ACHIEVING SUSTAINABILITY GOALS ACROSS BUILDING FUNCTIONS
Though green building practices are getting mainstream in India, there have been in- stances of sustainability methods being used in incorrect ways. Sahil Priyadarshi, IFC - International Finance Corporation, Green Building Specialist - South Asia Region said, “The idea of sustainability should be crisp and clear across all stake- holders of a project and the right guidelines to be followed to achieve it across building’s lifecycle.” Biloy Mohapatra, General Manager – Project Sales, Everest Industries Ltd added, “Green buildings are supposed to self-sufficient and non-harming to the environment and the people. I agree to the definition of sustainability where you meet your current needs in most sustainable ways, leaving the natural resources for the next generations to come.” According to Hardik Pandit, Director, APICES Studio, sustainability is designing climate responsive building with locally available materials. “I believe these two are the key areas which we as an architect or even a developer should focus on.” Talking about her approach Madhulika Pise, Director - Design and Sustainability, Freespanz, “Our ap- proach to sustainability is to reduce and use less. There has to be a clear distinction between, less, enough and more. We look into where to draw a line; where we can use something less than what is need.” Speaking about the need to protect nature, Suresh Babu, Principal and Founder, Suresh Babu and Partners said, “The act of construction itself results in destroying the nature. As an architect we can ensure to create designs without taking much from the nature or without damaging the nature.” THE MISSING INTEGRATED APPROACH Madhulika Pise said, “When it comes to green buildings, we all know the green building moment has grown over a period of time. People claim they have green building and when I ask them, they give examples of rain harvesting or a good air condition system. There is a need to have a holistic approach when it comes to green buildings, like every stakeholder of the building matters. It has to have an integrated approach.” Hardik Pandit shared, “In one of our projects the client has used solar panels on the entire facade and that building today is generating more than 5 lakh kilowatt hours of energy in the entire year. Such initiatives definitely work towards creating sustainable environment and sustainable structures.” Sahil Priyadarshi gave an example of red brick being used in low- cost housing that actually costs 10 to 15% more than AAC blocs. “This is one of the many learnings that can be used to create awareness about green building products.” Biloy Mohapatra added, “Today manufacturing units are responsible for the bulk of carbon emission and energy conservations and sustainable manufacturing process today are being adopted to not only save the planet but also helps manufac- turer improve their bottom line.” Speaking on the education part, Suresh Babu said, “Firstly we must understand that how equipped our educational institutions are to help children in facing the future problems. Rising urbanization, pollution and deleting natural resources are the current problems and we need to educate, inform and train our young design students on dealing with these issues.” SUSTAINABILTY A TRADE OFF IS A MYTH Hardik Pandit said, “Sustainability being a trade-off is actually a myth and like the example of red bricks. It is just the question of awareness that we need to bring. Being sustainable actually do not impact any cost. Technologies available are much more economical than the traditional methods." Sahil Priyadarshi said, “We should know where we are saving, that can be used somewhere else. A Green building is 20 percent efficient in energy, water and materials that makes it cost effective.” Biloy Mohapatra expressed, “The first challenge is to convince the stakeholders, this includes the con- sumers, investors and policy makers. The manufacturers through their products and systems can actually contribute to the green building designs and green building ratings.” Suresh Babu stated, “Using latest technology and advanced materials and incorporating local materials can give best of the buildings with- out ant trade-offs in terms of quality, opulence or comfort.” Madhulika Pise added, “Aware- ness is improving especially in the younger generation. Government bodies are also becoming more aware. Utilizing the resources con- sciously is the need of the hour and is no more an option but a necessity.” Younger generation is more concerned about sustainability. They need the right guidance at the education level to ingrain sustainable lifestyle - Suresh Babu State Governments are coming up with their own policies with regards to green buildings. These are gradually becoming mandatory. - Madhulika Pise Take inspiration from vernacular architecture, and encourage sustainable practices among investors, manufacturers, designers and end users through appropriate incentives - Hardik Pandit We actively listen to our clients as businesses need sustainability at the heart of their strategy - Biloy Mohapatra In terms of measuringsustainability in a scale of three R terminology. We try to impose on reduce, re-use and recycle - Sahil Priyadarshi
Tags : Sahil Priyadarshi International Finance Corporation Biloy Mohapatra Everest Industries Ltd Hardik Pandit APICES Studio Madhulika Pise Freespanz