HYDERABAD: In a bid to reduce carbon emissions, several government offices and private campuses in Hyderabad are planning to adopt green building norms by the next year. More than 50 buildings, including the new Telangana Secretariat, Command Control Centre, Telangana Martyrs Memorial, upcoming district headquarters buildings and other private institutes are taking measures to get the Indian Green Building Council’s (IGBC) ‘Green Building’ approval.
At present, the State has over 528 IGBC registered green building projects amounting to 349 million sqft of green footprint. It is estimated that about 22 per cent of the total carbon emissions are from the building sector, which also is one of the largest consumers of natural resources.
According to the IGBC, government buildings that have adopted IGBC green building ratings are Commissioner of Industries Bhavan in Abids, the Secunderabad, Hyderabad and Kacheguda railway stations, the Rail Nilayam Building, and the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.
Other private organisations adopting the ratings include Capgemini, Dell, Waverock, DE Shaw, K Raheja IT Park Mindspace, Inorbit Mall, Jayabheri-The Peak, My Home Avatar, Aparna Sarovar, Cybercity-Rainbow Vistas at Rock Garden and many more.
C Shekar Reddy, Chairman, IGBC Hyderabad Chapter, urges all the stakeholders of the construction industry to adopt the IGBC Green rating system for their ongoing and upcoming building projects to achieve energy and water savings up to 40 per cent, reduce operating costs and conserve natural resources for the future generations. Even existing buildings can go green in order to mitigate their environmental impact, he says.
The IGBC green and net-zero ratings cover design, construction, operation and maintenance aspects and are now synonymous with sustainability in the construction industry. The guidelines are developed addressing the five elements of nature — earth, air, fire, water and sky — and their influence on the building environment.
Some measures to be adopted under the green building norms include prevention of soil and topsoil erosion, landscaping, vertical gardening, rainwater harvesting pit, sewerage treatment plant, solar rooftop panels, the design of windows for proper daylight and cross ventilation for fresh air.
Meanwhile, the IGBC has introduced four rating programmes that focus on net-zero targeting energy, water, waste, and carbon framework. It boasts of 30 holistic green rating systems which cut across all typologies of buildings and building environments. This ensures that buildings and built environments across all societal sectors can go green — be it high-end offices, malls or resorts to an individual home, a school or even a village.