Building green is definitely important. But equally important is to know how green is a green building. Take the glitzy, glass-enveloped buildings popping up across the country. It does not matter if you are in the mild but wet and windy climate of Bengaluru or in the extreme hot and dry climate of Gurgaon, glass is the in-thing. I have always wondered how buildings extensively using glass could work in such varied climatic zones, where one needs ventilation. Then, I started reading that glass was green. Buildings liberally using glass were being certified green. How come?
Use of glass in construction has become a fad. But it is not the right choice for Indian climate
Many architects use imported, expensive and environmentally inappropriate material
Tour of a house that thrives on air circulation, saves energy cost
Roofs that reflect sunlight save electricity
Model building design that helps save energy and money by exploiting the sun’s movement
Frenzied growth in real estate and changing lifestyle in Indian cities are inciting resource guzzling. Architects have innovative ideas to build green homes
Information shared by MoEF under RTI is minimal and partial. Further it took MoEF far more than a month to respond to the two RTIs filed by CSE. It makes mockery of the appraisal process as evident in the wide gap between information sought by us and the amount of information shared by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF- GoI). This opaqueness must go if cities have to demonstrate their progress towards sustainability.
Keep watching this space for more such revelations!
Industry sees sense in going green
There is a buzz about green buildings