Green Building is gearing up in India

Green building has a rather short history in India. The first certified green building was actually built not so long ago, in 2004. The building is called CII-Godrej GBC, located in Hyderabad with ~20,000 sq ft.

Since then, thanks to the continuous promotion by the Indian Green Building Council, there are already ~315 green buildings in India spreading over 235 million sq ft across India.

Green building is not just about a twist in terms of the aesthetic / engineering design by the architect / engineering consulting firm, but also a careful selection of the materials used in the construction. So it is not surprising to see the shake-up of the local (or even global) construction materials industry in the near future.

A standard material shopping list for a green building could span across eco-friendly paints, sealants, carpets, to high-quality glass and insulations, etc…

For those in the industry who are too lazy to follow-up with the LEED-related news, probably they will have a hard time to offer products which meet the requirements of the increasing popular green building in 5-10 years time, perhaps shorter.

ADB partnered with Standard Chartered Bank and Johnson Controls to support energy efficient projects in China

China is always in the top of the table for any kind of comparisons in terms of numbers. What can you say? 1.3 billion population. So it is not surprising to know that China is the second largest energy consumption country in the world, and also sits on the top of the greenhouse gas emission table.

Everything has a positive side. This not-so-glamourous record perhaps has caught the attention from Asia Development Bank (ADB). ADB recently joined hands with Standard Chartered Bank and Johnson Controls to support private sector-led energy efficiency projects in China. This initiative plans to provide RMB 800 million as a partial credit guarantee program.

Johnson Controls, a private energy management company, will use their expertise to identify both existing buildings with retrofit opportunity, and new building construction projects. Standard Chartered is brought in to share the project credit risk of the program.

Colliers International (Thailand) suggests tax incentives for Green Building developers

Green Building concept is getting more popular in Thailand. According to Bangkok Post, Managing Director of Colliers International (Thailand) – Mr Patima Jeerapaet, had a recent meeting with architects and developers regarding the Green Building concept. Some of them are already supporting and promoting the green shift, including TCC Capital Land, Hemaraj Land and Development, etc…

However, the driving force by private sector is not enough if Thailand wants to keep pace with the rising global environmental concern. Mr Patima believes that government tax incentives for green building projects could give a further push to the green transformation.

Simon Carter, Colliers’ Regional Head of Sustainability in Asia Pacific, told Bangkok Post in the same article that Green Building trend is emerging in Thailand, especially among multinational corporations. It does not only reduce long-term energy consumption but also enhance the brand image.

LRS Architects aims to achieve the first LEED Platinum rating in China

LRS Architects recently won the bid of Shanghai’s Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park in China, according to an article from The Asian Reporter. The firm intends to design the project to become the first Platinum-certified project in China.

The 2.2-million square feet project covers multiple buildings development. Several design elements will be adopted to fulfill the energy efficient purpose, including maximizing sunlight in the buildings and cooling power by the wind. Roof gardens are also in the drawing board. The purpose is two-fold - to reduce heat under the sunlight, and collect rainwater for irrigation and flushing.

The project is expected to commence in the 2009 Q1 and will be completed by the end of 2010.