GREEN BUILDINGS

Context

Recently, the Indian Green Building Congress was held in Chennai by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).

What are Green Buildings?

1. Environmentally friendly construction materials, processes, operation, and maintenance.
2. Driven by reducing energy costs and waste management to address global warming and environmental issues.
3. Examples of innovative solutions: Cool Roofs, Geothermal Heating, Smart Grid refrigerators, vegetated rooftops.

Feature	Green Building	Energy-Efficient Building	Net-Zero Carbon Building
1- Focus	Environmentally friendly	Minimizing energy use	Zero operational carbon emissions
2- Scope	Water, materials, waste, indoor quality	Energy consumption & efficiency	On-site renewables, offsets
3- Regulations	Green rating systems (optional)	Energy efficiency standards (optional)	Net-zero standards or offsets
4- Carbon Emissions	Reduced, not zero	Reduced, not zero	Zero operational, may address embodied
5- Cost	Higher initially, long-term savings	potential energy cost savings	Highest initially

Advantages of Green Buildings:

1. Emission reduction: Building and construction sectors contribute 38% of GHG emissions and 35% of energy consumption.
   1. LEED-certified buildings consume 25% less energy than traditional ones.
2. Economic benefits: Lower operation and maintenance costs, improved occupant productivity, and optimized economic performance.
3. Social benefits: Enhanced occupant comfort and health through clean air and water, reduced exposure to toxins.

Steps taken for Green Building Promotion:

1. Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC): Minimum energy standards for new commercial buildings.
2. Eco-Niwas Samhita 2018: ECBC for residential buildings.
3. Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA): Five-star rating system for green buildings.
4. Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED): Internationally recognized certification system.
5. Star Rating of Commercial Buildings: Assessing energy usage on a 1-5 scale.
6. Faster clearances: MoEFCC offers fast-track environmental clearance for IGBC pre-certified projects.

Challenge	Solution
1- High initial construction cost	- Economic incentives: Tax breaks, green bonds, lower interest rate loans for developers.
2- Construction issues:	- Policy measures: Fast track clearances, mandatory green building standards, retrofitting existing buildings.
3- Governance issues:	- Training and capacity building: Develop training modules for stakeholders (government, agencies, architects).
4- Limited awareness:	- Awareness campaigns: Create awareness at school, college, and university levels.

Additional points:

1. India recently outperformed USA and China in LEED net zero certifications.
2. Building and construction sector has a significant impact on the environment and requires major changes for a sustainable future.

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