Way Forward for a Sustainable Environment

With cities becoming crowded along with the rising concern over pollution, architects and developers are looking at constructing Green Buildings as the way forward for the construction sector.
Varun Pahwa, President, Desiccant Rotors International (DRI)

We are all aware that the construction sector heavily adds to the pollution of the environment. The raw materials used like cement and fly ash tend to remain suspended in the air and make it unsuitable for breathing. Most of the conventional building structures resort to environmentally insensitive practices that are responsible for the groundwater level depletion and exhaustion of various natural resources. Also, the synthetic materials used in the construction have heavy repercussions on the health of the occupants. Such conventional buildings with no consideration for sustainable technology are highly susceptible to indoor air pollution.
The concept of multifunctional homes is trending
As the world is moving towards energy-saving solutions, there will be incessant demand for zero-energy buildings in the near future with fast-paced adoption of energy-conserving green buildings to bring greater resilience, life and sustainability to the structures.

Varun Pahwa

Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) is responsible for headaches, eye irritation, fatigue, chronic coughing, and allergic reactions. Prolonged exposure to poor IAQ also gives rise to a phenomenon called Sick Building Syndrome and at times even reduces the productivity of people. Therefore, there is an underlying pressure on the architects to incorporate innovative solutions in their designs that address the issue of poor IAQ and at the same time reduces the adverse effect of construction on the environment.

Here, a Green Building makes use of innovative sustainability strategies that utilize renewable energy for reducing pollution while increasing the energy efficiency of the building.

Along with this, proper construction mechanisms are in place to minimize the water footprint of the building as well. Highly durable, recyclable, and renewable materials are used for construction that require minimum energy during manufacturing. These materials consist of non-polluting raw ingredients that are generally sourced locally and are free from harmful chemicals.

Such innovative buildings go way beyond just the construction mechanisms and are aimed at integrating sustainability throughout the life of the building. They make use of highly resilient technologies coupled with innovative and advanced designs to enable ventilation, energy recovery, and humidity control. Moreover, the mechanical ventilation systems continuously support the supply of fresh air into the building, and are aligned to make space for minimum separation distance between clean and contaminated air to inhibit the mixing of fresh air with the polluted air. They also check the growth of mold and mildew, taking care of the hygiene standards of the space.

Cumulatively, all the mechanisms together ensure air cleanliness, thermal control, reduction of noise pollution, etc, to enhance the indoor environment quality of the space. As stated above, the green products used like highly efficient chillers, systems enhancing drives on motors, highly proficient fans, etc. minimize the pressure on the HVAC systems to achieve the required level of heating/ cooling while practicing reduced energy consumption. Additionally, the Green Building also overlooks the proper management and maintenance of the HVAC systems throughout the manufacturing, transport, storage, and installation stages which adds to the productivity of the technology and avoids accumulation of pollutants and dust in the HVAC system.

Considering the crucial milestone Green Building needs to achieve, it makes it necessary to comply with UN SDG goals to meet the international environmental standards. It vouchsafes affordable, reliable, and sustainable access to energy that promotes resilient, innovative infrastructure to achieve sustainable cities and communities by transforming the way urban spaces are built and managed. Furthermore, the buildings must get certification from prominent agencies namely, ASSOCHAM, ECBC, LEED, and Indian Green Building Council that ensure the buildings abide by the council guidelines and framework for the reduction in carbon and emissions footprint. Therefore, the materials used are green products that are capable of increasing ventilation substantially, recovering energy, and controlling humidity.

These sustainable buildings further enhance their efficiency by orienting the structure in such a way that fosters energy optimization. This is achieved by harnessing the position of the sun throughout the seasonal change to the fullest. Also, depending on the geographical location, it avails the diversified and regionally appropriate energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, water, or natural gas to smartly make the most of the natural resources.
Click Here
To Know More / Contact The Manufacturer
Please provide your details we will contact you as soon as possible
Please let us know your name.
Please let us know your Designation.
Invalid Input
Please let us know your email address.
Please let us know your City.
Please let us know your Contact Number.
Please brief your query.
Our other value-added services:

To receive updates through e-mail on Products, New Technologies & Equipment, please select the Product Category(s) you are interested in and click 'Submit'. This will help you save time plus you will get the best price quotations from many manufacturers, which you can then evaluate and negotiate.

Equipment & Machinery
Invalid Input
Building Products
Invalid Input

Value Engineering

Designing and engineering all aspects of an architectural project should be done with aim to maximise its functionality, quality, and performance, while maintaining efficiency in the building process; and to achieve maximum value, it is Read More ...

Importance of Glass in a Green Building

Green Buildings are more relevant than ever; we needed to counter climate change yesterday; and we need to be prepared for tomorrow. It’s a good thing that we are far more informed that what we used to be. The internet has brought the world Read More ...

Digital Technology and its Relevance in Design

The complexity of design and understanding required in developing projects is a challenging process involving innovation at both the design side and the project delivery end. Given the complexity of designs that we are witnessing worldwide Read More ...

The Architecture of Sustainability

Sustainability has often been touted as a magic pill in response to climate change, but what does it really mean, and can it solve one of the biggest challenges of our times? Global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have continued to rise since the Read More ...

Changing the Built Environment

The way people engage with the built environment is greatly influenced by the materials and technologies used, since a poor choice of materials can jeopardize key design decisions. The outbreak of Covid-19, as well as the subsequent restrictions Read More ...

A Multifunctional Home Design

The concept of multifunctional homes is trending; real estate developers, having gauged the market reaction to the new typology, are providing customization to bring flexibility to homeowners. Any major world event will leave its impact on architecture and Read More ...

Formalising the Informal: Potential of Self-Development of Slum Communities

The vision of a slum-free city needs to be viewed through the lens of inclusive development that incorporates economic, environmental, and cultural sustainability – a process where slum occupants take on the mantle of redevelopment themselves supported Read More ...

Exposed Surfaces & Natural Finishes in Interior Design

Interior designers are paying closer attention to climatic considerations, human psychology, comfort, and anthropometry, when creating indoor spaces to meet peoples’ requirements on a mental, physical, and emotional level; thus, there appears to be a significant Read More ...

Marble – An Evergreen & Versatile Material

Designers and builders continue to use marble for its proven strength and luxe appeal. The material emits opulence and returns the investment through its durability, versatility, and timelessness. Read More ...

Building Sustainably

There is an increasing requirement for sustainable and socio-environmental components and each project should integrate simple design concepts with advanced technology in order to build sustainably Read More ...

Architecture Guided by the S.O.U.L.

It is of utmost importance that we are cognizant of climate change and global warming so that we use materials that have a relatively lower carbon footprint, and we must take inspiration from vernacular techniques to reduce heat gain and add comfort within built spaces Read More ...

Social Architecture

Architecture is a creative profession where the study of a particular functioning user group is done, working patterns of a particular society are taken into consideration, and then a space is designed which interacts and contributes to particular needs and wants Read More ...

Living Sustainably Amidst Global Warming

The World Environment Day celebrated on June 5th, 2022, carried the theme ‘Only One Earth’, with the focus on living sustainably in harmony with nature. It is a sobering message, which gains all the more relevance at a time when we are confronted with more evidence of global warming Read More ...

Building Materials: Shaping Architecture & Making Construction Sustainable

The design of contemporary architecture projects in India depicts distinct Indian sensibilities, while meeting demand for modernisation. There is increasing demand for eco-friendly building materials, which is driving usage of materials like green concrete Read More ...

Workplace Trends

There is now a resurgence in demand for office spaces, along with some motivating trends that include renovations and refurbishments to make them more hygienic, more comfortable, natural, and stress-free. Nakul Mathur, MD, Avanta India Read More ...

The Environment of Healing

Since designing the right built environment plays a strategic role in shaping the future of healthcare, there are conscious efforts to conceptualize healthcare facilities with the dual purpose of supporting the future health workforce and meeting the medical challenges Read More ...