GREEN BUILDING GUIDELINES
The below are extracts
from various green building guidelines, that may be applicable for various
projects in building sector. For ease of understanding these are divided in 5
parts.
1.
SUSTAINABLE
SITE
·
Erosion
& Sedimentation Control
The
top 20cm soil is considered to be 'landscape friendly' soil. Therefore, the top
20cm of soil (during excavation) is to be stockpiled separately and re-used for
landscaping, Also, measures should be taken to avoid mixing of waste from
materials stacked at site with the storm water. Produce an erosion and
sedimentation control plan if excavation at site takes place (in accordance
with best management practices highlighted in the NBC)
·
Transportation
& Parking Capacity
Travelling
to and within the campus can be quiet fuel intensive, therefore we should endeavor
to:
o
Provide mass transportation to the site
o
Provide visitor car parking right at the
entrance, to ensure mass transportation within the campus.
o
Provide adequate parking for both visitors /
permanent occupants to ensure usage of mass transportation.
o
Usage of either CNG or electric buses for
mass transportation.
o
Provide for pedestrian access through the
development to encourage walking within the campus.
·
Reduced
Site Disturbance, Development Footprint & Protect & Restore Habitat
The
natural settings of the site should be retained as far as possible. The same
can be achieved by:
o
Usage of minimum footprint to avoid
disturbance of natural setting.
o
Avoid major cutting and filling of soil.
o
Retain original topography
o
Reduce impermeable (hard surfaces) in the
landscape planned
·
Storm
water Design (Quantity & Quality Control)
The
storm water being generated from the constructed site should be reviewed for
the following:
o
Compare pre / post development run-offs to
ensure post development run-off is equal or lower than pre development run-off.
o
The quality of storm water being disposed to
the main storm water drainage network / harvested should be controlled by
necessary measures such as grease trap, filtration etc.
·
Heat
Island Effect (Non-Roof & Roof)
The
micro-climate of a particular area is affected by the presence of new
construction, therefore the following should be considered:
o
Plan 75% of the roof area / non-roof area
(excluding area required for plant and solar collectors) to have materials with
highly reflective materials.
o
Or as a green-roof / landscape area.
·
Light
Pollution Reduction
The
lights installed at / around the site should be checked for polluting the night
sky based on the approved guidelines, which include:
o
Avoidance of up lighters
o
Usage of appropriate reflectors
·
User
Guidelines
Description
of sustainable design, construction and operational features are to be incorporated
and circulated such that:
o
The information enables occupants to
understand / appreciate the care taken in the design & construction
o
Plan for all spaces within their control
based on these guidelines
2.
WATER
EFFICIENCY
·
Rainwater
Harvesting
The
provision of a comprehensive rainwater harvesting scheme is to be made by:
o
As a storage system to be further used for
other applications
o
Recharge the ground water through a series
of percolation pits/troughs/trenches
·
Water
Efficient Landscaping,
There
should be no use of potable/fresh water for fulfilling the landscape water
requirement; the same can be achieved by doing one of the following:
o
Using drought tolerant plants to reduce the
water requirement
o
Use an efficient irrigation system so that
the consumption of water for landscape can be optimised
o
Use recovered grey/black water for 100% of
the irrigation water requirement
·
Water
Efficiency in Air-Conditioning
There
should be no use of potable/fresh water for fulfilling make-up water requirement
for air-conditioning; the same can be achieved by doing one of the following:
o
Using a hybrid A/C system to optimise the
make-up water requirement
o
Use recovered grey/black water for 100% of
the A/C makeup water requirement
·
Innovative
Waste Water Technology & Water Use Reduction
o
The use of a Water Treatment Plant (WTP)
and/or Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) is to be made to recover grey and/or
black water.
o
The flow rates of fixtures selected for the
toilets are to have a lower flow rate than the baseline mentioned in various
green building guidelines.
- ENERGY &
ATMOSPHERE
·
Building
Systems Commissioning
All
mechanical systems installed for the building are to me appropriately
commissioned to ensure the desired/designed output is delivered before the
building is fully operational.
·
Optimise
Energy Performance
Conduct
thermal simulation in accordance with ASHRAE/IESNA 90.1 - 2004 and as per the
various discussions to be had with the client. Thermal Simulation includes the
following:
o
Prepare a model with all the relevant
thermal properties of the materials used in the construction of the building.
o
Run the model with the relevant weather file
so that the thermal response of the building to the environment can be assessed.
o
Once, the thermal response is known try various
permutations and combinations to achieve optimal energy consumption.
·
CFC
Reduction in HVAC&R Equipment
The
refrigerant used in HVAC equipment to be CFC-free
·
Usage
of Renewable Energy & Green Power
Based
on the financial commitment the client is willing to make; a combination of the
following forms of renewable energy maybe installed:
o
Photovoltaic (Conventional SPV, Concentrated
SPV)
o
Solar water heating
o
Solar cooling / air-conditioning
o
Geothermal energy
o
Windmills
·
Measurement
& Verification
The
provision for the ongoing accountability and optimisation of the building
energy and water consumption over time can be provided by:
o
Lighting systems and control
o
Constant and variable motor loads
o
Air and water economiser / heat recovery
wheel
·
Energy
Saving Measures in other Equipments
The
provision of any / all of the following measures may be implemented:
o
Level controllers in OHT
o
Energy efficient lifts with group controls
o
60% efficiency in water pumps
o
75% efficiency in motors
- MATERIAL &
RESOURCES
·
Storage
& Collection of Recyclables
The
provision is to be made for an easily accessible area that serves the entire
building and is dedicated to the separation, collection and storage of
materials for recycling including paper, glass, plastics etc.
·
Construction
Waste Management (Ref. 75%)
The
construction waste, in terms of, demolition and land clearing debris are to be
diverted to appropriate sites (including diverting recyclable materials), to
the magnitude of 75% at least.
·
Resource
Reuse (Ref. 1%)
Use
salvaged materials instead of fresh/virgin materials; thereby reducing the
energy/water consumed in producing the same.
·
Recycled
Content (Ref. 10%), post-consumer + 1/2 post-industrial
Use
materials with recycled content such that the sum of post-consumer recycled
content plus one-half of the post-industrial content constitutes to at least 5%
/ 10%.
·
Regional
Materials (Ref. 20% Manufactured + 50% Extracted Regionally)
Use
regionally available materials i.e.:
50%
of the materials extracted within a 500km radius from the site.
20%
of the materials manufactured within a 500km radius from the site.
·
Rapidly
Renewable Materials (Ref. 5%)
Use
materials that reduce the use and depletion of finite raw, and long-cycle
renewable materials by replacing them with rapidly renewable materials for 5%.
·
Certified
Wood (Ref. 50%)
Use
50 % of the wood required, from agencies which have procured from companies who
have implemented environmentally responsible forest management strategies
Note: The % is to be evaluated
as a total cost of the materials for the project
- INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL
QUALITY
·
Environmental
Tobacco Smoke Control
Since
passive smoking is proven to be harmful to people, it is necessary to:
o
Prohibit smoking in common areas
o
Locate any smoking areas at least 25ft away
o
All doors leading to the common areas shall
be weather stripped
·
Outdoor
Air Delivery Monitoring
CO2
sensors are to be provided in the return air path such that the fresh air
inflow into the proposed building can be controlled on the basis of the same.
This will result in optimum flow of fresh air and also optimisation of energy
required to cool the same.
·
Increased
Ventilation
The
provision of 30% additional (in addition to the ASHRAE standards) fresh air is
to be designed.
·
Construction
IAQ Management Plan
Develop
and implement an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) management plan for the construction
and preoccupancy phases.
·
Low
VOC Materials (Paints, Adhesives, Sealants, Composite
Wood/Agrifibre, carpet)
The
quantity of indoor air contaminants that are odorous or potentially irritating
is to be reduced; to provide installer and occupant health and comfort.
·
Indoor
Chemical & Pollutant Source Control
Provisions
are to be made to minimise exposure of building occupants to potentially
hazardous particulates and chemical pollutants by:
o
Employ entryway mats
o
Provide appropriate grade filters at the
AHUs
o
Exhaust air systems in potentially polluting
areas such as toilets, eqpt. rooms etc.
·
Controllability
of Systems (Lighting & Thermal)
The
provision is to be made for high level thermal comfort / lighting control by
individual occupants or by specific groups in multi-occupant spaces to promote
the productivity, comfort and well-being of building occupants.
·
Daylight
Views / Intensity (Ref. 95% / 75%)
The
provision of daylight views and introduction of daylight within the premises
acts as a positive influence on the well-being of the occupants, therefore
necessary simulations and architectural features are to be provided to achieve
the same.
·
Fresh
Air Ventilation
The
architectural design is to be explored along with the acceptance of clients to
have natural ventilation as a primary source of creating a comfortable
atmosphere, instead of using air-conditioning or even using mix-mode
ventilation.
By,
Mr. Vikas Kundukar
