GREEN BUILDINGS

UNIT-I- INTRODUCTION TO GREEN BUILDINGS

What is green building?

A ‘green’ building is a building that, in its design, construction or operation, reduces or

eliminates negative impacts, and can create positive impacts, on our climate and natural
environment. Green buildings preserve precious natural resources and improve our quality of
life.

There are a number of features which can make a building ‘green’. These include:

 Efficient use of energy, water and other resources

 Use of renewable energy, such as solar energy
 Pollution and waste reduction measures, and the enabling of re-use and recycling
 Good indoor environmental air quality
 Use of materials that are non-toxic, ethical and sustainable
 Consideration of the environment in design, construction and operation
 Consideration of the quality of life of occupants in design, construction and operation
 A design that enables adaptation to a changing environment

Any building can be a green building, whether it’s a home, an office, a school, a hospital, a
community centre, or any other type of structure, provided it includes features listed above.

However, it is worth noting that not all green buildings are – and need to be - the same. Different
countries and regions have a variety of characteristics such as distinctive climatic conditions,
unique cultures and traditions, diverse building types and ages, or wide-ranging environmental,
economic and social priorities – all of which shape their approach to green building.

Sustainable Development:

"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present, without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

Typical features of green building:

1. Air tightness and vapor barrier in building walls and surfaces

Walls that are able to keep out moisture and humidity from outside will make the building
naturally cooler. Because of this, air-conditioning systems will not have to work so hard to cool
down the building. This lowers electricity costs.

2. Low solar heat gain coefficient of glass (SHGC)

1
Solar heat gain coefficient is the amount of solar radiation that enters through glass and is
released as heat inside a building. The lower the SHGC, the less solar heat it transmits, the cooler
the building. This also lowers electricity cost because air-conditioning systems don’t have to do
all the work.

3. Enthalpy recovery of exhaust air

A device called an enthalpy wheel recovers cooled air from the inside and uses the coolness of
this “spent” air to cool fresh air from outside. The process also dehumidifies the air from outside.
This is a cost-efficient way to improve indoor air quality and lessen energy consumed by air
conditioning systems.

4. Daylight-controlled lighting systems

This type of lighting system has sensors that can detect daylight. During the day, the sensor
switches off the lights since there is enough light from the sun. When the sun sets, the system
will switch the lights on.

This way, the use of artificial lighting during the daytime is reduced. It prevents cases when
occupants are too lazy or forget to turn off the lights when they aren’t needed.

5. Occupancy sensors

This lighting system only turns on when it senses people in the room. This technology can also
be found in escalators that activate only when there are people to ride on them.

6. Water-efficient fittings

The latest faucets and flush mechanisms use less water to do the same thing.

7. Rain-water harvesting

A structure catches rainwater and then stores it in big containers. The water can then be used to
water plants, flush toilets, or supply cooling towers.

8. Materials recovery facility (MRF)

An MRF is where the building’s garbage is segregated into biodegradable, recyclable, non-
recyclable, and special or hazardous waste.

Biodegradable waste can be composted and used as fertilizer for the building’s plants. Here is an
example of a successful MRF in San Fernando, Pampanga.

9. Vegetation

2
A significant portion of the building’s unpaved area should be devoted to vegetation. This helps
reduce the heat urban island effect – when concrete surfaces so common in urban areas absorbs
heat from the sun and radiates it to the surroundings.

Plants also help absorb some rainwater which would otherwise go to sewers and drainage, later
on contributing to flooding.

10. Site sustainability

The building’s design, construction and operation practices should have minimum impact on
ecosystems and water resources.

Increased CO2 trade:

Emission trading (ETS) for carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHG) is a form
of carbon pricing; also known as cap and trade (CAT) or carbon pricing. It is an approach
to limit climate change by creating a market with limited allowances for emissions. This can
lower competitiveness of fossil fuels and accelerate investments into low carbon sources of
energy such as wind power and photovoltaic’s. Fossil fuels are the main driver for climate
change. They account for 89% of all CO2 emissions and 68% of all GHG emissions.

Emissions trading works by setting a quantitative total limit on the emissions produced by all
participating emitters. As a result, the price automatically adjusts to this target. This is the main
advantage compared to a fixed carbon tax. Under emission trading, a polluter having more
emissions than their quota has to purchase the right to emit more. The entity having fewer
emissions sells the right to emit carbon to other entities. As a result, the most cost-effective
carbon reduction methods would be exploited first. ETS and carbon taxes are a common method
for countries in their attempts to meet their pledges under the Paris Agreement.

Trading is set to begin in 2014 after a three-year rollout period. It is a mandatory energy
efficiency trading scheme covering eight sectors responsible for 54 per cent of India's industrial
energy consumption. India has pledged a 20 to 25 per cent reduction in emission intensity from
2005 levels by 2020. Under the scheme, annual efficiency targets will be allocated to firms.
Tradable energy-saving permits will be issued depending on the amount of energy saved during a
target year.

3
Sustainable construction

The term sustainable development was introduced by Brunt land in 1987. Since, then several
progressive actions are taken to promote environmental awareness and agendas of sustainability.
The increased Concern for environmental awareness has been promoted by Government,
businesses, organization and individuals. Entire construction industry is shifting its focus
towards adoption of measures for reducing the environmental impacts of construction related
activities. Environmental protection agency (EPA) of USA defines green building as a building,
which is

Designed, built operated, maintained or reused with objectives to protect occupant’s health,
improve employee Productivity, use wisely natural resources and reduce the

Environmental impacts. This is sometimes also referred to as a sustainable or ‘high Performance’

building. Benefits of green buildings three main pillars that direct the

Concept of sustainable construction include; environmental Protection, social well-being and

economic prosperity. Several benefits of green Buildings in the literature are explained in the
form of Energy and water saving, reduced maintenance cost, increased property value, higher
occupant satisfaction, improved productivity, health benefits, and reduced CO2and Waste
emissions. A green building maximizes the usage of construction practices and effective building
materials enhance the use of onsite resources, maximizes the usage

Of renewable sources of energy and provides comfortable as well as hygienic indoor working
conditions. Construction Practitioners across the world are switching to green construction
activities. Growth of any developing nation can only be sustained with growth in its
infrastructural capacity.

With increasing global interest on sustainability, there is an Emerging need for Indian
construction industry to develop Awareness for sustainable construction practices to Withstand
competition.

Major environmental and Resource concerns:

There are many environmental issues in India. Air pollution, water pollution, garbage,
domestically prohibited goods and pollution of the natural environment are all challenges for

4
India. Nature is also causing some drastic effects on India. The situation was worse between
1947 through 1995. According to data collected and environmental assessments studied
by World Bank experts, between 1995 through 2010, India has made some of the fastest progress
in addressing its environmental issues and improving its environmental quality in the
world. Still, India has a long way to go to reach environmental quality similar to those enjoyed in
developed economies. Pollution remains a major challenge and opportunity for India.

Environmental issues are one of the primary causes of disease, health issues and long term
livelihood impact for India.

Some of the important Natural Resources available in India are:-

1. Water Resources: Sea water, ground water, surface water, rain water

2. Forest Resources: Commercial uses, Ecological uses, Regulation of climate, Reducing global
warming, Soil conversation, regulation of hydrological cycle

3. Mineral Resources:

(i) Non-metallic minerals, e.g., graphite, diamond, quartz, feldspar.

(ii) Metallic minerals, e.g., bauxite, laterite, haematite etc.

(iii) Energy generating minerals. Coal, oil and natural gas.

4. Food Resources: The main food resources are wheat, rice, maize, barley, pulses, cereals,
potato, sugarcane, sorghum, millet, oats, cassava, fruits, vegetables, milk and sea food etc. About
4 billion people in the developing countries have wheat and rice as their staple food. Fish and
seafood contribute about 70 million metric tonne of high quality protein to the world’s diet. But
we have already surpassed sustainable harvests of fish from most of the oceans.

5. Land Resources: India has total area of about 329 million hectares. The utilization statistics
available are for nearly 92.5% of the total area. About 162 million hectare of land is under
agriculture cover. Nearly 5% of the land falls under fallow land. About 46 million hectare is
under real forest as shown by satellites. A part of land is not in use.

5
This waste land includes arid, rocky and sandy deserts. Cities and towns which use much land
must grow vertically rather than horizontally. The land is also needed for industry, commerce,
transport and recreation. Since total land is a fixed asset, we must make efforts for integrated
land use planning.

Green building movement and obstacles:

In India, the Green Building Movement was adopted by the Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII) in 2001.They formed the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) which is actively involved
in promoting the Green Building concept in India. Their vision is, ―To enable a sustainable
built environment for all and facilitate India to be one of the global leaders in the sustainable
built environment by 2025‖. The Green Building movement in India started gaining momentum
since 2003, from just about 20,000 sq.ft in 2003 to 450 crores sq.ft green footprint in India today.
A green building is one, which uses less water, optimizes energy efficiency, conserves natural
resources, generates less waste and provides healthier spaces for occupants, as compared to a
conventional building. It is also known as a sustainable or high performance‘building. There are
various systems in the form of design standard or practice code worldwide to enhance the use of
green building design. Usually their performance is based on certain sustainability criteria which
are combined to assess the design effect. These criteria, in general, focuses on sustainable sites,
water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, material and resources, indoor environmental quality.

Obstacles in Green Building: Among the top seven specific barriers, lack of expertise in life-
cycle cost, lack of information on benefits on green buildings, lack of labeling and lack of
infrastructure and training are the barriers which belong to IPE barrier category.

Green building requirements:

Amongst the production and manufacturing sector, building and construction sectors occupies
the topmost place as the largest contributor to pollution and natural resource consumption. It is
to be noted that, buildings are one of the major consumers of the natural resources and account
for a major portion of the greenhouse gas emissions. As evidence shows that the global warming
and climate change are caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, it has become
necessary to take immediate action to avoid dangerous consequences for the future generation.

6
Apart from using resources such as energy and raw materials buildings also generate waste and
potentially harmful atmospheric emissions. Buildings around the world is estimated to consume
40% of natural resources, 35% of energy and 25% of water and generate 40% waste and 35% of
Green House Gases (United Nations Environment Program, 2009). It is thereby considered very
important to construct green buildings to save energy, reduce wastage and conserve natural
ecology.

Buildings may impact the ecology of the environment in several ways. Construction of buildings
require large amount of physical resources like building materials, energy and money - during
construction, while maintaining the building and during use. This results in loss of natural
environment and also damage to the natural ecosystem. Green building concepts and techniques
can aid growth in a sustainable manner. It addresses issues related to water efficiency, energy
efficiency, and reduction in fossil fuel use in commuting, handling of consumer waste and
conserving natural resources. Green buildings enhance occupant’s health, happiness and well-
being.

BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association) International and the Urban Land Institute,
survey 1999 results showed that 72 per cent of building tenants wanted to project an image of
environmental friendliness of the buildings where they reside.

Perceived use of Green Building: On a global scale, green building construction is doubling
every three years, according to the World Green Building Trends 2016 report, by Dodge Data
and Analytics. Some of the leading drivers of this growth are client demand, environmental
regulation and an enhanced awareness of the occupant and tenant benefits of green buildings.

Over the last several years, green building has also seen a dramatic increase in India. USGBC,
the developers of the LEED green building program, are committed to advancing even more
rapid adoption of green building practices in India. In fact, green building is projected to grow 20
percent in the country by 2018.

India already ranks third among the Top Ten Countries for LEED, and in 2016, nearly 650
projects in India earned LEED certification. Emerging economies such as India are engines of
green growth, with development varying from two- to six fold over current green building levels.

7
According to a recent USGBC survey, 87 percent of Indian green building professionals
anticipate the use of LEED in India increasing overall, with nine out of ten industry senior
executives in India anticipating that their LEED-related work will increase over the next several
years.

GBCI India
In 2015 GBCI Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) India, which is a local GBCI hub in
New Delhi is designed to help LEED teams and others in the sustainability industry with on-the-
ground customer service and technical support as well as a local connection.

8
UNIT-II - GREEN BUILDING PROCESS AND ASSESSMENT

Conventional versus Green building delivery systems

Construction is the one of the fundamental process of industrialization which is very important in
terms of the development of city, a country and its economy. In ordinary building convention
materials and construction techniques are used which are not concerned with energy
consumption and material. It is used such kind of constructions techniques and material to
achieve economic energy consumption and provide natural resources maximum diverts us to
think about green house buildings.

The green house buildings are constantly evolving and may differ from region to region;
fundamental principles persist from which the method is derived. Siting and structural design
efficiency, energy efficiency, material efficiency, indoor environmental quality enhancement,
operations and maintenance optimization, waste and toxin reduction. The essence of green
building is an optimization of one or more of these principles. Also, with the proper synergistic
design, individual building technologies may work together to produce a greater cumulative
method.

Basic Difference Conventional Buildings Green buildings

Materials to use Conventional buildings use non- Green buildings material use
recycled products that cause harm recycled products which are
to the environment environmentally friendly and
comparatively low cost
Flooring The conventional building uses Uses wood as a material for
cement as a material for flooring flooring.
Objective It doesn’t have any environmental The main objective is to reduce
goals environmental pollution
Wall system The walls are made of bricks The walls are made of straws
Reinforcement Use steel as reinforcement Bamboos are used as
reinforcement
Maintenance Need to have high maintenance Uses comparatively 20% lower
than green buildings than conventional buildings

Execution of Green building process:

The benefits of green building can be achieved through shifting to more integrated processes in
all phases of a building’s life cycle. Tasks in green building are not completed by a single action
or entity but require a multidisciplinary team approach and the implementation of iterative

9
processes during the building’s design and construction. Clear goals and performance targets are
also essential. The essence of green building is to adopt an integrated process that provides a
more holistic approach to building planning, design, construction and operation. For example, an
integrated design process (IDP) intervenes in the design stage to ensure that all the issues that
can be foreseen to have a significant impact on green building performance are discussed,
understood and dealt with at the very beginning of the design process. IDP results in an
integrated systems approach that has many positive results, including achieving high levels of
building performance. IDP requires multidisciplinary collaboration among all project
stakeholders and the use of energy and other simulation tools to assess potential performance;
this is often achieved through a workshop with clear goals and objectives related to green
building.

Green building also needs an Integrated Construction Process (ICP) if it is to fully achieve the
goals of green building. ICP facilitates the construction of a building that can attain the target
green building performance. Here, all stakeholders are involved in aspects such as materials
selection, system performance, decreasing construction waste, improving indoor air quality,
sustainable site management, and safety, among others. It is important to appreciate that in green
building, delivering the building to the owner at the conclusion of construction is just the
beginning of the building’s life. Since a building consumes the majority of its energy and water
during the operation phase, with significant generation of waste, it is very important that green
building strategies continue to be implemented. The major green building processes during the
operation phase are to optimize energy and water performance, procure green products, engage
in green waste management, and maintain greenhouse functions, occupant comfort and
environmental quality.

Green Building Strategies and Technologies during the Construction Phase

During the construction phase of a building’s lifecycle, careful attention must be devoted to both
design strategies and construction opportunities for ensuring that a project is delivered in a
sustainable fashion. To successfully implement green strategies and technologies during the
construction phase, a range of green strategies and technologies can be deployed to achieve the
goals of green building. Construction opportunities here include preconstruction services,
minimizing site disturbance, erosion and sedimentation control, pollution prevention, sustainable

10
site operation, construction waste management, indoor air quality management, green materials
management, and commissioning, among others. It is also important to fully document the
processes implemented and the building’s performance in order to earn an internationally
recognized green building certification such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED). Identifying green building strategies and technologies and stakeholders’ roles and
responsibility at the very beginning of the construction phase is the fundamental role of ICP in
green building. Since the main objective of this study is to develop an ICP model for green
building, a more detailed discussion of the relevant strategies and technologies is presented
below in the ICP development section.

Integrated design process:

Principles of Sustainable Green Design:

Sustainably designed buildings intend to lessen their impact on the environment through energy
and resource efficiency. It is imperative to understand the governing principles of sustainable
green design before analyzing its relevance & perception in different parts of the world.

Understanding place: Sustainable green design begins with an intimate understanding and
recognition of the nuances of place. Understanding place helps determine various design
practices such as solar orientation of a building on site, preservation of the natural environment,
access to public transportation, and specification of local materials for finishes and furnishings.

Understanding the relationship with nature: Buildings relationship with natural environment
helps to create effective design, such as urban/rural setting and connection of inside and outside.

Understanding natural processes: In nature there is no waste, and the by-product of one
organism becomes the food for another. Replicating natural cycles and processes can bring the
designed environment to life.

Understanding environmental impact: By evaluating site, embodied energy and toxicity of the
materials, energy efficiency of design, materials, and construction techniques, we can mitigate
the negative effects of construction. Understanding co-creativity: Collaboration of systems
consultants, engineers, and other experts, as well as listening to the voices of local communities,
creates a synergy in designing buildings.

11
Understanding people: Sustainable green design must take into consideration a wide range of
cultures, races, religions, and habits of the people who are going to be using and inhabiting the
built environment. This requires sensitivity and empathy to the needs of the people and the
community.

Stages in Sustainable Design Development

Planning Process

1. Site selection and planning

2. Budget planning

3. Capital planning

4. Program planning

Design Process

1. Client awareness and goal setting

2. Green visions, project goals, and green criteria

3. Team development

4. Well-integrated design

5. Resource management

6. Performance goals

Operation & Maintenance

1. Commissioning of building systems

2. Building operation

3. Maintenance practice

4. Renovation

5. Demolition

Factors for Sustainable Green Design:

Efficient design, in sustainable green building must consider the following five critical factors:
site, energy, materials, water, and waste. Site Selection: With an appropriate relationship

12
between the natural and built environment, solar energy can be harvested to reduce the use of
non-renewable resources for energy production. A good passive solar building requires more
than good design and quality construction. The best-designed solar building will not work unless
it is placed properly on a building site, one that allows solar access. A passive solar house is
designed and oriented in such a way as to take the maximum advantage of the sun. Most parts of
India (Chhattisgarh) get 300 days of sunshine a year, and this makes the state a very promising
place for solar energy utilization. The Indian government is also promoting direct use of solar
energy, in the form of solar water heaters, solar cookers, solar pump and solar pv system. There
has been some use of solar energy in individual residences. Expanded use of sustainable green
design principles in India would prove to be extremely beneficial to both people and the
government of India.

Energy Efficiency: The benefits of the energy-efficient siting and design of buildings are saving
money, reducing fuel poverty, and reducing resource exploitation and emissions. Ideally every
new development should have an explicit energy strategy, setting out how these benefits are to
be achieved. Total (direct & indirect) energy use of Indian households was more than 70 percent
of all energy used in the country. India annually consumes about three percent of the world's
total energy. The country is the world's third largest energy consumer (Global Energy Statistical
Yearbook 2017), and is, in fact, a net energy importer. Continued economic development and
population growth will increase the demand for energy faster than India can produce it. India's
electricity sector currently faces capacity problems, poor reliability, and frequent blackouts.
Moreover, an industrial city's power supply is one of the biggest limitations to progress. The
shortfall means the country will increasingly have to look to foreign sources of energy. Design
and construction of energy efficient buildings would, therefore, go a long way in solving the
energy problems faced by India and other developing countries.

Materials: Since the time of cave dwellers, humans have been using building materials for
shelter. The earliest buildings were made from non-toxic, energy efficient materials that could be
recycled back into the natural environment after their useful life as shelter. Variation in form and
selection of materials for building construction has always been dependent upon the local
environment. In the early days of civilization, stone, wood, mud, and other organic materials
were readily available and were used routinely. These basic techniques are still being used in

13
developing countries. With the advent of new manufacturing methods, during the industrial
revolution, advanced societies learned to manufacture building materials ranging from steel to
plastic and could easily transport them around the world. However, economic conditions and
energy shortages are leading to a new evaluation of the raw materials required by building
construction.

Water: Water is an essential ingredient for human activity and an important environmental
concern. Improvement of water quality and conservation of water resources is therefore of
utmost concern and a crucial factor in designing sustainable green buildings. The Indian Water
(Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act was promulgated as early as 1974. The Act prohibited
discharge of pollutants into the bodies of water beyond a given standard and also prescribed
penalties for noncompliance. The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1977
provided for a levy on excess water consumed by industries and local municipalities to augment
the monetary resources for regulatory authorities.

Waste: The first goal for more sustainable sewage systems is to reduce the amount of effluent
that needs to be treated in the first place by introducing water efficient plumbing fixtures. This
would significantly reduce chemical and energy use as well as operational costs in a building. In
India, governmental services and industrial waste disposal facilities have not been able to keep
pace with the growing population and rapid industrialization. As a result, India faces serious
challenges regarding disposal of solid waste, hazardous waste, biomedical waste, and radioactive
waste in an environmentally sound manner. In the last ten years, a framework of laws, rules,
research, and institutions have emerged to meet this challenge. The Environment Protection Act
has been used to issue notifications that tighten the rules for management of waste, assignment of
institutional responsibility, enhancement of resources for waste disposal, and specification
standards for sites a and treatment of pollutants.

Ecological design: We will be in denial if we do not accept that at the rate the world is growing
and developing, the earth at some point would no longer be sustainable. We will begin to run out
of natural resources, and the economy will find it hard to balance.

That is why green building is essential. The conservation of natural resources is the goal of an
ideal green building. Research shows that in the United States, buildings account for about 38%

14
of carbon dioxide emissions. One of the benefits of green building is reducing and improving
these air emissions.

Merits:

 Cost-effective
 Improved Health
 Increased Efficiency
 Better Environment
 Higher Market Value
 Water Conservation
 Psychologically-optimized Environment
 Preservation of Natural Environment

Demerits:

 High Initial Investment

 Getting the Right Material
 Longer Time to Build
 Uncontrollable Air Temperature
 Location
 Unavailability of Workers with Expertise

Historical perspective: The concept of green buildings is not as emerging as we think it is. The
Evolution of housing started by utilizing nature and natural resources like trees and caves as
shelter from the severity of natural elements like sun, rain, wind, etc. Based on such complex
experiences, our Vedic philosophy evolved certain methods to maximize the use of Panch
Mahabhuta or the 5 basic elements of nature, i.e., Jal (water), Agni (fire), Prithvi (earth), Vayu
(wind), and Avkash (space). Our ancient builders tried to harmonies these five elements in
building planning and construction so that maximum advantage of these elements can be taken
and ill effects can be avoided. They called this science as Vastushastra. The basic principal of
Vastushastra is to get maximum advantage out of nature without harming nature. Leaving open
spaces in a centre of a building was done to provide light and cross ventilation to adjoining
rooms. Water storage and prayer rooms were positioned in the northeast direction to facilitate
solar rays to disinfect water and rooms. The south west portion of the house was made heavy to
protect it against heavy winds and heavy rains. The south east portion of the house receives
comparatively less solar rays and hence the kitchen is placed here so that the general temperature

15
of the kitchen is not raised. This was the kind of wisdom prevailing at that time. In simple terms,
these were the byelaws for the planning and construction of any building. Our ancient builders
desired that everyone should follow these rules religiously. Hence, for better implementation of
these rules, they coupled it with fear psychology. They associated each building norm with
aspects of personal life and specified that lack of adherence to these norms would results in loss
of health, wealth or even reputation due to the disapproval of nature gods. This was done to
instigate fear so that building rules are adopted properly. What a way to implement and enforce
the laws, without any police, inspector or supervisors! The Green Building movement has gained
tremendous momentum during the past 6 years, ever since the CII- Godrej GBC embarked on
achieving the prestigious LEED rating for center at Hyderabad. The ‘Platinum Rating ‘for the
Green Business Centre building has sensitized the stakeholders of the construction industry.
Today, several corporate and Government organizations are considering Green Buildings in a
major way. From a humble beginning of 20,000 sq.ft of green footprint in the country in the year
2003, to a staggering 10 million sq. expected by end 2008,green buildings are well poised to
reach scalar heights. Today a variety of green building projects are coming up in the country –
residential complexes, exhibition centers, hospitals, educational institutions, laboratories, IT
parks, airports, government buildings and corporate offices.

RATING SYSTEMS FOR GREEN BUILDINGS: The United States Green Business Council
(UGBC) has developed The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green
Building Rating System, which is the internationally accepted benchmark for design,
construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives Building owners
and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings
performance. LEED promotes a whole building approach to sustainability by recognizing
performance in 5 key areas of human and environmental health

1. Sustainable site development

2. Water saving

3. Energy Efficiency

4. Material selection

16
5. Indoor Environmental Quality

Recognizing that energy use and air pollution are important issues in India's buildings, Indian
government enacted the Energy Conservation Act (ECA 2001), which promotes energy
efficiency and conservation domestically. ECA 2001 mandated the creation of the Bureau of
Energy Efficiency (BEE), authorizing BEE to establish an Energy Conservation Building Code
(ECBC). Under BEE, National Building Code of India (NBC) first issued in 2005, but the issues
of energy efficiency were marginally addressed. However, in 2007, the Ministry of Power and
BEE issued ECBC - the first stand-alone national building energy code in India. While it is
currently voluntary, ECBC establishes minimum energy efficiency requirements for building
envelope, lighting, HVAC, electrical system, water heating and pumping systems. To develop
ECBC, BEE collaborated with a diverse group of domestic and international technical experts.
Nonprofit organizations like The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), The Energy and
Resources Institute (TERI) are actively promoting green buildings in India.

LEED Green Home Rating System Most of the green building rating systems focus on the same
point - conservation of resources. But the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design) rating system has turned out to be the most versatile and robust. So, the Indian Green
Building Council (IGBC) decided to adopt the LEED rating system. The IGBC is working in
India to indigenize the LEED rating system to include the local factors.

IGBC Green Homes Rating System: IGBC, in its endeavor to extend green building concepts to
all building types envisioned a rating program for homes in December 2007. The rating system
will be subjected to a review by the core committee, every 6 months, to ensure that it is updated
and contemporary. The rating system evaluates certain credit points using a prescriptive
approach and other credits on a performance based approach. The rating system is evolved so as
to be comprehensive and at the same time user-friendly. The program is fundamentally designed
to address national priorities and quality of life for occupants. The guidelines detailed under each
credit enable the design and construction of green homes of all sizes and types. IGBC Green
Homes addresses green features under the following categories:

1. Site Selection and Planning

2. Water Efficiency

17
3. Energy Efficiency

4. Materials

5. Indoor Environmental Quality

6. Innovation & Design Process: The rating system caters to projects like individual houses,
apartments, motels, resorts, hostels, etc.

Amongst the different types, projects are broadly classified into two categories:

 Projects where interiors are part of scope of work

 Projects where interiors are not part of the scope of work

Interiors include but not limited to materials like interior finishes & furniture and appliances like
refrigerators, fans, lights etc. Different levels of green building certification are awarded based
on the total credits earned. However, every Green Home should meet certain mandatory
requirements, which are non- negotiable.

International building assessment standards:

IPCC Fourth Assessment Report

Climate Change 2007, the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the United Nations
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), is the fourth in a series of such reports. The
IPCC was established by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to assess scientific, technical and socio-economic
information concerning climate change, its potential effects and options for adaptation and
mitigation.

UNEP and Climate change

United Nations Environment Program UNEP works to facilitate the transition to low-carbon
societies, support climate proofing efforts, improve understanding of climate change science, and
raise public awareness about this global challenge.

GHG Indicator
The Greenhouse Gas Indicator: UNEP Guidelines for Calculating Greenhouse Gas Emissions for
Businesses and Non-Commercial Organizations

18
Agenda 21
Agenda 21 is a programme run by the United Nations (UN) related to sustainable development.
It is a comprehensive blueprint of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by
organizations of the UN, governments, and major groups in every area in which humans’ impact
on the environment. The number 21 refers to the 21st century.

FIDIC's PSM
The International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) Project Sustainability
Management Guidelines were created in order to assist project engineers and other stakeholders
in setting sustainable development goals for their projects that are recognized and accepted by as
being in the interests of society as a whole. The process is also intended to allow the alignment
of project goals with local conditions and priorities and to assist those involved in managing
projects to measure and verify their progress.

IPD Environment Code

The IPD Environment Code was launched in February 2008. The Code is intended as a good
practice global standard for measuring the environmental performance of corporate buildings. Its
aim is to accurately measure and manage the environmental impacts of corporate buildings and
enable property executives to generate high quality, comparable performance information about
their buildings anywhere in the world. The Code covers a wide range of building types (from
offices to airports) and aims to inform and support the following;

 Creating an environmental strategy

 Inputting to real estate strategy
 Communicating a commitment to environmental improvement
 Creating performance targets
 Environmental improvement plans
 Performance assessment and measurement
 Life cycle assessments
 Acquisition and disposal of buildings
 Supplier management
 Information systems and data population
 Compliance with regulations
 Team and personal objectives
IPD estimate that it will take approximately three years to gather significant data to develop a
robust set of baseline data that could be used across a typical corporate estate.

19
ISO 21931
ISO/TS 21931:2006, Sustainability in building construction—Framework for methods of
assessment for environmental performance of construction works—Part 1: Buildings, is intended
to provide a general framework for improving the quality and comparability of methods for
assessing the environmental performance of buildings. It identifies and describes issues to be
taken into account when using methods for the assessment of environmental performance for
new or existing building properties in the design, construction, operation, refurbishment and
deconstruction stages. It is not an assessment system in itself but is intended be used in
conjunction with, and following the principles set out in, the ISO 14000 series of standards.

Building rating system and its future:

Green Building Rating Systems (GBRSs) are typically third-party, voluntary, and market driven
standards that measure buildings’ sustainability level by multi-criteria assessment, and encourage
the adoption of environmentally, socially and economically sustainable practices in design,
construction and operation of buildings. Hundreds of GBRSs are now available worldwide,
varying in approaches, application processes, and evaluation metrics. BREEAM(Building
Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), CASBEE (Comprehensive
Assessment System for Building Environmental Efficiency), Green Star (AUS) and LEED are
among the most applied worldwide.

A Rating System (RS) is a tool for classifying objects based on how well they comply with one
or more relevant requirements, which are those that affect the object’s performance whose level
the system is intended to appraise.

Future of Rating system:

Furthermore, many other RSs have been developed and more are being developed by both public
and private organizations. At present, the World GBC alone enlists 58 rating tools administered
by its national Councils : beyond the already mentioned BREEAM (UK), LEED (US), and
CASBEE (JP), quite popular are also DGNB(Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen)
System (D-), Green Star (AUS), HQE(Haute Qualité Environnementale)(F), Green Globes (US
and Canada), and GBITool (South Africa).

20
UNIT- III-SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPING, ENERGY AND ATMOSPHERE

Land and landscape approaches for green buildings

The site and landscape planning for green building construction are performed such a way that
the design and construction strategies are sustainable and efficient. Site and landscape planning
for green building ensures following objectives:

1. Minimum disruption of the site

2. Landscaping in Appropriate way
3. Maximum usage of microclimate features

Landscaping for Green Building:

In most of the project, landscape design is ignored in the planning stage. There are many benefits
a sustainable landscape design can provide beyond the aesthetics of the site. Good landscape
design is an effective microclimate modifier. A good landscape design provides shading for the
outdoors which is one way of modifying microclimate. It helps to modulate the air flows within
the building. Improperly designed landscape consumes large amount of potable water for its
maintenance. Some important parameters to be considered for landscape planning for green
building construction are:

1. The landscape is placed to directly receive the runoff and captured water
2. Landscape is placed and design such that it filters and clean storm water
3. Provide site rain gardens in parking areas
4. Instead of constructing retention ponds, bio-retention ponds can be employed.

Care needs to be taken to avoid an undesirable increase in humidity levels, by excessive

plantations. Plant species for landscaping have to be chosen based on the microclimatic benefits
they provide and their water demand.

Sustainable landscapes:

Sustainable landscaping is using the efficient planning of a landscape to help lower energy costs
of a building, reduce water runoff, and overall help the performance of the building. With
planners and designers using pervious surfaces and native plants around their buildings for

21
shading and native plants on the roofs of their structures to help lower energy costs and runoff
respectively, buildings can help the environment and the inhabitants of the building or structure
in many ways. Landscapes of a building play a much larger role than most people in today’s
world believe and can really have a positive overall effect in our future to come.

For sustainable landscapes to become a part of our everyday built environments, contractors and
designers locally and across the country need to be informed of the positive effects of these
landscapes. With designers and contractors implementing green roofs and permeable surfaces
into the designs of their landscapes, the building can save energy, use less resources, and overall
help the environment in multiple of ways. Aspects of the [environment] that can be regulated
through landscaping: sol-air temperature, air temperature, humidity, air velocity and wind speed,
wind direction, surface absorptivity and reflectance; seasonal shading, pollution, glare, air
freshness and fragrance.

Enhancing Ecosystems:

Healthy ecosystems provide people with a variety of benefits, or ‘services’. They can provide us
with food, fuel and medicine; regulate the climate and the flow of rivers; provide places for
recreation and relaxation, benefiting the health of our minds and bodies; inspire creativity;
and offer space for people to learn about the natural world.

When ecosystems become degraded, however, their ability to deliver these benefits is
diminished: degraded forests can no longer provide a sustainable supply of timber and levels of
carbon sequestration are reduced; eroded peat lands cannot store as much water and are unable
to help prevent downstream floods; and some evidence suggests that loss of biodiversity reduces
the positive effect that being in nature has on mental health and wellbeing. Landscapes that are
restored by the Endangered Landscapes Programme will provide more of these services,
benefitting people locally, regionally and globally.

At a time when climate change, coupled with biodiversity loss, provide such a profound,
existential planetary emergency, there is an urgent need for the ‘nature-based solutions’ provided
by restored landscapes. Each Implementation Project is monitoring how elements of ecosystem
services and ‘natural capital’ (the stock of natural assets including soil, air, water and all living
things) change as a result of project interventions.

22
Projects are also working with local people to ensure that the restored landscape supports a
sustainable local economy, for example by developing wildlife-based tourism, supporting
businesses based on sustainable production and marketing of nature-based products like honey
and berries, and developing markets for carbon sequestration or water regulation.

Storm water Management:

Storm water management means to manage surface runoff. It can be applied in rural areas (e.g.
to harvest precipitation water), but is essential in urban areas where run-off cannot infiltrate
because the surfaces are impermeable. Traditional storm water management was mainly to drain
high peak flows away. Unfortunately, this only dislocates high water loads. Modern approaches
aim to rebuild the natural water cycle, i.e. to store runoff water (e.g. retention basins) for a
certain time, to recharge ground water (e.g. infiltration basins) and to use the collected water for
irrigation or household supply. Costs depend on technology and the size of the systems.
Planning, implementation and operation and maintenance require expert knowledge.

Advantages Disadvantages
Proper drainage of surface run-off Expert planning, implementation, operation
and maintenance required
Possibility to recharge groundwater and (re- Depending on the technique, a lot of operation
)use precipitation water and surface run-off as and labour required
irrigation or household water
Treatment of storm water in a very early stage Risk of clogging infiltration system caused by
high sedimentation rates
Avoids damages on infrastructure (private
properties, streets, etc.); flood prevention
Can be integrated into the urban landscape and
provide green and recreational areas

Heat Island mitigation:

The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect occurs when urban areas are hotter than surrounding areas.
This phenomenon is caused by a high concentration of dark, impervious surfaces such as roofs,
walls, and roads combined with a lack of trees and green space. Tall buildings that block or slow
air movement, known as urban canyons, contribute to the formation of heat islands, along with
waste heat released by vehicles and air conditioning.

23
Heat islands are dangerous for our communities because they increase the risk of heat-related
illness and death. They also make working outside uncomfortable or even dangerous and can
decrease productivity and school performance. Heat islands also increase peak power demand
because air conditioning systems must work harder to keep spaces cool, which makes power
interruptions more likely and increases air pollution.

Cool Roofs and Solar-Reflective Walls as Urban Heat Island Mitigation Strategies
Cool roofs and solar-reflective walls have an important role in combating UHIs. Due to their
ability to reflect heat back into the atmosphere, installing reflective materials on buildings
decreases the building’s surface temperature, as well as temperatures inside the building. This
means that, compared to buildings with conventional roofs and walls, less air conditioning are
needed to keep occupants comfortable and buildings without air conditioning stay cooler. Cool
roofs and solar-reflective walls also contribute to increased solar reflectance (albedo) of a
community, which can help decrease outdoor air temperatures.

Building Energy Issues:

Energy consumption by the built environment shall be on the rise if we continue to chart the
current path. Government of India has developed the Energy Conservation Building Code of

24
India in 2007 under the EC ACT 2001, which till remains a voluntary code with no mandates.
Interestingly, the Energy Conservation Act 2001 defines buildings as entities used for
commercial purposes, which means that ECBC primarily applies to commercial buildings, while
residential buildings account for nearly 24% out of 32% of building sector electricity
consumption in India.

The Energy Conservation Building Code continues to remain elusive, and urban local bodies are
clueless on how to implement it. Unless there is integration of functions of urban local bodies
(Municipality, utility companies, etc) and capacity enhancement of people responsible for
implementation and monitoring, it shall continue to remain a challenge for ULBs. In 2006,
Ministry of Environment and Forests introduced mandatory environment clearance for projects
above 20,000 sq.m. In the initial years, such projects were cleared by committee set up at the
central government level by MoEF.

With devolution of power to state level, now the State Committees look into these projects and
have mandate for evaluating holistic environmental performance of these projects (water
management including Rain Water Harvesting, traffic management, site planning, storm water
management, energy and material efficiency and renewable energy integration). Constitution of
these committees reflects that expertise to cover all these aspects remain a challenge.
Implementation and monitoring is questionable, and it would be worthwhile to examine how far
the mandates of the government have been put to practice.

Building Energy Design Strategies

Building Energy Design strategies involves constructing or upgrading buildings that are able to
get the most work out of the energy that is supplied to them by taking steps to reduce energy loss
such as decreasing the loss of heat through the building envelope.[ Energy efficient homes,
whether they are renovated to be more efficient or a built with energy efficiency in mind, pose a
significant number of benefits. Energy efficient homes are less expensive to operate, more
comfortable to live in, and more environmentally friendly.

Inefficiencies that are not removed in the building process can pose issues for years. However,
keeping energy efficient building design in mind when construction is underway is a more
effective way to approach making a home more efficient, which is less expensive for a
25
homeowner in the long run. Building codes exist around the world to ensure that buildings are
energy efficient to a certain degree, however sometimes it is wise to go above and beyond these
recommendations to have an even more energy efficient home. As well, since a house operates
as a system, a home must be looked at as a whole in order to fully increase the energy efficiency.
For example, expensive heating and cooling equipment do nothing to improve the energy
performance of the house if insulation isn't keeping heat in during the winter and out in the
summer.

Building Envelope:
The building envelope (or the more modern term, building enclosure) is all of the elements of the
outer shell that maintain a dry, heated, or cooled indoor environment and facilitate its climate
control. Building envelope design is a specialized area of architectural and engineering practice
that draws from all areas of building science and indoor climate control.

The many functions of the building envelope can be separated into three categories:

 Support (to resist and transfer structural and dynamic loads)

 Control (the flow of matter and energy of all types)
 Finish (to meet desired aesthetics on the inside and outside)

The control function is at the core of good performance, and in practice focuses, in order of
importance, on rain control, air control, heat control, and vapor control.

Active Mechanical Systems:

Active Systems are required for maintaining the desired environmental conditions within a
space. The architect of a building must have sufficient basic knowledge of HVAC (Heating,
Ventilating and Cooling/Air-Conditioning) systems. He can on an equal level with the
installation designer, develop ideas and concepts that are worked out in detail by the specialist.

It is not always necessary to install a complex active system to realize an acceptable thermal
condition indoors. In this the building design is an important factor. Good thermal insulation,
low proportion of glazing, outdoor solar shading, the use of thermal mass and night ventilation
can sometimes jointly make a cooling system redundant. These forms of passive climate controls
need less energy, for cooling as well as heating, and make the indoor environment more stable.

26
Even in combination with an active climate control system, good passive design can make the
environmental conditions more comfortable.

Electrical Power Systems:

An electric power system is a network of electrical components deployed to supply, transfer, and
use electric power. An example of a power system is the electrical grid that provides power to
homes and industries within an extended area. The electrical grid can be broadly divided into
the generators that supply the power, the transmission system that carries the power from the
generating centers to the load centers, and the distribution system that feeds the power to nearby
homes and industries.

Smaller power systems are also found in industry, hospitals, commercial buildings, and homes.
A single line diagram helps to represent this whole system. The majority of these systems rely
upon three-phase AC power—the standard for large-scale power transmission and distribution
across the modern world. Specialized power systems that do not always rely upon three-phase
AC power are found in aircraft, electric rail systems, ocean liners, submarines, and automobiles.

Innovative Energy Optimization strategies:

Optimization of energy production systems is a relevant issue that must be considered in order to
follow the fossil fuels consumption reduction policies and the CO2 emission regulation.
Increasing electricity production from renewable resources (e.g. photovoltaic systems and wind
farms) is desirable but its unpredictability is a cause of problems for the main grid stability. The
multi-energy system represents an efficient solution, by realizing an interface among renewable
energy sources, energy storage systems and conventional power generators. Direct consequences
of multi-energy systems are wider energy flexibility and benefits for the electric grid. In this
study the performances of a multi-energy system in dynamic regime have been evaluated and a
comparison with a conventional system has been performed. The results show how this
innovative energetic approach can provide a cost reduction in power supply and energy fees of
40% and 25% respectively and CO2 emission decrease attained around 18%. Furthermore, the
multi-energy system taken as case of study has been optimized through the utilization of three
different type of energy storage (Pb-Ac batteries, Flywheels and Micro-Cases).

27
Smart Buildings and Energy Management Systems:
Continuing growth of energy use by commercial buildings has created a need to develop
innovative techniques to reduce and optimize building energy use. Recently Building Energy
Management Systems (BEMS) have gained popularity because of increasing interest in building
energy conservation and savings. In this study, a conceptual framework for real-time weather
responsive control systems combined with BEMS is proposed to achieve model simulation based
Smart BEMS. The proposed control system is developed using building energy control patterns,
which are generated from the combinations of weather data changes. As a result, building energy
use can be adjusted by, for example, using day lighting responsive controls for electrical lighting
as well as by adjusting the HVAC operational schedule, in response to weather changes. To
create control logics for model based Smart systems, BIM and Computational Fluid Dynamic
(CFD) simulation are used to obtain material properties and to develop air flow operational
algorithms, respectively.

Ozone depleting chemicals in HVAC & R and fire suppression.

Ozone Depletion - Ozone depletion is the term commonly used to describe the thinning of the
ozone layer in the stratosphere. Ozone depletion occurs when the natural balance between the
production and destruction of ozone in the stratosphere is tipped in favor of destruction. Ozone-
depleting substances generally contain chlorine, fluorine, bromine, carbon, and hydrogen in
varying proportions and are often described by the general term halocarbons.
Chlorofluorocarbons, carbon tetrachloride, and methyl chloroform are important human-
produced ozone-depleting gases that have been used in many applications. Another important
group of human-produced halocarbons is the halons, which contain carbon, bromine, fluorine,
and (in some cases) chlorine and have been mainly used as fire extinguishers. The main things
that lead to destruction of the ozone gas in the ozone layer. Low temperatures, increase in the
level of chlorine and bromine gases in the upper stratosphere are some of the reasons that leads
to ozone layer depletion. But the one and the most important reason for ozone layer depletion is
the production and emission of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). This is what which leads to almost
80 percent of the total ozone layer depletion. There are many other substances that lead to ozone
layer depletion such as hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and volatile organic compounds
(VOCs). Such substances are found in vehicular emissions, by-products of industrial processes,
aerosols and refrigerants. All these ozone depleting substances remain stable in the lower
28
atmospheric region, but as they reach the stratosphere, they get exposed to the ultra violet rays.
This leads to their breakdown and releasing of free chlorine atoms which reacts with the ozone
gas, thus leading to the depletion of the ozone layer.

Question Bank

UNIT-I

1. Define Green Building.

2. Define Sustainability.
3. Explain the major environmental issues and resource concerns connected to the built
environment?
4. Discuss the need of Green building movement in India.
5. Explain the trend on perceived use of Green buildings in Indian market.
6. Identify the major Obstacles to Green Buildings.
7. Explain the detrimental effects on exponential growth of Carbon dioxide emissions in the
environment.
8. Illustrate the requirements of Green Building.

UNIT-II

1. List out the allocation of various categories with their maximum points for LEED Assessment
process for a newly constructed building.
2. Define Ecological design.
3. Classify the benefits of Ecological design.
4. Define integrated design process.
5. List out the Minimum Program Requirements structured in LEED Assessment process for a
newly constructed building.
6. Name the different rating systems and corresponding points required for LEED certification.
7. Discuss on different phases included in the execution of a Green Building project.
8. Describe various types of construction delivery systems.

UNIT-III

1. Define Urban Heat Island effect.

2. Define Building Envelope.
3. Discuss various approaches on land use that fit with the concept of Green Buildings.
4. Illustrate the negative impacts of Heat Islands and how it can be reduced?
5. List out the principles of sustainable landscape approaches.
6. List out the checklist for storm water management.
7. Illustrate the advances in lighting systems that can produce substantial energy savings in
buildings.

29
8. List out energy management systems typically fixed in Smart buildings
9. List out the steps followed in designing energy systems in Green Buildings.
10. Explain about ozone depleting chemicals in HVAC systems.
11. What are the three major issues that need to be considered for thermal resistance in building
envelope?

30