THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major move to tackle climate change, the city corporation has unveiled a first-of-its-kind blueprint — Net Zero Carbon and Resilient Buildings (NZCRB) — to make the city’s environment energy-efficient, climate-resilient and with a low-carbon footprint.
The action plan, the officials say, is designed to drastically reduce carbon emissions across a building’s lifecycle, right from design and construction to its demolition, all the while helping it withstand the impacts of extreme weather.
The action plan also recommends establishing an NZCRB Cell within the corporation to coordinate activities and ensure its long-term integration. The document has been drawn up by the civic body in collaboration with sustainable experts and research organisations, including WRI India, the Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE), and the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).
As part of it, the civic body will introduce innovative climate-responsive materials and technologies for construction, including heat pumps, high-performance glass and walling systems with low thermal resistance, to promote sustainable construction.
“Our city is expanding rapidly. Subsequently, the number of building construction approval requests in all 23 local bodies have also gone up. To address this rising energy demand, the corporation has made public buildings solar efficient, with a cumulative installed capacity of 17MW. This was done under the solar cities programme,’’ explains corporation secretary Jahangir S.
“We are committed to moving towards net-zero carbon emissions in the building sector. For this, we are working on a climate budget for the city,” he adds.
New bylaws
The action plan also promotes financial incentives, along with training for construction workforce, setting up community cooling spaces, and adopting nature-based solutions.
An official with the corporation says the next step will be to come out with bylaws that can support the implementation of the plan.
“We will hold meetings with the government stakeholders on reducing carbon emissions in construction activities in the public sector. Also, several interventions can be done to reduce carbon emissions while renovating or demolishing the age-old structures in the city,” adds the official.
The civic body is planning to hold meetings with the Public Works Department (PWD) and Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to implement the new policy.
“The first step would be to implement the policy in the government sector. There are so many offices and numerous buildings under the government. And our aim is to reduce carbon emissions in these structures first,” says another official with the civic body.
As part of it, a decentralised system will be developed for construction and demolition waste segregation along with a central processing unit. “A 50 per cent of the demolition waste can be reused. One of the primary focuses will be on such waste,” the official adds.
Beyond reducing carbon emissions, the plan also offers other benefits such as lower urban heat island effects, improved air quality, long-term energy and infrastructure savings and local green job creation. It also proposes a dedicated steering committee to oversee implementation and track the progress.
At a glance
1. Setting timelines and targets to transition all buildings to net-zero carbon status
2. Baseline inventory to track operational and total carbon emissions from the buildings in its complete life cycle
3. Set up a database to detail the carbon footprint of construction materials to help developers choose low-impact alternatives
4. Provide training for low-carbon construction practices for architects, builders, and contractors
5. Tax rebates, premium reductions and financial support mechanisms for developers adopting green practices
Climate-responsive designs
1. Rooftop solar and alternative clean energy solutions to reduce dependency on carbon-heavy electricity.
2. Urban heat island mitigation and heat resilience measures will be integrated into the city’s Risk-Informed Master Plan.
3. Promote vernacular architecture strategies to ensure thermal comfort and resilience
4. Encouraging deconstruction rather than demolition of old buildings for reusing and recycling of materials
5. Develop passive architecture-based cooling spaces in vulnerable zones like slums, with gender-sensitive designs.
6. All new public buildings must comply with Net Zero Carbon guidelines, incorporating tools like Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).
7. A decentralised system for construction and demolition (C&D) waste segregation and a central processing unit will be developed. Local vendors will be part of the panel to manage the collection.