MODULE-4

4.1 GREEN BUILDING RATING SYSTEMS

Green building rating or certification systems broaden the focus beyond the product to consider
the project as a whole. Rating systems are a type of building certification system that rates or rewards
relative levels of compliance or performance with specific environmental goals and requirements.
Green building rating and certification systems require an integrated design process to create projects
that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from
siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition. A few of these
programs are single-attribute, focusing solely on water or energy, while others are multi-
attribute addressing emissions, toxicity, and overall environmental performance in addition to water
and energy. Green building rating systems exist to address every project type from single-family
houses and commercial buildings to entire neighborhoods.
There are four principles that should be considered when evaluating a building rating or certification
system:
 Science-based — Results and decisions must be reproducible by others using the same standard.
 Transparent — Standards and process for awarding the certification should be transparent and
open for examination.
 Objective — Certification body should be free of conflict.
 Progressive — Standards should advance industry practices, not simply reward business as usual.

WHY PURSUE A GREEN BUILDING RATING OR CERTIFICATION?

The reasons for pursuing a green building certification for a project are varied. Certification through
any rating system provides verification of the green nature of the project, and can be a valuable
educational and marketing tool for owners and design and construction teams through the process of
creating a more sustainable building. Green building certification also provides incentives for clients,
owners, designers, and users to develop and promote highly sustainable construction practices. It is
important to note that a building does not have to be certified to be sustainable and well-built.

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Department of Civil Engineering, MITT
 BREEAM was launched in 1990 by BRE (Building Research Establishment),
a world leading, multidisciplinary building science organization. BREEAM was the world's first
environmental assessment method for buildings and is defined by building science and research.
BREEAM has served as the basis for many of the green building certification systems, including
LEED and Green Globes. BREEAM is used in 93 countries around the world, with more than
2,326,200 projects registered and 565,000+ certificates issued. BREEAM aims to deliver sustainable
solutions, encourage a holistic approach to sustainability that is based on sound science and measures
what is important, and improve building environmental performance. Performance is measured in 9
categories: Management, Health & Well-being, Energy, Transport, Water, Materials, Waste, Land
Use & Ecology, and Pollution. Innovation is rewarded through exemplary credits within specific
issues. For all BREEAM rating systems other than In-Use, there are five ratings: Pass (1 Star), Good
(2 Stars), Very Good (3 Stars), Excellent (4 Stars) and Outstanding (5 Stars). BREEAM In-Use has
six ratings, with Acceptable (1 Star) as the lowest rating and Pass (2 Stars) through Outstanding (6
Stars) above.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)—was created in 2000 by

the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), for rating design and construction practices that continue
to define green buildings in the United States and around the world. LEED is used throughout North
America as well as in more than 150 countries with over 110,000 projects currently registered and
certified across the globe. Hundreds of state governments, cities, towns, and counties have enacted
sustainable legislation, ordinances, or policies, many of which specifically call for LEED
certification. LEED consists of credits which earn points in several categories including: Integrative
Process, Location and Transportation, Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere,
Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, Innovation, and Regional Priority. There are
four levels of LEED certification: Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.

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LEED is effective in India from 1st Jan 2007.

Features/Criteria’s of rating of green buildings

Certification Levels

GREEN STAR was developed by The Green Building Council of South Africa, and is based on the
Australian Green Building Council tools to provide the property industry with an objective
measurement for green buildings and to recognize and reward environmental leadership in the
property industry. Each rating tool reflects a different market sector (office, retail, multi-unit
residential, etc.). The objectives of the Green Star SA rating tools are to: establish a common
language and standard of measurement for green buildings, promote integrated, whole building
design, raise awareness of green building benefits, recognize environmental leadership, and reduce
the environmental impact of development .
Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), part of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) was
formed in the year 2001. The vision of the council is, "To enable a sustainable built environment for
all and facilitate India to be one of the global leaders in the sustainable built environment by 2025".

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Features of rating of green buildings
IGBC green new building rating system addresses green features under the following categories:
1. Sustainable Architecture and Design.
2. Site Selection and Planning.
3. Water Conservation.
4. Energy Efficiency.
5. Building Materials and Resources.
6. Indoor Environmental Quality.
7. Innovation and Development.
IGBC green new building rating system is broadly classified into two types:
Owner-occupied buildings are those where in 51% or more of the building's built-up area is occupied
by the owner.
Tenant-occupied buildings are those wherein 51% or more of the building's built-up area is occupied
by the tenants.
Certification Levels

Certification Owner-occupied Tenant-occupied

Recognition
Level Buildings Buildings

Certified 40 - 49 40 - 49 Best Practices

Silver 50 - 59 50 - 59 Outstanding Performance

Gold 60 - 74 60 - 74 National Excellence

Platinum 75 - 100 75 - 100 Global Leadership

GRIHA is an acronym for Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment. GRIHA is a Sanskrit
word meaning – ‘Abode’. Human Habitats (buildings) interact with the environment in various ways.
Throughout their life cycles, from construction to operation and then demolition, they consume
resources in the form of energy, water, materials, etc. and emit wastes either directly in the form of
municipal wastes or indirectly as emissions from electricity generation. GRIHA attempts to minimize
a building’s resource consumption, waste generation, and overall ecological impact to within certain
nationally acceptable limits / benchmarks.
Basic features of GRIHA
The system has been developed to help 'design and evaluate' new buildings (buildings that are still at
the inception stages). A building is assessed based on its predicted performance over its entire life
cycle – inception through operation. The stages of the life cycle that have been identified for
evaluation are:

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Pre-construction stage: (intra- and inter-site issues like proximity to public transport, type of soil,
kind of land, where the property is located, the flora and fauna on the land before construction
activity starts, the natural landscape and land features).
Building planning and construction stages: (issues of resource conservation and reduction in
resource demand, resource utilization efficiency, resource recovery and reuse, and provisions for
occupant health and well-being). The prime resources that are considered in this section are land,
water, energy, air, and green cover.
Building operation and maintenance stage: (issues of operation and maintenance of building
systems and processes, monitoring and recording of energy consumption, and occupant health and
well-being, and also issues that affect the global and local environment)

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Department of Civil Engineering, MITT
4.2 GREEN DESIGN OR ARCHTECTURE
Green architecture, or green design, is an approach to building that minimizes harmful effects on
human health and the environment. The "green" architect or designer attempts to safeguard air, water,
and earth by choosing eco-friendly building materials and construction practices.
Green architecture has several characteristics that make it unique. It has features such as water
saving, specially designed ventilation systems for cooling and heating, non-toxic and non-synthetic
materials, recycle and reuse of older buildings etc.
4.2.1 Principles of sustainable development in building design
Optimize Site Potential
The location, orientation, and landscaping of a building all affect local ecosystems, transportation
methods, and energy use. Hence, to successfully execute a green construction project, the correct site
must be chosen and then integrated with sustainable design.
If possible, the design plan should strive to support the native flora and fauna of the region in the
landscape design - regardless of whether you are designing a new building or retrofitting an existing
one.
Optimize Energy Use
In order to increase energy independence, the energy performance of the buildings must be increased.
Operating net-zero energy buildings is one way to significantly reduce our dependence on fossil fuel-
derived energy.
Protect and Conserve Water
Sustainable buildings should seek to minimize water wastage. Additionally, it should encourage the
practice of recycling water on certain on-site projects when possible.
Optimize Building Space and Material Use
Architects should not only reduce the amount of waste generated by buildings but should also pursue
methods to reuse materials, to ensure the world continues to grow and prosper.
Enhance Indoor Environmental Quality
The indoor environmental quality of a building has a significant impact on occupant’s health,
comfort, and productivity. And so, buildings should offer natural light, proper ventilation, moisture
control, optimized acoustic performance, light and temperature control, etc.
Optimize Operational and Maintenance Practices
Architects and designers should be able to specify materials and systems that streamline and simplify
maintenance requirements. Consideration of a building's operating and maintenance issues during the
preliminary design phase of a facility will contribute to improved working environments, higher
productivity, reduced energy/resource costs, and prevention of system failures.

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4.2.2 Characteristics of sustainable buildings
1. Environment conditions study: it is important to take into account the environment where it will
be carried out through an exhaustive analysis of the territory, the location, the climatic conditions of
the area, ventilation, trees or surrounding buildings that can prevent the entry of natural light, etc.
2. Design and orientation: An optimal orientation is an important aspect to minimize the energy
consumption. With the light direction and solar radiation enter is as suitable it´s possible to take
advantage of this natural heat source. A design aligned with the solar orientation allows you to take
advantage of the sun's position to capture the most light during the day.
3. Determinate how energy will be used and conserved: In addition to ensuring excellent
insulation, the use of adjustable blinds and blinds contributes to energy efficiency. It is also important
to consider the use of renewable energy such as solar panels and photovoltaic panels, wind power
generators, etc. There are currently several ´environmentally friendly´ options.
4. Use natural, recycled or recyclable materials: It is important to have sustainable materials in
order to minimize the environmental impact of buildings, for example, by selecting natural materials
such as roof coverings, facades and roofs. Using recycled materials to manufacture our louvers
systems allows us to reduce expenses, save on resources and reduce our environmental footprint by
minimizing CO2 emissions.
5. Reduce, recycle and reuse waste: Related to the previous point, the reduction or elimination of
waste from the environment is a key point of sustainable architecture, which has begun to incorporate
cardboard and metal as easy elements to recycle and reuse through processes manufacturing and thus
be able to integrate them back into the chain and reduce their environmental impact. It is also
important to avoid contaminating materials that may be a health risk to the occupants.
4.2.3 Sustainable Material Management
Sustainable Materials Management is a systemic approach to using and reusing materials more
productively over their entire lifecycles. Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) represents a
framework to sustainably manage materials and products throughout the entire lifecycle, from
resource extraction, design and manufacturing, resource productivity, consumption and end-of-life
management.
SMM encourages the consideration of the impacts of a suite of policies that affect a given target area,
thereby encouraging consideration of policy incoherence. It is aimed at helping to reduce pressures
on resources by decreasing the quantities of materials that need to be extracted. Furthermore, SMM
supports sustainable decision making by balancing the social, environmental, and economic
considerations throughout the life cycle of a product or material, guaranteeing that negative impacts
are not shifted from the production process to the consumption phase, or vice versa. There should be
a balance between material use and consumption of other natural resources, such as energy and water
for SMM policies to succeed. For example, many have proposed replacement of non-renewable

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materials such as petroleum derivatives with bio-based, renewable materials, yet these substitute
materials may consume far greater amounts of water and other ecosystem services.

Figure 1: Sustainable material management

Sustainable building materials can be defined as materials with overall superior performance in terms
of specified criteria. The following criteria are commonly used:
• Locally produced and sourced materials
• Transport costs and environmental impact
• Thermal efficiency
• Occupant needs and health considerations
• Financial viability
• Recyclability of building materials and the demolished building.
Waste and pollution generated in the manufacturing process
• Energy required in the manufacturing process
• Use of renewable resources
• Toxic emissions generated by the product
• Maintenance costs
4.2.4 Integrated lifecycle design of materials and structures
Integrated life cycle design is an important tool for sustainable civil engineering. It aims to concretize
the multiple requirements of functionality, economy, resistance, aesthetics and ecology into technical
specifications and further into designs of materials and structures
The methodology of integrated life cycle design can be used at the design of individual buildings or
other structural facilities, as well as in the development of new materials and structures or structural
systems.

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Principles of integrated life cycle design
1. Interpretation of requirements in economic and technical terms
Sustainability is related to ecology and economy. The ecological aspects include the quantitative
goals regarding the consumption of non-renewable natural resources, the production of pollutants into
air, soil and water and the qualitative goals regarding non calculative effects like biodiversity and
noise. Ecology can be interpreted as the economy of the nature
2. General framework and design process
The overall scheme of the integrated structural design (fig.2 ) includes the following main phases of
the design process (fig.3): Analysis of the actual requirements, interpretation of the requirements into
technical performance specifications of structures, creation of alternative structural solutions, life
cycle analysis and preliminary optimization of the alternatives, selection of the optimal solution
between the alternatives, and finally the detailed design of the selected structural system.

Figure 2: Framework of integrated structural design

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 Figure 3: The process of integrated structural design

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