The green concept has to be developed for local contexts so that they can be applied within the parameters determined by local financial needs, writes Ananth Krishnan
Green homes and buildings are increasingly in vogue in neighbourhoods and corporate circles around the world. Industry experts say that they can help save on energy and maintenance costs in homes and offices.
However, they are yet to become widely popular in the country. High input costs, particularly with regard to green buildings, continue to deter Indian consumers, and eco-friendly appliances remain available only in relatively small quantities in the market. Indian arc hitects too remain divided on both the necessity and the economic feasibility of the idea.
Saving resources
Green homes are designed to be efficient in energy and water consumption, right from the outer design shell of the home to the use of eco-friendly appliances such as Compact Fluorescent Lamps ( CFL) and solar water heaters to replace their energy-guzzling alternatives (see graphic). Green homes are also designed to incorporate systems such as rainwater harvesting and waste management. Harsha Sridhar, chief anchor (design and architecture), Biodiversity Conservation (India), says that the concept brings benefits to not just homeowners and developers, but to conservationists as well.
Sridhar believes that green homes will allow homeowners to significantly save on electricity and water, even generate less waste. Developers will have lower construction costs as a result of greater efficiency in material use, as well as lower recurring maintenance costs.
“Studies show that a home that is fitted with CFL lamps, solar water heaters and recycling facilities will save around Rs. 2.56 lakh over six years, or around Rs. 3,500 a month,” says Sridhar. “Solar water heaters alone will save around Rs. 71,000 over six years. But going green is not just about costs. It is about using resources more wisely, as well as a shift in the professional attitude of architects, managers, corporates as well as everybody else.”
The same idea applies to larger buildings as well – the green mantra is becoming increasingly popular in corporate circles. Architect Sharukh Mistry is the chairman of the Bangalore chapter of the Indian Green Building Council, an organisation set up by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Mistry says that a change in the way both architects and their clients envisage their homes and buildings is needed for the green concept to really catch on. He believes that to a certain extent this is already happening.
“When multinational companies started coming in, their initial directive to architects was to build the same structures they were used to elsewhere, such as tall glass buildings,” Mistry says. “I think the companies are increasingly realising the importance of the local connections that they can build.”
Non-issue in India
Non-issue in India
Industry lobby groups such as the CII have been trying to propagate the green building idea for Indian businesses, in part because multinational companies are increasingly valuing buildings with high green ratings.
Architect P.T. Krishnan says that a lot of the green concepts propagated by Indian industry are predicated on Western needs, and hence do not make much sense in India.
“The whole green building idea starts from a platform that assumes buildings are energy intensive and completely dependent on power,” says Krishnan . “In the tropics we have a different tradition of building, where we allow natural light and ventilation. But we’ve lost our way in architecture, as we have blindly absorbed Western standards.”
“The whole green building idea starts from a platform that assumes buildings are energy intensive and completely dependent on power,” says Krishnan . “In the tropics we have a different tradition of building, where we allow natural light and ventilation. But we’ve lost our way in architecture, as we have blindly absorbed Western standards.”
Mr. Krishnan says that Indian architects, as well as corporates, have been taken in by the “glitz” of glass, which does not make either environmental or architectural sense in India where sunlight is not scarce.
“We used to illuminate office buildings with 120 lux bulbs, but we then brought in 300 lux bulbs that consume more energy just because they are being used in the U.S.,” Krishnan points out. “So, now we have to spend a lot more money [on eco-friendly appliances to save on energy costs] to rectify what we have wrongly brought in. The justification is that the technology will pay us back in three or four years. But we have to ask why we incur these costs in the first place.”
“We used to illuminate office buildings with 120 lux bulbs, but we then brought in 300 lux bulbs that consume more energy just because they are being used in the U.S.,” Krishnan points out. “So, now we have to spend a lot more money [on eco-friendly appliances to save on energy costs] to rectify what we have wrongly brought in. The justification is that the technology will pay us back in three or four years. But we have to ask why we incur these costs in the first place.”
Architect Prashant Hedao says that if eco-friendly products are brought into the mainstream and if sustainable technologies are subsidised, the concept will become more economically feasible.
“People do not realise that by using a solar water heater instead of a geyser, they will recover their installation costs in two to three years,” Mr. Hedao says. “After that, they will actually be making a profit. For instance, purchasing costs for CFLs are more expensive than other lamps, but over a course of time they will save energy.”
With the higher costs involved – according to the CII, buildings with the highest green rating of ‘Platinum’ will cost 30 per cent more than a normal building – the green building concept remains limited to a very narrow, wealthy spectrum of society.
“The green building concepts apply to offices and IT buildings alone,” Krishnan confirms. “So we must remember that we’re talking about a very narrow spectrum here. When we design schools and colleges, we keep in mind natural light and natural ventilation. They are not dependent on air-conditioners. So, for me, it is a non-issue in India.”
According to Puducherry-based architect Suhasini Ayer, the corporate emphasis on green appliances misses the point. “Green homes are about more than just getting appliances such as solar panels,” says Ayer .
“Even the design of the shell of the construction should take into account climatic considerations in its orientation. Most architects are taught climatic design, but in an urban area you don’t always have the opportunity to incorporate every aspect. But even within fixed parameters, climatic considerations can be taken into account.”
Sensible design
So, your homes can still be designed in ways that are environmentally friendly, without you necessarily having to turn to fancy fittings. For example, Ayer says bedrooms should be located on the northern or southern faces of homes to keep them naturally cool and away from the glare of the sun. Plumbing, on the other hand, should be installed on the western side of homes, to tap the sun’s heat and save on electrical heating.
The drive to ‘go green’ is undoubtedly welcome, as the problems of water shortage, energy crisis and climate change are seemingly here to stay. However, if the concept is to truly catch on, Indian architects and the industry need to get past the “glitz” of the idea, as Krishnan says.
The green concept has to be developed for local contexts, so that they can still be applied within the parameters determined by local and financial needs. Otherwise, ‘going green’ will be a mantra that applies to only a privileged few – and a hollow one.
The green concept has to be developed for local contexts, so that they can still be applied within the parameters determined by local and financial needs. Otherwise, ‘going green’ will be a mantra that applies to only a privileged few – and a hollow one.
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