Green Buildings Lure Premium Buyers

Green seems to be the latest buzzword in the construction industry. “There are 1,046 green projects currently underway across India,” said Shabbir Kanchwala, vice-president, project coordination, K Raheja Corp, which is developing six commercial green projects in Mumbai. “Spaces in these buildings cost marginally more than regular projects.”

“Today a green property is priced 2-25% higher, depending on the rating,” said Gulam Zia, national director, research, Knight Frank. “The ratings are based on guidelines set out by Leed-India, run by the Indian Green Building Council and based on a system developed by TERI and the ministry of new and renewable energy.”

As recently as 2000, buyers had to pay about 30-40% higher for green buildings.

“Though the initial cost for developing a green building may be higher than that of conventional buildings, the long-term benefits are many. This extra cost can be recovered in 2-3 years through energy savings and low maintenance costs,” said Brotin Banerjee, managing director and CEO, Tata Housing.

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Source: Hindustan Times, 2011-04-25, Link

Green building space at 648 mln sq ft

The country’s green building space has been growing exponentially since 2003 when it started with a registered green built-up area of 20,000 sft to the current level of 648 million sft. The figures suggest an average of 40-fold increase each year over the last eight years.

According to S Raghupathy, who heads the CII Godrej Green Business Centre (GBC) here, India now has a variety of certified and registered green buildings including airports, convention centres, hospitals, hotels, banks, factories and government buildings.

Green buildings save 40-50 per cent in energy and 20-30 per cent of water. Among intangible benefits are enhanced ventilation, better views and day lighting.

India currently has 1,050 registered green buildings and 147 certified ones, the CII Godrej GBC said in a release on Friday (April 22), which is observed as the Earth Day worldwide.


Raghupathy said green buildings are financially attractive. “For a platinum rated green building, the construction cost would be five to eight per cent higher but the incremental cost gets paid back in three-four years,” he said.


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Source: Business Standard, 2011-04-25, Link

Modern Vision for a New China in One World Trade Center

China Center New York unveiled its high-profile interior concept design, "Folding Garden" for its future home at One World Trade Center. Once in place, the vertical Chinese garden folding through 64th to 69th floors provides an extraordinary space for Chinese and U.S. business leaders to build relationships and provides a dramatic showcase for the rise of modern China.

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"The China Center Space will boldly combine culture and business," said Weng Ling, the art director. "It is both aesthetic and functional."

As a leader in green development, Mr. Feng Lun has pledged to build China Center as a LEED platinum space, the highest standard for green interior design as established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

China Center New York LLC is the unequivocal platform for China-U.S. business and cultural exchange. In 2009, it became the first corporate tenant for the iconic redeveloped One World Trade Center tower and set to move in 1 WTC in 2014.

Source: Digital Journal, 2011-04-14, Link

NSW Gov urged to green audit all its buildings

An environmental audit of every building the NSW Government owns or occupies would provide an opportunity to make cost savings, improve the performance of building stock, says the Green Building Council.

“The Green Building Council of Australia welcomes the O’Farrell Government’s timely approach to tackling many of the challenges facing NSW, but notes that an environmental audit of every building the NSW Government owns or occupies is missing from the 100 Day Action Plan,” says the GBCA’s Chief Executive, Romilly Madew.

“We encourage the new NSW Government to undertake a full, holistic environmental audit of all the buildings it owns or leases, using the eight categories of the Green Star environmental rating system as a guide.

“By assessing such environmental impacts as energy and water use, waste management and  indoor environment quality, the Liberal Government will gain a complete picture of the current  levels of building efficiency and identify potential cost savings and opportunities for improvement.

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Source: Architecture & Design, 2011-04-14, Link

IRENA Moves To UAE

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has officially become the first Arab nation in which a “truly international organisation” is based.  That organization just happens to be centered around supporting a global implementation of renewable energy. A recent statement by the UAE notes that members of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) have confirmed the nation as the agency’s official location for its base of operations.

The first session of the agency’s general assembly brought together 800 delegates from 150 nations and was attended by more than 90 ministers. According to Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Change, CEO of Masdar, and President of the ongoing session, IRENA’s goal is to “…accelerate the pace at which renewable energy is deployed and integrated around the globe…”

IRENA’s inception in 2009 launched the initial phases of the organisation which culminated in bringing 148 countries and the European Union together to sign the statute of the agency. According to the statement,  IRENA’s members are comprised in part by  48 African, 38 European, 35 Asian, 17 American and 10 Australia/Oceania member states.

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Source: Earth Techling, 2011-04-09, Link