Light Green
Think sustainable; there is no other future
Definition of Sustainability in Hinduism
Jul 26th
As a urban planner with concious heart toward sustainability I always try to find its core idea that leads to the path towards sustainable development. Is it the need of the hour due to environment degradation? Is it the recent fad? what makes our fraternity more concious about this thing?
As a planner I tried to find answers to my above stated queries and it further led me to explore my beliefs and religion that I practice. As I read more on this aspect I began to realize that Hinduism is not a religion but its a way of life that one should lead in his/her lifetime. In this world there could be millions of material manifestations and forms, but the sustaining force for all is not material but spiritual. Everything has life, so all the life is reverent and has to be protected, upheld and sustained. Respect for the environment is the part of hinduism where earth is our mother, the mountains are abodes of gods, trees are sacred, rivers are holy, and the animals are vehicles of the Gods, and above all, man’s sustenance has to be ecological.
Hindusim also talks about the essence of vegetarianism: eco-conciousness. There is no absolute truth in Hinduism, truth is relative, so is our diet. The consumption of animal flesh itself is not non-vegetarian. If an eskimo killed an animal and ate its meat to survive, or in the desert one kills someone for its flesh, he is still vegetarian. This is because , in the food chain, one consumes the least life form for one’s survival. But in case of tropical India, where there is plenty of vegetation, kill only vegetable, because it has a lesser life quantum than an animal. One doesn’t need top consume more than necessary, There is enough for everyone’s need.
Thus, sustainability can be defined from spirituality and hinduism which is essentially a dialouge of values the defies consensual definition. This aspect is the strength of India and I am sure that this path will reveal a peramanent path to sustainability to all architects and urban planners.
A Suatainable Community; Why?
Jul 7th
Sustainable community issues include issues of health, education, welfare, economy, environment, transportation, public safety… in short, all the different parts that, together, make up a community. Together, with all our diverse needs and desires, we all make up communities.
A sustainable community doesn’t mean utopia. It doesn’t mean that bad things never happen. There will always be floods and cyclones. Some businesses will fail, some people will go hungry. Sustainability means that we continually work towards making things better and we make sure that the systems we set up are helping rather than harming the process. It means operating in such a way that a community doesn’t use up all its resources.
Incorporating sustainability principles in the building and construction sector is critical, but the decision-making process is fraught with mind-sets that resist the change towards greater sustainability. If development is sustainable, it empowers the people of the community, maintains or improves the economy, and treats the environment responsibly. Thinking about sustainability requires looking at the world from a new perspective. By encouraging a new way of thinking, we can begin to change our behaviour. New habits can help us improve our communities and maintain a high quality of life while maintaining and enhancing the natural environment on which our lives depend.
Buildings, infrastructure and the environment are inextricably linked. Energy, materials, water and land are all consumed in the construction and operation of buildings and infrastructure. Environmentally and economically sound design and development techniques are critical to design buildings and infrastructure that are sustainable, healthy and affordable.
Traditional Architecture
Jul 7th
Traditional architecture is the most widespread form of building in India since many years, constructed through traditional building methods by local builders without using the services of a professional architect. Due to western influence, architects are slowly forgetting traditional architecture methods that are based on indian climatic conditions. In India, building materials comprise different categories – from mud-plastered to reed-thatched to timber-framed – in accordance with the availability of local material. Some houses are built to withstand earthquakes, while others can be rebuilt quickly if washed away by heavy monsoon rains.
Materials used
In areas where there are limitations of building material, natural materials such as mud, grass, bamboo, thatch or sticks are used, instead of transporting materials from far-flung place which is a blot on sustainability practices, for semi-permanent structures which require constant maintenance and replacement. The advantages of such architecture are the construction materials are cheap and easily available and relatively little labor is required.
As the needs and resources of the people change, vernacular architecture evolve to include more durable materials such as stones, clay tiles, metals etc. Though they are more expensive to build, they are very durable structures.
Climate has a major influence
Climate has a major influence on traditional architecture in India. High thermal mass or significant amounts of insulation characterize buildings in cold climates. Lighter materials are used to construct buildings in warm climates and designed for sufficient cross-ventilation through openings in the fabric of the building. In areas which have high levels of rainfall, flat roofs are avoided, even in areas with flat roofs, water harvesting techniques are bein implemented.
Instead of imitating western architecture that doesn’t suit in Indian climatic conditions, if we focus on implementing traditional indian architecture practices, we can step forward towards sustainability in construction practices.
Sustainability Blues
Jul 6th
Sustainability is the most fashionable word today in corporate world, from car manufacturers to FMCG’s corporates are trying to include an element of sustainability in their products. Is this a new trend in marketing or corporates are really concerned about sustainability issues?
Recently a prominent NY environmentalist Jay Westerveld coined a term “GreenWash,” which is used to describe the practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly, such as by presenting cost cuts as reductions in use of resources. This is a deceptive use of green PR or green marketing. The term has been popularly used to describe organizations that attempt to show that they are adopting practices beneficial to the environment. Advertisements and media campaigns are flooded with products and practices that are environment friendly but the main question which is relevant here is that who is verifying the claims of these products.Most of the companies are spending more money on PR and advertising on being green, rather than spending resources on environmentally sound practices. This is often portrayed by changing the name or label of a product, to give the feeling of nature, for example putting an image of a forest on a bottle containing harmful chemicals. Environmentalists often use greenwashing to describe the actions of energy companies, which are traditionally the largest polluters. For Example, a petrochemical firm uses the waste from one polluting process as raw material for another hazardous process, and boasts of an important recycling initiative. Another giant multinational cuts timber from virgin rainforest, replaces it with monoculture plantations and calls the project “sustainable forest development.”
Organizations such as Terrachoice and Greenpeace are working towards exposing companies who falsely 
claim that their products are sustainable. I hope people should raise their moral standard and begin to think wisely. The “sustainability” is not a thing to be marketed but this is an approach which should be adopted in everyday practices. In any case, if we are environment friendly in our approaches, we will provide better future to our children.
…Neha Verma
Urban Development in India today
Jun 27th
With growing population and expanding cities it is important to address the need of providing adequate infrastructure to every section of society living in cities. Each year, there are number of schemes and programmes proposed by central and state government but shelved within a short span of time due to inadequate funding mechanisms. Municipalities are not able to perform efficiently in providing even basic services to people. The biggest drawback in Indian municipal system is its dependency on grants and funds from higher tiers of government, they make less efforts in improving efficiencies with regards to generating own revenues and allocate it in various programs wisely.
With all these inefficiencies many developers are providing one stop solution to all urban woes in integrated townships. These townships are conceptualized, developed and managed by private developers who are ultimately responsible for providing all the amenities to people living in those townships. Integrated township is now the buzzword in the infrastructure and construction industry. Right from pure play realty developers to the companies which are operating in the infrastructure and construction space almost all the well-known names in the industry, today, are talking about investing in township projects. AIntegrated townships are an important segment and certainly provide a good business proposition to developers. As the cities are expanding and as people have to travel longer distances with traffic congestion becoming a common hindrance, integrated townships promise a congestion-free living environment within them and help in decongesting the city. Although they cater to niche population right now but they offer better standard of living and ambience, which are much ahead of the times.
Low Cost Housing – India
Jun 27th
Urban India has a shortage of 25 million homes and half of them correspond to low income housing. This situation is more tragic in metropolitan areas where every year millions of poor people from neighboring states and cities throng in a hope of better standard of living. But, with growing demand of housing in metropolitan areas and consequently increase in its price, it is very difficult for majority of population to buy a house as a result they have no other alternative except for living in shanties or in rented accommodation.
With so much demand for affordable housing in the market, why has low-cost housing remained a distant dream in big metros like Mumbai and Delhi? There is a short-supply of land for developers. There is enough unused primeland under railways and defense but it can’t be used for development, government of India owns 2/3 of land but it imposes restrictions on land ownership for private developers. Even privately-held land is locked into legal disputes. So when land is available, the last thing on a developer’s mind is low-cost housing. So, in a nut-shell, government is the main culprit behind non-availability of affordable housing for people.
Another reason behind short supply of affordable housing is low revenues associated with it. Developers usually chase opportunities that offer the highest returns – commercial office space and high-end homes. Large builders like DLF, Rahejas or Hiranandani would make 25 to 30 per cent returns on such an investment, assuming it has bought the land at going market rates. As a result, returns are often huge.
IS THE GREEN MOVEMENT SUSTAINABLE IN INDIA?
Jun 26th
One can see the sudden emergence of a ‘green movement’ in the real estate industry in India. Several new real projects are being sold at a premium, because they are labeled green. So is this only a label that people are paying a premium for, or are they really doing something to save the planet? Saving the planet was the goal behind going green, remember? Whereas it is heartening to see a plethora of green projects emerging in India, one must scratch the surface a bit. Certifying agencies for green buildings have different levels of certification; there is certification for Greenfield development (new buildings) and for Brownfield development (old buildings). Then there are certifications for the shell only, for interiors, etc. Some of the projects launched in the recent past with a green label, will have no control on the end user’s behavior (if the building has multiple users, like an apartment block or a office building), and this may not allow the building to remain green beyond the certification. Buildings with a single user who has a firm commitment to remain green have more hope. The green movement is sustainable when there is onus on the end users to abide by the green building principles. That’s when a real difference will be seen ; that is what is sustainable. Companies like Projectwell Management Pvt Ltd are constantly working with various technology companies and government agencies to evolve ways of sustainability in the green movement. So while it is good to feel good about doing your bit for the environment by changing all light fittings in your house to CFL lamps, that is not the end all. You need to think about the entire life cycle of that lamp. Once its life is over, in your house, how do you dispose of it? Has anyone told you about that?
Green Architecture: What Makes a Structure a “Living Building”?
Jun 1st
(Courtesy : Rebecca Gordon, scientificamerican.com)
A Pacific Northwest organization has the defined an environmentally sound structure as one that generates its own energy, captures and treats all of its water, operates efficiently, and is aesthetically pleasing
Pictured: the Omega Center for Sustainable Living in Rhinebeck, N.Y., which hopes to become a certified living building in May 2010 after it is a year old.
Over the past couple of decades, architects and builders looking to green their projects turned to the addition of various piecemeal elements to save water here or cut down on electricity there. Those who added more than a few green touches could apply for and get certified by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) under its Leadership in Energy and Efficient Design (LEED) program. While these efforts have been laudable—essentially launching the green building industry as we know it today—they represent merely the infancy of what green building might someday become.
The concept of the “living building” has now emerged as a new ideal for design and construction. The Cascadia Region Green Building Council (CRGBC)—the Pacific Northwest chapter of the USGBC—defines a living building as a structure that “generates all of its own energy with renewable nontoxic resources, captures and treats all of its water, and operates efficiently and for maximum beauty.” The group has been pushing for adoption of the concept by construction industries here at home, and also helped to launch the International Living Building Institute to promote the concept internationally.
“We view our role as the organization that is meant to ask the really tough questions, to push the boundaries as far as possible,” says Jason McLennan, CEO of CRGBC. To this end, in 2006 the group launched its Living Building Challenge (LBC), a “call to the design and construction community to pursue true sustainability in the built environment.” So far 60 different projects around North America are vying to meet the high standards of the LBC, which exceed even the highest status of LEED certification.
The first building to be completed for consideration under the LBC program is the Omega Center for Sustainable Living, in Rhinebeck, NY. The 6,200 square-foot, one-level building, which serves as headquarters for the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, features a geothermal heating and cooling system, solar panels, rain gardens that direct water run-off to irrigate plantings, a 4,500-square-foot greenhouse that helps filter wastewater for reuse, “daylighting” design that brings natural light indoor to minimize electric light usage, and eco-friendly building materials all around. It was designed—per LBC criteria—to be “net-zero,” meaning it uses no more energy than it generates itself. Once the building has been in operation for a full year next summer, CRGBC will audit it to see if its performance lives up to the green hype. Dozens of other LBC contenders around North America will be audited, as well.
Of course, the costs of creating a living building today are very high. Achieving net-zero can be especially costly, and stands out as one of the biggest obstacles to greater interest in the living building concept. Another challenge is finding materials that meet LBC standards, since many common building materials—such as PVC piping for wastewater transport—off-gas chemicals and have other hazardous attributes. LBC also expects builders to source locally as many materials as possible to boost local economies and make efficient use of nearby natural resources. McLennan remains confident that costs will come down as green materials, technologies and methods become more commonplace within the general building industry.
Lets design a Green Blueprint for Green Tomorrow…
Jun 1st
(Courtesy : Architectural Evengelist)
Introduction
Energy efficiency is becoming a key factor. Of late, “Go Green” slogan has been organic part of the architecture industry. International outcry for a greener and safer earth, increasing environmental consciousness among people, greenhouse issues raised by the environmentalists across the globe are compelling the architecture firms, virtual building solutions firms and real-estate developers to develop energy efficient tools which can minimize the environmental impact and predict the amount of energy a building consumes over its life-span much before its construction. In response to the increasing demand, architect engineers and software experts develop various tools to be used in the early design phase, as 80% of the sustainable design decisions that affect a building’s energy performance are made by the architect designer at the early design phase, to increase the building performance. With the advancement in technology and software, it is possible now to evaluate the energy performance of a building at early stage of building designing process.
Impact of the Construction Industry
The construction industry has a profound impact on our daily lives: the buildings we live and work in, the roads and bridges we drive on, the railways, airports and harbors we travel and trade from are the greatest contributions of this industry. According to a report published by Pricewaterhouse Coopers, “The construction industry accounts for around one-tenth of the world’s gross domestic product, seven percent of employment, half of all resource usage and up to 40 percent of energy consumption.” It indicates large amount of land use, energy and water consumption, and air and atmosphere alteration. To mention, in the US alone, more than 2,000,000 acres (8,100 km2) of open space, wildlife SUPS habitat, and wetlands are developed each year. More commercial and residential building will be developed in the coming years. Increasing energy and water consumption will alternate the ecological balance and healthy atmosphere. The demand for advanced energy efficient tools is increasingly sweeping the architecture design industry.
Global Scenario and Today’s Need of the Hour
In the last century constant movements led by environmentalists, scientists and NGOs forced developed and developing countries both to set some standards and benchmarks to be followed by architecture design firms, real estate developers, architects and engineers to reduce green house effect. With the passing of time, architecture firms around the world have developed advanced tools to help architecture designers and building developers meet the standards set by various Councils and energy bureaus. There are hundreds of energy rating tools available in the market. These tools are being considered need of the hour. Autodesk® has developed an energy rating tools called Ecotect® help architects and designers evaluate multiple design alternatives at early stages of the design process. In conjunction with 3D, these tools enables architect designers to assess and control solar access, natural and artificial lighting levels, overshadowing, wind exposure, thermal performance, etc.
Sustainable Building versus Business Sustainability
By using these tools, architecture firms can estimate the costs over the life cycle of the building. For commercial and industrial estate, savings can be impressive. Decrease in energy consumption means comprehensive increase in net operating income. A study conducted by US architectural firm concluded energy rating tools could reduce upto 30% energy consumption over the entire life cycle of the building. The report decisively indicates reduction in energy consumption means comprehensive increase in net operating income and building asset value of 5 percent. Graphisoft EcoDesigner, SPOT Software, HiLight, GuamSoft help the designer quantify the existing or desired electric lighting and annual daylighting performance at the building design phases. SPOT program decides the optimal photosensor placement for the space relative subject reducing annual energy consumption.
Harvesting More Sunlight Means More Energy Saving
As of 2006, buildings used 40 percent of the total energy consumed in both US and European Union. In US, 54 percent of that percentage was consumed by residential buildings and 46 percent by commercial buildings. Buildings account for 12.2 percent of the total amount of water consumed per day in the United States. According to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the amount of natural resources buildings consume and the amount of pollution siphoned off is seen as crucial threat for future sustainability. If the same continues, we will be running out of natural energy resources very soon. Sunlight is the greatest and utmost source of energy. If sunlight is well harvested, we can save other natural energy resources like coal consumption. Most of the buildings designed by energy rating tools have significantly better daylight harvesting, use of shading, greater occupancy control over light levels and less glare. Department of Energy in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and several universities has developed a stand-alone building energy simulation software namely EnergyPlus for modeling building heating, cooling, lighting, ventilating, and other energy flows as well as water flow in buildings. SPOT, HiLight and REM/Rate Home Energy Rating Tool also enable the architect designers to model the buildings in such a way so that buildings get maximum access to daylight. This software determines the shape of the building accordingly be it awkward or be it gorgeous looking.
Maintaining Ecological Balance
Wastage material, resultant of the building construction has greater impact on ecosystem as it disrupts the natural ecological balance. Surplus materials more particularly by-products of the building construction pollute the environment hazardously. It distorts soil structure and exploits soil fertility. The construction industry in UK produces nearly 20% of all UK waste, equating to approximately 90 million tonnes sent to landfill every year. This figure is sufficient enough to prove the impact of construction industry on ecological system. By using energy efficient tools, architectural designers can show the ecological effects of building choices related to materials used and estimate the environmental and cost impact for the whole building. Energy-rating tool BeCost predicts the ecological effect of building choices related to materials used and estimate the environmental and cost impact for the structure and whole building. With Envest 2 software, designers input their building design parameters (height, window area, number of storeys, etc) and choices of elements (external wall, roof covering, etc). As resultant, Envest 2 shows the effects of different construction materials selected and predicts the environmental impact and costs of various strategies for heating, cooling and operating a building. Equer helps the design professionals, management and renovation team to claim the best innovative techniques like materials, renewable energies, water savings, and so on.
Go Green today…Save Green Tomorrow
Most importantly, energy-rating tools can gift us a green tomorrow reducing the carbon footprints and sending less greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. 38 percent of the total amount of carbon dioxide in the US can be attributed to buildings, 21 percent from homes and 17.5 percent from commercial uses. More efficient energy rating tools are being developed indicate most sustainable and green cities being built. Go Green now…Save green tomorrow. Equer, a comprehensive sustainable energy rating tool was developed with an objective of reducing carbon footprint of the construction industry to global warming. This simulation tool determines the environmental consequences of various design choices over the life cycle of the studied building. Even, Envest 2 helps designers and real estate developers to compare between different buildings and specifications to find the best alternative way to reduce energy consumption.
Conclusion
Movies like “An Inconvenient Truth” by Al Gore; “The Day After Tomorrow” and recently released “2012” directed by Roland Emmerich; the international panel for Climate Change; and environmentalists – all are raising various issues related to environment and trying to rouse environmental awareness among people across the globe advocating decisive action to make societies green and sustainable. There are really no choices left. We must build green building to continue the journey of our civilization. Human beings have a propensity to wait until the last safe moment responding. But, if we don’t take any necessary steps in this moment of grave crisis and channelize our efforts designing a blueprint for ‘Green Tomorrow’, then there is every reason to believe that the prophecy of Apocalyptist will come true. There are so many energy efficient tools discussed above available in the market for designing green architecture. If these are utilized properly, the first 30 minutes of the designing buildings can change the entire world and make our world sustainable for long time. Let’s design our tomorrow green and remove the fear of apocalyptic by 2012 where we and our generation would inhale fresh air!