Back in 1982, the WHO recognised the fact that one out of every three workers could well be slaving away in a workplace that could be making them sick due to unplanned office or residence management. From this was born the definition of ‘sick buildings’.

Persistent lethargy at work is something quite often experienced. The culprit could be the building you spend your hours in. Contributing are factors like poor air quality, bad thermal conditioning, excessive carbon monoxide levels, bad lighting, chemicals seeping from materials, moulds, bacteria, etc. Doubling of asthma since 1980 has been attributed to foul indoor air. Often pollutant levels are more inside than outdoors!

It was to help design better buildings the US Green Building Council came up with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (Leed) that talks of sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environment quality.

Out of following this was expected an energy savings of 20 percent annually, 20 percent in water, 38 percent rediction in waster water production and 22 percent reduction in construction waste.

In India, the number of buildings with Leed ratings are around nine.

The Olympia Tech Park in Chennai is the world’s largest commercial building with Leed gold rating, proudly claims its Ajit Chordia, promoter of the park. In this achievement, many players have a role. Perhaps the most significant would be the air-conditioning units, since they account for two-thirds of the energy bill of any building.

Spanning 1.9 million square feet, the Olympia which was designed for 14 MW of power will not require more than 8 MW with the six chillers provided by Trane, each of which can deliver 370 tonnes of cooling. The air handling units on each floor provide effective air circulation in each zone. Heat exchange helps decrease the load on the A/Cs. A part of the recycled water is used for cooling purposes.

“The demand has been cut by 40 percent and even the kilowatt hour has come down. There is Rs 10 savings per square feet from energy alone. The estimated annual carbon saving would be 5814 tonnes translating to carbon credit earning of Rs 6 million a year,” notes Chordia.

However it is still in the process of being registered for CDM but that will pay for the extra capital costs, he adds. This extra cost would come up to Rs 100 per sq ft translating to a total Rs 15 crore more. This will be the first commercial building to mitigate greenhouse gas savings, he says.

Commenting on the greening aspect, Mike Thompson, Director of Environmental Affairs, Trane, says, “I am very impressed with the pace of green building movement in India.” He points to how going green also means economic savings “when you put in lifecycle cost, lifestyle sustainability, etc.”

Trane’s innovative technologies in heat recovery chiller control and water system design have helped the process a lot. Their EarthWise(tm) CenTraVac(tm) received the U.S. EPA's Climate Protection Award and is the most energy efficient, lowest emission large chiller available today—up to 18 percent more efficient than the alternatives, notes Thompson.

It basically reduces the volume of conditioned air and chilled water required to maintain building comfort levels. Moving less air and water means reduced material costs through smaller fans, pumps, piping and ductwork for reduced installed and operating costs. The automated chiller plant manager helps optimise plant energy efficiency and maintenance.

Costwise, the 6 percent increase in capital costs apart, green buildings actually translate to cost cutting. For instance, as Chordia notes, the kind of glass used here, which is a double layered one, is costly by 15 percent but the way it traps heat and allows light to pass through means less load on airconditioning.

Mixing of flyash with cement helped manufacture aerated autoclaved blocks that act again as insulator and reduce the heat load.

All the pumps and motors have variable frequency drives that help reduce power consumption. The roof garden again helps reduce the heat island effect. All the water is recyled and arrangement made for rainwater harvesting. These are some other aspects taken into account at Olympia.

Why go green?

According to a study done by Worldwatch Institute in the US, buildings account for one-sixth of the world’s fresh water withdrawals, one quarter of its wood harvest and two-fifths of its material and energy flows. The steel and concrete used are energy-intensive materials while wood, water and gas are resources on which the supply is just not able to match demand.

Green buildings help minimise all this by reducing waste and using renewable/recyclable material, as well as a reducing operating costs.

Commercial buildings are responsible for at least 40 percent of energy use in most countries. In India, the construction sector is growing at 13 percent. Clearly, going green is not just being fashionable but making this sector sustainable.

A study by McKinsey estimated that demand reduction measures with no net cost could almost halve expected growth in global electricity demand. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report estimates that by 2020 CO2 emissions from building energy use can be reduced by 29 percent at no net cost.

The projected growth potential for Green Buildings in India is estimated to be Rs 2000 crores by the year ending 2008.

Economic development is fine and no one wants to be left behind. But sensible business is the catchword. Green makes that sense.

Hyderabad goes green

Another commercial and huge complex to be built with a Leed gold rating in mind is WaveRock from TSI Ventures (a joint venture of Tishman Speyer and ICICI Venture) in Hyderabad. Once completed it will accomodate 2.2 million sq ft of office space in the special economic zone of Gachibowli.

Double glazed glass (argon filled to reduce incoming heat) will drastically reduce the load on the air-conditioning. Use of locally available materials low in embodied energy, recycling water and using it for the A/C and for landscaping, recharging groundwater, making use of recycled content like flyash in concrete, are some aspects of green building going to be considered here.

Another point is the water flow underground which will be studied so as not to disturb it in any way, said Shyam Damodaran, VP-Design and Construction.

The 28-storey high building will also be a structural challenge to build, given the wave form it is designed to take which will “take it out of the plumb line by 10 metres at the top. The whole design is a tribute to Corbusier,” he added.

The project to be completed in three phases will then be followed by a 400 acre township in Telapur near Hyderabad. The company is also looking at projects in and around Bangalore, he said.