InHabit & BuildScape - The InHabit Blog #IWBI

Marketing Green Buildings for Property Developers

Fri, 09 Jul 2021 17:01:10 +0530

A common grouse among many property developers is that unless the buyers are willing to pay a premium on green developments, building green would be a pointless exercise because all the benefits of the green building are only enjoyed by the occupants and in many cases they may not even realise they are occupying a space that is more efficient than many of the other developments around. In such cases there is absolutely no value creation for the developer in spite of all the additional effort and in some cases, additional expenditure put in to the project. This is where the role of green marketing becomes very important. Green marketing according to me is one of the four pillars of building green, other three being design, implementation and verification & action. All these four pillars are interdependent and a green building project can add value only if all the four pillars are equally strong.

Studies have shown that green building space commands a premium of at least 6% in some countries. In the Indian scenario there is no evidence of buyers willing to pay a premium for such a space but this is only because real estate developers have still not figured how to communicate the value of certified green developments to potential buyers who are completely unaware of the concept. In the case of buildings, green marketing essentially means informing the buyers the environmental and economic value of the green building project in question. This becomes easier in case of certified green developments because there is always a third party verified documentary evidence proving the information on performance of the building. In all our projects we have started to provide marketing assistance to our clients through the following measures:

Once a client brings us in to help them design, build and certify their projects, we start off by creating a draft strategy document. This strategy document contains a summary of recommendations on how the project can achieve each criteria with minimum effort and maximum return on investment.

After a few rounds of discussing the strategies with the client and all other stakeholders involved and also doing some performance analysis of our own we get a final project narrative which in principal has been agreed up on by all parties that matter.

Using information in the narrative document we create a owner's manual or home buyer's guide. This guide contains the following information:

An introduction to the green home
Warranty information
Green Building certification achieved
How the project achieved (or intends to achieve) the green building certification. This information is listed under various performance areas like energy, water etc. It is always concise and easy to understand.
A list of maintenance dos and don't to keep to building performing as per design standards. This may include green cleaning options.
How to lead and environmentally conscious lifestyle.
How to manage waste and water
List of all the paints and chemicals used in the project
Important locations like water shut off valve, fuse box, gas shut off valve etc.
Emergency contacts
How to save on energy and water along with renewable energy options buyers could consider

The list can be as comprehensive as one likes but the information has to be easy to understand and act up on.

This guideline is sent to the marketing department for beautification and distribution among all potential buyers. This gives the buyer an understanding of how the green building is superior and sense of confidence towards the developer. This information when discussed in person without the inclination to make a sale at any cost, always works wonders, if not a sale it at least generates awareness on building performance and the value the developer is trying to create.

Such information is usually ignored in the glossy brochures highlighting all the amenities that only end up costing the buyer more money in maintenance and repair. Maybe for a change if developers started to highlight performance features that save buyers money and make them less reliant on external services, people will be more inclined to pay a premium to buy into green developments.

Sustainable Planting Strategy for Green Roof in India

Fri, 09 Jul 2021 14:18:07 +0530

Someone raised a question today about what could be the most sustainable planting strategy for green roofs in India?

This is what we think. If maintenance is no problem and a sustainable water source is available (treated used water), we actually prefer to install lawns on a roof. Some might argue it is not a greenest choice due to the water scarcity & hot climate of India, we actually think otherwise. We provide green roof and living wall systems under our brand BuildScape and we have found that there are three main reasons why someone would install a green roof:

Aesthetics

Usable Amenity Space
Heat Mitigation

All other benefits are important but not the key drivers in the decision making process. There is no doubt a lawn looks good and allows for building occupants to regularly use the vegetated parts of the green roof. But more importantly, the regular watering that a lawn requires actually cools the roof slab below and provides radiant cooling to the occupants below. The evaporative cooling of the surroundings and the heat island mitigation is also far higher through a high moisture green roof.

We have also found that using highly drought tolerant species actually has a negative impact. The growing medium acts as a thermal mass which has a negative impact on the energy usage in the spaces below.

As far as irrigation is concerned there is always scope for automation. Water can be obtained by simply treating the grey water in the building using a small REED bed system. The lawn on the roof does not need high quality water and semi treated grey water is perfect to water a green roof.

We have a tried different kinds of plants on the roof at our office.

Nothing has improved the comfort conditions more than a well irrigated lawn on the roof. We use a small REED bed to treat the grey water and use this treated water to water our green roof and living wall systems. The water smells odd but we have not needed to use even a drop of manure or any other chemical to keep our green roof thriving for the last two years.

The value of using drought tolerant species on a roof is over rated, at least in cooling dominated climates like India. Concepts like Xeriscaping are better suited and are the more sustainable method for ground landscaping.

Do we need to better define what a Green Building is and what a Green Building is not?

Fri, 09 Jul 2021 12:41:43 +0530

The most common definition used to describe a green building here in India is "A green building is one which uses less water, optimizes energy efficiency, conserves natural resources, generates less waste and provides healthier spaces for occupants, as compared to a conventional building." Source: IGBC

The issue here is with the term CONVENTIONAL BUILDING. The answer to what a conventional building is too subjective and it largely seems to depend on who you ask. The USGBC (US Green Building Council) has its own set of standards that it uses, the IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) has its own rules & so do the various other bodies around the world that certify buildings based on its environmental performance.

The term GREEN seems too generic and is thrown around way too much. Technically, a building that is even 1% better in all parameters than a conventional building can be called GREEN. This is a little misleading.

What's worse is that many project teams seem to unintentionally misuse the terms GREEN BUILDING. Many project teams take a few environmentally responsible features in a project like renewable energy, rain water harvesting, energy efficient lighting (to name a few) and pass it off as a Green Building. This I think is wrong because Green Building is a holistic approach towards minimum environmental impact and not about just a few environmentally responsible features.

Image source: sgbc.org

Below is my list of areas one should focus on when building green in the order of importance for Indian conditions:

Water efficiency - capture, reduce, reuse
Energy efficiency and Renewable energy (always energy efficiency first)
Site sustainability
Indoor Environment - health, comfort and well being
Material sustainability - reduce, reuse, recycle
Waste management - during construction & post occupancy
Durability
Measurement, verification and action
Make it easy for occupants to be green
Show off (Spread the word)

My contention is that only buildings that show improved performance (compared to conventional building standards) in all the above criteria can be termed as GREEN BUILDINGS. Everything else is NOT.

A net zero energy building with poor water management or problems with the indoor air quality cannot be termed as a GREEN BUILDING unless it meets all the other environmental performance parameters. Such a building should just be termed "Energy Efficient Building" or a "Net Zero Building" but not a GREEN BUILDING.

We need to have a serious discussion on how we can better inform the consumer as to what a green building is and more importantly what a green building is not. At the moment the terms GREEN BUILDING is being misused in many cases and there is a distinct possibility that people will lose faith in the whole concept if this continues.

Most green building certification programs address the focus areas mentioned above but in reality a building can be GREEN with or without the certification. And therein lies the issue that allows misuse and sends the wrong signals to the consumers.

If there could be a formal agreement within the industry that a building cannot be termed GREEN unless its performance has been verified by the a trusted third party institution then this would largely clear the confusion among consumers. Further, the industry could also push for copyright of the terms GREEN BUILDING such that only projects certified by selected third party institutions can be called Green Buildings. All other projects are free to use other terms of choice.

Article By
Yusuf Turab
IGBC AP, GRIHA CP, WELL AP, LEED AP & ECBC Master Trainer
InHabit and BuildScape
Coimbatore, India

WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP) Credential

Fri, 21 May 2021 13:37:11 +0530

Yusuf Turab From InHabit Earns WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP) Credential

Yusuf Turab, Managing Director from InHabit & BuildScape has earned the WELL Accredited Professional (WELL APTM) credential through the International WELL Building InstituteTM (IWBITM), placing him among a group of leading professionals who are dedicated to supporting human health and well-being in the built environment.The WELL AP credential is the new, leading credential signifying advanced knowledge of health and well-being in the built environment and specialization in the WELL Building StandardTM (WELL).

WELL APs have successfully passed the WELL AP exam, an assessment based on the expertise of leading practitioners in the field of design, health and wellness in the built environment. Developed using GBCI’s rigorous test development best practices, the WELL AP exam is designed to test a candidate’s knowledge and proficiency in building wellness and the principles, practices and applications of the WELL Building Standard. The WELL AP Exam was launched last October and was complemented by a comprehensive educational program.

InHabit now intends to provide consulting services for facilities looking to improve their occupant productivity through improved health, wellness and satisfaction in the built environment.

The WELL Building Standard is the first building standard to focus exclusively on the health and wellness of the people in buildings. WELL is an evidence and performance-based system for measuring, certifying and monitoring features that impact human health and well-being in the built environment, through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind.

The WELL Building Standard and more information on the WELL AP is available at www.wellcertified.com.

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