Software development company Sierra ODC’s eFacility building here recently won the Indian Green Building Council’s Performance Challenge 2019 for Green Buildings in the IT/ITES category.
The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) launched the Performance Challenge programme to facilitate fully certified green buildings to continue maintaining the facility.
CEO and Managing Director of Sierra JG Giridhar told The Hindu that though there is not much additional investment in the green building in the last couple of years, after getting the certification, the return on investment is good. There is 81 % saving on water compared to regular buildings. The 24,000 sq.ft building has a solar facade and there is no maintenance cost for it. The building receives 280 to 300 units of solar energy from its rooftop solar energy panels. “About 4,500 people have visited our facility in the last three years and we want to show them, send out the message, that there is not much expense involved in going green,” he says.
V. Krishnakumar, vice-president - marketing of Aquasub Engineering, says the company is looking at a green building for its new foundry project. Use of recycled materials, installation of a sand reclamation plant, solar energy, and rain water harvesting will be some of the green features in it. The aim is to apply for the highest green building certification. Power consumption is high in casting manufacturing. “We want to save whatever possible. It will increase productivity and bring down the cost of castings,” he says.
According to V. Sundeep, counsellor at IGBC, Coimbatore and Tiruppur districts, which have a large number of industrial buildings, have high scope for these buildings to go green. Both, existing and new buildings can go in for green features and apply for certification. The cost of materials used in green buildings has reduced and there are several sustainable activities and processes that the Government has made mandatory. The public awareness on energy conservation, use of LEDs, etc., has increased. Several home fixture and appliance brands have introduced green features in their products. Hence, green concepts are easier to adopt now. In order to get a certification, the building should have benchmarked standards in these concepts. “We are trying to create better awareness in Coimbatore and Tiruppur areas, especially for factories,” he said.
In the case of new structures, the design of the building it self can be in such a way that it allows more sunlight and airflow. Existing buildings need to go in for retrofits. There are several public buildings in the country that have added the retrofits. Every building is different, be it school, hospital, airport, or factory. The priority should be on the comfort and wellness of the occupants of the building. In schools, the acoustic design should go green. In the case of hospitals, hygiene is a priority.
There are eight State governments in the country that support green buildings with incentives. Talks are on with the Tamil Nadu government too, he said.
Rajesh B. Lund, chairman of the CII IGBC Coimbatore Chapter, said many in Coimbatore are receptive to the idea of green buildings. There is no extra cost involved if the building is planned in advance. The certification process involves documentation work and getting the right materials. Even if only the government norms are followed while constructing a building of specific scale, it is possible to get the basic certification. Once a building gets the certification, it should be maintained at those standards. There are several consultants in Coimbatore to help in green buildings. While a number of buildings in the region have obtained certification, some are in the process of doing so, he says.
President of Coimbatore District Small Industries Association R. Ramamurthy said that a couple of industries that are to be built at its upcoming industrial parks here are looking at green buildings. Though many of the existing small and medium-scale industries are in buildings that are many years old, the upcoming units do evince interest in the green buildings and it is possible to do so.
