Deepika Gupta
“The life of money making is the one undertaken under compulsion and wealth is evidently not the good we are seeking; for it is merely useful for the sake of something else.” said Aristotle.
Since the First Industrial revolution there has been a growing debate over Growth Vs Development. The brain storming continued and so did the environment degradation. Rising temperatures, increasing GHG emissions, melting of glaciers made us to think and finally led to increased concern and international conventions for keeping our Mother Earth clean and green.
Construction sector has become the Engine of growth of the Indian Economy and in the process has become one of the single largest contributors to the environment degradation.
Sustainability finally became the buzzword and in the housing sector also the narrative began to change. The construction industry in India is currently poised for sustained growth driven primarily by an increased housing demand from a growing population. During the 12th Five Year Plan period, a housing shortage of 18.78 million units was estimated.
The industry must adopt a philosophy of “reduce, reuse, recycle and go-local” to deliver cost- effective housing solutions that are environmentally sustainable. Green Homes are homes that are designed, built and operated in a resource efficient manner with an aim to minimize the negative impact on the human health and the natural environment.
Benefits of Green Homes
* Compact lighting
* Energy efficient appliances
* Low flow fixtures and dual flush toilets
* Use of local materials
* Leverage Recycling of construction materials.
Healthier environment
Reduced energy and water consumption
Better ventilation
Limited waste generation
Better lighting quality.
Green design and construction practices are currently a niche though not yet widely used by the industry. Additionally, consumer demand for products that incorporate green design is low. A widely held misconception that green homes are expensive is the primary reason for the current low adoption of Green building practices. Although the initial construction cost compared to conventional homes is 10-15% higher for green homes, on an on-going basis, they can offer 30-40% savings on water and energy consumption. Solar panels can produce electricity and save almost 40% of our electricity bill. In the long run, the total cost of ownership of housing that incorporates Green design principles therefore is lower compared to those built using conventional methods.
To provide an objective measure of the sustainability and green building practices adopted in any project, various ratings agencies provide certifications. Some of these certifying agencies include – Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA), LEED by GBCI (Green Business Certification Inc.), Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) and Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).
Considering that 95% of the shortage of housing units is estimated to be in the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Low-Income Group (LIG) categories, certifications that incorporate affordability in their rating scale are desirable. The Green Affordability Housing Rating System offered by IGBC is a graduated certification and rating system that incorporates affordability in addition to sustainability practices. This certification system starts from “Certified” denoting Best Practices and goes up to “Platinum” denoting Global Leadership.
To promote green homes many government agencies and state governments offer incentives. State governments, including West Bengal, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Maharashtra (Pune) are offering additional Floor Area Ratio (FAR) ranging from 5 to 15% for IGBC silver, gold and platinum rated projects. Such initiatives have a scope to be adopted in J&K also to increase the adoption of green homes.
Awareness needs be created to highlight the importance and the link between green homes, cost savings and healthy living. Unlike the popular perception, a green home does not cost more. Sustainable is affordable! The slightly higher initial cost of a Green home is very small price to pay compared to the very heavy toll in environmental deterioration and personal health that we and generations to follow will all pay if we do not adopt and encourage the construction and purchase of Green homes.
(The author is Alumni of IIT Kharagpur & Stutgart University Germany (Practicing Architect in Jammu)
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