India's expanding real estate sector is posing a major threat to the environment. But there is hope as more and more people are becoming aware of the need to design eco-friendly buildings.
Leh is a remote mountainous region in the Himalayas with freezing temperatures throughout the year. Children studying in a school there are lucky to receive warm sunrays all through the day.
The "green school", as it is called, uses solar panels to trap sunlight from all directions. It is also designed to withstand earthquakes.
Jack Armitage, architect of Druk White Lotus School, said: "We use woodwork construction for the inner skin of the cavity walls. The solar panels were installed last year. The school is now running on those solar panels, so we don't have to rely on the grid. It is very good for the environment, too."
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Source: Channelnewsasia, 2009-09-22, Link
2009-09-19
Green Building Grabs Eyeballs
Among many projects displayed in the three-day property show, Gujarat's first green residential building in the affordable housing category has attracted many people. The green project has also addressed the possible parking problem looming over many existing building with the launch of common man's dream Nano car.
For the first time in the state, the developers have come out with a solution with multi-level basement parking facilities for around 350 dwelling units situated in four 12-storeyed towers in Motera. Of the 17,000 sq yard area of the project (Solaris), 75 per cent land has been kept open for adequate ventilation to each housing unit and to provide lush green landscaping garden, children play area, club house among other facilities, said Jaxay Shah, developer of the scheme. "Instead of using normal bricks made of soil, we will use flyash bricks. Installation of sewage treatment plant for the recycling of water will be used for maintaining landscaping. Top solid conservation for deck gardens and water meters will add value to the green concept," said Shah.
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Source: The Times of India, 2009-09-13, Link
For the first time in the state, the developers have come out with a solution with multi-level basement parking facilities for around 350 dwelling units situated in four 12-storeyed towers in Motera. Of the 17,000 sq yard area of the project (Solaris), 75 per cent land has been kept open for adequate ventilation to each housing unit and to provide lush green landscaping garden, children play area, club house among other facilities, said Jaxay Shah, developer of the scheme. "Instead of using normal bricks made of soil, we will use flyash bricks. Installation of sewage treatment plant for the recycling of water will be used for maintaining landscaping. Top solid conservation for deck gardens and water meters will add value to the green concept," said Shah.
.../
Source: The Times of India, 2009-09-13, Link
Green Building Council of Indonesia Issues Guidelines
The Green Building Council of Indonesia (GBCI) launched on Wednesday guidelines for environmentally friendly buildings to increase the public's and business community's awareness of sustainability issues.
"Buildings emit a large amount of carbon dioxide, thus we need a platform to raise awareness about this issue and the GBCI is building it," council head Naning S. Adiningsih Adiwoso said.
Dubbed the Greenship, the guidelines list a number of aspects to take into consideration when constructing a building, which affect the environment and the building's users. The checklists includes energy-saving mechanisms and indoor air quality.
"The Greenship is an initial step towards developing a rating system. The guidelines include a list of desirable features *to make buildings environmentally friendly* but does not include scores, points or standard references," said Rana Yusuf Nasir, the council's chairman for equipment and skills.
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Source: The Jakarta Post, 2009-09-12, Link
"Buildings emit a large amount of carbon dioxide, thus we need a platform to raise awareness about this issue and the GBCI is building it," council head Naning S. Adiningsih Adiwoso said.
Dubbed the Greenship, the guidelines list a number of aspects to take into consideration when constructing a building, which affect the environment and the building's users. The checklists includes energy-saving mechanisms and indoor air quality.
"The Greenship is an initial step towards developing a rating system. The guidelines include a list of desirable features *to make buildings environmentally friendly* but does not include scores, points or standard references," said Rana Yusuf Nasir, the council's chairman for equipment and skills.
.../
Source: The Jakarta Post, 2009-09-12, Link
2009-09-13
Green Design Is More Than Just Gadgets
A BRITISH politician once remarked that a wind turbine should be put on top of an airport building not because it could produce much power, but because it would make the building look 'green'.
The incident, says the Malaysian ecologist and architect Ken Yeang, is typical of 'greenwashing', where eco-friendly gadgets are there for the cachet they bring rather than the environmental good they do.
Dr Yeang, 61, who has spent most of his 35-year career pinning down what exactly it takes to create ecologically sensitive buildings, reckons he knows only a couple of dozen designers worldwide who are clued-up on the subject.
A general lack of understanding means he comes across misconceptions 'all the time'.
Dr Yeang, who will be in Singapore later this month for a sustainability conference organised by lifestyle company The Annix Group, thinks building owners and architects like to flash figures on energy consumption and recycling rates to prove that their buildings are environmentally friendly.
'The belief is that if you stuff a building with enough eco-technology, gadgets and low-energy or zero-energy systems, you have a green building,' he says.
'The second misperception is that if your building is rated or accredited with a high score, for example Singapore's Green Mark Platinum rating, it is automatically a green building.'
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Source: PropertyGuru, 2009-09-09, Link
The incident, says the Malaysian ecologist and architect Ken Yeang, is typical of 'greenwashing', where eco-friendly gadgets are there for the cachet they bring rather than the environmental good they do.
Dr Yeang, 61, who has spent most of his 35-year career pinning down what exactly it takes to create ecologically sensitive buildings, reckons he knows only a couple of dozen designers worldwide who are clued-up on the subject.
A general lack of understanding means he comes across misconceptions 'all the time'.
Dr Yeang, who will be in Singapore later this month for a sustainability conference organised by lifestyle company The Annix Group, thinks building owners and architects like to flash figures on energy consumption and recycling rates to prove that their buildings are environmentally friendly.
'The belief is that if you stuff a building with enough eco-technology, gadgets and low-energy or zero-energy systems, you have a green building,' he says.
'The second misperception is that if your building is rated or accredited with a high score, for example Singapore's Green Mark Platinum rating, it is automatically a green building.'
.../
Source: PropertyGuru, 2009-09-09, Link
BCG and NRDC Release New Report on Green Buildings and Sustainable Growth
Improving Building Energy Efficiency by 2015 Could Cut China’s Energy Use by 170 Billion kWh and Reduce CO2 Emissions by 170 Million Tonnes Annually According To A New Joint Report by The Boston Consulting Group and The Natural Resources Defense Council
BCG and NRDC Provide Suggestions On How Government, Building Developers, Commercial Building Tenants, Media and Other Organizations Can Help Improve China’s Environment by Improving Building Efficiency
Improving the energy efficiency of China’ s buildings can help achieve sustainable urbanization and economic growth according to a new report jointly published today by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
In From Gray to Green: How Energy-Efficient Buildings Can Help Make China’s Rapid Urbanization Sustainable (Chinese version available now, English version coming soon), the authors set out the case for improving building efficiency, including estimated potentials of benefits. They also identify the key stakeholder groups in China and suggest actions for each group.
“What is not commonly understood is that building operational use accounts for around 25% of China’s total energy consumption”, said Justin Fung, co-author of the report and a Project Leader in BCG’s Hong Kong office. “That is more energy than China’s cement, iron and steel sectors combined. And if you include energy used for manufacturing and transporting building materials and products, China’s buildings consume 30-40% of the country’s total energy.”
As China’s middle class continues to grow and the population continues to urbanize, the energy consumption of buildings will continue to increase: city residents typically use three times as much electricity as their rural cousins.
Fortunately, as Beijing’s Agenda 21 Building and many similar green buildings in different parts of China have shown, it is feasible to achieve 70% savings in energy consumption by applying existing building efficiency technologies. So the benefits from an aspirational but potentially achievable greening of buildings could be substantial. For example, if by 2015, the end of China’s 12th Five-Year Term, 5% of existing buildings and 60% of new buildings were to achieve levels of energy consumption 50% below those of comparable non-green buildings in similar climate zones, the subsequent annual energy savings would be 170 billion kWh electricity, equivalent to turning off all the lights in America for one month. CO2 emissions would be cut by 170 million tonnes.
.../
Source: NRDC, 2009-09-07, Link
BCG and NRDC Provide Suggestions On How Government, Building Developers, Commercial Building Tenants, Media and Other Organizations Can Help Improve China’s Environment by Improving Building Efficiency
Improving the energy efficiency of China’ s buildings can help achieve sustainable urbanization and economic growth according to a new report jointly published today by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
In From Gray to Green: How Energy-Efficient Buildings Can Help Make China’s Rapid Urbanization Sustainable (Chinese version available now, English version coming soon), the authors set out the case for improving building efficiency, including estimated potentials of benefits. They also identify the key stakeholder groups in China and suggest actions for each group.
“What is not commonly understood is that building operational use accounts for around 25% of China’s total energy consumption”, said Justin Fung, co-author of the report and a Project Leader in BCG’s Hong Kong office. “That is more energy than China’s cement, iron and steel sectors combined. And if you include energy used for manufacturing and transporting building materials and products, China’s buildings consume 30-40% of the country’s total energy.”
As China’s middle class continues to grow and the population continues to urbanize, the energy consumption of buildings will continue to increase: city residents typically use three times as much electricity as their rural cousins.
Fortunately, as Beijing’s Agenda 21 Building and many similar green buildings in different parts of China have shown, it is feasible to achieve 70% savings in energy consumption by applying existing building efficiency technologies. So the benefits from an aspirational but potentially achievable greening of buildings could be substantial. For example, if by 2015, the end of China’s 12th Five-Year Term, 5% of existing buildings and 60% of new buildings were to achieve levels of energy consumption 50% below those of comparable non-green buildings in similar climate zones, the subsequent annual energy savings would be 170 billion kWh electricity, equivalent to turning off all the lights in America for one month. CO2 emissions would be cut by 170 million tonnes.
.../
Source: NRDC, 2009-09-07, Link
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