Maharashtra Considers More incentives to Green Buildings

Committed to promoting green homes in the state, the Maharashtra government is considering various incentives and subsidies, including granting extra floor space index (FSI), to green projects, a top official said here Friday.

"We have many plans to encourage green homes, by giving both financial and non-financial incentives to these projects. We will give top priority in giving environmental clearances to green projects," said Valsa R. Nair Singh, the state's environment secretary.

The government would also announce reduction in the consent fee for green buildings and in some cases, even waive it altogether, Nair Singh said at a conference on eco-friendly projects, organised by the Indian Green Buildings Council (IGBC).

The government would also give a longer duration of consent validity for such green buildings, she added.

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Source: TwoCircles, 2011-04-09, Link 

Iconic Buildings Change the Skyline of India

The skylines of India's major cities are changing fast as iconic new office buildings and luxury apartment blocks serve the burgeoning business elite.

In Chennai, an office complex shaped like six giant butterflies with a central spine will soon house 24,000 employees of Tata Consultancy Services, India's largest technology firm.

The huge glass and steel structure, called the Siruseri complex, cost $500 million and includes water features, landscaped gardens with 146 kinds of trees, solar panels and has a gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Chandra Sekaran, chief executive of Tata Consultancy Services, said: "It represents our scale, it represents the aspiration of our people, it represents the success of the Indian IT industry. It represents the future.

"Many of our customers who visit here for the first time are absolutely awed and impressed by what we have been able to achieve."

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Source: CNN, 2011-04-07, Link

New Delhi Airport Terminal Achieves LEED-Gold Rating

The Indian Green Building Council has awarded the vast Terminal 3 at Indira Gandhi International Airport LEED-Gold certification for new construction.

Built in just 37 months, the 5.4 million-square-foot integrated domestic and international terminal opened in July 2010 and is designed to handle as many as 34 mln travelers a year, more than doubling the facility's previous capacity.

Indira Gandhi International is the second largest airport in India and the eighth largest in the world. Designed by HOK International, Terminal 3 is the first airport building in the country to receive a LEED-Gold rating. Earlier, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad received a LEED-Silver rating.

Terminal 3 at the international airport in Delhi emphasizes natural light, construction materials and interior finishes with high recycled content and battery-operated vehicles for transporting travelers between terminals.

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Source: GreenBiz.com, 2011-04-07, Link

Works to be Done - To Raise the Appreciation of Green Building in Philippines

GREEN buildings" in the Philippines still have a long way to go.

If we are to go by the experience of Zuellig, whose pre-certified green building development is fast rising at the intersection of Makati avenue and Paseo de Roxas, it would not be difficult to conclude that the market has yet to fully appreciate the benefits of living in a green building.

Chickie Locsin, marketing and communications manager for developer Bridgebury Realty Corp. which is developing the building owned by the Zuellig Group, said takeup of the Zuellig development is relatively slow with interested locators surprised by the premium rates compared to the typical asking rates of prime office spaces in the Makati central business district.

The Zuellig building is the first building to have been pre-certified under the GOLD standard by certifying organization Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED), the green building standard that was developed and approved by property market players that are part of the US Green Building Council. It is one of the two most adopted standards globally, together with the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREAM) of the UK Green Building Council, based on the study of property consultant CB Richard Ellis.

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Source: Malaya, 2011-04-07, Link

The Very First Green Facility of Coca-Cola in Philippines

THE very first green facility of Coca-Cola in the Philippines will soon be operational, a high-ranking company executive said.

Located in Misamis Oriental, some 20 km east of Cagayan de Oro City, the Villanueva plant is expected to be operational in a couple of months.

Besides being able to generate jobs in the area, the Misamis Oriental plant also boasts of being Coca-Cola's first green building in the country.

The softdrink company has installed systems that catch rainwater from its roofs and its lighting systems use environmentally-friendly LED (light-emitting diode) technology, among others.

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Source: SunStar, 2011-04-05, Link