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Green Building- for Sustainable Development

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 worlds total energy.
Consumption of 30% of raw materials.
About 25% of timber harvest is going down.
35% of CO2 emission.

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16% of fresh water is being depleted.

40% of municipal solid waste is being generated.
50% of ozone depleting CFCs 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 Buildings 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.

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Rain Water Harvesting System :

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

Gutters and downspouts

Leaf screens and roof washers

Cisterns

Conveying systems

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

Flushing

6.3

LPF

Faucets

7.6

LPM

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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Research and Information, Vol. 27 (4/5), pp.230-246, (1999)
Portland Energy Office, Portland Oregon(2000) Green Building Applying the LEED
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Sanjeeva Rayudu, E., & Murali, S.M., Building for Healthy Community,(2011)
Proceedings of Green Technologies and Environmental Conservation (GTEC) Chennai 1517 December 2011
U.S. Life Cycle Inventory Database. http://www.nrel.gov/lci.
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