“The proper use of science is not to conquer but to live with it”- Berry Commoner, a man who initiated modern environmental movements.
Many current scientist-activists have followed in his footsteps and are trying to make this world a better place, without initiating a resource harvesting movement of mother earth.
Environmentalists have realised that we live in a society which is intrinsically interlinked.We now envision a world where not only are our living standards uplifted but also our mother earth is replenished.This integration of two apparently irreconcilable goals: rising living standards alongside nourishing and giving back to nature has given rise to a new concept of building architecture called Green Buildings.
What is a green building?
A green building, through its design, materials used for construction, nature of its use and operation tries to diminish the detrimental effect on nature while bringing a positive and affirmative change to our natural environment.Each country has its own approach to green buildings and no specific or conditional checklist exists.
The foundational concept of green buildings is that designing buildings using minimal resources,just enough to keep the building functioning in the ordinary course of nature while conserving energy and using it for later and also providing a healthy lifestyle for the occupants of the building,bringing relative ease to their daily lives.
It is worth remembering that any building can be transformed into a green building and there are numerous characteristics and aspects to make it ‘ green’.
The features are as follows
- Utilising energy resources efficiently.
- Extensive use of renewable energy.
- Maintaining a healthy quality of air inside building premises.
- Using eco friendly products and actualising the concept of reduce-reuse-recycle.
- Designed in a way that enables the building to adapt to the changing environment.
What is a green certification?
It is a process of rating and assessing a building’s performance from an environmental and sustainability point of view. The entire process aims to uplift the quality of the building, designing, and constructing infrastructures by United Nations Sustainable Development goals.
Goals and Benefits of a building certification
The primary objective of the certification system is to rate and assess the environmental impact of the building and check how resource efficient the structure is.
- The certification aims to minimise impacts on the environment and optimise the performance of the building while setting standards for assessing buildings.
2. A certificate of the green building also gives access to easy finance, most financial institutions have allotted seperate quotas for funding green infrastructure with cheap interest rates and easy restructuring of loan policies.
3. State governments have their individual rebate policies to encourage green buildings.
4. A green certificate increases the monetary value of a building in the real estate market.
5. Green certification differentiates a builder from its competitors, tapping into an emerging market of environmentally conscious citizens.
Criterias for green certification
There are 5 main criterias for attaining green certification
- Sustainable design
- Water usage
- Energy efficiency
- Comfort indoors
- Materials used
Who certifies a green building in India?
The 4 main agencies are
- Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment ( GRIHA)
- Indian Green Building Council ( IGBC)
- Energy Conservation Building Code( ECBC)
- Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ( LEED)
To receive Green certification, the building must satisfy the requirements which are mandatory and also procure the minimum number of credits in each of the sections. Through a third party team of assessors, a physical audit of the project is carried out in detail to ensure that the building has met all the requirements for the procurement of green ratings.
How LuminX helps in Green certification?
- Lowering costs and energy savings: Costs are one of the major benefits of cool roofs. Cool roofing is known to be very affordable overall, with energy savings ranging from 7-15% of total costs. With LuminX, payback periods can be as low as 6 years.
- Thermal comfort : During oppressive summer months, internal building temperatures are much lower than those in buildings that use traditional roofs. LuminX has evidently reduced temperatures as much as 20 degrees during peak summers in variety of installations.
- Reduced maintenance costs and longevity : Sustainability encapsulates long term viability and reduce cost of construction, both of which are to be met through cool roof installation. LuminX requires little to no maintenance. Its unique nano polymer technology is highly hydrophobic thereby providing water proofing, extending roof life.
- Reduced Air pollutant emissions:With the application of cool roof paints, air conditioning units will be used less frequently. The subsequent decrease in energy demand will reduce burning of fossil fuels,harmful emissions ( including NOx) and green house gases. Reduced emissions and improved air quality goes hand-in-hand.
- Utility rebates:There are multiple incentives for sustainable efforts and may pertain solely to cool roofing strategies. In India, it’s provided by Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) council.
The benefits which come from green certification are obvious.Apart from the obvious benefits, there are many other compelling reasons born out of green buildings, for example:
- lower maintenance costs
- Creating more appeal to an increasing number of environmentally conscious customers
- Higher budget for other expenses like marketing
- Inter generational equity is preserved: we have not inherited the earth from our ancestors, but borrowed it from posterity
