It is broadly estimated that buildings worldwide consume about 40 per cent of the planet’s material resources and 30 per cent of its energy. The construction of buildings is reported to consume three billion tonnes of raw material per year and generates between 10 and 40 per cent of the solid waste in most countries.
With an intention to promote green building practices in India, Dr Fixit Institute of Structural Protection and Rehabilitation (DFI-SPR) held lectures on ‘Sustainable Construction and Green Buildings’ as a part of their on going Healthy Construction Lecture Series. Gajanan Sabnis, Ph D, P E and Emeritus Professor - Howard University interacted with leading architects and engineers in Mumbai and Bangalore.
Sabnis rued the fact that most construction sites in India display utter disregard for stipulated guidelines in the form of heaps of sand and aggregates, high noise pollution, low use of ready mixed concrete and fly ash based bricks and blocks, extremely poor quality of recycled building products.
“We are thoroughly unmindful of the fact that the way we build our homes, both in design and choice of materials, is one of the most important ways to shape our future. If we want to sustain our urban future, there is no option but to build in ways that not only reduce environmental damage but which improve the health of ecosystems and protect natural resources, by adopting green building practices,” said Sabnis.
To illustrate an example of how other countries are taking cognisance of the need for sustainable construction norms and putting up top class projects incorporating them, he cited the example of Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, a $ 22-billion zero carbon, zero waste community.
He pointed out that in India, the concept of green building has been spearheaded by Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). Green buildings exhibit a high level of environmental, economic and engineering performance that includes:
* Energy efficiency and conservation
*Improved indoor air quality
* Resource and material efficiency
* Occupant’s health and productivity
* Proximity to public transport system
* Improved environmental quality covering air, water, land and ecosystems
Globally, ratings have been put in place for rating green construction materials.
The environmental issues considered reflect the generally accepted areas of concern such as climate change, fossil fuel depletion, ozone depletion, human toxicity, waste disposal, water extraction, acid deposition, eco-toxicity, eutrophication, seasonal smog and mineral extraction.
A K Chatterjee, Director, Dr Fixit Institute said, “The vision of Dr Fixit Institute is to ensure that correct construction practices are adopted in India. This time, the focus is on imparting knowledge to industry professionals on the need to build with the future of the globe in mind.
“By way of the Healthy Construction Lecture Series, we bring international experts in the field of waterproofing, structural protection, repair and rehabilitation, sustainable construction, to share their expertise with the leading lights of Indian construction industry, thereby enabling the Indian architects and engineers to better facilitate execution of global best practices in the country.”