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Green Building- for Sustainable Development

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Key Words: Green Building, Sustainable Development, Designing, Construction, Economical

Shelter is one of the most important things which is essential for human beings. As the civilization

developed construction evolved from caves to huge multi-storeyed buildings. In this realm of social and

economic development environmental change has become inevitable and it compelled for new effective

means of achieving new levels of efficiency and sustainability. This paper presents one of the most

important Sustainable construction, Green Building, from its site to design, construction, operation,

maintenance and also its economic aspects. To give more protected environment to the future generation,

adopting methods of protective technologies is very important and here green building is one of the such

technology which is very economical and useful.

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INTRODUCTION :

Shelter is one of the fundamental needs of human beings. The need to own a place for living is also seen

in animals and birds. In the beginning of human civilization man used to live in caves and on trees,

gradually he has identified materials suitable for construction like clay, stone and timber. Basic purpose

of these dwellings is to protect man from weather and predators. These houses made way for larger

inhabitations like castles, forts and palaces which had built in mechanism for providing sunlight and fresh

air. As the time went on, man with his knowledge invented latest technologies and materials which helped

him in construction of different types of buildings. These buildings and the materials used for

construction brought rapid changes in the environment. Limitation of space, growth of population and

rapid urbanization lead to community dwelling culture which increased problems like CFC emissions,

insufficient ventilation, increase of waste materials during construction and maintenance of house arouse.

It is found that the building industry will consume 40% of total global energy and release about

3800megatons of CO2 into atmosphere. They have harmful impact on the nature. According to a report the

building industry has following impacts:

Consumption of 40% of world’s total energy.

Consumption of 30% of raw materials.

About 25% of timber harvest is going down.

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35% of CO2 emission.

16% of fresh water is being depleted.

40% of municipal solid waste is being generated.

50% of ozone depleting CFC’s are still in use.

30% of the residents have sick building syndrome.

The above issues have forced man to think along the terms of sustainable development which gave

solution for his problem through “green building” concept. Most of the people think that it is latest

technology which has been invented in recent times. But a very few people know that this concept is

being used since time immemorial. The Hawa Mahal in Jaipur Rajasthan in India is constructed in such a

way that it has natural ventilation which is also one of the principles of green construction. Similarly

many buildings were constructed using different principles of green construction unknowingly the

concept.
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The concept of sustainable development can be traced to the energy crisis and

environmental pollution concern in the 1970s (1). In the US Green Building movement started

from the need and desire for the more energy efficient and environment friendly construction

practices. There are number of benefits from building green like environmental, economical and

social. Environmental benefits protect biodiversity, ecosystems and also improve air and water

quality, reduce wastes, conserve and restore natural resources. Economic benefits are reduction

of costs and improvement in occupant productivity and optimize life-cycle economic

performance. Social benefits enhance comfort and health of occupants by giving aesthetic

quality.

A Green Building is the one whose construction and life time operation provides healthiest

possible environment having the most efficient and least disruptive use of the land, water, energy

and resources. Green Building is the one that preserves and restores the habitat which is vital for

sustaining life by reducing negative environmental impact. Construction of Green Building

minimizes on-site grading, saves natural resources by using alternative building material and

recycles construction waste rather than dumping in landfill. Green Building’s interior spaces

have natural lighting, outdoor views while highly efficient heating, ventilating and air

conditioning (HVAC) systems and low volatile organic compounds like paints, flooring and

furniture create a superior indoor air quality. Most of the Green Buildings are designed according

to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Green Buildings are more

comfortable and easier to live with due to Row operating and owning costs. It is estimated by the

year 2050, residential, commercial and institutional buildings consume about 38-40%global

energy and release3800-4000 mega tones of carbon in to the atmosphere. Climate change by
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itself can also precipitate lager energy demand as people seek greater comfort levels in more

extreme conditions (2, 3).

A report by US General Services Administration found that sustainably designed

buildings cost less and have excellent energy performance and occupants are more satisfied than

those living in normal commercial buildings. The market for green building materials and

products is estimated to reach Rs.15000crores in India by 2012 (4). Though new technologies are

constantly being developed to complement current practices in creating greener structures, the

common objective is that Green buildings are designed to reduce overall impact of the built

environment on human health and the natural environment(5). To build Green it is very

important to select proper site, maintain energy efficiency, water conservation, storage of rain

and storm water, material and resource management and construction waste management.

NEED FOR GREEN BUILDINGS:

 The environmental impact of building design and construction industry is significant.

Buildings consume more than 20% of electricity used in India.

 Normal construction deprives land usage from natural biologically diverse habitats.

 Green Building practices can substantially reduce or eliminate negative environmental

impacts and improve existing unsustainable design, construction and operational

practices.

 As an advantage greendesign measures help in reducing running costs and mitigate

indoor air quality problems.

 Studies conducted on green buildings reported productivity gains up to 16%.

 As a matter of fact green building enhances environmental and economic benefit for

occupants.
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PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION OF GREEN BUIDING:

Site efficiency:

It is very important for careful planning before a Green Building project is started. Though

building green house does need to be expensive or time consuming, final choice of type of green

building will depend on the space desired, home architecture, available site and costs. Green

building should be located in such a place where there is maximum sunlight. The first choice of

location is either south or south eastern side. Sunlight all the day is best for proper lighting of

the house and growing trees like maple, oak, neem and tamarind can efficiently shade the Green

building from intense late summer afternoon. Good drainage system is another important

requirement for the site. The Green building should be built above the ground level so that rain

water and irrigation water will drain in to the soil. Evolve strategies to stockpile top soil for

landscaping purpose. Consider adopting measures such as temporary and permanent seeding, mulching,

dykes, silt fencing, sediment traps and sediment basins where ever required. Open areas can be

landscaped and paved areas can be developed with permeable paving. For impermeable surfaces like

concrete surfaces direct entire runoff towards storm water collection pits.

It is necessary to select a site which is nearer to all basic amenities like grocery store, pharmacy,

post office, police station, hospital, railway station, bus station. Site should have provision for

parking and open space for growing plants.

Heat Island effect: Precautions are to be taken to reduce heat island effect i.e., thermal gradient

differences formed between heat developed and undeveloped areas to minimize impact on micro climate.

Typical materials with high reflective properties like china mosaic, white cement tiles and paints should

be used for reducing heat island effect.

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WATER

EFFICIENCY:

Reduction of water consumption and

protection of water quality is other

important factor for Green building. The

conservation and protection of water

throughout the life of a Green building can be

accomplished by designing for dual plumbing that recycles water in toilet flushing. Waste -water

may be minimized by using water conserving fixtures like ultra low flush toilets and low flow

shower heads. Bidets may be used to reduce the usage of toilet papers, reduce load on sewers and

increasing possibilities of reusing water on-site. Water treatment is a must for maintaining water

quality. Usage of grey water for growing plants will also helpful for water conservation. There

should be provision for rain water harvesting systems. Water efficient fixtures are to be used to

minimize indoor water usage.

Rain Water Harvesting System :

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Reuse of harvested rain water in plumbing systems in commercial or residential setting proves to

be environmentally and economically effective. It can reduce usage of drinking water for other purposes.

In this system runoff water can be harvested from roofs via down pipes that are connected to water

reservoirs and under ground tanks. It will be easy to install this system for new dwellings with down

pipes at one end and a cellar with a place for a low cost tank at other end. The harvested water can be

used for washing clothes and toilet flushing.

The factors to be considered while designing rain water harvesting system are:

 Rainwater availability.

 Size based on average availability and consumption.

 Materials of cistern.

 Suitable location .

Basic Components :

o Catchment Area
o Gutters and downspouts
o Leaf screens and roof washers
o Cisterns
o Conveying systems
o Treatment of water.

Operation And Maintenance of Harvesting system:

 Cleaning must be done at beginning of summer and winter rainfall to remove any foreign
material.
 Filtering and distribution system should be maintained.
 Filtration is essential to prevent entry of contaminants.
 Preferred height of distribution line should be 30.48cm above bottom of tank or reservoir
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Water Efficient fixtures:

These are used to reduce indoor water usage. The water fixtures which are being used should be

efficient. Fixtures are available with ultra high efficiency which can reduce substantial quantity of water

consumption.

SNo Items Base line Units

1 Flushing 6.3 LPF

2 Faucets 7.6 LPM

3 Shower 7.6 LPM

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Landscape should be designed to ensure minimum consumption of water. It is applicable only for

those projects which have at least 15% of area landscaped. Drought resistant species require less

water for their supplemental growth hence these should be used considering xeriscaping as an for

landscaping

Grey water Use :At least 50% of grey water generated can be used for landscaping,flushing and make-up

water for air-conditioning. Treated grey water for reuse must conform to the quality standards as high

lighted in the table below

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Parameter Quality Standards for treated water

BOD 5 days @200C 100mg/l

Suspended solids 200mg/l

Oil and grease(after grease trap for canteen/kitchen) 10mg/l

pH 5.5-9.0

ENERGY EFFICIENCY :

Green buildings are also useful to reduce energy consumption. Higher performance buildings use

less operating energy. Studies such as U.S. LCI Database Project(6) show buildings built

primarily with wood will have a lower energy than those built with brick, concrete or steel(7).

Usage of high efficiency windows and insulation in walls, ceiling and floors increase the

efficiency of the energy envelope. Passive solar building design can also be used in low energy

homes. Designers orient windows and walls, porches and trees to shade windows and roofs

during the summer while maximizing solar gain in the winter(8). Apart from this proper window

placement can provide more natural light and lessen the need for electric lighting during the day.

Providing proper metering also saves energy. Solar water heating also reduces energy costs.

Onsite generation of renewable energy through solar, wind, hydro or biomass energies can

significantly reduce the environmental impact on the building.

Energy saving measures in various equipments:

To conserve energy we can use following equipment

1) Level controllers in overhead water tanks.

2) Energy efficient lifts.

3) Minimise 60% efficiency in water pumps

4) Minimise 75% efficiency in motors.

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MATERIALS EFFICIENCY :

Building material is another criterion that should be selected carefully for Green building.

Materials like bamboo, straw, dimension stone, recycled stone, recycled metal and other products

that are non toxic, reusable, renewable or recyclable can be used(9). Environmental Protection

Agency EPA recommends using recycled industrial goods like coal combustion products,

foundry sand and demolition debris of construction projects(10). Building materials are to be

extracted and manufactured locally nearer to the building site to reduce the energy required for

their transportation. Usage of green refrigerants (clorofluoro carbon free)is recommended.

Materials with recycled content:

Use of recycled and renewable material can reduce total cost by at least 5-10%. Some of materials

with recycled content are fly ash block, tiles, steel, glass, cement, false ceiling, aluminium and composite

wood.

IN DOOR AIR QUALITY :

Indoor Environmental Quality(IEQ) category in LEED standards (Leadership in Energy

and Environmental Design) is the one which provides comfort, wellbeing and productivity of

occupants of the Green buildings. The LEED IEQ addresses for the thermal quality, lighting

quality and indoor air quality(11). Indoor air quality reduces volatile organic compounds and

other air impurities like microbial contaminants. Properly designed ventilation is required for

proper recirculation of clean air. Another important thing is the control of moisture accumulation

leading to mould growth and presence of bacteria viruses by proper insulation. Exhaust systems

are to be provided in kitchens and bathroom for clean air. Green architecture reduces waste of
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energy, water and materials used during construction. Recycling is the other important process

by which there can be reduction of wastage.

Cross Ventilation:

Cross ventilation is another criterion which should be given lot of importance. While designing

the building certain distance norms are to be followed:

* a minimum of 3m distance should be maintained between walls of two dwelling units

* a minimum of 2.4m corridor width separating dwelling units(12)

Wind Towers:

These are traditional architectural elements mainly part of buildings. They were used since

ancient time but after the advent of air conditioners and other mechanical ventilators the use of

wind towers reduced. However in green buildings use of wind towers is very essential since they

substantiate the use of artificial ventilation systems to a very great extent. The main function of

this tower is to collect cool breeze that prevails at higher level above ground and direct it to the

interior of the building. Now -a -days this feature has again gained a great prominence in many

countries due to its advantages.

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ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF GREEN BUILDINGS :

Generally the ecological properties of a building are considered as additional costs. In this view

construction of green building is inevitably more expensive as it implies use of high quality materials,

high efficiency materials and a more complex work flow. It also involves high cost of construction due to

provision various additional facilities. All these increase the cost of green construction to a great extent.

According to a report it was known that price premium of energy star buildings and LEED certified

buildings is higher than that of a normal building. And report also showed that rents of ecological

buildings are higher than rent of other buildings by about 3.5% (13). From the above studies we can say

that economically green buildings may be more expensive than ordinary buildings but due to advantages

like energy efficiency, good ventilation, reduction in maintenance cost over its life period and healthy
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atmosphere to the occupants people now a days are finding them more attractive and occupancy rate

increased by about 6%. Since building owners are succeeding in assessing the benefits of green buildings

more effectively and increasing number of projects will follow the path in near future.

Man can live on the Earth with minimal pollution by changing over to Green

buildings. They are Economical cost wise and Environmentally sustainable design wise. A Green

renovation includes everything from a green roof to more efficient HVAC and lighting systems,

enlarged existing windows and low VOC paints and flooring. Hence future is GREEN.
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REFERENCES :

1. Mao, X., Lu, H., & Li, Q., (2009) International Conference on Management and Service
Science .
2. Environmental Building News (2002). www.buildinggreen.com.
3. Cole, R.J., Building Environmental Assessment Methods: Clarifying Intentions, Building
Research and Information, Vol. 27 (4/5), pp.230-246, (1999)
4. Portland Energy Office, Portland Oregon(2000) Green Building Applying the LEED
Rating System.
5. Sanjeeva Rayudu, E., & Murali, S.M., Building for Healthy Community,(2011)
Proceedings of Green Technologies and Environmental Conservation (GTEC) Chennai 15-
17 December 2011
6. U.S. Life Cycle Inventory Database. http://www.nrel.gov/lci.
7. Naturally Wood Building Green with Wood Module. 3&6 Energy Conservation & Health
& Wellbeing.
8. Simpson, J.R., Energy and Buildings, Improved Estimates of Tree-shade Effects on
Residential Energy Use, Science Direct, February (2002)
9. Time: Cementing the Future, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article.
10. http://www.epa.gov/greenbuildings/pubs/components.
11. Lee, Y.S., & Guerin, D.A., Indoor Environmental Quality Differences between Office
Types in LEED Certified Buildings in the U S, Building and Environment. (2009)
12. Praveena,K., Planning, Analysis and Design of Green Building, Project Report Submitted
to S.K.University for the award of B.Tech.,in Civil Engineering.2009.
13. Commercial and Institutional Green Building: Green Trends Driving Market Change,
McGraw-Hill Construction and USGBC 2008.

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