a revolving door)

Q: Chaitrali Bhide

How do you tackle the undercuts/ gaps in that case

A: TM Gopikrishnan

We have a standard 7-mm gap from the floor to the shutter which is required to create the draft for fire, this is as per a tested report

Q: Prasanna

I would like to know what are the type of glasses you usually rated for fire safety- earlier some use to mention glasses with wire mesh was also a fire safety glass but a write up in a newspaper clearly indicates it is not.

A: TM Gopikrishnan

Yes, wired glass was an option earlier, but a dangerous option. Today, you have the option of clear, tempered, impact-resistant glass systems

Q: Ajay Amle

What are the fire safety norms and rules for a private company having a manufacturing unit?

A: TM Gopikrishnan

This is a vast subject; I would suggest that you refer to the National Building Code

Q: Prasanna

Can we have fire safety glasses only as transparent or there can be different options of colour coating. if yes then please provide the options of colours.

A: TM Gopikrishnan

Presently we have only clear options, unless you want to use it for exteriors, then we can match the exterior facade

Q: Prasanna

can the fire safety glasses be tempered or else what are the physical properties of the fire safety glasses.

A: Ghosh Subhrangsu

yes all fire safety glasses in our range of products are tempered by a special process

Q: Sachin Mhatre

Can you please explain what type of glass we can used in external glazing, Internal glass partition, and Fire door vision panel

A: Ghosh Subhrangsu

The type of glass that has to be used depends purely on the application and the rating required ... primarily it can be of 3 types- tempered, coated and interlayer

Q: Chaitrali Bhide

how do detail the glass wall as a smoke barrier wall.

A: Ghosh Subhrangsu

The purpose for a glass smoke barrier is to content smoke only and no fire as such and it is tested as per a completely different standard which is much less stringent than a fire test

Q: Prasanna

If suppose I am using the fire safe glasses on an external facade of two floors, then please recommend the material for fire/smoke seal (between the floors) that are compatible with your proposed system.

A: Ghosh Subhrangsu

There are fire rated cements, mortars or sealants available with various companies which can be used

A: TM Gopikrishnan

Prasanna: Presently we have only clear options, unless you want to use it for exteriors, then we can match the exterior facade

Q: Manish

Can one way glass is converted as "fire safe" glass?

A: TM Gopikrishnan

One-way glass can be integrated with fire safety glass by double-glazing and testing it as a complete system, we have such tested products

Q: Vishwas posted 03:31

How does your product compare with normal metal fire safety door in terms of cost?

A: TM Gopikrishnan

As a ball-park figure, around three times but it depends on the quantity

Q: Manish

And how much is the additional cost required than normal glass?

A: TM Gopikrishnan

For details on pricing, you can contact our local area office, but typically you can't compare both because normal glass may break within 2 minutes of a fire

Q: Chaitrali Bhide

what is maximum span for a fire rated glass wall for 2 hrs fire rating?
A: Ghosh Subhrangsu

the glass can be as big as 1.4 x 2.8 sq mt for a single pane of glass

Q: Prasanna

This system is readily available in India or need to be imported on order.

A: TM Gopikrishnan

The system is not imported, but the glass is, we will shortly start manufacturing some of these glasses in India

Q: Sachin Mhatre

Is The glass is sound proof?

A: Ghosh Subhrangsu

Depending on the composition mono, dgu and / or inter-layered sound reduction ranges from 37 to 53 db

Q: Prasanna

When you say system - is this integrated with frame work? If so then what is the material of the frame- Aluminium or Steel.

A: TM Gopikrishnan

yes it is the whole framework and the glass and the fixing, framework is made of GI powder-coated with special tapes and infills.

Q: Vishwas

I am assuming these being glass doors they will be weather proof as well in external application? Rain sun etc?

A: Ghosh Subhrangsu

Some of the systems are meant for exteriors where else some are not. please check with the Saint-Gobain representative for your specific requirement

Q: Vishwas

Can you also explain the construction of door. What is the frame material? is it a double glazed unit? Will the surface on the other side of fire get heated? If yes to what extent, can I touch it? Will it double up as safety door as well or can I break in through it?

A: TM Gopikrishnan

Construction details are proprietary, frame is GI, not necessarily DGU, in some products yes, the other surface gets heated, radiant heat can be as high as 25 KW per sqm, yes you can break through it if required

Q: Prasanna

Do you propose lamination of fire safe glass with a regular single glass???

A: Ghosh Subhrangsu

In general any fire safety glass needs to undergo a fire test . So components cannot be replaced once tested. we do have laminated fire rated glass in our range

Q: Sachin Mhatre

And How we can address the issue of Travelling of Sound thru gaps and joints at top and bottom of Glass partitions in interior works.

A: TM Gopikrishnan

The gaps have to be sealed adequately, however, there is no cost-effective way of doing it at the bottom of the doors

Q: Chaitrali Bhide

How do mark TESTED for fire resistance on the glass?

A: TM Gopikrishnan

All fire rated glasses have a non-removable labelling which specifies the product name

Q: Prasanna

If you consider fire safe laminated glass then what are the ways that the glass can be broken down for exit???

A: Ghosh Subhrangsu

The glass used for doors is not laminated

Q: Vishwas

Does these doors come with panic bar fitted onto them? Or is it optional or needs to be done at consumer end?

A: TM Gopikrishnan

It is optional, but can be done by the door installer or by the client, but this will have to be factored in while designing

Q: Vishwas

A bit more detail about hinges, door closer etc will be helpful in understanding the product
A: TM Gopikrishnan

Typically the tested system will contain the frame, shutter, tower bolt, glass, hinges, door closers and the lock, optional include panic bar, smoke seals

Q: Prasanna

can we have a list of glass combinations that can be proposed for different functions with their specific fire rating???? If the glass list is provided can we have the confirmation that the all the combination of glasses are tested as per EN-1364-1-1999

A: Ghosh Subhrangsu

Please provide me with your contact details. Our representative will get in touch with you. yes, all our glasses are tested as per EN 1364-1: 1999 or BS 476 : Part 22 or EN 1634-1: 1999

Q: Brijesh Kumar

what component is involved for fire rating to increase? At how much thickness fire rated glass are available.

A: TM Gopikrishnan

These are special glasses that are made with special substrates and intumescent, the thickness starts from 6mm, goes upto 58mm depending on the functionality, fire resistance and rating

Q: P.Jha

Is there any way to treat plain glass post application to make it fire resistant?

A: TM Gopikrishnan

No, there is no way

Q: Sachin Mhatre

To avoid sound travelling from bottom what type of fitting you will propose, even it not cost effective.

A: TM Gopikrishnan

Dorma has got a smoke seal which is largely used for cutting out the smoke, while it will cut off the sound, we frankly have not measured it, we will find out if some option is available and let you know

Q: Brijesh Kumar

Fire rating is manufacturing process or is it done after manufacturing?

A: TM Gopikrishnan

It is both; the substrate or base glass in some of the products is manufactured differently and then subjected to a specialised processing

Q: Brijesh Kumar

Can fire rated glass be laminated and if yes will be both glasses required fire rated?

A: TM Gopikrishnan

Yes, we have tested laminated products which are used by some of the lift manufacturers as lift doors and car panels

Q: Brijesh Kumar

Glass availability in India? If not what will be lead time and minimum quantity?

A: TM Gopikrishnan

Presently imported, lead time 8-10 weeks by sea, 4-5 weeks by air, will start manufacturing some products in India shortly

Q: Brijesh Kumar

Availability of colour options? Like other shade available in Saint-Gobain i.e. skn

A: TM Gopikrishnan

For exteriors, fire glass can be integrated with SKN, for interiors, it is limited to clear glass

Q: Brijesh Kumar

Warranty/safety certificate of glass for required fire rating period/time?

A: Ghosh Subhrangsu

Yes. we can provide you with a certificate and warranty on the fire rating of the entire system

A: TM Gopikrishnan

Yes with all applications we give a test certificate. If installed as per the test evidence under our supervision we will also provide a installation certificate

Q: nagarashmi

what should be the min. door size used for fire safety near fire escape staircase

A: TM Gopikrishnan

It is 1000mm X 2000 mm

Q: Brijesh Kumar

can you please explain complete terms and conditions of fire safety warranty? What component involve in it?

A: TM Gopikrishnan

We normally provide a test certificate confirming a successful test on an equivalent prototype, in special cases where the warranty is provided, subject to installation as per tested evidence. Depending on the number of years that the warranty is required for, we charge a nominal fee

Q: Rafique Alam

Can we use a clear fire rated glass as frameless door or partition?

A: TM Gopikrishnan

Yes, we have the option of using frameless partitions using a special butt-joined system. In doors, we don't have any options available in India as of now.

Q: Rafique Alam

What will be the maximum size of panel for frameless partition and also mention the minimum thickness of glass

A: TM Gopikrishnan

Thickness would be 25mm for a one-hour rating and the maximum panel size can be 1800mm X 3500mm

Q: Brijesh Kumar

Can processing of fire glass is done at any processor?

A: TM Gopikrishnan

No, it has to be purchased as an integrated unit from the manufacturer

TM Gopikrishnan

Thank you all. We will take your leave now. Have a nice weekend.

Glasstech Asia 2010 – Grand Glass Trade Show

2010-02-09T23:02:00.000-08:00

Following a very great success of the Glasstech Asia 2009, this year “Glasstech Asia 2010” is going to spread its wings in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore from 29 June to 01 July 2010. This Glasstech Asia 2010 is the 8th International Glass products, Glass manufacturing, Processing & Materials Exhibition. This 8th edition of the trade show will showcase the latest in glass products, services, solutions and technologies and will also provide a review of the latest trends in the glass industry.

Glasstech Asia 2010 brings Asia Pacific glass market closer to the world. It is a unique platform where various industry professionals can tap unique opportunities into Asia’s dynamic glass industry. Glasstech Asia is a dedicated trade show which attracts highly qualified decision-makers and top quality exhibitors in every presentation and brings together the perfect mix of buyers and sellers. It is spread over an area of 7,000 sqm.

Notwithstanding the current worldwide economic and financial crises, Asia remains the most vibrant market for the glass industry and many global glass machinery and accessories manufacturers are still keen to take part in Glasstech Asia 2010, the most productive glass technology event in the region.

In order to create value for money for the exhibitors, they will be reaching out to a wider audience through our enhanced hosted buyers programme to match the needs of buyers and suppliers, with the goal of translating these efforts to better business value for each and every customer at the end of the day. This also assures a quality attendance during the event.

Solar technology in Glasstech Asia 2010, NEW !!!!!

Being the premier glass show in Asia to present solar technology, Solartech Asia 2010 is setting the trend and bringing the best of the glass world to the region. The focus on solar technology in the industry creates tremendous potential to the glass business. More and more players are casting their eyes on the long-term implications of using productive glass as a unique form of sustainable design and structure.

With the strong support of key partners with strengths on solar technology, they will enhance the value network of Glasstech Asia 2010. This participation also ensures extensive promotion of the event to key trade professionals in this specific platform. The support also includes the invitation of experts to speak on the prospects and on-going developments of the solar technology in the region while showcasing latest innovation during the three-day event.

Countries like China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the USA have all confirmed their participation and are expected to bring along with them their latest technology and equipment.

Furthermore, more than 5000 architects, contractors, property developers, automobile manufacturers, glass manufacturers, distributors & agents of hollow glassware, machinery and parts, engineers, glaziers, interior designers, automotive components distributors, windowand facade builders from different countries are expected to attend the event.

Powerful series of seminars, the first Asia Glass Awards and the much-anticipated Asia Pacific Glass Industry Forum would be organised to bring together industry voices to present and discuss relevant topics that would be useful in facing the challenging times.

These sessions would also expected to provide participants unlimited networking opportunities to build and forge relevant business alliances.

Highlights

Showcase of the most state-of-the-art technology and its novel applications from all over the world.

Wider spectrum of business activities with the introduction of two high-growth glass industry sectors under Solartech Asia 2010 and Glass Accessories Asia 2010.
- Launching of Solartech Asia - Asia Pacific’s premier solar technology platform
- Launching of Glass Accessories Asia, first international exhibition for glass accessories & products
Powerful series of seminars on world’s best practices.

Expansion to wider audience through Glasstech Asia’s enhanced hosted buyers programme.

Strategic location for higher business efficiency and visitor attendance.

Launch of the first high-profile Asia Glass Awards.

Organiser

This event is going to be organised by Conference and Exhibition Management Services Pte Limited (CEMS), Singapore.

Visitor's Profile

Target visitors at the show includes following parties:

Automobile Manufacturers

Engineers

Contractors

Window & Facade Installers

Architects

Glass Manufacturers

Distributors & Suppliers Of Glass Machinery and Parts

Automotive Components Distributors

Property Developers

Glaziers

Interior Designers

Exhibitor's Profile

Over 400 exhibitors under various categories from 30 countries are going to participate in this grand trade fair.

1. Glass Processing & Finishing

Drilling equipment

Window / door fabrication machinery

Cooling systems

Decorating tools

Instrument control system

Edging & bevelling equipment

Handling equipment

Insulating glass machinery

Artistic glass production equipment

Laminating equipment

Melting equipment

Mirror Production machinery

Packaging equipment

Plant utilities

Straight edge & shape cutting equipment

Bending equipment

Polishing & finishing equipment

Sealing equipment

2. Glass Processing & Finishing

Tempering equipment

Washing equipment

Recycling equipmen

3. Glass Manufacturing

Batching equipment

Ancillary equipment for furnaces

Computer systems

Cold end technology

Coating technology

Auxiliary and operating manuals

Glass forming equipment

Raw materials

Conveying, transport, packing & warehouse technology

Glass melting technology

Glass fibre production machinery

Glass tube production machinery

Solar Energy Society of India (SESI)

2010-02-09T22:55:00.000-08:00

Renewable Energy (RE) is now making a noticeable impact especially in the lives of rural masses. Simultaneously though, its use for urban and semi-urban applications is also growing by the day. The Indian RE programme was amongst the first few such programmes to shape up globally. Since then, it has assumed respectable market leadership position in a few areas more so in wind energy and solar energy. Increasing usability of the Renewable energy leads to the establishment of RE relevant fraternities. The Solar Energy of India (SESI), established in 1976, and having its Secretariat in New Delhi, is the Indian Section of the International Solar Energy Society (ISES). SESI is a multi-faceted national membership organization. With its long history and extensive technical and scientific expertise provided by its members, the Society is a modern, future oriented non-governmental organization (NGO). SESI has been serving the needs of the renewable energy community and the Society supports its members in the advancement of renewable energy technological, implementation and education.

Objectives

The objectives of SESI are to advance, promote & propagate the use of all forms of renewable energy by encouraging basic and applied research in renewable energy. Its interests cover all aspects of renewable energy, including characteristics, effects and methods of use, and it provides a common ground to all those concerned with the nature and utilization of this renewable non-polluting resource.

The Society is interdisciplinary in nature, with most of the leading energy researchers and manufacturers of renewable energy systems and devices of the country as its members. High academic attainments are not a prerequisite for membership and any person engaged in research, development or utilization of renewable energy or in fields related to renewable energy and interested in the promotion of renewable energy utilization can become a member of the society.

Functions

To encourage the use and acceptance of Renewable Energy technologies.

To realize a national community of industry, individuals and institutions in support of Renewable Energy.

To create and distribute publications for various target groups to support the dissemination of renewable energy technologies.

To bring together industry, science and politics in workshops, conferences and summits on Renewable Energy.

To advise governments and organizations in policy, implementation and sustainability of Renewable Energy activities in India.

Activities

Collecting, compiling, and disseminating information relating to renewable energy.

Organizing seminars and conferences, by publishing books, memoirs, journals and proceedings in the field of renewable energy.

Instituting awards.

Establishing formal education curriculum in collaboration with other institutions.

Establishing renewable Energy Centres in collaboration with corporates, NGOs, Foundations, individuals and government bodies

Collaborating and co-operating with other scientific societies, institutions, and academies in the country and abroad for research, development, and furtherance of renewable energy utilization.

Expanding the existing membership base.

Interaction with the International Solar Energy Society for possible initiation of any joint activities.

Recognition of the leading lights of the day in the entire area of RE.

Hosting of an International Conference on Renewable Energy better known as ICORE annually.

Conducts the meetings of SESI Governing Council & Annual General Meetings of SESI Members.

Members of SESI

SESI has presently 2000 members consisting of (1) Life Members, (2) Student Members,(3) Organizational Members, (4) Fellows and (5) Patrons. SESI has regional chapters located in Guwahati (North-Eastern Chapter), Kolkata (Eastern Chapter), Andhra Pradesh and local chapters in Pondicherry and Coimbatore.

Administration

The affairs and property of the society are administered by its Governing Council consisting of 20 members including the President, six Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, and 11 members of whom one shall be the immediate past-President (ex-officio). The council meets two or three times in a year. Day-to-day administration is provided by the Society Secretariat. Regions in which sufficient interest exists, regional or local chapters of the Society have been/can be established. The Annual meeting of the members is held at the time of its Annual Convention.

SESI Journal

SESI Journal publishes original contributions on all the aspects of renewable energy including basic science, technology, policy, economics, extension and field monitoring issues. It contains research papers, technical notes, short communications, book reviews, letters to the authors, reports of conferences and meetings etc. SESI Journal will be useful to graduates, postgraduates, researchers and professionals working in different areas of renewable energy.

Solar Energy Conclave 2010

2010-02-09T22:48:00.000-08:00

Renewable Energy is now playing a vital role in providing clean energy solutions. Being a tropical country, India is blessed with an enormous amount of solar energy, both in terms of heat and light, throughout the year. The Government of India has already started focussing its attention towards the development and deployment of renewable energy systems and devices including solar energy in the country through the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Solar energy in broad terms can be harnessed through two routes: Solar Thermal and Solar Photovoltaic. The Solar Thermal route has applications such as water heating, air heating, cooking, drying of agricultural and food products, distillation of water, water purification, detoxification of wastes, cooling and refrigeration, process heat for industry, steam generation for cooking and electricity generation.

Through the Solar Photovoltaic route, solar lights, solar pumps, solar road studs, solar blinkers, solar power plants for villages, telecommunication systems, energy for computers, solar power for schools and hostels, battery charging, railway signalling etc can be powered.

The designing of energy efficient buildings based on solar passive architecture along with energy efficiency measures is also an upcoming activity. Most of these systems & devices have been developed in India through Research & Development and demonstration programmes.

Solar Energy Conclave 2010

Recently, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) along with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) organized a 'Solar Energy Conclave 2010' which provided a common platform to share the experience of various stake-holders including the NRI's in promotion of Solar Energy in India and making the National Solar Mission targets, a reality.

The main objective of the event was to showcase the opportunities and the potential of solar energy development in the country. With the launching of National Solar Mission, India was set to harness its huge solar potential. At that juncture the conclave provided a common ground for Non-Resident Indians (NRI's) and Indian stakeholders to join hands for making the National Solar Mission a success and facilitate further expansion.

National Solar Mission inaugurated by PM Dr. Manmohan Singh

India’s Prime Minster Dr. Manmohan Singh inaugurated the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission on 11th January 2010 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi at the Solar Energy Conclave 2010. The Mission was launched under the brand name ‘Solar India’. While launching he said its success could transform India’s energy prospects.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that this National Solar Mission has the pride of place in India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change. Its success has the potential of transforming India’s energy prospects, and contributing to national as well as global efforts to combat climate change. This Mission is one of the major priorities of the second term of our government. He congratulate Dr. Abdullah and the other colleagues particularly Shri Shyam Saran, for the work they have done in bringing this to fruition.

He said that the target of 20,000 MW of solar generating capacity by the end of the 13th Five Year Plan is an ambitious target but he believes that the target is doable and that everyone should work single-mindedly to achieve it as priority national endeavour.

The carefully crafted regulatory and incentive framework that has been unveiled today has several innovative features. We expect that it will lead to a rapid scale up of capacity. This will encourage technological innovation and generate economies of scale, thereby leading to a steady lowering of costs. Once parity with conventional power tariff is achieved, there will be no technological or economic constraint to the rapid and large-scale expansion of solar power thereafter, he said.

He hoped that the mission would also establish India as a global leader in solar energy, not just in power generation but in manufacturing and technology.

He also said-It was the vision of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru that enabled India to create world-class scientific and technological capacities in the field of atomic energy and space sectors. Solar energy can also be the next scientific and technological frontier in India after Atomic Energy, Space and Information Technology.

“If the ambitious roll out of the Mission is to become a reality, we will have to create many ‘Solar Valleys’ on the lines of the Silicon Valleys that are spurring our IT industry across the four corners of our country. These valleys will become hubs for solar science, engineering and research, fabrication and manufacturing,” he added. He urged industry to see the mission as a huge business opportunity.

In his concluding remarks he said that “The Sun has long been recognized as a primal source of all energy on earth. In an ancient civilization like India, the Sun has been worshipped as the God who bestows life and sustains it. The bounty of the Sun is truly inexhaustible, renewable and free. It is to this source of energy that humankind must turn to meet the twin challenge of energy security and climate change. I wish the Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Mission every success.”

Dr. Farooq Abdullah on the Solar Energy Conclave 2010

Dr. Farooq Abdullah said India plans to install 20 million solar lights and 20 million square metres of solar panel to generate 20,000 MW by 2022 as part of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy.

Farooq Abdullah, in his note address “By 2022, we aim to install 20 million square metres of solar thermal collectors and save 7,500 MW power generation capacity,” he said at the launch of the mission here. “We want 20 million solar lights to be installed by 2022, which would result in a saving of one billion litres of kerosene every year.”

“In the next three years, India plans to add 1,300 MW of solar power, of which 1,100 MW will be grid-connected and 200 MW will be off-grid. This is our first benchmark. If we achieve this, achieving the remaining target will not be impossible. A huge constraint in the commercial use of solar energy has been its cost. Today, the initial cost of solar energy is very high, especially for grid power generation. We aim to bring down the cost as quickly as possible,” Dr. Abdullah added.

Attendees of Solar Energy Conclave 2010

Non-Resident Indian Professionals.
Technology leaders - researchers, scientists and engineers.
Industry leaders - manufacturers, system integrators, financial and insurance services providers, investors, entrepreneurs and analysts.
Academic leaders - professors, teachers, university and school facilities managers.
Government leaders - policy-makers and utility representatives.
Future leaders - students, green builders and homeowners.

Benefits

Better understanding of mutual need and strengths.
Exposure to state of art technologies.
Sharing of experience.
Technology and research & Development Collaborations.
Business opportunities.
Networking among the solar community.

Top Ten Green Building Trends for 2010

2010-02-09T22:38:00.000-08:00

Are you about to build a structure to live or to work? If yes, please do read on.

Earth Advantage Institute, a leading non-profit Green Building Certification organization in Portland has announced its choice selections for top ten green building trends in 2010. The trends vary from energy scores for homes to web-based displays which track real-time energy consumption, and were acknowledged by the Institute based on dealings with builders, architects, real estate brokers, lenders, appraisers and homeowners throughout 2009. A list of the trends follows.

1. The Smart Grid and Connected Home

The first on the list is the smart grid and connected home, which will work to conserve energy and increase home value – especially as grid capabilities begin to increase in the future.

While utilities will continue to make upgrades to the grid for more effective generation, storage and distribution of power, the big news is in the home. The development of custom and web-based display panels that show real-time home energy use, and even real-time energy use broken out by individual appliance, will go a long way towards helping change homeowners’ energy behaviour and drive energy conservation.

In the same way that the Toyota Prius miles-per-gallon indicator has motivated some owners to modify driving habits, these home “dashboards” may create “extreme energy” buffs intent on reaching individual energy goals specified for the home by rating systems such as the Energy Performance Score.

2. Energy Labelling for Homes and Office Buildings

The second is energy labelling for homes and office buildings to help encourage property owners to make needed energy improvements while adding worth to their building.

The advent of more accurate energy rating systems for homes and office spaces – similar to the miles-per-gallon sticker on your car – has caught the attention of energy agencies and legislators around the country. Not only can it make a building-to-building or home-to-home comparison easier, but a publicly available score on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) could galvanize owners to make needed energy improvements while adding value to their building.

A post-improvement audit can also measure the effectiveness of upgrades, a useful tool for gauging results of stimulus funding for retrofits. In Oregon and Washington, the Energy Performance Score has been written into recent bills to explore mandatory energy labelling at the time of any transaction.

3. Building Information Modelling (BIM) Software

The third trend is Building Information Modelling (BIM) software, considering that CAD software for building design has spawned fresh add-on tools with progressively accurate (and gradually more affordable) algorithms for energy. The continued evolution of CAD software for building design has produced new add-on tools with increasingly accurate algorithms for energy modelling as well as embedded energy properties for many materials and features. This will prove instrumental in predicting building performance.

BIM software is utilized during the design of buildings to optimize all aspects to increase energy efficiency. Architects and designers can model how a building will behave given certain environmental conditions, materials, solar orientation, renewable energy, HVAC systems, dimensions and size, lighting and more. Experts expect that the use of BIM by architects, designers and builders will become more widespread and even more accurate.

BIM developers will soon be offering more affordable packages aimed at smaller firms and individual builders. Contractors are predicted to show the greatest increase in usage of BIM compared with any other group, according to market research firm McGraw Hill Construction.

4. Buy-in to Green Building by the Financial Community

The fourth trend anticipates a surge in open lending for green construction projects. Seeing that operating costs are much lower than a traditional home, the financial services community is beginning to view green homes and buildings as more fiscally viable and is working to get new reduced-rate loan programs and insurance packages into place.

Lenders and insurers have come to see green homes and buildings as better for their bottom line and are working to get new reduce drate loan products, insurance packages, and metrics into place. Green buildings have lower operational costs, have healthier interiors, and are doing their part to reduce climate change, which is a great risk to insurance companies. Lenders and insurers are realizing that green home owners are more responsible, place higher value on maintenance, and are less likely to default due to lower operating costs of homes and office buildings.

5. “Rightsizing” of Homes

Fifth trend is the “rightsizing” of homes, as a bigger home no longer means greater equity. As we’ve seen during the current downturn, a larger home no longer translates into greater equity. Given that the forecast for home valuation remains conservative, that energy prices are expected to rise over time, and the Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates mid-year, homeowners will likely feel more comfortable building smaller homes and smaller add-ons.

6. Eco-Districts

Eco-districts are the sixth trend, with many cities encouraging the creation of green communities in which residents have access to most services and supplies within walking or biking distance.

Portland is already on the bandwagon with this one, encouraging the creation of greener communities where residents have access to all most services and supplies within walking or biking distance. These areas would also incorporate green spaces and green certified buildings. While we have such neighbourhoods in the cities, the creation of walk-able, low impact communities in the suburban setting is also gaining steam.

Cities around the world are beginning to think and built holistic communities with green buildings, gardens, pedestrian orientated streets, public transit, bike lanes and open space. These eco-districts are not only about environmentally friendly buildings running off renewable energy; they are geared towards creating a community of people who have similar environmental ideals.

7. Water Conservation

The seventh trend is water conservation, as the precious life source is becoming endangered more so every day. Even more important than energy conservationwill be water conservation. Already millions all over the world do not have access to clean drinking water, and even here in the US, states in the Southwest are experience droughts and water shortages.

Because indoor and outdoor residential water use accounts for more than half of the publicly supplied water in the United States, the EPA finalized the WaterSense specification for new homes in December of 2009, which reduces water use by about 20 percent less water compared to a conventional new home.

Verification groups that certify single and multifamily homes will likely also train the same staff to verify WaterSense compliance when requested by builders or homeowners. Mandatory energy labelling in Europe already documents water efficiency in buildings -- it may soon be incorporated into U.S. performance scores. Water will be the essential resource in the next decade.

8. Carbon Calculation

Carbon calculation is the eighth trend, which will work to document, measure and reduce greenhouse gas creation in building materials and processes.

With buildings contributing roughly half the carbon emissions in the environment, the progressive elements in the building industry are looking at ways to document, measure, and reduce greenhouse gas creation in building materials and processes. Lifecycle analysis (LCA) of building products is underway by third party technical teams, while others are working with federal and state building authorities to educate staff, create monetized carbon credits, and develop effective carbon offset policies. This effort will be heightened once a federal cap-and-trade mechanism is launched in this country.

9. Net Zero Buildings

The ninth trend is net zero buildings. A net zero building is a building that generates more energy than it uses over the course of a year, as a result of relatively small size, extreme efficiencies and onsite renewable energy sources such as wind, solar or geo-exchange systems.

While the Architecture 2030 Challenge sets forth net zero as the goal for all buildings in 2030, we are already within striking distance on many fronts. Building extreme efficiency into a structure is highly cost effective, and achieves the bulk of the net zero effort. Oregon already has several net zero homes, and the planned Oregon Sustainability Centre is an example of a net zero office building.

One increasingly popular standard is the Passive House standard, which was originally started in Germany. These houses are so efficient, that often they don’t even need a heating system and rely on the excess heat from appliances to keep the home warm.

10. Sustainable Building Education

Lastly is sustainable building education to aid designers and builders, as well as other building industry professionals such as real estate agents, financiers and insurance agents.

While the slowdown afforded many builders the opportunity to learn about green building and establish credentials, the momentum for green building is being supplied by homebuyers, homeowners and building owners. Training for renewable energy systems like solar panels is incredibly popular as is becoming a LEED Accredited Professional, who is trained to help consult on and certify green buildings.

The continued demand, especially in progressive cities, will supply new learning opportunities, not just for designers and builders but for the entire chain of professionals involved in the building industry, from real estate to finance, and insurance. These peripheral professionals seek to know more about the features and benefits of sustainable construction in order to place an appropriate value on a green building. In this way they can be assured that there will not be a disconnect between the homeowner’s or builder’s perceived value and the appraiser’s perceived value, and all parties can benefit from the greening of the building industry.

World’s Largest Energy-Efficient Solar Powered Office Building

2010-02-09T22:29:00.000-08:00

Being a heavy user of fossil fuels, China contributes greatly to pollution and ozone layer destruction. 70% of China’s needs are met by fossil fuels; however, in recent times the country has taken some steps towards environment preservation by relying on wind and solar power as sources of energy.A vast fan-shaped roof of an 800,000 square-foot facility located in China has officially taken the title of “largest solar-powered office building in the world“. It is situated in Dezhou, Shangdong Province in northwest China. This world's largest solar energy office building was opened on November 27, 2009. Its semi-circular, dial-shaped roofs are covered with solar panels. The building covers an area of 75,000-square-meter. The office building is modelled after the sun dial structure.

The design of the new building is based on the sun dial and “underlines the urgency of seeking renewable energy sources to replace fossil fuels.” Conservation of steel was carefully considered through construction and the building is primarily white, which both symbolizes clean energy and reflects solar radiation back to the atmosphere rather than absorbing it as unwanted heat.

The building provides many services such as space for exhibition centres, scientific research facilities, meeting and training facilities and a sustainable hotel. This building is named as the Sun and the Moon Altar micro-row buildings. The architecture included the Chinese characters for sun and moon. It'll be a showcase of solar design, solar desalination, and, of course, about 50,000 square-feet of solar panels on the exterior.

Aside from the obvious sustainable nature of the solarpanel – clad exterior, other green features include advanced roof and wall insulation practices resulting in an energy savings of 30% more than the national standard. In addition, the external part of the construction makes use of about 1 percent of the amount of steel that was used to build the famous Olympic Stadium, Bird's Nest.

This centrepiece of the $22 billion development–the world’s first sustainable city–will be a 1.4 million square-foot solar building that is energy positive; that is, it will actually produce more power than it needs. This energy efficient building will procure 95% of its energy needs from alternative energy sources. This building also has the facilities of solar hot water and a solar energy theme park.

The building's ground-breaking solar energy and power-saving technologies, some of which have already been patented, include a number of technical advances that will push forward the mass applicationof solar energy. Its extraordinary profile and cutting edge, symbolic design has already made it a local as well a national and international landmark.

LEED Series - Part III - Versions of LEED

2010-02-08T21:25:00.000-08:00

Versions of LEED

Different versions of the rating system are available for specific project types:

LEED for New Construction

LEED for Existing Buildings

LEED for Commercial Interiors

LEED for Core and Shell

LEED for Homes

LEED for Neighborhood Development

LEED for Schools

LEED for Retail

1. LEED for New Construction

The LEED for New Construction Rating System is designed to guide and distinguish high-performance commercial and institutional projects, including office buildings, high-rise residential buildings, government buildings, recreational facilities, manufacturing plants and laboratories. LEED-NC projects span a variety of building types and vertical markets, from commercial office buildings to the education and government markets.

2. LEED for Existing Buildings

The LEED for Existing Buildings Rating System helps building owners and operators measure operations, improvements and maintenance on a consistent scale, with the goal of maximizing operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts. LEED for Existing Buildings addresses whole-building cleaning and maintenance issues (including chemical use), recycling programs, exterior maintenance programs, and systems upgrades.

3. LEED for Commercial Interiors

The benchmark for tenant improvements of new or existing office space.

An integrated design tool that sets the industry standards for green design and construction of tenant improvement projects to enhance indoor environment.

Gives the power to make sustainable choices to tenants and designers, who do not always have control over whole building operations.

The recognized standard for certifying high-performance green interiors that are healthy, productive places to work, are less costly to operate and maintain, and reduce environmental footprint.

Benefits

Enhance occupant well being and productivity
Improve employee retention and reduce absenteeism
Reduce liability associated with poor indoor air quality
Increase marketability
Decrease churn costs
Lower operating and maintenance costs

LEED –CI Certification levels

Certified - 21-26 Points
Silver - 27-31 Points
Gold - 32-41 Points
Platinum - 42-57 Points

4. LEED for Core and Shell

LEED for Core and Shell development is a green building system that was designed to provide a set of performance standards for certifying the sustainable design and construction of speculative and core and shell buildings. Broadly defined, core and shell construction covers base building elements, such as the structure, envelope and building-level systems, such as central HVAC, etc. The LEED for Core and Shell product recognizes that the division between owner and tenant responsibility for certain elements of the building varies between markets.

5. LEED for Homes

LEED for Homes is a green home certification system for assuring homes are designed and built to be energy- and resource-efficient and healthy for occupants. LEED can be applied to single- and multifamily homes and is intended for both market-rate and affordable housing.

LEED-certified homes are built with efficiency and health in mind, so they have the potential to save residents money on energy and water bills, reduce their carbon footprints and environmental impact, and protect their health. Based on Home Energy Rating System (HERS) tests performed on homes certified during 2008, the average home certified at the LEED-Certified level is predicted to have potential energy savings of up to 30% over homes built to International Energy Conservation Code, a widely used standard; the average LEED-Platinum home could use as much as 60% less energy than an IECC-built home.

Many LEED homes gain certification in part due to a focus on indoor environmental quality. These homes typically have better ventilation, use paints and products that emit little or no dangerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and/or implement advanced moisture-control strategies, among other health considerations. LEED for Existing Buildings

6. LEED for Neighborhood Development

The LEED for Neighborhood Development Rating System integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism, and green building into the first national standard for neighborhood design. LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a development's location and design meet accepted high standards for environmentally responsible, sustainable development.

LEED for Neighborhood Development is a collaboration between the U.S. Green Building Council, the Congress for the New Urbanism, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

7. LEED for Schools

The LEED for Schools Rating System recognizes the unique nature of the design and construction of K-12 schools. Based on LEED for New Construction, it addresses issues such as classroom acoustics, master planning, mold prevention, and environmental site assessment. By addressing the uniqueness of school spaces and children’s health issues, LEED for Schools provides a unique, comprehensive tool for schools that wish to build green, with measurable results. LEED for Schools is the recognized third-party standard for high performance schools that is healthy for students, comfortable for teachers, and cost-effective. The LEED for Schools Rating System is most applicable to new construction and major renovation projects in K-12 educational spaces.

Certification Levels:

Certified - 29-36 Points
Silver - 37-43 Points
Gold - 44-57 Points
Platinum - 58-79 Points

8. LEED for Retail

LEED for Retail consists of two separate rating systems, LEED for Retail: New Construction and LEED for Retail: Commercial Interiors. Both were developed specifically to address the unique nature of a retail facility. The rating systems are just two tools within a suite of LEED assessment instruments developed by the USGBC to promote market transformation through sustainable building practices.

LEED is a measurable tool that is used to validate the design, construction and operation of a retail facility. With certification comes a potential increase in ROI, sales, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and brand equity. Green buildings also reduce operating costs through the decrease in energy and water usage. A key goal of LEED for Retail is to ensure that the design and construction of a retail space will ensure healthy and efficient operation.

LEED Series

2010-01-27T02:06:00.000-08:00

PART II: How Does LEED Work?

Certification

LEED points are awarded on a 100-point scale, and credits are weighted to reflect their potential environmental impacts. Additionally, 10 bonus credits are available, four of which address regionally specific environmental issues. A project must satisfy all prerequisites and earn a minimum number of points to be certified.

In LEED 2009 there are 100 possible base points plus an additional 6 points for Innovation in Design and 4 points for Regional Priority. Buildings can qualify for four levels of certification:

USGBC LEED 2009 (v3):

Certified - 40-49 points
Silver - 50-59 points
Gold - 60-79 points
Platinum - 80 points and above

Note that the LEED for Homes rating system is much different than LEED v3, with different point categories and thresholds that reward efficient residential design

USGBC LEED v2.2:

In LEED v2.2 for new construction and major renovations for commercial buildings there are 69 possible points and buildings can qualify for four levels of certification:

Certified - 26-32 points
Silver - 33-38 points
Gold - 39-51 points
Platinum - 52-69 points

Note : Read about the different versions of LEED in Part III

Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA)

2010-01-25T03:12:00.000-08:00

GRIHA, an acronym for Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment, is the National Rating System of India. GRIHA is a Sanskrit word meaning – ‘Abode’. Human Habitats (Buildings) interact with the environment in various ways. Throughout their life cycles, from construction to operation and then demolition, they consume resources in the form of energy, water, materials, etc. and emit wastes either directly in the form of municipal wastes or indirectly as emissions from electricity generation. GRIHA attempts to minimize a building’s resource consumption, waste generation, and overall ecological impact to within certain nationally acceptable limits / benchmarks.

GRIHA attempts to quantify aspects such as energy consumption, waste generation, renewable energy adoption, etc. so as to manage, control and reduce the same to the best possible extent.

GRIHA is a rating tool that helps people assess the performance of their building against certain nationally acceptable benchmarks. It will evaluate the environmental performance of a building holistically over its entire life cycle, thereby providing a definitive standard for what constitutes a 'green buildings'. 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.

The Context and Development

Internationally, voluntary building rating systems have been instrumental in raising awareness and popularizing green design. However, most of the rating systems devised have been tailored to suit the building industry of the country where they were developed.

TERI took the responsibility of popularizing 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 has been adopted by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. This tool, by its qualitative and quantitative assessment criteria, is able to ‘rate’ a building on the degree of its ‘greenness’. The rating would be applied to new building stock of varied functions – commercial, institutional, and residential.

The challenges

The Indian building industry is highly de-centralized with people and/ or groups engaged in design, construction, equipment provision, installation, and renovation working together. 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 important to separate the role of different participants in ensuring that the building consumes minimal resources over its entire life cycle and leaves behind a minimal environmental footprint.

Basic features

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:

Pre-construction stage (intra- and inter-site issues like proximity to public transport, type of soil, kind of land, where the property is located, the flora and fauna on the land before construction activity starts, the natural landscape and land features)

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 energy consumption, and occupant health and well being, and also issues that affect the global and local environment.

The benefits

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, reducing energy consumption and 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

Rating System

GRIHA rating system consists of 34 criteria categorized under various sections such as Site Selection and Site Planning, Conservation and efficient utilization of resources, Building operation and maintenance, and Innovation points. Eight of these 34 criteria are mandatory, four are partly mandatory, while the rest are optional. 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. Different levels of certification (one star to five stars) are awarded based on the number of points earned. The minimum points required for certification is 50.

The criteria have been categorised as follows:

1. Site planning

A) Conservation and efficient utilization of resources

Objective:

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.

Criteria 1: Site Selection:

Commitment:

Site plan should be in conformity to the Development Plan/Master Plan/UDPFI guidelines (mandatory). Site should be located within ½ km radius of an existing or planned and funded bus stops, commuter rail, light rail or metro station or the proposed site is a brownfield site (to rehabilitate damaged sites where development is complicated by environmental contamination, reducing pressure on undeveloped land).

POINT: 1 [Partly Mandatory]

Criteria 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, onsite, trees in the ratio 1:3 to those removed during construction.

POINTS: 5 [Partly Mandatory]

Criteria 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.

POINTS: 4

Criteria 4: Design to include existing site features.

Commitment:

Minimize the disruption of natural ecosystem and design to harness maximum benefits of the prevailing micro-climate.

POINTS: 2 [Mandatory]

Criteria 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.

POINTS: 2 [Partly Mandatory]

Criteria 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.

POINTS: 3

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

Commitment:

Minimize road and pedestrian walkway length by appropriate planning and provide aggregate corridors for utility lines.

POINTS: 3

B) Health and well being

Objectives:

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.

POINTS: 2 [Mandatory]

Criterion 9: Reduce air pollution during construction.

Commitment:

Ensure proper screening, covering stockpiles, covering brick and loads of dusty materials, wheel-washing facility, and water spraying.

POINTS: 2 [Mandatory]

2. Building planning and construction stage

A) Conservation 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.

POINTS: 3

Criterion 11: Reduce building water use.

Commitment:

Reduce building water use by applying low-flow fixtures, etc.

POINTS: 2

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 controls the waste of curing water.

POINT: 1

Energy: end use

Criterion 13: Optimise 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, and avoid over-design of the lighting and air-conditioning systems.

POINTS: 6 [Mandatory]

Criterion 14 Optimise 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. Ensure that thermal comfort in non air conditioned spaces is within specified limits.

POINTS: 12

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.

POINTS: 6

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.

POINTS: 4

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.

POINTS: 4

Energy: renewable

Criterion 18: Renewable energy utilization.

Commitment:

Mandatory provide renewable energy system with capacity equivalent to 1% of connected load for lighting and space conditioning. Meet energy requirements for a minimum of 5% 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.

POINTS: 5 [Partly Mandatory]

Criterion 19: Renewable energy - based hot- water system.

Commitment:

Meet 20% or more of the annual energy required for heating water through renewable energy based water-heating systems.

POINTS: 3

B) Recycle, recharge, and reuse of water

Objective:

To promote the recycle and reuse of water.

Criterion 20: Waste- water treatment

Commitment:

Provide necessary treatment of water for achieving the desired concentration of effluents.

POINTS: 2

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.

POINTS: 5

C. Waste management

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.

POINTS: 2

Criterion 23: Efficient waste segregation.

Commitment:

Use different coloured bins for collecting different categories of waste from the building.

POINTS: 2

Criterion 24: Storage and disposal of waste.

Commitment:

Allocate separate space for the collected waste before transferring it to the recycling/disposal stations.

POINTS: 2

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.

POINTS: 2

D. Health and well-being

Objective:

To ensure healthy indoor air quality, water quality, and noise levels, and reduce the global warming potential. Use of low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints/ adhesives / sealants.

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.

POINTS: 4

Criterion 27: Minimize ozone depleting substances.

Commitment:

Employ 100% zero ODP (ozone depletion potential) insulation; HCFC (hydro chlorofluorocarbon)/ and CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) free HVAC and refrigeration equipments and / halon-free fire suppression and fire extinguishing systems.

POINTS: 3 [Mandatory]

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.

POINTS: 2 [Mandatory]

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.

POINTS: 2

Criterion 30: Tobacco and smoke control.

Commitment:

Zero exposure to tobacco smoke for non-smokers, and exclusive ventilation for smoking rooms

POINTS: 1

Criterion 31 Universal accessibility

Commitment:

To ensure accessibility and usability of the building and its facilities by employees, visitors and clients with disabilities

POINTS: 1

3. Building operation and maintenance

Objective

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.

POINTS: Mandatory

Criterion 33: Operation and maintenance protocol for electrical and mechanical equipment.

Commitment:

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.

POINTS: 2 [Mandatory]

4. Innovation

Criterion 34: Innovation points.

Four innovation 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 transportation

2. Environmental education

3. Company policy on green supply chain

4. Life cycle cost analysis

5. Any other criteria proposed by applicant

POINTS: 4 [Beyond 100 points]

Scoring points for GRIHA

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.

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 stars) 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 stars’ respectively. A building scoring 91 to 100 points will get the maximum rating viz. five stars.

Points scored & Ratings:

50-60 - One Star
61-70 - Two Star
71-80 - Three Star
81-90 - Four Star
91-100 - Five Star

LEED Series

2010-01-18T03:24:00.000-08:00

Part I: What is LEED?

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED provides building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

LEED is flexible enough to apply to all building types – commercial as well as residential. It works throughout the building lifecycle – design and construction, operations and maintenance, tenant fit out, and significant retrofit. And LEED for Neighborhood Development extends the benefits of LEED beyond the building footprint into the neighborhood it serves.

LEED was created to accomplish the following:

Define "green building" by establishing a common standard of measurement
Promote integrated, whole-building design practices
Recognize environmental leadership in the building industry
Stimulate green competition
Raise consumer awareness of green building benefits
Transform the building market

LEED is a voluntary certification program that can be applied to any building type and any building lifecycle phase. It promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in key areas:

1. Sustainable Sites

Choosing a building's site and managing that site during construction are important considerations for a project’s sustainability. The Sustainable Sites category discourages development on previously undeveloped land; minimizes a building's impact on ecosystems and waterways; encourages regionally appropriate landscaping; rewards smart transportation choices; controls storm water runoff; and reduces erosion, light pollution, heat island effect and construction-related pollution.

2. Water Efficiency

Buildings are major users of our potable water supply. The goal of the Water Efficiency credit category is to encourage smarter use of water, inside and out. Water reduction is typically achieved through more efficient appliances, fixtures and fittings inside and water-wise landscaping outside.

3. Energy & Atmosphere

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, buildings use 39% of the energy and 74% of the electricity produced each year in the United States. The Energy & Atmosphere category encourages a wide variety of energy strategies: commissioning; energy use monitoring; efficient design and construction; efficient appliances, systems and lighting; the use of renewable and clean sources of energy, generated on-site or off-site; and other innovative strategies.

4. Materials & Resources

During both the construction and operations phases, buildings generate a lot of waste and use a lot of materials and resources. This credit category encourages the selection of sustainably grown, harvested, produced and transported products and materials. It promotes the reduction of waste as well as reuse and recycling, and it takes into account the reduction of waste at a product’s source.

5. Indoor Environmental Quality

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors, where the air quality can be significantly worse than outside. The Indoor Environmental Quality credit category promotes strategies that can improve indoor air as well as providing access to natural daylight and views and improving acoustics.

6. Locations & Linkages

The LEED for Homes rating system recognizes that much of a home's impact on the environment comes from where it is located and how it fits into its community. The Locations & Linkages credits encourage homes being built away from environmentally sensitive places and instead being built in infill, previously developed and other preferable sites. It rewards homes that are built near already-existing infrastructure, community resources and transit, and it encourages access to open space for walking, physical activity and time spent outdoors.

7. Awareness & Education

The LEED for Homes rating system acknowledges that a green home is only truly green if the people who live in it use the green features to maximum effect. The Awareness & Education credits encourage home builders and real estate professionals to provide homeowners, tenants and building managers with the education and tools they need to understand what makes their home green and how to make the most of those features.

8. Innovation in Design

The Innovation in Design credit category provides bonus points for projects that use new and innovative technologies and strategies to improve a building’s performance well beyond what is required by other LEED credits or in green building considerations that are not specifically addressed elsewhere in LEED. This credit category also rewards projects for including a LEED Accredited Professional on the team to ensure a holistic, integrated approach to the design and construction phase.

9. Regional Priority

USGBC’s regional councils, chapters and affiliates have identified the environmental concerns that are locally most important for every region of the country, and six LEED credits that address those local priorities were selected for each region. A project that earns a regional priority credit will earn one bonus point in addition to any points awarded for that credit. Up to four extra points can be earned in this way.

Find out how LEED works in Part II of the LEED Series....

Kerala Gearing Up for Special SEZ Status

2010-01-18T03:19:00.000-08:00

Plans are afoot in the Union Government to include Kerala in the priority list of States granted relaxation in their areas for setting up Special Economic Zones (SEZs). In its efforts to generate exports and employment in the area, the State Government has reportedly requested the Union Commerce and Industry Ministry for such a status.

Of late, the State is currently going all out to create more and more multi-product category of Special Economic Zones as they open up umpteen employment opportunities to majority of masses. In this connection, the State Government had sent a letter to the Commerce Ministry and had cited the prevailing global financial crisis as one of the reasons behind seeking the coveted status. In the absence of relaxation available under the SEZ category more and more developers were finding it tough and economically unviable to develop SEZ projects over huge tracks of land available in the State.

Kerala currently has received 24 formal approvals of which 15 are notified SEZs while five are operational spread across 618.31 hectares. After initial indifference the Left ruled State faced huge criticism over the developments of tax free zones and has finally introduced the SEZ Policy in 2008 stipulating that 70 per cent of the SEZ land should be utilized for industrial purposes.

Currently, States including Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir and all the Union Territories enjoy this coveted status. As per the SEZ norms in Kerala the minimum area needed for a multi-product SEZ is 200 hectares, as against 1,000 hectares required by other States. In the case of service SEZs, 50 hectares of land is needed by special category States as against 100 hectares by others. But for all other types of SEZs including IT/gems and jewelry, the minimum requirement of 10 hectares remains mandatory.

Source: NBM Media

Maharashtra Joins the Green Building Bandwagon

2010-01-18T03:11:00.000-08:00

After the Union Government, now the state governments, too, are making green buildings the law. Now the Maharashtra State Government has decided to make available incentives in the form of rationalization in property tax /electricity tariff and reduction in State taxes including VAT and Octroi on buildings adhering to green technology norms.

To achieve this, Maharashtra Government proposes to amend the Development Control Rules for the introduction of green building regulations initially in Mumbai Metropolitan City and later in tier II cities of the State. Under the proposed regulations, it will be mandatory for new buildings to use green technologies for recycling dry waste and drainage water, vermin-culture for treatment of wet waste, solar energy and above all rainwater harvesting. The latest move drew an overwhelming response from various quarters including builders because it has come at a time when the City is reeling under acute water shortage and is destined to face power deficit in the near future.

Maharashtra is not the first state to take this desirable step. Such initiatives have already been initiated in several States including Delhi, West Bengal, Karnataka, Kerala and Rajasthan. But in the realty sector, Maharashtra will be the first to put such incentives on its radar in a more regulatory form.

According to reports emanating from the State, the Housing, Urban Development and Environment Department will hold a meeting very shortly to look into the various aspects of green building regulations and the implementation procedures in Mumbai and later in tier II cities. Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation through a notification has already asked developers of new buildings to go for rainwater harvesting system. The objective of the proposed green building regulations is to make all efforts to minimize the impact of climate change. At the same time doing so should not affect the Government’s target of affordable housing in Mumbai and other parts of the State.

All said and done, a step like this taken by the governments of these states is one in the right direction.

First Pre-certified LEED Hotel Prototype

2010-01-18T03:02:00.000-08:00

Marriott Intl. Inc. will soon have a LEED pre-certified hotel prototype, available from April 2010, for its Courtyard brand hotels. This project was started at the end of 2007 when Marriott joined the USGBC. The prototype, which will guarantee the basic U.S. Green Building Council LEED certification level (owners can achieve a higher certification, depending on the site) will reduce a hotel’s energy and water consumption by up to 25%, and save owners approximately $100,000 and six months in design time.

Scheduled to open this summer, the Courtyard Settler’s Ridge in Pittsburgh, Penn., will be the first hotel built, based on the pre-certified LEED hotel prototype concept.

A heat recovery system with a roof top air handling unit and a guestroom bath exhaust system are incorporated in this hotel. During the past few years, a guestroom bath exhaust system in a horizontal configuration with a constant draw of 30 cfm, produced by main exhaust fans at both ends of the corridors, was utilized. But in this project, an additional exhaust was achieved by installing individual, locally switched, exhaust fans in each guestroom bathroom, providing an additional draw of 65 to 80 cfm.

Introduction of the heat recovery wheel into the outside air supply system requires mechanically balancing the cfm of supply and exhausting air to meet ASHRAE 62.1 outside air minimum ventilation requirements for LEED pre-requisites. Therefore, the size of exhaust duct work was increased and balancing louvers were added as the individually switch exhaust fans in each room were eliminated.

The public areas in the hotel are controlled by thermostats and are conditioned with five fan coil units and three air handling units suspended from the second floor deck, and supplemental heat is provided by two electric horizontal heating units in the main mechanical and electrical rooms, and electric wall heaters in entrance vestibules.

The energy-efficient features of the HVAC system are two 100% dedicated outside air system rooftop units equipped with an energy recovery wheel that will reclaim heat energy from the guestroom bathrooms, and energy efficient fans in the units that provide additional energy savings when compared to the minimum requirements for ASHRAE 90.1.

Energy saved by the HVAC system for space heating was about 72% and 30% for space cooling, Interior fans contributed about 17% energy savings, but LEED energy calculations are based on the overall building and site energy use in dollars, higher U-values for glass, exterior insulation and roof insulation helped play a role in the overall energy savings for the HVAC systems. The overall building energy savings was about 19% kWh, and the overall LEED energy savings in dollars was about 24%.

Water conserving features in the hotel include 1.28 GPM water closets by Kohler, 1.5 GPM lavatory faucets by Simmons, and 2.0 GPM shower heads by Speakman, which meet the 25% water savings in LEED requirements. Based on the LEED calculations, the annual water savings will be estimated as 319,275 gallons.

Marriott plans to introduce similar green hotel prototypes this year for its Fairfield Inn, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites and TownePlace Suites brands.