Green Features
Transportation: Sierra’s way of life prioritises reduction of dependence on fossil fuels. Electric vehicles, two-wheelers, and car-pooling are encouraged. 72% of the parking space reserved for 2-wheelers, 19% for bicycles, and only 7% for cars. Free shuttle service, free electric charging points for bikes/cars, and subsidized accommodation at walkable distances help reduce carbon footprint.
It is a myth that ‘green buildings’ are expensive to build, rather, such buildings provide excellent ROI and their LEED rating generates a lot of respect with customers and prospects. Sierra encourages industrial experts, students and the public to visit the facility, which it calls a ‘Green Learning Centre’, to create awareness on green buildings. Sierra is also testing the latest ‘smart’ concepts using IoT sensors and devices for enhanced user experience, while conserving energy
Giridhar, MD, Sierra ODC
Air-conditioning: Sensors installed across the building help to intelligently maintain temperature and fresh air supply. Zonal bi-directional heat recovery ventilation system forces stale air out and brings fresh air in. It harnesses the concept of heat transfer between hot fresh air and cold exhaust air to lessen load and cost of air conditioning.
Indoor Air Quality: Triple filtering ensures only the purest air enters workspaces. Demand Controlled Ventilation aided by CO2 sensors continually monitors CO2 levels and pumps fresh air zone-wise, when needed. Real-time IoT sensors monitor levels of volatile organic compounds, humidity and particulate matter 2.5 & 10. 45% enhanced supply of fresh air and indoor plants keep air fresh and add aesthetics.
Sun-Tracking Shadow Management System: Sierra houses South India’s first and the most advanced shadow management system. The Somfy system tracks trajectory of the sun and weather conditions and accordingly keeps blinds open or closed, and even adjusts their angles to ensure maximum daylight while avoiding direct sunlight into the facility. Natural daylight and 97% natural views enhance employee productivity and wellbeing. The building’s daylight utilization is 86%, which adds on to energy savings. Efficient management of heat load brings down burden on air conditioning and saves power. The eFacility® Smart Building App gives users power to manually control blinds using mobile phones.
Elevation
Fact File
Building Owner: Sierra ODC Pvt Ltd - a Software Solutions Group
Green Building Consultant: InHabit
Architect: M. Dharmalingam Associates
Materials & Brands used:
Blinds (bio-climatic): Somfy
Cool Roof: Dr.Fixit Newcoat Cool
Waterless Urinals: Zerodor
VRF AC with HRV: LG
LED lighting: Lutron
Flyash Bricks: CR and Associates
Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Blocks: Aerocon
Structural Steel TMT: SAIL
Eco Sand (cement industry waste): ACC
Wallcare Putty Green India
Granite Flooring: Apex Marbles
Ceramic Flooring Tiles: Kajaria
Glass (Windows & Facade): Saint Gobain
Gypsum Boards: Saint Gobain
Foam Concrete for Roof: Feathertech Solution
Particle Boards/MDF Boards/Plywood: Furntech - Greenply
False Ceiling Boards: Armstrong
UPVC Window frames: Globe UPVC
Metal Facade Framing & Grills: Babu Grill
Facade Alcopanel: Allstrong
Paver Blocks: CR & Associates
Merino Mica Sheets: Furntech, Merino
Façade: Fundermax
Weathering Roof Tiles: Shanmugam & Co.
Cool Roof Eco Tiles: ABC ceramics
FRP Door for Toilets: Galaxy Doors
Lighting Controls: Sensor-activated passage lights, occupancy sensors and lux sensors activate lights to turn on only when the ambient light is not good enough. Absence of switches guarantee that no lamps stay ‘on’ due to human oversight. Work areas receive permissible lighting based on pre-defined schedules. Additional luminosity is allowed only for defined intervals to lessen wastage, and turn off when floor is empty. Individuals in cabins can control their preferred lux levels with eFacility® Smart Building app. The facility uses 100% LED lighting and the light power density achieved is 80% better than ASHRAE-defined standards. All these features help in energy savings of 64%.
Green Toilets: A conventional single urinal uses over 150,000 litres of water every year but at Sierra, Zerodor® waterless urinals are completely waterless. The intelligent system allows only one-way flow of liquids and vapour thus eliminating need to flush. Occupancy-based actuators automatically flush minimal quantity of recycled water at set intervals reducing cleaning needs. There is also energy savings due to reduced pumping needs.
Solar Panel - Automated Sprinker for Cooling & Cleaning and Skylight
A zero-paper towel policy could save several trees from being cut, and reduce methane gas production from decomposing paper towels. Tap-fitted aerators control water wastage. Need-based lighting and exhaust fans contribute to power saving.
Green Power: Sierra is the second facility in India to install Onyx Solar’s Amorphous Silicon thin-film Building Integrated Photovoltaic glass panels, with which, the façade of the building also generates power. A 60kW conventional on-grid solar power plant caters to the building’s power needs. Since solar panels lose efficiency with every rise in temperature above 25 degrees centigrade, Sierra has implemented a unique system to cool the panels.
Real-time irradiation and solar panel temperature detectors provide data to the building automation system such that it activates automated valves to sprinkle small amounts of water. This reduces the panel temperature by about 3-5 degrees centigrade for every cycle and keeps the panels dust-free and improves their efficiency. Sierra has purchased Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) additionally to take care of its balance power utilization, making it 100% green.
Water Management: Water is managed efficiently with an automation and waste reduction technique. 100% of rain water is harvested in the facility. Rainwater collected from the roof is suitably filtered making it potable in 5 stages. Most of these filtering processes do not use any power. Need-based water pumping is done by the building automation system. Sewage and grey water is recycled using Sequencing Batch Reactor technology, and the treated water is used for flushing and garden needs. Water savings is 89.31%.
Energy Dashboard & Skylight - Dining Area
Green Kitchen: Heavily subsidized hygienic and healthy food is served to employees and contract workers. Farm fresh vegetables, fresh milk straight from a nearby dairy, and wood-pressed chemical-free oil is used for cooking. The kitchen uses all electric equipment eliminating fossil fuel usage. This includes an energy efficient inverter refrigerator, water saving dishwasher that uses the lowest quantity of water, and super energy-efficient BLDC fans. The kitchen and dining areas get 100% daylight, and especially designed skylights add naturality to the ambience.
A roof-top garden uses manure produced in-house to grow organic vegetables as an addendum to the organic produce procured for cooking. The Canteen Management System keeps kitchen green and smart. Kitchen order tracking, live consumption monitoring, inventory management, procurement and kitchen waste monitoring functions minimize wastage.
Energy Monitoring: Power production and consumption, water consumption, occupancy, indoor air quality and temperature are monitored real-time. Continuous and comprehensive monitoring ensures that building performance is maintained at highest possible levels.
