The tremendous rate of real
estate development across the globe, and especially young emerging nations, is
imposing immense pressure on the environment and its natural resources. With such
a rapid development, there is a lot at stake when we look at important factors
such as energy availability and environmental sustainability.
The real estate sector is one
of the major contributors to global warming due to the extensive pollution
during the construction process as well as emission of greenhouse gases during
the life cycle of the resultant buildings. On an average, buildings consume
about 20% of the total energy available in a country and this trend is
increasing with every passing day.
Sustainable realty
Mounting concern for the
environmental impact of real estate has necessitated the formulation of
sustainable solutions. This has led to the advent of the sustainable real
estate and related ‘green homes’ concepts. At its basis, sustainable real
estate is all about using resources sustainably and addressing the demands of
the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs.
Integrated approach
Green housing or eco-friendly
homes are an integrated approach towards minimizing the adverse effects of
construction and its operation on the environment and promoting healthier
living for people. It has been extensively documented that living in
conventional buildings has been working against residents, both in terms of
living standards and the costs of excessive energy consumption.
Clear process
The process that governs
eco-friendly homes is limiting the use of scarce resources such as water,
energy and materials used during construction and occupation. The idea is to
incorporate features that make the most of natural resources such as light and
water while reducing heat gain and improving the quality of indoor air. Green buildings
not only enhance quality of life but also reduce the cost of living, as these
buildings involve significantly lower consumption of energy, water and other
resources.
Growth constraints
The first and foremost
constraint for the proliferation of green buildings in India is the lack of
information and incorrect perceptions. It is generally believed that green
buildings cost more and take a long time to pay back in tangible energy
savings. Such a perception leads to lower demand levels from the larger buyer
base. In fact, the additional cost factor is rapidly reducing as more and more
developers get into the ‘green homes’ arena, since there is increased competition.
Also, green homes result in significantly reduced utilities bills right from
the start.
Cost factor
Also, many developers are
deterred from adopting the ‘green mantra’ in their projects because green
buildings may involve increased construction costs. They may also find it
challenging to obtain the necessary technologies, source green building
materials and find appropriately qualified architects and contractors in India.
Nevertheless, developers are aware that the ‘green wave’ is catching the fancy
of more and more home buyers in India and want to get on the bandwagon. Unfortunately,
this has resulted in a lot of residential projects which project themselves as ‘green’
without adhering to all the mandatory parameters or having obtained the
necessary certification.
Know what to look for
The overall benefits of green
buildings depend on the extent to which sustainable features are included
during the initial planning and design. In some cases, such features can also
be incorporated after the building is complete. But the point is that a few
green features do not qualify a building as environmentally sustainable.
Because of the increasing
interest in this concept by home buyers, many developers have begun promoting
projects under the banner of ‘ec0-friendly homes’. While many of these
projects are indeed accordingly certified by competent authorities, others
are merely seeking to get on a popular bandwagon without actually delivering
the goods.
To ensure that a genuinely ‘green’
residential project is not mistaken for one of the many wannabes, it is
important for their developer to obtain accreditation from the green rating
systems followed in India.
GRIHA (Green Rating for
Integrated Habitat Assessment) is one such system which verifies all that a
building has adhered to all the prescribed parameters and the materials and
processes have been used at every stage of construction. Once all the requirements
are met, the project is credited as ‘Green Building’.
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Verify the following
- Does the project offer ready access to public transportation so as to reduce the need for private transport?
- Does it use have fixtures that facilitate lower water consumption and are the systems and fixtures used in common area lighting systems certified as energy-efficient?
- Does it use solar water heaters and have sewage treatment plants, rain water harvesting and water recycling/reuse features?
- Does it feature natural ventilation so as to reduce the need for air conditioning?
- Does it have adequate open spaces and green areas?
- Does it offer covered car parking?
- Does it have sustainable waste disposal features?
