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Green Buildings…
Towards the Tipping Point
I t
is widely known that the construction sector is a major contributor to
global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the contribution continues to
escalate due to rampant growth in the use of high energy materials like
cement and aluminum). It is also widely accepted that green buildings
acquire their brand from the deployment and use of efficient, green
products and systems. Notable among these are high efficiency
air-conditioning and heating systems, insulation products, state-of-art
electro chromic coatings, intelligent management systems, solar devices
and closed loop recycling systems.
In the Indian context, there
are additional imperatives for green buildings. A majority of the
buildings in rural and peri-urban India use an insignificant amount of
operational energy, though their use is increasing on account of
improved lighting and space cooling. The nature of green buildings in
this context arises from the energy footprint of the building materials
and components used in building construction. Pioneering institutions
such as the Auroville Building Centre, the TARA Nirman Kendra, COSTFORD,
HUDCO and BMTPC have demonstrated and supported green building
construction through:
•
Innovative elements of
design
•
Use of natural
materials such as compressed earth
•
Minimum use of high
energy materials such as cement and steel
•
Maximum use of
renewable resources and wastes
•
Selective
pre-fabrication of building elements
•
Optimum concerns of
economy, durability and comfort
Together, these institutions
have designed and constructed a galaxy of buildings which incorporate
all of the above characteristics. Their cumulative efforts have resulted
in a major transformation in the use of building material alternatives
for walling. Conventional burnt clay bricks continue to be the dominant
walling material even though their energy usage and carbon emissions are
the highest among available alternatives. Fly ash bricks and compressed
earth blocks (with 50 per cent less energy) have the highest growth rate
in terms of new production capacity. It is estimated that production
capacity of one billion bricks was added during the last year using fly
ash and other waste materials. Is there evidence of the tipping point
being reached?
The answer would lie in
bringing together the private sector, consumers and government agencies
with the regulators. The private sector has the capacity to invest in
production, distribution and even construction. The consumers have
repeatedly demonstrated informed decision making for choice of investing
in green building and systems. It is perhaps the right time for the
government to put in place a policy framework for innovative financing,
performance incentives and long-term commitment for investing in green
public infrastructure. There is one specific direction that the country
needs at this juncture of stated green growth. China has prohibited the
use of solid clay bricks since 2001; only hollow bricks are allowed for
building construction. India continues to shy away from making this
commitment.
q
Dr. Arun Kumar
akumar@devalt.org
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