THE 'STATE OF PLAY' OF SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS IN INDIA - SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS AND CLIMATE INITIATIVE
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Sustainable Buildings
and Climate Initiative
Promoting Policies and Practices for Sustainability
The ‘State of Play’
of Sustainable
Buildings in India
r o g r a m m e
P
n v i r o n m e n t
E
at i o n s
N
n i t e d
U
Design and layout by Thad Mermer, the Graphic Environment • http://www.tge.ca
Copyright © United Nations Environment Programme, 2010
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The ‘State of Play’
of Sustainable
Buildings in India
Sustainable Buildings
and Climate Initiative
Promoting Policies and Practices for Sustainability
UNEP DTIE UNEP SBCI
Sustainable Consumption & E-mail: sbci@unep.org
Production Branch www.unep.org/sbci
15 Rue de Milan
75441 Paris CEDEX 09, France
Tel: +33 1 4437 1450
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www.unep.fr/scp/sun
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements 3
Executive Summary 3
Vernacular Building 4
Green Building 5
Energy Efficient Building 5
‘State of Play’ of Sustainable Buildings in India* 6
Introduction 7
1. Vernacular Schools of Thought 9
1.1 Mera Wala Green 9
1.2 Sri Aurobindo Society (SAS) School of Thought 14
1.3 Sustainable Communities 16
1.4 Solar Model for Green Buildings 19
1.5 Replication and Way Forward 21
2. Green Buildings 22
2.1 Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) 23
2.2 Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) 25
2.3 Replication and way forward 28
3. Energy Efficient Buildings 30
3.1 Energy Conservation Building Code 2007 30
3.2 Energy Star Rating of Office Buildings 32
4. A Way Forward 34
Incorporating Sustainable and Green Building Design Parameters in the Indian Building Sector 34
5. Conclusion 37
6. Notes and References 38
* Note: The ‘State of Play of Sustainable Buildings in India’ section has been prepared by UNEP-SBCI and
does not necessarily represent the views of TERI.
About The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI):
A dynamic and flexible organization with a global vision and a local focus, TERI was
established in 1974. While in the initial period the focus was mainly on documentation
and information dissemination activities, research activities in the fields of energy,
environment and sustainable development were initiated towards the end of 1982. The genesis of these
activities lay in TERI’s firm belief that efficient utilization of energy, sustainable use of natural resources,
large–scale adoption of renewable energy technologies and reduction of all forms of waste would move the
process of development towards the goal of sustainability.
All activities in TERI move from formulating local and national level strategies to suggesting global solutions
to critical energy and environment-related issues. It is with this purpose that TERI has established regional
centres in Bangalore, Goa, and Guwahati, and a presence in Japan, Malaysia, Russia, Africa and the United
Arab Emirates. It has also set up affiliate institutes: TERI–NA (The Energy and Resources Institute, North
America) Washington DC, USA, and TERI–Europe in London, UK.
2
Acknowledgements & Executive Summary
Acknowledgements Executive Summary
Author: Ms. Priyanka Kochhar, Associate Fellow The Indian construction industry is experiencing
and Area Convenor, Centre for Research on a fast rate of growth with a sustained increase in
Sustainable Building Science, TERI gross built-up area of 10%1 per annum over the
last decade. Demand for housing, expansion of
The author would like to thank Ms. Mili Majumdar, organized retail, commercial office spaces by multi-
Dr. Hina Zia, Ms. Pooja Shukla, Mr. Apoorv Vij, nationals, the setting up of special economic zones
Mr. Tarun Garg, Ms. Sonam Shah, Mr. Gaurav (SEZs), are all increasing. This is spurred on by
Shorey from TERI; and Dr. Peter Graham from increasing per capita income and standard of living.
University of New South Wales for their valuable
comments, suggestions and inputs in the Energy consumption and associated greenhouse
research. The author would also like to thank Mr. gas emissions will therefore continue to rise
Dharmender Singh for secretarial assistance. unless actions to direct the construction industry
The information presented in the paper emerged towards sustainable consumption and production
from inputs shared by: Abhikram: Mr. Nimesh are taken urgently.
Patel and Ms. Parul Zaveri; Footprints EARTH:
Mr. Yatin Pandya; Jaisem Foundation: Prof. A. R. More positively, the practice of green building is
Jaisem; Good Earth: Mr. Jeeth Iype; Sri Aurobindo becoming more popular in some sectors. The
Society: Mr. Jatin Lad and Ms. Trupti Doshi; Ashok secretariat of India’s bespoke green-building
B Lall Architecs: Prof. Ashok B Lall; Bureau of rating scheme Green Rating for Integrated Habitat
Energy Efficiency: Mr. Sanjay Seth; Shri S P Gon Assessment (GRIHA) has set a target for five
Choudhari, Dr. Arvind Krishan million square meters of built up space to be
The viewpoints expressed in the paper are of the GRIHA compliant by the end of 2012. Further,
author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Indian Green Building Council also targets
the institute. The author is solely responsible for to register ninety three million square meters of
any inadvertent errors in the paper. built up space with LEED India. While important,
this alone will not be enough to mainstream
Design / layout: Thad Mermer sustainable design and construction practices in
India. Achieving this requires:
• Bridging the knowledge gap on sustainable
building strategies, which exists at various levels
within the industry;
• Enforcing implementation of strategies to
encourage adoption of sustainable, green and
energy efficient buildings; and
• Conducting research and development on
technology for lowering costs.
Support and cooperation between all the players of
the sector is required. The immediate actions to be
considered include:
• Development of a national platform to project
individual efforts and exhibit financial benefits of
sustainable buildings;
• Undertaking extensive capacity-building
3
Executive Summary
at various levels, including construction of sustainable and green building design, government
demonstration projects across the country; bodies, government agencies and private bodies for
• Developing a business model to provide a voluntary adoption by relevant stakeholders, have
further impetus to initiatives to minimize the been taken up for discussion in the report:
detrimental impacts of construction on the
environment and society; 1. Vernacular schools of thought
• Introducing a green rating for residential 2. Green ratings for green buildings
developments and directing real estate 3. The Energy Conservation Building Code
developers to adopt this; and (ECBC)
• Developing, enforcing and implementing sus- 4. Scheme for star rating of office buildings
tainability performance benchmarking for
industry sectors. These four approaches are described through
case-studies which are representative of the ‘state
This report on the ‘State of Play’ provides a represen- of play’ for sustainable building in India.
tative understanding of sustainable building activity
in India, which has a unique traditional knowledge, VERNACULAR BUILDING
and is a developing country in terms of the modern
world. The report explains the state of sustainable Vernacular schools of building design are deeply
buildings and construction in India including best embedded in the traditional wisdom that offered
practices, successes, barriers and recommenda- beauty and joy to enhance the cultural milieu of
tions for further implementation towards mitigation India’s built environment. As reflected through
of climate change impacts. the various case studies, each project addresses
an integrated approach to design with a special
Considering the wide diversity that exists in the emphasis on climatology, solar passive architecture,
building typology across India, issues and concerns bio-climatic design and low energy architecture to
range from addressing low cost, low energy buildings achieve appropriate human comfort, low-energy
to high cost high energy buildings through various low-cost community development, use of recycled
income groups and climatic zones of the country. municipal/domestic waste as building material;
The following report has been structured to address and a financial model that may be implemented
the various schemes (i.e. government codes, for successful promotion of sustainable building
strategies, policies vernacular and other institutional design principles respectively.
schools of thought) that co-exist to direct building
construction towards a minimum detrimental impact The following case studies have been used to
on the environment. Various case studies have further explain the vernacular schools of building
been used to explain the indicators of ‘sustainabil- design that exists in various parts of India.
ity issues’ with an emphasis on life cycle and actual
performance of buildings. 1. Torrent Research Centre, Ahmedabad to
represent the Mera Wala green school of
Seven case-studies of institutional and residential thought;
buildings in three prominent climatic zones of India, 2. Sharanam- a purpose-built training centre for
namely composite, warm-humid and hot-dry, have rural development, Tamil Nadu to represent the
also been studied. Based on the good practice Sri Aurobindo Society school of thought;
compliance of buildings, information received and 3. Manav Sadhna Activity Centre, Ahmedabad
information available in public domain, the case to reflect the sustainable community school of
studies from representative climate zones have been thought; and
identified for the purpose of this study. 4. Solar Housing Complex (Rabirashmi Abasan),
Kolkatta to represent a financially sustainable
The following four approaches, which have been model for green buildings.
endorsed by prominent practitioners in the field of
4
The vernacular schools of thought as described Both green rating systems aim to quantify the
through the various case studies, reflect the environmental, economic and socio-economic
specific sustainability priorities, which have been benefits of green building design with emphasis
established in specific regions of the country. While on sustainable site planning, optimized energy
‘mera wala green’ seeks to establish common performance, efficient materials and construction
sense solutions with emphasis on Indian ‘needs’ practices, water and waste management strategies;
from local solutions in terms of material use and indoor environmental quality. The rating
and traditional wisdom; Sharanam emphasizes systems also emphasize life cycle cost analysis so
on adopting an integral approach towards that the client has an option of making informed
development with a special focus on the socio- choices when opting for green technologies which
economic and skill development dimension. may have an initial incremental cost with acceptable
pay back periods.
Manav Sadhna Activity Centre demonstrates
that a building can become an economic activity ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDING
to empower the poor and exhibits a potential for
becoming a cottage industry for economic self- In case it is not feasible for a given building project
reliance. With emphasis on the socio-econom- to be compliant with the green rating system,
ic aspects of sustainable building design, this energy efficiency is addressed as the next major
vernacular school of thought reiterates the holistic sustainability parameter to be addressed. The
approach followed for sustainable buildings in Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) provides an
India. Taking this a step further, the Solar Housing option for new buildings to be compliant with the
Complex focuses on the financial aspect of sus- Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC), which
tainability that may be replicated on a larger scale. contributes to significant energy savings through
the operation of an efficient building, contributing
In circumstances where it is not possible to address to CO2 emission reduction. The Fortis hospital
all aspects of sustainable design, environmental and building, which is ECBC compliant, indicates the
economic concerns take priority in order to direct implications in terms of building specifications and
building construction towards green design. Green benefits from compliance with the code.
rating of buildings as described below encourages
adoption of green design strategies rather than a Further, the BEE has also developed a scheme for
more holistic sustainability approach. star rating of existing buildings thad meet the energy
efficiency benchmarks as established, to further
GREEN BUILDING narrow the parameters of sustainability in building
design. As discussed in this report, the Reserve
There are two prominent green rating systems Bank of India (RBI) building at Bhuvneshwar has
that co-exist in India. One system, Green Rating been awarded the first five star rating for being
for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA), is the energy efficient.
national rating system for the country endorsed by
the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), The report goes on to describe the key barriers and
Government of India. Another system, Leadership way forward for incorporation of sustainable, green
in Energy and Environment Design (LEED), has and energy efficient building design parameters
been launched by the India Green Building Council in the Indian building sector. It provides an outline
(IGBC). The Centre for Environmental Sciences and of the knowledge gap at various levels, issues
Engineering at IIT Kanpur, the first GRIHA compliant pertaining to lack of effective enforcement of
building of India, and the Institute for Rural Research policies; and lack of financial incentives, which
and Development (IRRAD), Gurgaon, which is a deter stakeholders from large scale adoption of
LEED India compliant building have been used as sustainable design strategies and energy efficient
case studies to highlight the nuances of the two technologies.
green rating systems.
5
Executive Summary
‘STATE OF PLAY’ OF SUSTAINABLE manufacturing are also likely to spike over the next
BUILDINGS IN INDIA decade, increasing the need to consider lower
embodied energy approaches to construction.
Sustainability Challenges for the Indian
Building Sector Energy demand is also increasing in rural India
where programs are underway to bring electricity
India has one of the fastest growing construction to the more than 400 million people that lack
sectors in the world. New construction spending access to basic energy services. Providing such
has grown by as much as 10% in the last five basic services to all of its citizens will require a 3 to
years2 and built floor area has more than doubled. 4 fold increase in primary energy supply and a 5 to
This increase in construction activity is being 6 fold increase in electricity generation over 2005
driven by rapid urbanization. About 30% of India’s capacity by 20306.
221.1 million households are now in urban areas
with the urban population projected to more than Such factors contributed to the building sectors
double by 20503. proportion of total national commercial energy
consumption rising from 14% in the 1970’s to
Demand for commercial building has also approximately 33% by 2005, an increase in energy
increased dramatically, fueled by a boom in the use in buildings of approximately 8% per year. Given
services sector which has been estimated to have that 55% of India’s electricity is generated from
added 53% to the value of GDP in 2008 alone. The coal-fired power plants, the energy performance
of buildings is an increasingly significant factor in
amount of built office space is projected to increase
national greenhouse gas emissions7.
from approximately 200 million m2 in 2009 to 890
million m2 by 2030, an increase of more than 70%4.
These issues are being addressed by policy
(The figure in the Eco-III report is 870 million m2;
makers. As Section 4 describes the new ECBC and
however these are different from the commercial
BEE programs aim to deliver significant operating
built up rates projected in the BCC project).
energy efficiency gains from India’s commercial
building sector. Full implementation of the Energy
Many new office buildings import typical Conservation Building Code for example could
glass-curtain wall design which increase demand for reduce energy consumption in new commercial
mechanical cooling in India’s predominantly warm buildings by 25-40%. Further potential energy
climate. Recent studies of the energy performance savings of 25% could be achieved with cost-effec-
of commercial buildings in India indicate that tive retrofitting of existing commercial buildings8.
energy efficiency is poor by international standards,
which has the effect of locking Indian cities in to Indian cities are among the worlds most vulnerable
in-efficient and potentially uncompetitive building to impacts of climate change. Given 50-60% of
stock for decades (TERI in GEA). Indian’s will be living in cities by 2050, the role of
buildings in providing climate change adaptation
Unchecked, greenhouse gas emissions from options is fundamental to sustaining prosperity and
electricity used in existing buildings alone could well-being. A key climate change pressure on the
increase by 247% by 2050. If the energy-efficien- built-environment is the diminishing availability of
cy of new-buildings constructed over the same water for urban areas9.
period are not improved, the total electricity related
emissions from buildings could be more than Most Indian cities rely heavily on ground-water for
390% higher than current levels5. Green house use in buildings. However, ground-water levels in
gas emissions associated with building material India are projected to have dropped from 1901 m3/
6
Introduction
Introduction
person/yr in 2001 to 1401 m3/person/year by 2030 Considering the wide diversity that exists in
which is well below the international benchmark for the building typology across India, issues and
water stress of 1700 m3/person/year. Rainwater concerns range from addressing low cost, low
harvesting and large scale water recycling are not energy buildings to high cost high energy buildings
widely implemented in urban areas despite demand through various income groups and climatic zones
for water often outstripping supply. An added drain of the country. The acceptability and understanding
on urban water supply is the approximately 30% of the term sustainable building is applicable to
of water wasted each year due to leaking infra- various design frameworks and approaches that
structure. Conversely, there is a need for greatly have been developed in India.
expanding clean water supply in rural India, where
more than 75% of the population does not have The following report has been structured to
access to sanitation10 /11. address the various approaches (i.e. government
codes, strategies, policies and other vernacular
The rapid growth in India’s building sector no schools of thought) that co-exist to direct building
doubt presents opportunities for improving the construction towards a minimum detrimental
living conditions and livelihoods of millions of impact on the environment. Various case studies
people. However, in order to be sustainable the have been used to explain the indicators of ‘sus-
environmental pressures of increased demand for tainability issues’ with an emphasis on life cycle
resources coupled with a rapidly changing climate and actual performance of buildings.
must be addressed.
Information for the study was collated after
These issues are now being addressed by policy extensive literature survey, discussions with policy
makers at various levels. However as in most makers, receipt of information requested via a
countries there is a huge scope to optimize the survey questionnaire prepared in consultation with
effectiveness of policy by encouraging a more subject experts and discussions with architects
holistic life-cycle approach to building. India also and users of buildings.
has the opportunity to further incorporate unique
vernacular building techniques and traditional The seven case-study buildings cover six
knowledge to support more sustainable building institutional buildings and one residential complex
practices. in three prominent climatic zones of India, namely
composite, warm-humid and hot-dry.
The following report on the ‘State of Play’ provides
representative examples of the range of sustainable Composite
building activity in India. The report explains the • Centre for Environmental Sciences and
state of sustainable buildings and construction in Engineering Building, at the Indian Institute of
India including best practices, successes, barriers Technology (IIT) Kanpur
and recommendations for further implementation • Institute of Rural Research and Development,
towards mitigation of climate change impacts and Gurgaon
a transition to more sustainable built environments. • Fortis Hospital at Shalimar Bagh, Delhi
- UNEP SBCI, Paris, July 2010. Warm-humid
• Sharanam- a purpose-built training centre for
rural development, Tamil Nadu
7
Introduction
• Solar Housing Complex (Rabirashmi Abasan), suitable degrees, thus emphasizing that buildings
Kolkatta and construction activity in India are engaging with
• Reserve Bank of India, Bhuvneshwar globally established green and sustainable practices.
Hot-dry It should further be noted that sustainable
• Torrent Research Centre, Ahmedabad building activity in India reflects the ethos of the
“Habitat Agenda”, the preamble to which states13:
The case studies are representative of various “Sustainable development of human settlement
approaches for sustainable, green and energy combines economic development, social
efficient buildings prevalent in the country. In order
to highlight the relevance of sustainable building Table 2: Major issues to assess sustainability
design in India, each scheme is described and performance of buildings
the description followed by an explanation of
Major issues to assess sustainability performance of
the case study or detailed description of the buildings
building with emphasis on the key sustainability Consumption of non-renewable fuels
GREEN BUILDING
SUSTAINABLE BUILDING
parameters, as applicable. Water consumption
Materials consumption
It is pertinent to note that the various approaches/
Land use
frameworks, adopted on the basis of key principles
Impacts on site ecology
and indicators to address the performance of
Greenhouse gas emissions
buildings, provide local indicators to the globally
established sustainability performance parameters Other atmospheric emissions
of buildings. Table 2 lists the major issues usually Solid waste / liquid effluents
considered in the methods that attempt to assess Indoor air quality, lighting, acoustics
the sustainability performance of buildings globally. Longevity, adaptability, flexibility
The state of play, via the various approaches, Operations and maintenance
(described in the following section), addresses each Social and cultural issues
of the sustainability performance indicators and Economic considerations
compliance with locally established benchmarks to Urban / planning / transportation issues
Source: UNEP (2008)12
Table 1: Building Case Study Locations, Climate Zone and Type,
Project name Location Climate zone Building type
(City, State)
1 Centre for Environmental Sciences and Engineering Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh Composite Institutional
Building, at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur
2 Institute of Rural Research and Development Gurgaon, Haryana Composite Institutional
3 Fortis Hospital at Shalimar Bagh New Delhi, Delhi Composite Commercial
4 Sharanam Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu Warm-humid Institutional
5 Solar Housing Complex (Rabirashmi Abasan) Kolkatta, West Bengal Warm-humid Residential
6 Reserve Bank of India Bhuvneshwar, Orissa Warm-humid Institutional
7 Torrent Research Centre Ahmedabad, Gujarat Hot-dry Institutional
Source: TERI, 2010
8Vernacular Schools of Thought
1. Vernacular Schools of
Thought
development and environmental protection, with Through vernacular approaches to building design,
full respect for all human rights and fundamental construction and operation, the built environment
freedoms, including the right to development, evolves to comply with the modern day requirements
and offers a means of achieving the world of and functions, while at the same time integrating
greater stability and peace, built on ethical and the climate responsive architecture inherent to
spiritual vision”. India. As is reflected in the following case studies,
each project addresses an integrated approach
The timeline in Figure 1 maps the evolution of to sustainable design with a special emphasis on
‘architecture for sustainability’ in India. This climatology, solar passive architecture, bio-climatic
movement is rooted in traditional wisdom that design and low energy architecture to achieve
has provided indigenous solutions to each crisis
appropriate human comfort, use of recycled
situation that has arisen over time.
municipal/domestic waste as building material; and
a model solar housing that may be implemented
The four approaches, namely the vernacular
for successful promotion of green building design
school of thought, green rating for buildings,
principles respectively.
the ECBC compliance of buildings; and the
star rated buildings are extensions to the time
line shown in Figure 1, and have been used to ‘Green’ building techniques have traditionally been
capture the current state of play of sustainable integrated with economic, social and cultural con-
buildings in India. siderations. Thus, vernacular building knowledge
has traditionally addressed what we now consider to
be ‘sustainability’. The following case studies have
been used to further explain the vernacular schools
of thought that exist in various parts of the country.
1.1 MERA WALA GREEN
‘Mera Wala15’ or ‘my kind of green’ attempts to
clarify that ‘green’ is only a direction for achieving
greater sustainability, and not a recipe in which
Figure 1: Timeline depicting the philosophies and objectives of sustainability
1950’s 1960’s 1970’s 1980’s 1990’s 2000’s
Middle East War Iraq War
Oil Crisis Energy Efficiency Initiatives
Alternative Energy Programs
Rio Summit
Habitat Agenda
Climatology
Solar Passive Architecture
Bio-climatic Design
Low Energy Architecture
Environmentally Sustainable Architecture
Architecture for
Source: Lall, A.B.(2006). Ashok B Lall Architects14 Sustainable Development
9Vernacular Schools of Thought
use of identified ‘green’ products or technologies • Use of low technology innovations, materials
would result in truly ‘green’ or ‘sustainable’ and products, which are not ‘brand’ driven;
buildings for any context. The school of thought • Recognizing ‘performance’ and not just ‘intent’
emphasizes that the meanings and understanding of going ‘green’ and;
of ‘sustainable’ or ‘green’ building is open to • Necessary use of common knowledge.
individual and contextual interpretation, where
what may be required in one case or country may However, these goals contrast with increasingly
not be relevant for another. popular approaches, which are perceived to:
In trying to comply with the design strategies and • Emphasize the quantification of energy saved;
materials appropriate for other countries, India • Promote high technology innovations, materials
has suffered by creating enormous pressures and products, which are brand driven;
on its resources. Therefore, it is necessary that • Recognize ‘intent’ rather than ‘performance’ and;
any dialogue on ‘green’ building in India should • Necessitate expert inputs and simulations.
constitute being ‘green’ for the various regions and
climates of India. Subsequently, ‘mera wala green’ The lack of common definitions for ‘green buildings’,
seeks to provide a local understanding of sustain- coupled with the popularity of the term as a mark
ability for any building, which includes: of currency among architects is increasing the risk
of green-wash and could ultimately undermine
• Defining ‘human comfort’ required for each fundamental changes toward more sustainable
building to be suitable in terms of indoor air practice. However, ‘mera wala green’ stresses that
quality, thermal, visual, and acoustical comfort- the two most important and readily available tools
and raising minimum standards progressively to achieve sustainability in the built environment are
toward ‘sustainability’ benchmarks’. the use of common knowledge and common sense;
which may be further supplemented progressively
• Ensuring longevity, adaptability and flexibility of
with innovations, trial and errors; and scientific
any built environment is addressed suitably.
decision making, as the context may demand.
• Maximizing the use of traditional wisdom in
design, wherever applicable, since it shall
Torrent Research Centre (TRC)
represent knowledge about the long term
The Torrent Research Centre (TRC)16 at Ahmedabad
behaviour of materials, their strengths as well
in Gujarat explores the above school of thought and
as weaknesses. Use of local materials with low
brings together the use of common knowledge,
embodied energy shall also reduce associated
common sense, innovations, trial and errors; and
green house gas emissions.
scientific decision making to arrive at ‘mera wala
• Assessing all new technologies for their long
green’, specific to the region and proposed function
term impact in the context of India and its
of the building. The following section provides
development priorities, before accepting them
a brief description of the building features and
for use.
establishes compliance with the ‘mera wala green’
• Taking a performance approach for buildings.
understanding of sustainable buildings in India.
Even though the above-mentioned practices have
The TRC was completed and occupied in 1997; and
been ingrained in Indian built environment for
has been reported as a unique example for climate
centuries and have proved to be sustainable, they
responsive design integrating a Passive Downdraft
have been less popular in the current scenario for
Evaporative Cooling (PDEC) system. The significant
several reasons.
characteristics of the building design are that:
The approach emphasizes reducing consumption
• 72% of the central building has achieved human
and pursuing an understanding of sustainability
comfort (28-28.5ºC as threshold temperature
that implies:
which could be exceeded for a certain number
of hours) by using PDEC and;
10• The building has been able to establish laboratory building has a similar plan, with a
extremely low levels of energy consumption wide corridor flanked by deep office spaces
per square metre. and laboratory spaces (Figure 2). Two of the five
laboratory buildings are air conditioned, while the
A number of factors such as client commitment for other three equipped with the PDEC system. The
environmental design, clear goals for environmental entire complex covers 22,600 square metre of floor
performance, an integrated and multidisciplinary space, of which around 3,200 square metres is air-
team approach for design that is mindful of user conditioned.
needs, and responsive building management during
commissioning and operation have influenced the The overall control of solar heat gain is achieved
low energy outcomes in the building. by judicious design of glazing. The fixed windows
are shaded externally, not only in the horizontal
The TRC complex comprises of a range of phar- plane by overhangs, but also in the vertical plane
maceutical research facilities and related support by the air exhaust towers which project from the
services, housed in a group of buildings. Each façade. The buildings are thermally massive. The
reinforced concrete construction framed structure
Figure 2: Torrent Research Centre, Ahmedabad
has cavity brick infill walls, plastered inside and out,
and hollow concrete blocks filling the roof coffers,
also plastered inside, with vermiculite used as an
insulating material on both roof and walls. The
external surfaces are white and the walls painted
with the roof using a china mosaic finish.
The PDEC system is designed to operate under
critical climatic conditions during hot-dry season
when mid afternoon outside temperatures
regularly reach 40°C or more. The PDEC system
pipes water through nozzles at a pressure of 50
Pa to produce a fine mist (microniser) at the top
Air Inlets
Block 6 Air Exhausts
Block 5
External Circulation
Water Bodies
Lawn
Tree Cover/Shrubbery
Block 4 Gravel/Walkway
Block 1
Block 3 Block 2
N
Source: Patel,N.(2007). Panika Team17
11Vernacular Schools of Thought
of the three large air intake towers located above towers. Night time ventilation is also an option
the central corridors of each laboratory building. during this season.
Evaporation of the fine mist serves to cool the
air which then descends slowly through the During the warm humid monsoon season when
central corridor space via the openings on each the use of microniser would be inappropriate, the
side of the walkway (Figure 3a/b). At each level, ceiling fans can be brought into operation to provide
sets of hopper windows designed to catch the additional air movement in the offices and laboratories.
descending flow, can be used to divert some of In the cooler season the operating strategy is
this cooled air into the adjacent spaces. Having designed to control the ventilation, particularly at
passed through the space, the air may then exit night, to minimize heat losses by the users adjusting
via high level glass louvered openings which the hopper windows and louvered openings in their
connect directly to the perimeter exhaust air individual spaces to suit their requirements.
Figure 3a: Section of a PDEC system
SECTION
LABORATORY BLOCK
BUILDING 2
Source: Patel,N.(2007). Panika Team
12The implementation of ‘mera wala green’ principles The results of complying with the ‘mera wala green’
of defining human comfort, understanding and philosophy have been listed as follows:
identifying needs for a long time scenario and • 200 tonnes of air-conditioning load saved;
maximizing the use of traditional wisdom in • Summer temperatures are maintained at
design to pursue goals, as described earlier 28°-32°C;
have resulted in significant benefits for the • 6 to 9 air changes/hour on different floors in
environment, building occupants and clients summer, including in a chemical laboratory;
who have made the capital and operational • The temperature fluctuations inside do not
expenditure investments for the complex. exceed 3°-4 °C, over 24 hour period, when
outside fluctuations are 14°-17° C;
Figure 3b: Plan of a PDEC system
FIRST FLOOR PLAN
LABORATORY BLOCK
BUILDING 2
Source: Patel,N.(2007). Panika Team
13Vernacular Schools of Thought
• Humidity not allowed to exceed 65-70% in 1.2 SRI AUROBINDO SOCIETY (SAS)
summer; SCHOOL OF THOUGHT
• Air movement velocity not allowed to exceed
1.5 feet/second; Sri Aurobindo Society (SAS)18 is an international
• The building which was designed for 150 NGO established since 1960, working in multiple
occupants in 1997 accommodated more fields including health, education, management and
than 600 users in 2005. The buildings have rural development. ‘Sharanam’, a purpose-built
accommodated 250% additional users, without training centre for rural development has adopted
significant discomfort; an integral approach to green building, which has
• Everyone using PDEC areas breath 100% fresh been described briefly as follows.
air, not re-circulated air;
• It gives healthy financial returns on investment Sharanam
in building costs. The entire cost of the Sharanam is designed as training and administra-
building has been recovered from the electrical tive centre of a larger rural development programme
savings in 13 years of operations and energy initiated by SAS, in the surrounding villages of
conservation. Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu. Sharanam is the
main venue for a variety of programmes in rural
The post-occupancy survey of 2004-05, conducted development covering a range of topics including
by University of Technology, Sydney, Australia, and rural health and hygiene, sanitation, education,
Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand income-generation, teacher training, self-develop-
concluded that “the total energy consumption for ment among women, youth and children facilitated
PDEC and AC combined (includes light, equipment through psychological development.
and AC for 2 blocks) for the 6 blocks in 2005 was
647000 kWh”. This averages to 54 kWh per square The principal facilities at Sharanam include a
metre. Clearly the climate responsive approach to multipurpose hall (max. capacity 150), administra-
buildings such as TRC comprising labs and offices tive offices, library, computer room, demonstration
with extended hours of operation in hot dry climate technologies, stores, kitchen and washrooms. In
order to meet the functional requirements which
of India, is comparable to available targets for
are also in sync with the SAS design philosophy,
commercial buildings.
a unique, inspirational and green building suited to
a rural context has been designed to restore the
In conclusion compliance with and replication of
ecological landscape of the site scarred due to illegal
the ‘mere wala green’ school of thought offers an
mud quarrying. Comfort conditions in an excessively
approach to sustainable building which enables:
hot and humid climatic zone (summer temperatures
touching 40 °C and annual average 70% relative
• Focusing on solutions for India’s local needs; humidity) have been targeted to construct a modern
• Finding local solutions from local resources; highly-engineered superstructure using earth as the
• Finding ways of decreasing our consumption primary building material and minimize use of steel
levels; and cement. The Sharanam training centre was
• Learning from our own traditional wisdom, for created not only for, but by local workers who were
simple cost effective solutions; employed in the construction of their facility.
The design and construction of Sharanam embodies
an integral approach towards development which
encompasses the ecological, climatic, cultural,
technological, environmental and socio-economic
dimensions. These are outlined in the following
paragraphs.
14The site, landscape and ecological issues have • Several solar passive strategies have been
been addressed by integrating the following employed to achieve thermal comfort in
activities through the construction process: Sharanam. Some of them are: building
orientation that is perpendicular to the
• Illegal mud quarrying was stopped to restore predominant summer breeze, evaporative
the ecological landscape of site. cooling through water bodies, effective use of
• Concerted efforts at soil healing through piers for funneling breeze, large fenestrations,
plantation of new indigenous flowering trees increased height of the building and roof
nurtured by organic methods, bunding and overhangs for maximising ‘stack effect’.
mulching were undertaken towards revival of
a local drip irrigation system has reduced the Green building materials and appropriate, innovative
irrigation water requirement by 75%. technologies have been used. The focus has been
• Water has been conserved through ground to minimize the use of energy intensive and envi-
water recharge wells, trenches and contour ronmentally polluting materials and equipment, and
bunds. Surface run-off diverted to a reservoir to demonstrate use of environmentally responsive
for re-use in irrigation. materials and sustainable technologies.
• Top soil from areas demarcated for construction
carefully removed and stored separately for Earth has been used as the primary building
use in gardening. material in two ways:
• The entire building has been designed around
existing trees and no tree has been cut. 1. Rammed earth foundations: Foundation
pits have been precisely dug and the same
Climatic and cultural response has been addressed excavated earth sieved, mixed and rammed to
in the following way: ensure zero wastage of raw material. No soil
has been brought from outside (Figure 4).
• The design of Sharanam has been inspired by 2. Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks (CSEBs)
the careful study of traditional Tamil buildings, have been manufactured with earth from
namely, temples, Chettinad houses and local the lowest point on site. Almost 100,000
vernaculars, which demonstrate a strikingly custom-made CSEBs, stabilized with only
similar response to the year-round hot and 5% cement have been made in nine different
humid climate of Tamil Nadu, i.e. shade from sizes for the main superstructure. Soil for
the intense heat and maximum ventilation to these blocks was procured from a small area
combat the high humidity. measuring 9 x 15 x 1.5 m which is integrated
into the design as the surface run-off reservoir.
Figure 4: Rammed foundations
Enormous environmental, structural and cost
benefits have been realised using CSEBs
manufactured at Sharanam. In comparison to the
locally available wire cut bricks, the CSEBs are 4
times cheaper, 10 times less polluting, and 3 times
as strong and of a far superior quality.19
The aim has been to design and construct a strong
roof, beam, foundation etc. using the least amount
of material (e.g. the main roof, which is a segmental
vault in earth spans 9.5m and is 42m long). It has
been built with 36,850 custom-made CSEBs
Source: Lad, J.(2009). Sri Aurobindo Society with the roof thickness reduced to only 9 cm at
the key stone. The CSEB masonry uses stabilized
15Vernacular Schools of Thought
Figure 5: Precision being executed at site ability. Here, the act of building is seen as a means
of self-development for all concerned.
In addition to demonstrating low environmental
impacts the project has been successful in:
• Redefining the role of the architect as a
hands-on professional engaging in the wider,
inter-disciplinary context of development.
• Instilling the wider values of ‘modernity’ into
the process – quality, precision, discipline
and organization.
• Eliminating the contractor, which removes the
heavy percentage cuts (about 30% generally)
taken by brokers and ensures all workers receive
their due wage on time since the architects
are leading the construction by training local
unskilled workers from surrounding villages
during the process of construction.
• Skilled local workers e.g. masons, have
Source: Lad, J.(2009). Sri Aurobindo Society their skills upgraded and introduced to new
techniques and higher standards of work.
earth mortar which is 1 mm thick and allows 140 • The cost of the unique superstructure is
tonne roof to be built using only 33 bags of cement 40% cheaper than conventional reinforced
(Figure 5). concrete buildings.
Environmental practices and resource management
1.3 SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
practiced on site include:
• Use of renewable energy in the building design. The design philosophy and considerations of
• Rain water harvesting including segregation the sustainable communities school of thought20
of roof-top and surface run-off with separate revolve around, and are inspired by, Gandhian
storage of roof-top water for potable purposes. principles of enlightenment of the poor and the
• Recycled and treated waste from green toilets oppressed, advocacy of sanitation, and education
and kitchen used for irrigation. of the poor. It is propagated by Manav Sadhna,
• Construction methods used ensure zero a non-governmental organisation which follows
construction waste. the philosophy of love all and serve all; and is
engaged in constructive humanitarian projects
The integral approach at Sharanam, goes that cut across barriers of class and religion while
beyond providing a ‘green building’ as a finished addressing issues faced by socio-economically
product that can be quantitatively evaluated neglected segments of society. Non-polluting
through carbon emissions or numbers in energy environment, economic empowerment and
audits. It is the integral approach towards affordable built forms are the three key dimensions
building Sharanam, which includes not only the of this initiative.
cultural and climatic context of Tamil Nadu and
technological context of sustainability, but also the Considering that nearly 27.4 million tonnes of
wider human dimension and the social context of waste is produced daily in the urban centres
rural development, which has contributed to the of India, and that cities like Ahmedabad alone
‘greenness’ of Sharanam. As such, the project produce 2750 metric tonnes21 the initiative is an
provides a qualitative expression of a process of attempt to recycle municipal and domestic waste
building that constitutes architecture for sustain- into building materials.
16Manav Sadhna Activity Centre, Ahmedabad Through value addition processes of recycling the
The ‘sustainable communities’ approach has waste, it provides a means of economic activity
been applied in the development of the Manav as well as a sense of empowerment for the poor.
Sadhna Activity Centre, which is located amidst Finally, as the recycled building components are
the largest squatter settlement of Ahmedabad. cheaper and of higher quality than the conventional
The multi purpose activity centre serves as an materials, they provide affordable and superior
informal school for young children, provides quality building alternatives for the urban poor.
evening education for adults and serves as a
training centre and activity workshop for the The project also demonstrates that building can
manufacturing of craft based products by women become an economic activity that empowers the
and elderly. The campus also includes a dormitory, poor by providing the potential of becoming a
an administrative unit and an all-religion meditation cottage industry for economic self-reliance.
unit (Figure 6).
The campus is built as a live demonstration for
The campus is built using components prepared the application of recycled waste as affordable,
through recycling municipal and domestic aesthetically pleasing and efficient building
waste. This process simultaneously addresses components (Figure 7). Building products
environmental concerns, economic issues and manufactured from municipal and domestic waste
affordable housing. Since municipal waste from are used in the walls, roofs slabs, doors and
the domestic sector is used for producing building windows. Materials and products were configured
components, it helps to reduce waste as pollution. to enable construction with simple hand tools.
Figure 6: Panoramic view of the activity centre
Source: Pandya, Y. (2009). Footprints EARTH
Figure 7: Inner partition walls made from vegetable crate wood panelling
Source: Pandya, Y. (2009). Footprints EARTH
17Vernacular Schools of Thought
There are six types of materials and techniques Similarly the floor and roof slabs in the activity
used in the making of the walls. These include: centre include:
cement bonded flyash bricks, mould-compressed
bricks made from landfill site waste residue, • Filler slab with glass bottles (Figure 9),
stabilized soil blocks, recycled glass bottles, • Plastic bottles and bricks stone slab,
recycled plastic bottles filled with ash and waste • Cement bonded particle board with clay tile
residue, and vegetable crate wood paneling in the cover, and
inner partition walls (Figure 8). • Light conduit pipe truss with Galvanised Iron
sheet and clay tile roof.
Figure 8: Window made from vegetable crate wood
panelling The door panelling uses shredded packaging
wrapper and coated paper waste as reinforcement
substitute for fiber reinforced plastic (FRP).
Vegetable crate wood as a frame and oil tin container
as blades make the ventilation louvers in the toilets.
Panelled door using vegetable crate wood and oil tin
containers for the frame and cladding respectively
have been provided in the administrative block
office toilet. Flyash and waste residue moulded tiles
with inlaid ceramic industry waste as china mosaic
(applied during tile moulding itself) is also applied in
patches for their demonstration.
All of these products are developed and produced
first hand. The products thus produced have been
lab tested for their engineered performance and they
prove to be economical, environmentally friendly,
participatory and aesthetically pleasing solutions and
express alternatives to contemporary practices.
This vernacular school of thought also exhibits
social, environmental and economic sustainability
Source: Pandya, Y. (2009). Footprints EARTH like the ‘Sharanam’ as described earlier, however in
Figure 9: Glass bottle roof
Source: Pandya, Y. (2009). Footprints EARTH
18reusing and recycling waste material; it gives a new system of power transfer to grid, implemented
meaning to the understanding and applicability of under the newly formulated policy guidelines
sustainable habitats. of the West Bengal State Electricity Regulatory
Commission (WBERC). The housing complex
1.4 SOLAR MODEL FOR GREEN (Figure 10) comprises twenty five reasonably
BUILDINGS priced plush bungalows, a community hall and a
swimming pool developed on a 7125 square metre
India’s first Solar Housing Complex22 (Rabirashmi plot in New Town Kolkata.
Abasan), has been constructed in the New Town
area of Kolkatta city in the State of West Bengal. A financially viable model was developed in
The project has been executed by the West order to promote energy efficient and renewable
Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency energy based housing. Since most projects are
(WBREDA) with partial support of Ministry of New owner driven, this is a unique example where the
and Renewable Energy, Government of India and developer community has driven the initiative to
State government agencies. showcase that to build green is not expensive.
Solar Housing Complex (Rabirashmi A public private partnership was established
Abasan) whereby the finances were put together by seeking
This is the first building integrated photo voltaic 50% advance (of the total cost of each house)
(BIPV) project in India using the net metering from independent house owners at the beginning.
Figure 10: Rabirashmi Abasan
Source: Majumdar,M.(2008). TERI
19Vernacular Schools of Thought
The State and Central governments contributed c. Use of renewable energy
equivalent of USD 10000023 out of the total project • Outdoor lighting using solar photovoltaic based
cost of USD $2200000 -inclusive of cost of land street lighting. All the 17 streetlights are fitted
(which was provided to the government at a 10% with solar photovoltaic panels.
discount as is the norm in New Town area). • There is a swimming pool heated by solar energy.
• Evacuated tube collector (ETC) based solar
Key sustainable design parameters water heater of 130 litres per day (lpd) capacity
The key principles of green building design such to meet hot water requirements. The small
as site planning, energy and water efficiency, water tank in the solar heater has a thermal
use of appropriate materials and good indoor insulation which provides round-the-clock hot
environmental quality have been maintained. water supply.
Further, principles of sustainable building design • 2.0 kW roof top solar PV with grid connectivity,
have also been addressed by devising suitable metering and stand alone facility for 4 hours
economic models for owners of houses and operation. Each bungalow has own “power
addressing social and cultural requirements by plant” on the rooftop, comprising a solar
planning for and providing areas and buildings for photovoltaic panel with a capacity of two
community activities. kilowatts. Household gadgets and electric
installations can run on solar power during
The complex is a unique model in India and has the day. Post sunset, with the generation
been developed on the concept of ‘zero use of dwindling, the system automatically switches
conventional electricity’. The following issues have to grid supplied electricity.
been addressed during the planning, design and • The PV system also has an in-built power
construction of the sustainable housing complex. back-up system, which stores around 3
kilowatts of power. So, in case of an emergency
a. Site planning at night, say during power cuts, one can switch
• Maximum solar and wind access to individual to the back-up to harness stored power. An
houses in the hot and humid climate zone of inverter helps the “switchover” post-sunset. All
Kolkatta. residents have been advised to opt for LEDs
• Gravity-based sewerage system to reduce and CFLs for lighting.
sewerage pumping energy
• Appropriate landscaping to modulate air flows d. Water efficiency
within site, divert air flows to rooms, shade • Use of pervious paving to maximize
paved areas (to reduce heat island effect) groundwater recharge
• Stand alone high mast solar street lights with • Hydro-pneumatic water supply system with
battery at the top and high power fluorescent 40% less energy consumption.
lights.
• Battery operated pick-up van. e. Economic feasibility for the owner
• Solar PV operated name plate and signage. • Each house in the complex was priced ranging
• Solar PV operated garden lights. from USD 86,000 to USD 90,000 for a built-up
space 165 square metres with an open area
b. Building envelope and system efficiency of 80 square metres. The land area for each
• Passive solar features with swimming pool in house is 200 square metres. Each owner has
South rights to the land and generates own power for
• Solar Chimney domestic use as well as for feeding the grid.
• Adequate ventilation and natural lighting • Since net metering is being adopted, the users
• Use of Light Emitting Diodes (LED)/Compact export electricity to the grid and thus fall in the
Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) lighting fixtures lower consumption (and thereby tariff) slab.
• Energy efficient electrical appliances have been The option of net metering can also be used
installed in the houses and the complex when the house is unoccupied.
20f. Social and cultural considerations aspects of sustainable building design, the
• A community centre and a swimming pool vernacular school of thought iterates the holistic
have been provided for use by the occupants approach followed for sustainable buildings in
• WBREDA is in-charge of general maintenance India. Taking this a step further, the Solar Housing
for the first year while each installation — be Complex focuses on the sustainability of the
it the heater, inverter or solar lights — comes project in ways that make a living complex which
with a five-year guarantee. is affordable for middle class consumers.
g. Urban planning and transportation In scenarios where it is not possible to address
• Efficient infrastructure planning by minimized all aspects of sustainable design, environmental
road lengths, aggregate utility corridor and economic concerns take priority in order
• Consolidated pedestrian and automobile paths to direct building construction towards green
• Centralized car parking design. Green rating of buildings as described
• Use of battery-operated vehicles for intra-site below encourages adoption of ‘green’ rather than
transportation ‘sustainable’ design strategies.
The vernacular school of thought as described 1.5 REPLICATION AND WAY
through the various case studies reflects the FORWARD
specific sustainability priorities, which have been The vernacular design and construction techniques
established in specific regions of the country. While follow an integrated approach. However, stresses
‘mera wala green’ seeks to establish common on land availability, constraints on time for
sense solutions with emphasis on local ‘needs’ design and construction of buildings, issues of
from Indian solutions in terms of material use and future saleability of space and perceived notions
traditional wisdom, Sharanam adopts an integrated of development, result in adoption of popular
approach towards development with a special models of design and construction that are not
focus on the socio-economic and skill-develop- climate responsive. Table 3 provides information
ment dimension. on the GRIHA recommended energy performance
indices for new commercial/ institutional
Manav Sadhna Activity Centre demonstrates buildings. In comparison with such performance
that a building can become an economic activity benchmarks, the energy consumption and
to empower the poor and exhibits potential of associated green house gas emissions from the
becoming a cottage industry for economic self- popular models of unsustainable institutional
reliance. In its emphasis on the socio-economic buildings are high (approximately 300 kWh per
Table 3: Energy performance index for air-conditioned/non-air-conditioned buildings in India
Climate classification EPI day-time occupancy EPI 24 hours occupancy
@ 5 days/ week @ 7 days/ week
Air-conditioned buildings (commercial)
Moderate 120 kWh/m2/annum 350 kWh/m2/annum
Composite / warm and humid/ hot and dry 140 kWh/m2/annum 450 kWh/m2/annum
Air-conditioned buildings (residential)
Composite/ warm and humid/ hot and dry 200 kWh/m2/annum
Non-air-conditioned buildings
Moderate 20 kWh/m2/annum 85 kWh/m2/annum
Composite / warm and humid/ hot and dry 25 kWh/m2/annum 100 kWh/m2/annum
Notes: kWh/m2/annum - kilowatt hour per square metre per annum: EPI - Energy Performance Index
Source: GRIHA, TERI 2009
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