The country’s rapid economic growth over the last decade has placed tremendous stress on its limited infrastructure. Thanks to massive investments, major private sector participation and a paradigm shift, infrastructure has grown phenomenally in the last ten years, making it one of the most growth-intensive sectors of the economy. India has successfully executed highways, seen its ports expanding and airports being modernized over the past decade.
Sustainable design and construction are now more relevant when there is a mad rush to build endlessly to cater to the requirement of modern living and the fast increasing working population.
For ages, we in India, believed in building and designing buildings smartly and carefully, which was manifested in the ancient art of Vaastu Shastra. Now, when the costs for sustainable materials and products are finally dropping and they are readily available in India, building green is really the most cost-effective kind of design and construction. The green concepts and techniques adopted by the realty sector help to address national concerns like water efficiency, energy efficiency, and reduction in fossil fuel use, handling of consumer waste and conserving natural resources. The biggest and immediate advantage is that it can enhance occupant’s health and well-being.
It is always beneficial to adhere to Green building concepts while developing a residential society as it reduces energy cost by 20-30%, reduces water requirement by 30-50% and improves the well-being of occupants.
Sustainable buildings save money. Many studies prove that the payback period is significantly reduced following the initial investments and the savings because sustainable design strategies are almost ten times of the initial cost in the lifecycle of the building. Both residential and commercial buildings retain a high resale value if they include sustainable design components.
One indirect benefit is reduced demand for energy such as electric, gas and water utilities, which means that we can do more with less. The savings can result in lower energy costs over the long run as the energy sources do not need to expand constantly and the service standards could be then improved.
