Get a Green Office

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opportunity/environment

Get a green ofďŹ ce Green buildings may cost marginally higher than normal ones. But corporate India is waking up to their benefits, including significantly lower running costs and a better brand image /Vimarsh Bajpai

ITC Green Centre, Gurgaon

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ant to shed your energy bill by 40-50% and water bill by 20-30%? You could achieve that and much more by choosing to house your office in a green building.

A green building uses recycled and environment-friendly construction material and is equipped with energyefficient lighting systems and maximizes natural lighting. It recycles and manages its own waste particularly through water recycling and treatment and keeps the indoor air free from germs by air quality control. Having a green building not only helps save running costs and the environment but also enhances brand image. So far, such buildings in India include office complexes, IT parks and educational institutions.

The green building movement picked momentum in the last four years with area under eco-friendly construction increasing from a mere 20,000 sq ft in 2003 to over 25 million sq ft currently. CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre (CII-GBC), situated in Hyderabad, was one of the first buildings to receive the Platinum rating from the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) of the US Green Business Council in 2003. The council rates green buildings around the world, and Platinum is its top rating.

There are now about 80 such buildings in India including the Hyderabad Institute of Technology and Management, IIT Kanpur’s new building, Hiranandani Gardens in Powai and Paharpur Business Center besides those of corporate majors such as ITC, Wipro, Patni and CSC.

What is a green building?

Although a fairly new concept in the modern world, green buildings have been part and parcel of Indian architecture for centuries. “If you look at the Haveli design or old forts with shaded corridors and thick walls, most of them were either on the banks of rivers or large lakes or ponds to keep the foundation cool,” says Vidur Bharadwaj, Managing Partner, Design and Development. “In those days, there were no fans or air-conditioners;

still people lived happily because of the way the construction was done,” he says. A ‘green’ architect, Bhradwaj has designed several eco-friendly buildings such as the Wipro Centre in Gurgaon and Patni’s and CSC’s offices in Noida.

Mordern green buildings do much the same things, albeit in a different fashion. For example, take the ITC Green Centre in Gurgaon. Fly ashbased cement has been used to build the ITC Centre, thereby re-using the waste generated by the thermal power industry. The building uses solar heating to provide hot water. Hi-tech chillers are used to minimize the energy intake, and the air-conditioning equipment used is ozone free.

The Paharpur Business Centre & Software Technology Incubator Park (PBC) in Delhi, has also implemented eco-friendly practices so as to qualify for LEED certification. “The business centre conserves energy and water, minimizes use of non-biodegradable substances, promotes toxin-reducing plants to keep the air clean, and uses waste management techniques,” says Kamal Meattle, CEO, PBC. His company is now developing a new ‘green’ 1.7 million sq ft SEZ IT Park – GreenSpaces in the outskirts of Delhi.

Cost Concerns The cost of developing a green building depends upon a number of factors such as the size of the land, building material, eco-friendly technologies, and the amount of recyclable material used. According to Meattle, “the cost of developing an A class building is about Rs 2,400 a sq ft. A Platinum rated building (green building) costs 10%

DARE/benefits of green building Economic • Reduce operating costs • Enhance asset value and profits • Improve employee productivity and satisfaction • Optimize life-cycle economic performance Environmental • Enhance and protect ecosystems and biodiversity • Improve air and water quality • Reduce solid waste • Conserve natural resources Health and community • Improve air, thermal, and acoustic environments • Enhance occupant comfort and health • Minimize strain on local infrastructure • Contribute to overall quality of life Source: US Green Building Council

more.” Says S Srinivas, Principal Counsellor & LEED Accredited Professional at CII, “the cost of developing a green building is 5-8% higher than that of a conventional building. However, the payback time is 3- 5 years.”

According to Niranjan Khatri, GM, Welcomenviron Initiatives, an eco-responsible initiative of ITC welcomgroup, “There is a cost overrun, which was 12% in the case of ITC Green Centre in Gurgaon.” However, power consumption has dropped by about 51% and water consumption by 40% at ITC. Khatri says the cost overrun for a similar project would now be 4-7%.

Says Kalpana Jaishankar, Vice President, HR Operations & People Development, Patni, “though the initial cost of the project was 4% more than that of an ordinary project, we estimated that this extra cost would be easily

DARE/green buildings: cost concerns Building

Built-in Area (sq ft)

% increase in cost

CII-Godrej GBC, Hyderabad

Payback (Years)

20,000

18%

7

1,75,000

8%

5

Grundfos Pumps, Chennai

40,000

6%

3

Technopolis, Kolkata

72,000

6%

3

Spectral Services Consultants Office, Noida

15,000

8%

4

HITAM, Hyderabad

78,000

2%

3

Wipro, Gurgaon

Source: CII

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opportunity/environment

Wipro Technologies Development Centre, Gurgaon

recoverable within 36-42 months.”

Patni’s campus in Noida saves about 30% water used in comparison to other regular building in same area and occupancy. Even for construction, no potable water has been used for landscaping. Only recycled water from the sewage treatment plant is used for cooling the tower makeup, flushing and irrigation.

Bharadwaj too cites an example to show that developing a green building is not that costly after all. “In the case of Wipro, which was a regular building versus the Platinum rated building, the difference between the two was 6%. And the entire 6% was recovered

in about three years. After that it’s a free ride.” On the energy front, an A class building uses 240 units of electricity per sq meter per year, A Platinum rated building will use 100 units less. Meattle estimates a payback

DARE/LEED rating system: points Rating

New Building Existing Building

LEED Certified

26-32

28-35

LEED Certified Silver level

33-38

36-42

LEED Certified Gold Level

39-51

43-56

LEED Certified Platinum Level

52+

57+

DARE/LEED rating system: credits Features

New Building

Existing Building

Energy and Atmosphere

17

22

Indoor Environmental quality

15

18

Water efficiency

5

5

Sustainable Sites

14

16

Materials and Resources

13

10

Innovation and Accredited Professional points

5

5

69

76

Total

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period of 14 months given Delhi electricity rates of Rs 5.8 per unit (commercial).

If you are taking up space in a larger complex, how can you go green? Bharadwaj has some advise: “Instead of wood on the walls or paneling, use bamboo. It is a rapidly renewable product.”

He also recommends the use of recycled MDF or chip for tabletops, as 85% of the material comes from recycled stuff. Opt for a carpet made of recycled material, and use refurbished furniture.

If everything is so hunky dory about green buildings, why aren’t property developers investing in it? Normally the developer does not pay for the services consumed in running the building. Owners and tenants pay for services like electricity and water. Also, when buying real estate, no one looks at the cost of running the complex.

They look only at the immediate purchase price.

The Green Rating System Devised by the US Green Building Council, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system for green buildings has been adopted in around 20 countries. It evaluates ecological performance for the whole building based on various parameters such as energy and water efficiency and material used.

Registration of your green building project with the Green Building Council is the first step towards getting LEED certification. LEED certification provides a proof about a company’s corporate social responsibility.

CII Godrej Green Business Centre launched green building services in 2003. The Centre hand-holds projects going for green buildings, offering technical advisory services. It is involved in providing LEED rating facilitation and advisory services. LEED–India Green Building rating system, which came into effect from January 1 this year, is an accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high DAR E performance green buildings.

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