These days, real estate developers are trying to come up with buildings which are not only beautiful but also resourceful. To develop a residential or commercial building, one needs both natural and man-made resources and green buildings make efficient use of both.
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Wikipedia describes green buildings as a means to increase the efficiency with which buildings use resources ? energy, water, and materials ? while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment, through better design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal ? the complete building life cycle. The value is in providing a safe and healthy environment. Over 100 million people are involved in the construction industry globally and the industry is estimated at about .6 trillion and contributes to about 10 per cent of the global GDP.
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Here are a few features and advantages of green buildings:
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Cost effectiveness -
The cost of a green building might be more upfront, but it saves through lower operating costs over the life of the building. The green building approach applies a project life cycle cost analysis for determining the appropriate up-front expenditure.? This analytical method calculates costs over the useful life of the asset.
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These and other cost savings can only be fully realized when they are incorporated at the project?s conceptual design phase with the assistance of an integrated team of professionals. The integrated systems approach ensures that the building is designed as one system rather than a collection of stand-alone systems.
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Effective green building can lead to 1) increase in productivity by using less energy and water, 2) improvement in public and occupant health due to improved indoor air quality, and 3) less environmental impact, for example, lessening storm water runoff and the heat island effect.
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All those who are practitioners of green building often seek to achieve not only ecological but aesthetic harmony between a structure and its surrounding natural and built environment. The appearance and style of these buildings is not necessarily distinguishable from their counterparts.
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Precautionary measures-
Safety is of utmost importance in case of a green building. If there is a death of a labourer while the construction is on, the building is never given a green certification.
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There are various issues that have to be kept in mind during the construction of a green building:
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1. Identifying a site for the construction of the building is very crucial. Ideally the site should be located in a centralized place so that the inhabitants can use public transport and less or no fossil fuel run vehicles.
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2. Energy utilization should be optimum in a green building. Care should be taken to reduce the load of air conditioning on the power system.
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3. There should be no water discharge in a green building. Efficient green architecture reduces water wastage. There are ample structural specifications incorporated in green buildings for harvesting rainwater.
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4. During the construction of a green building, maximum efforts should be made to recycle various resources.? Effort should be made to use fly ash Ready Mixed Concrete (20% fly ash + 100% cement) in construction. There should be a maximum usage of aerated concrete blocks used instead of bricks for better insulation and heat rejection. Roof insulation should be done with clay rather than chemicals. Also, bamboo products should be used for flooring.
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A property consultant firm has also launched a green real estate guide, which highlights the need for the real estate sector to address the challenges posed by climate change and sustainability. It provides guidelines to save energy, manage waste, reduce operational cost by using the right materials and introducing the right design.
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Green Buildings in India-
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India presently has 26 green buildings with a total built-up area of 11 million sq ft. out of which five buildings have secured Platinum or Gold LEED ratings. There has been a tremendous increase in the number of buildings that are registering themselves for a green certification from just one in 2002 to 218 in 2008. In Bangalore, the number of buildings is close to 12, which have applied for green certification. In terms of registration, Mumbai now leads the pack with over 51 buildings registered for green certification followed by Chennai with 35.
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Other similar concepts-
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A concept close to green buildings is a natural building concept, which is usually done on a smaller scale and tends to focus on the use of natural materials that are available locally. Other commonly used terms include sustainable design and green architecture.
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Source: http://www.tydpf.org/what-are-green-buildings.htm
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