Green buildings gain ground among people as climate change hits home

Bengaluru: With the impact of climate change more evident now than ever before, people are slowly but surely showing an inclination towards building eco-friendly structures and climate-responsive constructions.

From using natural materials to installing rainwater harvesting systems, city architects see a shift in people’s interests. This has become especially evident post Covid, said Yashaswini Sharma, an architect who specialises in the conservation of buildings.

"The queries on eco-friendly construction have been pouring in, especially after the Covid pandemic. People are now more aware of their surroundings and want to improve the environment they live in,” Yashaswini said.

Due to the demand, more and more architecture firms are now offering to provide such services, said Sathya Prakash Varanashi, a city-based architect who runs a firm that focuses on eco-friendly architecture.

"It was not the same earlier. Back then, we just had a handful of firms specialising in eco-friendly construction. Now, there are a lot of them,” he said.

Clients, the architects said, are increasingly concerned about the rising heat. “There are several principles that can be implemented in eco-friendly construction. We can follow displacement ventilation or opt for hollow-core construction. While constructing, it is also important to reduce the building’s carbon footprint as much as possible,” Varanashi noted.

 Yashaswini added that some materials used in construction could be harmful, and it is important to replace them with natural alternatives. “For instance, polyurethane is carcinogenic, and gypsum is mildly tumorigenic. It is important that people are aware of this,” she said.

Besides rising temperatures, sound and air pollution are also areas people want to address during construction. “Many also want to opt for solar-powered houses,” she said.

While people worry that constructing such buildings would be expensive, architects say that is a misconception. “It is not really expensive. It is just how people market it. There needs to be more awareness. In fact, it is often no more expensive than conventional construction,” said Neelam Manjunath, a city-based architect.

She added that it was important to bring together all stakeholders to promote these practices further. “Climate change is real, and we are experiencing it. We all need to act now,” she said.