By deploying sustainable architecture, we can preserve the environment as well as reduce energy consumption. 99acres shares some fundamental principles of sustainable architecture.
In a country like India that is witnessing rapid urbanisation and population explosion while dealing with the issue of acute housing shortage, most of us are not aware that our office or residential space is discharging harmful pollutants that is ultimately harming the environment. While most of us are well informed about the various environmental issues such as global warming, water and air pollution and the preventive measures that need to be taken, we are still not familiar with the benefits of sustainable development. Sustainable architecture and green buildings, if adopted in India, could not only preserve the environment but also cut down our overall ownership costs.
The construction industry, which is the second largest producer of demolition waste accounts for 35-40 percent of the greenhouse gases. Energy consumption in buildings is maximum during the construction stage and later in lighting or air-conditioning systems. While, facilities such as lighting, water heating and air conditioning offer comfort to building occupants, it also consumes large amount of energy and adds to the pollution levels. Moreover, activities of the occupant also lead to production of a large amount of solid and water waste.
Sustainable architecture
Sustainable architecture is the kind of architecture that attempts to curtail the detrimental impact that buildings have on the environment. Buildings that deploy this type of architecture are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient, right from location selection to the demolition after its lifecycle ends. A sustainably built green building not only utilises less energy, water and other natural resources, it generates less waste and greenhouse gases and is healthy for people living or working inside as compared to a regular structure.
Constructing green buildings is not just about a little more efficiency but it is about developing buildings that optimise on the use of local materials, local ecology and most significantly are built to lower water, power and material requirements. According to Amit Ruparel, Managing Director, Ruparel Realty, “Working towards sustainable living means optimum usage of natural resources, reduction and recycling of waste materials and shrinking pollutant emissions. This can be achieved by adopting green practices that can reduce environmental negative footprint since real estate development is the biggest consumer of natural resources such as water, raw materials, energy etc. and produce enormous quantity of pollutants.” There are five fundamental principles of Green Building:
1) Sustainable site design
- Create minimum urban sprawl and avert unnecessary destruction of valuable land thus, leaving room for more walkable, bike and transit friendly cities
- Creative use of open space, green habitat and other valuable parts of the land to add aesthetic appeal and functionality to the entire construction site
- Conserve key environmental assets through cautious assessment of each site
2) Water quality & conservation
- Conserve the prevailing natural water cycle and adopt water-saving techniques such as collecting rain water, reusing indoor wash water and other methods to ensure on-site supply of water
- Prominence on retention of rainwater and on-site infiltration as well as ground water recharging
- Reduce the inefficient use of potable water on the site while maximizing the recycling and reuse of water
3) Energy & environment
- Reduce negative impact on the environment through optimised site design, careful material selection, and adoption of energy conservation measures
- Increase the use of renewable energy and other low impact energy sources
4) Indoor environmental quality
- Provide a comfortable and healthy environment for building occupants by improving indoor air quality and ventilation
- Reduce the use of artificial lighting and make best possible use of day lighting
5) Materials and resources
- Decrease the utilisation of non-renewable materials through efficient engineering and construction, and effective recycling of construction debris
- Maximise the use of recycled engineered materials and recycled construction waste to create remarkable structures, thus, minimizing the environmental impacts
Need for sustainability
Sustainability is not an option - it is the need of the hour. By adopting the fundamental principles of green building, we can live in harmony with the environment. Hence, whenever you are purchasing a property, it is suggested that you go through the environmental regulations. After all, your dream abode should be good for you and for the environment as well.