Green Construction

The building sector in India is growing at a rapid pace and contributing immensely to the growth of the economy. All types of buildings are going the Green way, including Government, IT Parks, Offices, Residential, Banks, Airports, Convention Centre, Institutions, Hospitals, Hotels, Factories, SEZs, Townships, Schools, Metros etc.This foretells well for the country and now there is an imminent need to introduce green concepts and techniques in this sector, which can aid growth in a sustainable manner.[read more=”Read more” less=”Read less”]The green concepts and techniques in the building sector can help address national issues like water efficiency, energy efficiency, reduction in fossil fuel use for commuting, handling of consumer waste and conserving natural resources. Most importantly, these concepts can enhance occupant health, productivity and well-being. Your hidden text here [/read]

Green New buildings can have tremendous benefits, both tangible and intangible. The most tangible benefits are the reduction in water and energy consumption right from day one of occupancy. The energy savings could range from 20 – 30 % and water savings around 30 – 50%. The intangible benefits of green new buildings include enhanced air quality, excellent day lighting, health & well-being of the occupants, safety benefits and conservation of scarce national resources.[read more=”Read more” less=”Read less”]The buildings sector is a driver of GDP, and green building offers an opportunity for increased output with decreased impact. Global construction output is predicted to grow significantly by 2020, and with markets moving towards greater resource efficiency, policy makers have a central role to play in ensuring European companies are at the forefront of the global green buildings market.[/read]

With a modest beginning of 20,000 sq.ft. green built-up area in the country in the year 2003, today (as on 17 May 2016) more than 3,629 Green Buildings projects coming up with a footprint of over 3.61 Billion sq.ft are registered with the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), out of which 801 Green Building projects are certified and fully functional in India. This growth has been possible with the participation of all stakeholders in the green building movement,comprising of architects, developers, product manufacturers, corporate, Government, academia and nodal agencies.

• IGBC

  The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), part of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) was formed in the year 2001.The council offers a wide array of services which include developing new green building rating programmes, certification services and green building training programmes. The council also organises Green Building Congress, its annual flagship event on green buildings.Green building rating brings together a host of sustainable practices and solutions to reduce the environmental impacts. Green building design provides an integrated approach considering life cycle impacts of the resources used.

• GRIHA

  Green Ratings for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) Council, is mandated to promote development of buildings and habitats in India through GRIHA. GRIHA Council an independent platform for the interaction on scientific and administrative issues related to sustainable habitats in the Indian subcontinent. Activities of GRIHA Council pertaining to capacity building includes conducting awareness workshops on Green Buildings and GRIHA rating system, Training of trainers and evaluations to create a large pool of qualified professionals and need-based in-house awareness / training sessions for Government and Private Organizations.

In 2015, 707 property companies from around the world, representing over 61,000 properties, with an asset value of US$2.3 trillion, reported on the sustainability of their operations as part of the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB). GRESB has become standard practice for the world’s leading real estate investment and asset management companies. It is a framework that identi¬fies industry best practices on a global scale and then provides annual participants with the chance to measure their performance against the benchmarks and against their peers.Since the launch of GRESB in 2009, the average global sustainability score has been climbing steadily from the Green Starters category to its entry for the fi¬rst time in 2015 in the Green Stars category, albeit with signifi¬cant regional variations.

Key trends from the data include:

• Sustainability goals and transparency with regard to environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices are now well established among property companies and funds, with 93% of survey participants incorporating sustainability into their business objectives.
• The real estate sector is increasingly considering the effects of climate change, with 54% of participants having policies in place to address climate risks.
• Recognition of issues affecting the health, safety and well-being of occupants, the community and the supply chain is also on the rise.

With links between sustainability and financial performance increasingly understood, more companies are likely to be making the effort.

As per a 2015 Smart Market World report, Green building is nearly one quarter (24%) of the total share of construction activity among the participants in the study. India falls in the category of countries with green building activity above the market average of 24%. As per Dodge Data and Analytics, 2016, the average 2015 green share of building project activity for firms in India stands at 37%. However, by 2018, that share is expected to be 57%, the second highest among all of the countries included in the survey.India significantly exceeds global averages for anticipated activity in two sectors: new commercial buildings and new high-rise residential buildings. The top trigger for driving future green building activity in India is credited to environmental regulations (reason chosen by 52% of the respondents).

The construction industry employs tens of millions of people, but it also suffers from a skills shortfall. Attracting talent and investment is one of the key challenges ahead. Green building offers a chance to be part of the solution to global challenges, to explore new and exciting technologies and to learn skills that will stay relevant.

There have been technological changes in the industry, notably the increasing use of environment-friendly technologies. There is a need for skills training for workers and managerial training for enterprises to adapt to such changes.

Skills development has a strategic role to play in promoting the development of green building. It is essential that there are enough workers, equipped with the right skills, to ensure that green building can develop. [read more=”Read more” less=”Read less”]

It is important that future green building programmes and projects are established with strategies to address skills issues, including appropriate training components. The importance of labour is particularly apparent in retrofitting of existing buildings, where labour costs make up a very large proportion of the total costs (often well over 50 per cent, in the case of wall insulation). In this situation, there are clear economic benefits in maximising labour productivity and eliminating the need to replace sub-standard work. Labour productivity and quality of work are both related closely to skills quality.

Training of skilled construction trades workers to prepare them for green building projects should be broad enough to give them a good background understanding of the subject, and not focused just on the specific areas where they will work. Initial training in installing particular types of green building technology should prepare them to work on that technology through its lifecycle, from installation through maintenance to eventual removal, disposal and recycling.[/read]