Features By Category

New Delhi’s Thyagaraj Stadium - the edifice created to host the upcoming Commonwealth Games next year - has more than one claim to fame. Apart from the fact that it is likely to be the first architectural project to be completed and inaugurated in time by the Delhi government, it is also headed to be the country’s first green stadium.

The Infinity Infotech Parks Ltd’s signature project, Infinity Benchmark, has been awarded LEED Platinum level certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™ is the USGBC’s leading rating system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy efficient, and high performing buildings.

The award was handed over by Shri K Rosaiah, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh at the 7th CII Green Building Congress 2009 at Hyderabad on 10 September 2009.

Infinity Benchmark

Infinity Benchmark is the second building outside USA and 7th in the world to get a Platinum rating by the renowned US Green building Council (USGBC), under LEED Core & Shell version 2.0. This project was worked on Rs.200-crore semiconductor hub in Kolkata.

Infinity Benchmark covers an area of 5,60,000 sq feet spread over 20 storeys. The building has a multi-level car parking facility, a multi-cuisine Food Court of International standard, a Business Centre, a Retail area dedicated for IT related products and office support facilities, and Osho World.

The six major environmental categories of review include: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation and Design. Some of these categories are explained below:

1. Site Efficiency

• During construction, top fertile soil has been retained and used for landscape.
• Electric car charging points and preferred car parks provided for electric vehicles. This helps reduce pollution and land development impacts from automobile use
• 100 % multi storied covered parking has been provided.
• Roof garden has been provided to avoid heat passage  through roof.
• Rain water from roof and open areas is captured to recharge the ground water.
• Excess light from the building and site is minimized to increase night time access to sky.
• In order to avoid & minimize soil erosion & sedimentation, soil sedimentation controls are carried out.

2. Water Efficiency

• 100 % waste water generated in the building is treated to high water quality standards at site.
• The treated waste water from STP is sued for irrigation, flushing and air conditioning purposes with in building.
• Use of water efficient fixtures in the building saves 40% water.
• Native plant species for landscaping consumes very less water.
• In case of storm, the pervious pavement and landscape recharge the ground water.

3. Energy Efficiency

• Wall and roof are properly insulated. This avoids heat entering the building.
• The high performance glass used in the building envelope helps in better daylight transmission and minimizes heat entering the building through glass.
• Energy efficient air conditioning equipment enhances human comfort levels and reduces the energy consumption.
• Eco-friendly refrigerants used in air conditioning equipment reduces ozone depletion.
• Use of shading devices reduces the direct sun light  through glass.
• Energy efficient internal and external light fixtures have been used.
• Use of artificial lighting during the day time is minimized.

4. Materials & Resources

• Provision of separate space for storage of various waste materials.
• Regionally manufactured construction materials have been used to reduce the environmental impacts resulting from transportation.
• Recycled materials such as aluminium, ply board, vitrified tiles, glass etc., have been used in the construction to reduce the use of new virgin materials.
• Use of certified wood to encourage environmentally responsible forest management.

5. Indoor Environmental Quality

• Tobacco smoke prohibition in the campus to avoid the exposure of building occupants to tobacco smoke.
• Carbon dioxide levels are regularly monitored for occupant comfort and well being.
• 30% more ventilation to improve indoor air quality improved occupant productivity.
• Air conditioning equipment & systems are designed to maintain 24 ^oC in all occupied spaces.
• Separate exhaust provided for chemical storage, printer and copying rooms to minimize the exposure of occupants to chemicals.
• Use of low emitting paints, adhesives, sealants, carpets and composite wood products to reduce the quantity of indoor air contaminants.
• Provision of maximum day light in work spaces through the introduction of sunlight in workspace.
• 90% of building occupants are connected to outside environment through glazing.

The impact of energy and water costs directly affects the operations of the occupants. Water and Energy represents 30% percent of operating expenses in a typical office building and with this achievement, occupants at Infinity Benchmark will see the financial benefits from day one which translates into saving of Rs. 5/- per sq ft – a laudable benefit to our clients.

Roof Construction and Finish

Roof has under deck insulation with 30 mm thick rigid polyurethane foam. In addition to the insulation, the building roof has roof garden to ensure that a large percentage of the incident heat energy is not absorbed by the roof.

Glazing

Most of the glazing in the entire campus has better shading coefficient and light transmittance in order to enhance available daylight in the space and maintain visual comfort for the occupants without comprising on energy-efficiency. Most of the glazing is double glazed units (DGU’s).

The building also takes credit for reduced direct solar gains through the glazing by the use of overhangs on select facades. These high performance glazing will also provide external connectivity for the building occupants.

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and fresh air monitoring:

CO2 levels and fresh air quantities will be continuously monitored and maintained at a pre-determined value. This will further enhance the productivity of the building occupants.

Finishes

Adhesives, sealants, paints, resins used in finishes (core & shell and common areas) are selected with low volatile organic compound (VOC) content. These features will also enhance the human comfort levels.

Efficient Lighting

Efficient fluorescent lamps (T5s) and luminaries with high coefficient of utilization have been used in most of the zones to achieve efficient lighting. It shall be a mandatory requirement for the tenants to install lighting which is 20% less than the minimum requirements.

Daylight Sensors

The common spaces like lobbies, lounges and the food court are amply day lit.
This has been achieved with the selection of glass with optimum visible transmittance.
HVAC System

Efficient Chillers

The chillers provided for this building are of water cooled type with high COP of 6.3

Secondary Chilled Water Pumps

The building has primary & secondary chilled water pumping with variable speed drive to economize on pump energy.

Energy efficient equipment & systems will reduce the operating cost from the day-one of operation of the building. These equipment & systems are designed, without comprising the human comfort levels, such as, lighting levels, temperature in the conditioned space.

Daylight & Views

The project has been designed to provide occupants connectivity with external landscapes. Various studies have proven that the connectivity with the external world further enhances occupants’ productivity.

Infinity Benchmark provides an excellent opportunity have daylight & views for its occupants.  Hence, it shall be a mandatory requirement for the tenants to have all partitions/workstations with views to the outside to be transparent above 1000mm (41 inches) to facilitate a line of vision to the outside between 2’-6” and 7’-6” for all the occupants.

Parking facility

The project has been designed to provide covered parking. The covered car parking helps in reducing the “heat island effect”

Promote use of eco-friendly vehicles

Being a green building, provisions have been provided to charge the electric vehicles (EV) at parking area. The tenants can avail the EV charging facility by adopting energy efficient and environment-friendly alternate fuel vehicles, such as, electric vehicles, CNG vehicles

Waste management

The project has allocated a separate space for segregation waste. This will the facility management group to segregate the waste generated in the complex at the source itself.
 
Recycling

The buildings has provided a dedicated storage and collection area to segregate, collect and storage of materials for recycling which includes, paper, cardboard, glass, plastics, metal, etc.

Recycled content

1. False ceiling material, which comprises of gypsum (which an industrial by-product or waste)
2. Door panels made out of baggasse.
3. Aluminium door and window frames, with very high recycled content

Low emitting material

Volatile Organic Compound (VOC’s) present in finishing products has harmful effect on the building occupants. The VOC’s vaporize (become a gas) at normal room temperature. Hence, the interior designers can use products with VOC’s within the specified limits.

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 roof top 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.

Comcast Centre in Philadelphia recently awarded the tallest LEED-certified building in the United States with an assist from energy-saving and solar control glass. Comcast Centre is located in downtown Philadelphia right above the Suburban rail station, earned the tallest LEED certification after earning a Gold Certification for LEED-CS (Core & Shell). It was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects.

Comcast Centre is a lively plaza with a fountain, a cafe, and an arbour finned with colour-shifting dichroic glass. Steel frames and glass are the main structural components of the Comcast Centre. The obelisk-like 58 story tower is covered in high-performance glass and sunscreens, and features louvers in the atria to help optimize daylight inside the building. All are sheathed in glass with combines both the solar control and energy saving facility.

The glass is also featured in the crown and corners that cap the 975-foot-tall building. Many other green design features help this mixed-use skyscraper reduce energy consumption, making it a great example of environmentally responsible urban growth.

The building's exterior features a glass curtain wall made of lightly tinted, non-reflective low-emissivity glass. Comcast Centre is a fully glazed structure using glass to filter light around the building. This also protects the building from extreme heat and cold conditions. The ceilings are 13ft high and the windows are clear enough to allow a free flow of light. The summit of Comcast Centre is in the shape of a rectangular glass box.

The Comcast Centre’s high-performance windows and low-emissivity glass curtain wall reduce the air-conditioning and lighting cost by blocking 60% of the heat from the sun and letting in 70% of the site’s available daylight. It also allows better quality of air and air-flow systems.  This reduces energy usage from lighting and cooling, which are both huge portions of a skyscraper’s energy demands. Radiant heating, thermal extraction, and displacement ventilation also help the building be more efficient.High-efficiency water fixtures help the building use 40% less water than a typical office building, and shading in the plaza outside reduces the project’s urban heat-island effect by 70%.

The building was designed to use 40 percent less water than a typical office building. Waterless urinals are a part of the building to make the Comcast Centre an environmentally friendly building because they would save an extra 1.6 million gallons of water a year.

One of the tower's signature elements is a 120-foot-high winter garden topped by a series of three atria, three stories in height, overlooking a light-filled interior plaza. External window screens have been installed in the winter garden to check the sunlight. An under-floor water loop is used to cool the winter garden and 6th floor atrium floor during the summer and warm it during the winter, saving energy.

In the winter, thickened steel mullions serving as sunshades deter downdrafts, deflecting cold air into the 45-foot-high double wall of the winter garden so that it doesn’t enter the indoor areas. Internal radiant fin tubes attached to the steel mullions modulate the temperature on the inside of the glass to prevent condensation. The granite floor stores heat and radiates it back at night, while a low-velocity air system under occupied floors supplements heating.

The exterior lighting scheme of the building consists primarily of white LEDs colour-temperature matched to the fluorescent lights used by the interior. Along each floor, the corner spandrel panels feature upward and downward facing 4,100K LEDs to create the appearance that the length of the building has been bottom-lit by spotlights. The only major colour element can be found at the top of the tuned mass damper; a single row of colour-changing LEDs that is programmed to commemorate special events.

Other highlights that helped to earn Comcast Centre its LEED certification are a low-velocity displacement ventilation system, floor-embedded radiant heat, access to an underground commuter rail hub and extensive use of recycled materials.

Recycled materials were used for the carpeting in Comcast Centre. Building systems, like heating and air conditioning, are controlled floor-by-floor to avoid excess consumption. The paints used carry minimal volatile organic compounds.

The stairs of the building are extra wide to accommodate firefighting needs in case of emergency. The contractors have also installed emergency lighting in the stairs. Comcast Centre has 35 high-speed elevators.

In Comcast Centre's lobby is the Comcast Experience, which is a 2,000 square feet (190 m2) high-definition LED screen that has become a tourist attraction. Projecting computer-generated images so realistic, you’ll think they’re jumping out of the wall. With a resolution 500% greater than that of an HD television, the Experience is a remarkable technological and artistic achievement.

The video wall, a giant HD video screen that is actually the largest four-millimetre LED screen in the world, is located right in the building’s publicly accessible main lobby, so everyone can enjoy it. This building is provided with 30 gearless elevators, seven hydraulic elevators, and two escalators.

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

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:

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.

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 indoorand 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 panelsis 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.

GreenSpaces™ is 1.75 million square feet LEED certified ‘Super’ Platinum Green Building and approved SEZ Information Technology Park, located 6 kilometers from Delhi on the Faridabad border.

GreenSpaces™ is all set to be the World’s most energy efficient commercial building, and will be ready for occupation in 2013.

GreenSpaces was nominated by the Government of India and accepted as a reference Flagship project by the Asia Pacific Partnership (APP) of seven countries - Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, South Korea and USA. These countries, together, use 50% of the World’s energy and also contribute to 50% of its pollution.

The GreenSpaces™ team has launched the ‘GreenSpaces Challenge’ and invites creative and innovative people around the globe to contribute ideas, products or services that will help improve energy efficiency by over 80% and / reduce cost.

GreenSpaces Challenge provides an opportunity for all – students, engineers, scientists, researchers, suppliers, architects. It is an opportunity for participants to position themselves at the forefront of technology and for onlookers to experience a glimpse of the future of a sustainable building. According to the recent studies on climate change, buildings account for 50% of all greenhouse gas emissions, and 40% of global energy use. This clearly represents a challenge and an opportunity for all.

GreenSpaces’s mission is to achieve dramatic energy savings by reshaping the way commercial buildings are designed and built. Its current design saves 74.4% energy over a standard ‘A’ grade building and the aim is to achieve + 80%. It will demonstrate that the energy footprint of buildings can be reduced from 40% to 10% of global energy usage, and serve as a role model for all future buildings.

www.greenspaces.in

For detailed information about the project and an invitation for ideas please visit www.greenspaces.in/challenge.
 

Indian Green Building Council (IGBC)
The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) is a part of CII-Godrej Green Business Centre, a body actively involved in promoting the Green Building movement in India. The council is represented by all stakeholders in the construction industry, including corporate, government & nodal agencies, architects, product manufacturers, institutions, etc. The council is industry-led, consensus-based and member-driven.

Vision
The vision of the Indian Green Building council is to serve as single point solution provider and be a key engine to facilitate all Green Building activities in India. It also aims to usher in a green building movement and facilitate the emergence of India as one of the world leaders in green buildings by 2010.

Definition of a Green Building by IGBC
"A green building is one which uses less water, optimises energy efficiency, conserves natural resources, generates less waste and provides healthier spaces for occupants, as compared to a conventional building."

Specific tasks of the IGBC

•    Catalyse registration of 1000 green buildings per year by end 2010.
•    Create 5000 IGBC accredited green building professionals by end 2010.
•    Tap Green Building materials and equipment market upto Rs.15000 Crores by 2010.
•    Tap service opportunities for green building consultants in India and other countries.
•    Develop LEED India as a robust green building rating system.
•    Enable reduction in cost of constructing green buildings.
•    The ultimate goal is to work towards reducing the cost of green buildings as compared to conventional buildings.

IGBC green building rating programmes
IGBC has launched rating programmes to conceive, design & construct buildings as green buildings. It has launched a green building rating system for new constructions in the government, commercial, as well as institutional buildings segments, apart from IT parks, malls, residential and factory buildings.
 
Other rating programmes in the pipeline are:

1. IGBC Green Homes Rating System
Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) Green Homes is the first rating programme developed in India, a system that provides a set of performance standards for certifying the design and construction phases exclusively for the residential sector. It is based on accepted energy and environmental principles and strikes a balance between known established practices and emerging concepts.

The system is designed to be comprehensive in scope, yet simple in operation. It provides guidelines for the design and construction of residential buildings of all sizes and types. The intent of IGBC Green Homes is to assist in the creation of high performance, healthy, durable, affordable and environmentally sound residential buildings.


2. IGBC Green Factory Building Rating System

With the advancement of the green building movement in India, many companies have evinced keen interest in having a holistic green design and construction framework for upcoming factory buildings. IGBC, in its endeavour to extend green building concepts to all building types has developed the IGBC Green factory rating system. IGBC Green Factories rating system is the first of its kind addressing sustainability in industrial buildings. The programme is fundamentally designed to address national priorities and quality of life for factory workmen.

IGBC Green Factory Rating System is a voluntary and consensus based programme. The rating system has been developed based on the contemporary materials and technologies. This rating system would facilitate the development of green factories. The rating system evaluates certain credit points using a prescriptive approach and other credits on a performance based approach. The rating system is evolved so as to be comprehensive and at the same time user-friendly.

This is an excellent opportunity for projects to participate in the pilot rating programme. The learning from the pilot rating programme would influence in developing a robust rating system. The pilot projects play an important role in evaluating the results achieved by the pilot projects and the criteria established in the rating programme.

IGBC estimates the demand for green building materials and equipment will reach $4 billion per annum by 2010. Industry experts feel that in tune with the global trend to protect environment, the number of green building projects in India may go up from the current 164 to over 2,000 by 2012.

SOURCE:

http://www.igbc.in/
 

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. 

Master architect Daniel Libeskind has successfully completed construction of the very first ultra-green tower - “Reflections”, a waterfront habitat at Keppel bay, Singapore. The brilliance of the architecture of Reflections showcases Singapore as the home of world-class seafront residences.

Reflection covers a shoreline space of 750m, giving an unobstructed view to the waterfront, the Keppel club golf course and the lavish surroundings. Reflections is located in the southern bay of Singapore with six glass towers and a 11-villa apartment block which hosts 1,129 luxuries homes. The towers are crowned by lush green sky gardens on the sloping rooflines and are linked by sky bridges, providing pockets of open spaces and platforms with 360-degree views of the spectacular surrounds. The six glass towers range from 24-storey to 41-storey height, whereas the villa apartment blocks range from 6-storey to 8-storey.

Ar. Libeskind uses very different innovative design features for this spectacular residence to give each and every unit a unique shape. The floors of the residence look slanted due to the curved façade but in reality are flat units are with no balconies.

Reflections, with its many green credentials received the Green Mark Gold Award by the Building and Construction Authority in 2008.
 

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.

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. 

“One Earth”, the new corporate headquarters of Suzlon Energy Limited - the world’s third-largest and India’s largest wind turbine manufacturer, is the proud recipient of the prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) Platinum Award - a top certification in sustainability. Designed by Ar. Christopher Charles Benninger, this facility was also chosen as the best corporate building by the Architects, Engineers and Surveyors’ Association (AESA) and is one among the first 100 structures in India to receive a LEED certification. Located in Pune, Maharashtra, this campus is powered completely by renewable energy.

Demographics

Location                       :    Hadapsar, Pune, Maharashtra
Plot Area                      :    45.39 sq m
Built Up Area               :    70865 sq m
Occupancy                   :    24 x 7
No of Occupants        :    2500
Capacity                       :    3000
Principal Architect      :    Christopher Charles Benninger Architects
Developers                  :    Vascon Engineers
Landscape Architect  :    Ravi & Varsha Gavandi
Interior Architect          :    Tao Architecture & Space Matrix
Green Consultant       :    Environment Design Solutions

Conceptualization

The project, in keeping with the spirit of the parent company, attempts to showcase itself as a building project with minimal impact on the environment. The complex, consisting of an office block and a corporate learning centre, is registered for green building certification under GRIHA.

Suzlon’s vision for this complex was to ensure that the architectural aspects of design were in agreement with the environment, while maintaining visual and thermal comfort through the minimum use of technology. The orientation of the blocks is such that a majority of the building’s facades face north, south, north-west and southeast, enabling adequate day lighting as well as glare control. Glazing on the first and second floors has
been shaded from direct solar radiation through the use of louvers. The office block is so designed that the various extrusions on the different floors shade portions of the building.

Design Benchmarks and Targets

Energy Performance Targets

The facility was desired to be completely carbon neutral, through the use of onsite as well as offsite sources of energy, including the use of zero net energy for lighting through onsite generation of the requirement. This was to be done through the integration of PV systems into the design, micro wind and biomass production using kitchen waste, STP output and landscape waste. The positive life cycle cost of all investment on energy systems (except renewable energy) was to have a payback period of less than 5 years.

Building Performance Targets

The building envelope was to be made in a way that it only allowed for minimal heat gain (40% better than ASHRAE 90.1 2007 and ECBC envelope standards), and 100% shaded glazing during summer. Transition spaces with natural ventilation, and maximum daylit space (>90%) was to be incorporated. The luminance levels were as per NBC 350 Lux average – a lighting load of <0.8 W/sq ft for offices, suspended direct indirect light fittings and desk and furniture mounted task light.

The estimated energy generation per annum is 320000 kWh.
The building envelop used a High Performance Glazing Solution. It is a double glazing with the outer glass being a laminated one (combination of KT 455 with clear glass) and the inner one is a clear glass. The airgap is 12mm. These provided a U-value of 0.32 Btu/hr.ft2. ºF, Solar Factor of 0.26 which is less than the 0.3 prescribed by the ECBC for moderate climate zones. Thus, no additional shading was necessary.

The end objective was to optimize the building design to reduce the conventional energy demand, and to do so within specified comfort limits.

Optimum Orientation & Massing

Sun Path Diagram

Shading Strategy:

Vertical Fins were used to shade the building.

Insulated/Green Roof

Daylighting

More than 75% of all regularly occupied spaces are day lit with a DF of >2.5%.

% Area With Daylight Factor >2.5%

• Dimmable ballasts in conjunction with daylight sensors are used throughout the open office space.
• General lighting at 350 Lux.
• Artificial lights - dimmed up & dimmed down from 0% to 100% depending on the adequacy of available daylight to meet the 350lux requirement.
• Task lights have an intelligent built-in occupancy sensor in conjunction with a continuous dimmer.
• Lighting of individual offices is controlled by combined daylight and occupancy sensors.
• 90 % of the luminaries in the office space are with dimmable ballasts & are either connected to Occulux sensors, daylight sensors or Occuswitch sensors.
• The installed lighting of office spaces has been designed at 0.8 W/sq. ft., 0.75W/Sq.ft. for cores, 0.23W/ sq. ft. for basement parking. Overall L.P.D. by whole building area method is 0.8 W/ sq. ft.

Energy Efficient HVAC System

• System Flexibilty Of Variable Refrigerant Volume System
  • The indoor unit's cooling operation can be controlled to maintain desired temperature in any location in the premises according to end user's needs and preferences.
• Pre-Cooling and Heat Recovery
  • A sensible heat exchanger is used as pre-cooler to sink the temperature of incoming air (say 38.4°C DBT approx.) to approx.27.66°C.
• Direct-indirect Evaporative Cooling
  • Sensible cooling of approx 130% of fresh air in an efficient heat exchanger, using pre-cooled water.
  • Further cooling of air, and simultaneous cooling of water in indirect evaporative cooling section of the unit. Air required for cooling tower part this section is drawn from the outlet of the same section. (This is the excess 30% quantity which has been cooled in the first and the second sections). This air is termed commonly as "scavenge air”.
  • Direct evaporative cooling of 100% air in the final section.

The building structure has utilized fly ash, and volume, weight and time of construction was greatly reduced by adopting energy-efficient technology. Also, low-energy material was used in the interiors.

Utilization of Fly Ash in the Building Structure

15% Replacement of Cement with Fly Ash by Weight of Cement In
 Total Structural Concrete

Reduction in Construction Effort

Use of Low-energy Material in the Interiors

•    Recycled Content
•    Local / Regional Materials
•    Rapidly Renewable Materials
•    Low-Emitting Materials

Renewable Energy Utilization

  Estimated Energy Generated p.a =20,000 Kwh

Estimated Energy (18 Wind Mill + 243 Solar Panel) P.A =2, 30,000 Kwh

Water Management

Renewable-Energy-Based Hot Water System

100% of hot water requirement is met by the SHW system installed on site

Reduction of Landscape Water Requirement & Bio-Diversity

• All permanent planting on the premises is of native species
• Minimized high maintenance lawn area
• Placement of trees along with shrubs
• Planting of shrubs and ground cover on all exposed soil surfaces
• Use of mulching to aid plant growth, and to retain soil fertility and moisture
• Seasonal maintenance plan
• Integrated pest control plan
• Innovative ways to control wastage of water
• Use of water from non-potable sources

Minimization of Use of Water in Building

• Installation of water closets
• Dual Flushes – Full (6 lpf) and half (3 lpf)
• Sensor-based urinals
• Urinals with hytronic urinal sensors
• Efficient flow and plumbing fixtures
• Pressure reducing devices
• Water conserving shower heads

Efficient Water Use During Construction

  Use of Recycled Water For Various Construction Process

Waste Management

• Reduction in waste during construction
• Efficient waste segregation
• Storage and disposal of waste
• Resource recovery from waste

Health and Well-being of Occupants

• Use of low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints/adhesives/sealants
• Minimize ozone-depleting substances
• High water quality
• Acceptable outdoor and indoor noise levels
• Tobacco and smoke control
• Provision of minimum levels of accessibility for disabled persons

Other Energy-Saving Measures

• Carpooling is encouraged by providing 5% of total vehicle parking capacity on site as dedicated parking for carpooling.
• Electrical charging points to serve 97 vehicles (16.9% of Total Vehicle Parking capacity) at one time.
• Environmental education
• Integrated pest management
• Offsite green power
• Zero waste management policy
• Construction on renewable energy 

Safety /Sanitation Facilities for Construction Workers

• Personal protective equipment for construction workers
• Sanitation and drinking water facility at the labor camp
• Crèche for workers’ children 

Reduction of Air Pollution during Construction

• Covers and enclosures
• Awareness programmes
• NO SMOKING policy on site
• Water spraying

Net Impact

Sustainable design is not a mere reworking of conventional approaches and technologies, but a fundamental change in thinking and in ways of operating. And Suzlon’s “One Earth” is truly an outstanding example of this understanding.

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.

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.
 

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.

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

1. Southern Regional Centre, Bangalore
2. Himalayan Centre, Mukteshwar
3. 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…..

A quarter established for medical treatment of illnesses, a hospital setting calls for an environment of comfort, health and warmth. And Meyer Hospital, a paediatric hospital in Florence, Italy is furnishing its patients with all of this and much more. Recently, this hospital upgraded a wing to a “green” and “sustainable” one, the intent being to provide an environment conducive to recovery whilst consuming minimum energy and natural resources.

Meyer Hospital houses 3 wings. The east wing hosts the university and research unit; the west wing, the outpatient facilities; and a central block houses the administrative department. The main entrance of the hospital leads to a glazed passageway to a ‘healing garden’, which further leads to the spacious upper atrium. The upper atrium features a play area for children that open towards a green roof.

The upper glass of the atrium is embedded with solar electric panels to generate energy and offset glare. The glass roof is installed with 47 solar tubes, which permits natural light to enter the building. These tubes lend an appearance of several ‘Pinocchio Hats’ lining the roof of the building. The green roof acts as an insulation cover, lowering the temperature inside the hospital greatly. 

The building’s walls are covered with 6 cm of  thermally insulating materials. This is expected to reduce 12% of the energy used annually for heating. Wooden-frame windows are incorporated in the building. Patient rooms are protected from direct sunlight by an overhanging sunshade. To reduce the visual impact of the building in the park, the shading system is covered externally with copper-plates and internally with wood.

Two high-efficiency condensing gas boilers and radiant floor panels have been installed for supply space heating. Radiant floors help reach a thermal comfort level at a low cost. Two electrical chillers have been installed for cooling purposes. A third chiller is also installed, which generates heat for domestic hot water.

Greenhouse

A bio-climatic entrance hall called the ‘Serra’ (greenhouse) which has been built surrounding the hospital building acts as the public face of the hospital. This curved triple-height space, attached to the central wing of the villa, is an innovative and sustainable atrium. This greenhouse is shaded by internal white blinds adjustable through an automatic control system. A 31 kWp of glass/glass Photovoltaic system installed at the greenhouse provides the opportunity of combining energy production with other functions of the building envelope such as shading, weather shielding and heat production.

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.

G Tower is the latest in green buildings, incorporating features like massive green walls and refreshing rooftop gardens, located at the crossroads of two major thoroughfares in downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This sustainable building received the Green Mark Gold Award from the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore. It has also taken up the position of being Malaysia’s first carbon positive building.

The building rings in a new concept by combining offices, a private club and a boutique hotel, all under one roof. The boutique hotel, named G City Club Hotel offers 180 executive rooms, conference rooms, function/board rooms and an infinity pool. The orientation of the building with the sun is very appropriate, and several water-efficient features have been incorporated.

Green Features

1. This tower uses 25 percent less energy as compared to other buildings of similar size and location, thanks to efficient air-conditioning and lighting systems.
2. Double glazed glass panels with vacuum in between have been used, which helps cut heat transmission.
3. The extensive landscaping with sky gardens, ponds and green walls help cool the overall environment and improve air quality.
4. The swimming pool is kept clean through the use of eco-friendly cleansing salt rather than chemicals.
5. A sophisticated rain water harvesting system irrigates the plants and vertical greens found throughout the building. Condensed water from the cooling tower is collected for re-use. 
6. Hot water is generated using waste heat from the air-conditioning system.
7. The carpets and external timber decking use green certified recyclable materials.
8. The interior décor includes refurbished furniture.
9. Toxic free building materials, paints and wallpapers are used for their low volatile organic content (VOC).
10. Motion-sensitive lighting helps bring down power costs.

G tower saves nearly 7.3 million Kwh of electricity per year, at a ten-hour day, 6 day-week and 52-week year activity period. This is equivalent to a reduction of 3.5 million kgs carbon dioxide emission into the environment, which is same as saving 18000 trees per year.

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:

1.    An above-grade platform that defines the ‘sports boulevard,’ linking together programs such as the main stadium and tennis tournament facilities.
2.    Ground level, pathways, gardens and plazas form a network of public recreation activities designed for alternative and extreme sports.
3.    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.