Melbourne Convention Centre Sets a New Global Standard for Sustainability

In the highly competitive Business Events market, hundreds of cities around the world are vying to attract global attention and a larger slice of the meetings market. Melbourne, one of the World's Most Livable Cities -- according to The Economist -- has found a way to not only be noticed, but to set a global benchmark. Responding to the international call for sustainability, the Australian city has opened the 'greenest' convention center in the world, described in superlatives everywhere for its architectural design, cutting-edge technologies and comprehensive 'Earth-friendly' services.

Opened in June 2009 and integrated with the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, the Melbourne Convention Centre (MCC) is the first convention center to earn a '6-Star, Green-Star' environmental rating from the Green Building Council of Australia. To put that rating in perspective, it's higher even than the Platinum LEED certification, the highest level recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council.

"The Victorian government set out to raise the bar another notch, to build a center that defied all earlier definitions of green," says Leigh Harry, the chief executive of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), of which the convention center is now a part. "We're confident we have achieved that goal."

NH Architecture and Woods Bagot designed the MCC to surpass existing centers when it came to environmental sustainability and innovation. The wood veneer paneling used throughout the facility comes from sustainable timber. The building's mechanics are no less cutting-edge, the result of years of planning, research and, in some cases, pure invention.

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Source: MarketWatch, 2009-09-02, Link

How Green is Green?

The need to address the environmental problems caused by industrialization has long been overdue.

In the case of the Philippines, buildings are estimated to account for 40 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions, a major culprit behind the climate change that everyone is witnessing.
Nonetheless, it is still better to be late in delivering solutions to this pressing problem than not do anything at all.

"Environmental sustainability is not only a concern for the Americans or the Europeans. It is also an issue that developing countries like the Philippines should face," Christopher dela Cruz, chair of the Philippine Green Building Council, said in a briefing held last week.

PGBC (a private-sector group advocating for environmental awareness among the country’s construction, architecture, and related industries) is pushing for the adoption of a "Green Ratings System."

Under the system, the environmental sustainability of buildings will be evaluated based on a set of criteria.

Dela Cruz said it would be a prudent move for the government to adopt and implement this system in regulating building construction and maintenance.

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Source: Inquirer, 2009-08-30, Link

Kolkata Gets its First Green Building

The first commercial green building with international standards in Kolkata — Infinity Benchmark— tailor-made for the needs of IT and ITES industry, is ready to house national and multinational biggies with high saving on energy front.

Infinity Benchmark, inaugurated on Friday in Salt Lake Sector V, the hub of Bengal’s IT sector, has about 5,60,000 sq feet of space spread over 20 floors.

It is the second green building outside the US and the seventh in the world to get a platinum rating by the renowned US Green Building Council under the LEED Core and Sheel Version 2.0.

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Source: ExpressIndia, 2009-08-29, Link

Bajaj Electricals Forays into Green Building Solutions

"A green building uses less energy, water and natural resources, creates less waste and is healthier for the people living inside compared to a standard building" as defined by Indian Green Building Council.

Bajaj Electricals, through its Luminaires division, has introduced Green Building Solutions, a conscious effort to minimize the adverse effects of modernization on the global environment. The diversified and distinct green building solutions come from the use of modern lighting systems, both interior and exterior. These lighting systems act not only as energy savers, but also keep a watchful eye on environment pollution.

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Source: MyNews.in, 2009-08-20, Link

Indian Green Building to be Tripled in 2014

Environment-friendly and energy-efficient buildings are increasingly becoming popular and may grow over three times in the next five years, thereby offering new opportunities to the beleaguered construction industry, a government official said on Friday.

"Today, India has close to 30 million square ft of green buildings; an amazing achievement given the fact that we had only about 20,000 square ft in 2003 when the movement started here," Ajay Mathur, Director General for Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the Ministry of Power, said in a release here.

"Market estimates take the figure to over 100 million square ft in the next five years, opening big opportunities for the industry," Mr. Mathur said.

A green building uses less energy, water and natural resources, creates less waste and is healthier for the people compared to a standard building, according to the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency is adopting various mechanisms for reducing power consumption substantially in a bid to combat climate change.

BEE, which introduced star rating for determining the energy efficiency of electronic home appliances, has started a similar rating system for commercial buildings.

Source: The Hindu, 2009-08-14, Link