The world is increasingly moving towards a sustainable model. While the concept has been relatively new for a country like India, the green building movement in the country has been catching steam over the last few years and many of us are shifting towards a lifestyle that promotes sustainable living. Living in a green home is becoming an important reality to reckon with, where one can opt to buy a house that promises to be environment friendly.
Sustainability in the context of real estate is not limited only to energy conservation, but also includes effective use of available resources, impact on the neighbouring environment and good living conditions for its occupants. A Shankar, national director and head (operations), strategic consulting, JLL, defines a green building as one that creates less waste. “It incorporates sustainable features such as efficient use of water and energy, checks indoor environment quality, ensures use of renewable energy and recycled recyclable materials and makes efficient use of landscapes.”
In 2012, a report mentioned that Chennai had the most number of green buildings in the country. According to the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), there has been a sharp increase in the number of buildings in Chennai that have been awarded certification over the past three years. In 2015, Chennai accounted for 10 percent of the certified green buildings in India. Pankaj Ohja, CMO of SPR Group, a real estate developer, says that the cost of such a property is slightly more as compared to the others, “It increases by 15 to 20 percent for the end users. But these days, buyers do not mind paying a premium to purchase these homes. After all, in the long run, they tend to save in terms of electricity, water usage and have a better standard of living.”
There is a difference between conventional homes and green homes. Constructed with sensitivity towards the environment, these structures are carefully planned. “From the glasses we use for windows to the tiles for the roofing, every material is carefully assessed before using it for the building. For instance, heat reducing glass panes are useful in cutting down the use of air conditioners. Similarly, we choose gypsum plastering over cement plastering, which helps in developing heat resistance too. Used water is treated in a plant that is reused. LED and CFL bulbs in such buildings use less electricity,” says a marketing official from Urban Tree Infrastructures. Xavier Benedict, principal architect at Anameka Architects and Designers, concurs and adds, “Careful choice of materials complement good design elements. The architectural feature should also include more trees and open-surface for water percolation.”
Chennai has been steadily gaining ground in the space of green buildings. Shankar says that currently, there are 321 registered green projects in the city, of which 37 percent of the projects are residential, 36 percent commercial, 6 percent are railway stations operated by MRTS and the rest includes factories, landscape and existing buildings. “The main challenge lies handover, where we have to carefully maintain the space, right from sewage treatment plants and organic patches of garden to solar panels. We have to take care of the maintenance, which, if done properly, will continue to help in savings,” says Kulothungan KK, MD, Kemia Apartments Ltd.
Despite a surge in the number of green buildings in the city, it now ranks fourth in the country in terms of having certified green buildings. Speaking about the way forward, Shankar says, “Moving towards sustainability is the biggest challenge. And in the future, there will be the need to convert the existing buildings into reasonably energy efficient green buildings. By 2025 the potential for retrofitting of the existing building will be five-fold. Occupants need to be convinced that their total ownership cost, including maintenance cost, over the life cycle of the property, will lead to significant savings.”
Source – Ranjitha G, Times Property, The Times of India, Chennai