Innovations in Green

Buildings
Globally, buildings are responsible for one-third
of greenhouse gas emissions. Why are buildings
such large contributors to greenhouse gas
emissions? One, buildings typically rely on
conventional energy sources for their power. And
two, most buildings dont use energy efficiently.
ecause buildings are such a big part of the problem,
theyre an e!ually big part of the solution. "o create
greener buildings, we need to improve energy and
water efficiency, reduce waste and pollution,
transition to renewable energy sources, and use
sustainable buildings materials. "hese strategies can
reduce energy consumption in buildings by #$-%$ per cent.
&o whats holding us bac' from constructing green buildings and retrofitting e(isting
buildings? &ome of the main impediments to green buildings are town and city
ordinances that ma'e green construction difficult. )n some cities, for e(ample,
consumers must go through a cumbersome permitting process in order to install
solar panels on their homes. y rethin'ing city ordinances, we can remove the
bureaucratic obstacles to green building and encourage, rather than discourage,
energy efficiency.
*igid and out-dated building codes are also impeding progress. y updating codes
to consider the entire structures performance, cities can reward buildings that do
e(ceptionally well in areas li'e energy and water efficiency, and then give them
more fle(ibility to manoeuvre within the broader outlines of municipal +oning and
ordinances.
,inally, financing hurdles often stand between consumers and more energy efficient
buildings. )n order to really grow the green building mar'et, incentives for
designers, contractors, and individuals must be available. Already, rewards e(ist for
adopting sustainable building plans. "hese include e(pedited permitting, ta( credits,
fee reductions or waivers, grants, and even technical and mar'eting assistance.
*ewarding developers and homeowners who choose to build green is an effective
way to encourage the adoption of best practices in design, construction and
operation.
"here are many benefits of green buildings and green development. "o name a few-
Environmental Benefits
.nhance and protect biodiversity and ecosystems
)mprove air and water !uality
*educe waste streams
/onserve and restore natural resources
Economic Benefits
*educe operating costs
)mprove occupant productivity
.nhance asset value and profits
Optimi+e life-cycle economic performance
Social Benefits
.nhance occupant health and comfort
)mprove indoor air !uality
0inimi+e strain on local utility infrastructure
)mprove overall !uality of life
1ere are a few e(amples of building innovations, used to bring down the energy
consumption.
University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun: Net Zero aste
Generation Design
"he campus has 23et 4ero Waste Generation. A planned and e(tremely methodical
waste management system is 'ey to this tag. "he sewage treatment plan installed
in the campus is based on the activated sludge process. All the waste water
generated in the campus is channeli+ed to this sewage treatment plant 5&"67. "he
campus also has a bio-digester, which disintegrates all the organic waste
generated. "he bio-digester generates slurry from the organic waste while the &"6
releases treated water and slurry. "he water is of tertiary standards and is used for
irrigation. "he slurry released from both sources is dried and used as manure. "he
e(cessive bio-fertiliser is pac'ed and sold in the mar'et.
89.:#; reduction in energy consumption and ##.<=; reduction in water
consumption as compared to the G*)1A benchmar's have been observed by the
G*)1A auditors, due to the sustainable building design practices that have been
incorporated in the building. "his pro>ect has achieved a 8-star G*)1A rating.
Govardhan Eco !illage: Soil Biotechnology Design
A green sewage management technology called &oil iotechnology has been used
to, which helps in recovering about ?@; of the sewage water and reusing it for
landscaping, etc.
)t is an attempt towards water conservation and preventing water pollution. "his
system consists of an impervious containment and incorporates soil formulated
granular filter media, select culture of macro organisms such as earthworms and
plants. /ombined grey and blac' water from the cottages is collected and
transported via underground sewage networ' to a central location.
"he process by design integrates with the natural bio-geochemical cycles of nature.
6urification ta'es place by absorption, filtration and biological reaction. "he process
operates in aerobic mode, thus eliminating the possibility of foul odour.
"he processed water can be reused for gardening, agriculture and supporting
marine life.
"his pro>ect has achieved a @-star G*)1A rating.
Su"lon# $ne Earth: %ene&a'le Energy Design
&u+lon One .arth is a <$$; renewable energy campus with both on- and off-site
renewable energy, that includes solar and wind. Out of this, :; of the total energy
consumption comes from <% on-site hybrid wind turbines, solar panels and
photovoltaic cells and ?#; of the remaining is from off-site wind turbines. "his
building has <@8.%#'W renewable energy incorporated.
<$$; of the outdoor lighting and the communication server are run on renewable
energy resources.
"he orientations of the bloc's are such that the ma>ority of building facades face
3orth, &outh, 3orth-west and &outh-.ast. "his enables ade!uate day lighting and
glare control. Gla+ing on the first and second floors has been shaded from direct
solar radiation using louvers. 1igh efficiency mechanical systems integrated with
the efficient building envelope ensure that the energy consumption of the building
is reduced significantly.
"his is a 23et 4ero .nergy for Aighting building. "he energy consumption is met
through on-site generation.
"he 1BA/ scheme is designed innovatively combining various energy efficient
components li'e pre-cooling of fresh air, heat recoveryCe(change mechanisms to
minimise overall energy consumption.
6hotovoltaic systems, and micro wind turbines are integrated in the design. )n
totality, &u+lon One .arth, with its innovative and integrated design solutions has
managed to reduce its energy consumption by 8:.9;, below the benchmar'ed
energy consumption by G*)1A . "his pro>ect has achieved a @-star G*)1A rating.
II( )an*ur: Solar Passive +rchitecture Design
)ncorporation of solar passive techni!ues in a building design helps to minimise load
on conventional systems such as heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting. "he
campus has an air conditioned area of <?<9 m9 and a non-air conditioned area of
9#9% m9. "his campus falls in the composite climatic +one, predominantly re!uiring
cooling and heating in summer and winter respectively to maintain thermal comfort
for the occupants.
Design of an .arth Air "unnel using the geothermal property of the earth has been
resulted in a reduction of more than <@; of the building cooling load. .fficient
condenser cooling through a on-site water body and use of thermal energy storage
has increased the efficiency and reliability of the air conditioning system.
uilding design and envelope has been optimised through selection of appropriate
wall and roof construction and through adoption of solar passive methods to provide
shading devices for windows and roof, which would reduce energy demand to
condition the spaces.
"he high performance glass for windows, while allowing light inside, does not allow
heat and also 'eeps office cool from inside during the day, decreasing the load on
1BA/ systems.
"here is a 8:; reduction in energy consumption and =@; reduction in water
consumption as compared to
G*)1A benchmar's. "his a @-star G*)1A rated building.
Indira Paryavaran Bhavan: Net Zero Building Design
"his is a 3et 4ero uilding. "his means that this is a structure with +ero net energy
consumption where the total amount of energy used in the premises on an annual
basis is more or less e!ual to the amount of renewable energy created on the site.
E"otal energy savings of about 8$; has been achieved by adoption of energy
efficient 2chilled beam system of air conditioning. "his is an innovative air
conditioning system, where air conditioning is done by convection currents rather
than air flow through diffusers and chilled water is circulated right up to the diffuser
points unli'e the conventional systemsF, said an official statement.
.ffective ventilation has been achieved by orientating the building in an .ast-West
direction, separating different bloc's with connecting corridors and having a large
central court yard. "he design is such that :@; of natural daylight is utilised to
reduce energy consumption. With an installed capacity of ?#$ GW pea' power, the
building has the largest roof top solar system among multi storied buildings in )ndia.
Green materials have been used li'e fly ash bric's, regional building materials,
materials with high recycled content, high reflectance terrace tiles and roc' wool
insulation of outer walls.
*eduction in water consumption has been achieved by use of low discharge water
fi(tures, recycling of waste water through sewage treatment plant, use of plants
with low water demand in landscaping, use of geothermal cooling for 1BA/ system,
rain water harvesting and use of curing compounds during construction.
ecause of the changes in the building design, a =:.#; reduction in energy
consumption as compared to G*)1A benchmar's has been achieved. "his is a @-star
G*)1A rated building.
,+%ED+: Solar Passive Design
"he building is one of its 'ind in the country in having energy autonomy by
incorporating the latest and futuristic energy efficient concepts. "his building is
constructed based on solar passive design techni!ues, having building integrated
photovoltaic 5)6B7 system of 89.@'W capacity. Also this building also ma'es use of
solar chimneys. A solar chimney is a way of improving the natural ventilation of a
building by using convection of air heated by passive solar energy.
0isting is done in the courtyard to cool the ambient air, which is circulated into the
building through solar chimneys. "he achieved internal air relative humidity ranges
from =$-:@ per cent.
.vaporative cooling, cavity walls, fly ash based bric's, etc., have been incorporated.
)ncorporation of these features has resulted in achieving an internal temperature of
about 9$ degree /elsius without air conditioning. "here has been =<; energy
consumption reduction as compared to the G*)1A benchmar'. "he estimated
energy consumption was to be about #$'WhrCm9Cyear in comparison to the
consumption of about 9$$ 'WhrCm9Cyear for the e(isting air conditioned buildings.
"his is a @-star G*)1A rated pro>ect.
Infosys, Pocharam: %adiant -ooling Design
)nfosys, 6ocharam is the first commercial radiant cooled building in )ndia. "his
building has proved that radiant cooling is more efficient than the conventional air
conditioning system. )n a conventional air conditioning system, air circulates in the
room or premises to the cool surroundings. ut when compared to air, water is more
efficient in carrying energy that the same volume of air can carry. "his property of
water is used to achieve ma(imum advantage in a radiant cooling system.
/old water flows through pipes embedded in the slab and cools the entire slab and
as a result the entire slab surface is maintained at about 9$ degrees /elsius.
/ooling inside the office space is achieved when the cold slab absorbs the heat
5radiation7 generated by people, computers, lighting and other e!uipment which are
e(posed to the slab.
,resh air is supplied through an air system to maintain a healthy indoor
environment, and also to control the moisture inside the office space.
"he latent heat load 5heat generated through release of water vapour li'e the one
generated while we breathe out7 is removed through this Dedicated Outdoor Air
&ystem 5DOA&7.
"he radiant cooling also provides a healthier indoor air !uality as there is no
recirculation of air in the system. "his technology also reduces the temperature of
the slab improving the comfort of the occupants.
"he )nfosys 6ocharam campus has an air conditioning system which is #$-8$; more
efficient than the conventional air conditioning systems. @=; reduction in energy
consumption and @=; reduction in water consumption as compared to G*)1A
benchmar's have been observed.
"he growth and development of our communities has a large impact on our natural
environment. "he manufacturing, design, construction, and operation of the
buildings in which we live and wor' are responsible for the consumption of many of
our natural resources.
/reating and maintaining built spaces will always have some impact on our natural
environment, but changes in the way these spaces are designed and built will allow
for a softer Eecological footprintF which meets human needs while minimi+ing
pollution and impacts on land, water and other natural resources. "he sooner these
changes become widely demanded, the greater the potential for sustainable
outcomes around the world.
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