Green Building is the new sensible way to go

Part 1


Green Buildings are a vast topic to go into and it is for a reason. The stigma of building this way is that it can become a little expensive and create a dogma around the house socially. However, these buildings are todays answer to Energy crisis and Climate change. The government of India is actively promoting these buildings and in the near 100 to 200 years, they will be the future of construction practices.

What are Green Buildings

Green Building techniques are a way to construct buildings such that the net energy consumption is reduced. The net energy includes electricity, pollution created by the building, water consumption, the pollution and energy for transportation of materials, soil impact etc. Solar energy, passive cooling techniques, daylight usage, energy efficient electrical appliances, controlling soil erosion, rainwater harvesting, water reusage, planting trees are a few techniques to do so.


What does the government do to encourage green buildings

The government of India started promoting Green Buildings by making it compulsory for all Government Buildings of India to be green buildings. They also started the government body GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment). Various state governments also provide benefits and incentives to people building green. Here are a few incentives:
  • Tax benefits
  • Low interest rates from IREDA
  • Fast track approvals.
On the state level, here are a few incentives provided by the government:
  • Additional FAR as per government
  • The government of AP provides 25% of the project construction cost for certified green buildings.
  • The government of Gujarat provides an incentive of 10 Lakhs
  • Tamil Nadu provides 25% subsidy up to Rs. 1 Cr for setting up environmental protection infrastructure.

What body certifies green buildings

The international council for green buildings is WGBC (World Green Building Council). The Indian council for green buildings is IGBC (Indian Green Building Council).

The rating system for green buildings are:

  • Certified
  • Silver
  • Gold
  • Platinum
Here is a link to the website of IGBC rating system to find more: Indian Green building council (igbc.in)

There are other bodies such as LEED, GRIHA who also provide certification. 


In the next part, I will discuss a few more details on the certification system.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bricks get hot and have silica and aluminium in the clay used.

Image
The major components of brick are  Silica,  Alumina,  Lime,  Iron oxide and  Magnesia. If you observe the composition, all 4 materials are capable of quickly getting hot under the sun and air. Did you know that the clay brick bricks used today were made to trap heat and become hot? Yes, the clay brick used in today's times in India is a European creation that was meant to protect the citizens from the harsh cold outside by trapping heat and retaining it inside the house, it was also created for rapid development as the nations of Europe were warring and they required a material to promote rapid development.  In contrast, India has a totally different climate than Europe and can't use bricks designed for European climate. The initial use of clay brick in India began when India attained Independance. Since we lost all roots to our tradition, the prime minister at that time, Jawaharlal Nehru, introduced the architect Le Corbusier (a French national) to design the "modern"
Read more

What is this stigma about feeling naturally relaxed at your house?

Image
Take this scenario: You get all ready and you want to go to your friends or an acquaintance house. You are all excited and pumped to have a good time and make start making bits and scenarios in your head. Eventually you arrive and find that the friend lives in a modern eco-friendly, climate responsive house like the one below. Suddenly, the whole vibe changes and you are not that excited anymore. Infact even worse you start getting bad vibes into your head. You might feel was this trip worth it anymore.   In all honesty, new things always require adjustment. Infact in a funny way; if one feels discomfort, it is probably because it is right, and the body needs time to adjust. So, if you feel uneasy at first; relax and allow time to adjust. You might actually like it more than you expected.  Now, coming to the issue of building your own house; considerations to what makes one comfortable is of the utmost importance. While the taste and choices will be different from person to person; the
Read more

Consider these tips before building your new residence to reduce its energy dependency!

Image
A residence requires energy majorly in the form of electricity and fuel for its day-to-day operations. It is a quintessential part of the modern-day living experience. The focus of comfortable living has shifted from architecture and life principles to adjusting to what energy can substitute these with. For example, let us look at the major areas where energy is required in a modern-day  house: Provide artificial lighting and decorative lighting through tube lights, spotlights, rope lights and pendant lights. Increasing the comfort levels of the house through air-conditioning, fans, room heaters etc. Supporting in-house entertainment like T.V., Computers and mobile devices.  Use water pumps to propel water to achieve 24x7 water supply in the residence. This means that natural sunlight which is good for the eyes as well as the body is replaced with artificial lights and closed rooms. A breezy area of the house is blocked by walls just because it was not anticipated earlier. A comfortabl
Read more