Aikya, a new home in Chennai, is India’s greenest home today. It is the only project to have achieved all 75 points in the prestigious IGBC Green Homes Platinum rating for a single family home. Aikya means ‘unity’ in Sanskrit and the home was designed and built with the focus on integrating architectural design and sustainability features.
Here’s a look at some of its features.
Designed for climate The Aikya home has a courtyard, inspired by the traditional south Indian muttram . There are many windows facing the courtyard rather than outside, which allows a lot of diffused natural light and fresh air into the building as well as protects privacy.
Building skin The walls are made of Aerocon blocks, which provide superior heat insulation compared to bricks or concrete blocks. The house also uses select glass to balance heat and light ingress. The roof over one wing (on which the solar panels and solar water heater are mounted) uses 2” XPS (Extruded Polystyrene) while the other wing has a green roof covered with plants to reduce heat absorption. The green roof also creates a space that occupants can use and enjoy. These measures reduces the building’s requirement for air-conditioning substantially compared to a conventional building.
Energy saving The house incorporates various measures that result in 50 per cent less energy usage than a conventional home. The air conditioners use inverter technology, which is 40-50 per cent more efficient than regular ACs. All the lighting is with LED lamps and fixed with occupancy sensors, which reduces lighting loads by 40 per cent over conventional homes.
Solar power The building is powered by a 2 kW solar energy system. The eight panels generate 250 Watts each and provide adequate energy to meet the building’s essential loads. It has a battery that provides power back-up during power cuts or when the load is higher (evenings and nights). The entire home can run on solar energy and not use any electricity from the grid if only one AC is switched on at a time.
Water savings The toilets are dual flush, which saves (2/4 litres, 3/4.5 litres) water, and fixtures like showers and faucets are all low-flow. The house also uses simple accessories like flow reducers and aerators, which can be easily fitted. The rainwater harvesting system recharges 100 per cent of the rain water and reduces water use in the toilets by 40 per cent.
Indoor environment Daylight and ventilation are the two most important aspects that can impact the health of occupants. The Aikya house ensures adequate daylight and ventilation in all rooms through proper window sizing and glass selection. It has eliminated the use of electric lights during the day. Also, low VOC paints and materials have been used to reduce the effect of chemicals.
Waste recycling Waste recycling is one of the important green strategies after occupancy. The home assigns space for recycling household waste such as paper, plastic, and glass as well as organic waste from kitchens. The treated manure from the organic waste is used in the garden.
Cost factor The building material and equipment used here cost roughly 3-5 per cent more than conventional buildings The operating costs are less than half the operating costs of a conventional building. For more details, mail propertyplus@thehindu.co.in
