What is Sustainable Architecture?

In his enormously successful book Design with Nature, published in 1969, Ian McHarg argues that:

"If one accepts the simple proposition that nature is the arena of life and that a modicum of knowledge of her process is indispensable for survival and rather more for existence, health and delight, it is amazing that how many apparently difficult problems present a ready solution".

The key to architectural sustainability is to work with, rather than against, nature; to sensitively exploit and simultaneously avoid damaging natural systems. Architectural sustainability mirrors the view that it is necessary to position human activities as a non-damaging part of the ongoing ecological landscape, with a belief that 'nature knows best'.

Any green building architect should identify places with intrinsic suitability for agriculture, forestry, recreation and urbanization. Designing with nature at a building level is about recognizing sun paths, breezes, shade trees and rock formations that can be used to create something that people can inhabit comfortably, while recognizing that natural features such as trees, animal tracks, habitats and natural drainage systems must be 'protected'.

For example, if one were to choose a device with high shading coefficient in the summer and a low shading coefficient in the winter, a vine may be used in place of a mechanical system. The vine shades the building when (and only when) it is needed, and the building provides a home for the vine. Thus both the building and the 'component' of nature are sustainable. By adding rainwater collection, reed beds for sewage and perhaps wind or solar power for electrical energy, the building can be independent of imported service and exported waste, keeping its environmental footprint within the footprint of the site. The final archetypal visual image is one of an isolated, self-sufficient building dominated by its surrounding landscape.

Green Building in India

It goes without saying that the version of architecture that I described above is rarely practised in India, or anywhere else in the world for that matter. The latest market-driven surge in green building has had some success at bridging the gap between current building practices and true sustainability.

As stated in some of my previous articles, India is now the second largest market for green buildings. This trend is completely market driven and has been achieved with very little government support.

While this sounds fantastic, there is an urgent need in India to extend the technological understanding of sustainable architecture and to incorporate socio-cultural aspects in its production. The need emerges from the fact that Indian architects have failed to recognize the significance of the social dimension in facilitating the sustainable development.

One challenge to India’s acceptance of sustainable architecture is the gap between technology and economic status. On one end, sophisticated technology-based solutions have been developed to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, but they require a high initial investment that very few can afford. On the other end, affordable, low-cost technologies, such as mud architecture, are already available; however, these do not fit in with the aspirations of the upwardly mobile urban population. Affordable technology-based solutions are thus seen as the only means of addressing environmental degradation.

India and Energy Efficiency:

In India, environmental agendas and green buildings are often based on the precedents of developed countries. The 2004 draft for the National Environmental Policy of India received heavy criticism for this reason.

The issue of energy efficiency is more relevant for developed countries where one-third of the total energy is utilized for heating or cooling of buildings. When energy efficiency is used as the main criterion for green buildings in India, several critical issues tend to be ignored. For example, the issues of water and sanitation are more critical than energy efficiency in India. Studies indicate that at current rates of population growth and consumption of water per capita, there will be a shortage of drinking water in Indian urban centres within the next decade.

That being said, the western model of sustainability works very well and has measurable benefits. However, economically speaking, I am not entirely convinced it is the best solution for India. Instead, I believe that we need home-grown solutions that propagate self-sufficiency and contemporary regionalism while maintaining decentralized approach to sustainability.

My personal view is that the debate on sustainable architecture cannot be restricted to quantitative environmental sustainability. It is essential that relationship between social, economic and environmental sustainability should become a critical consideration for the design of India’s built environment. There is little sense in spending millions on the best technology to create the greenest of green buildings if very few Indians can associate with them and even fewer can afford.

Deepika Mathur of the University of Melbourne has rightly pointed out that:

"By limiting itself to sustainability that is dependent on technology for solutions, sustainable architecture in India fails to incorporate the critical dimension of social and cultural sustainability without which it may not work in the Indian context. To be environmentally sustainable, architecture would need to also register the social, political, economical and cultural context of India and offer solutions that are sensitive to its particularities. This precludes universal technological solutions in the form of models of environmental sustainability derived directly from the West".

Good Luck!

Most amenities are just tools used by promoters to make a development look attractive to home buyers as these aspects of a development are visible and can be felt. But the real good qualities of any residential development lie in the bits not visible to us and require a little probing and prodding on the home buyer’s part. Here is a list of questions a home buyer should really be asking and these should be the areas of primary focus when buying a home:

Due to the constant demand supply gap, India is likely to remain a severely energy deficient country in the foreseeable future. When screening potential realtors, ask them how much they know about home energy performance and other environmental issues that matter to you. You can tell a lot just by taking a careful look around. Take a gander at the windows, and check if they're single or double-paned, and at the doors, to see if you feel a draft coming through around the edges. Never buy homes that are not fully day-lit or have too much direct sunlight coming into the home (in warm climates). Insist on energy efficiency measures like appropriate shading, cool roofs, high performance glazing, efficient lighting, controls etc. Power outages are here to stay and it is always better to have a home that can be comfortable without too much dependence on electrical appliances.

Have an understanding of the equipment on offer; inefficient lifts, pumps, motors, sewage treatment and RO plants are irreversible maintenance costs that hurt in the long run. It might even be worth bringing an energy expert to analyse these for you before making an investment.

Most parts of our country are inevitably heading towards a major water crisis in the coming decade. It is only wise to insulate oneself form this oncoming crisis. Hence, one should never invest in a project that does not have a proper water management plan and seems unlikely to be prepared for drought situations. Check if the project is harvesting the maximum rainwater possible and is treating all its waste water on-site. Stored rainwater and treated wastewater can easily be reused for landscaping, flushing and external uses. The project must have installed water efficient low flow fixtures in bathrooms and kitchen. Water and energy are intrinsically linked so saving water saves energy as well. These measures can take care of up to 70% of your water needs leaving you to only worry about 30% in case of a sustained drought.

Does the home ensure a healthy indoor environment?

On average Indians spend more than 80% of their time indoors and the quality of the indoor environment has a huge bearing on our health, well-being and productivity. Never invest in a home that does not have enough fresh air ventilation and cross ventilation. Insist on fully operable windows and check if the window area is at least 13%-15% of the floor area. Look for exhaust systems in bathrooms and kitchen. Get a list of all the paints, varnishes and adhesives to be used in your home and ensure that these chemicals are eco-friendly and free of toxic Volatile Organic Compounds. These chemicals may off gas for as long as five years and when coupled with poor ventilation, it causes the sick building syndrome. Never make compromises here as problems related to indoor environmental quality are very expensive to fix.

How do I operate the house?

It never ceases to amaze me that a new house doesn't come with an owner's manual. You wouldn't expect a new car to come without guidance how to operate and maintain it; shouldn't we expect the same with something we're spending ten or twenty times as much money on? This owner's manual should explain in English, such issues as how to operate and maintain heating and cooling equipment, the importance of cleaning out gutters, what homeowners' need to know about the various comfort features of a home, the names of products and materials used in constructing the house, and how to inspect for termites or other problems. A homeowner's manual is also a great place to aggregate all the information that comes with appliances, cooling equipment, and any other systems in the house.

One of the best and perhaps the least technically challenging method of judging a home is to check if the project has been certified GREEN. Today any developer has the option of getting their project certified GREEN from the Indian Green Building Council or The Energy Resources Institute. These certifications come with varying slabs which inform a home buyer how energy & water efficient the home really is. These certifications also require the project to have sustainable site planning, enhanced indoor environmental quality, use of non toxic environmentally friendly materials and onsite waste management. All these aspects are well documented and can be made available to the home buyers to ease the painful process of choosing the best home.

There is nothing to say that a project that does not have a certificate is not high performance, the fact is that there are many uncertified developments that take a stronger approach towards environmental performance than certified one's but who is to check this? It the duty of developers and promoters to help home buyers lead a comfortable, affordable and hassle free lifestyle. Any project must enable and encourage its residents to live in an environmentally responsible manner. It is the duty of the home buyers to buy responsibly, put in a little extra effort gathering project information and demand highest performance achievable within a budget.

Muhammed asks: Hello, I am a business development manager in a company that provide building materials to Africa from Dubai and china. Part of our CSR we would like to consider the environment when building. So our company wants to expand its horizon to start providing consultancy services about LEED and green buildings to respective people in Africa. So I am asking the requirements and steps to be a company that provide consultancy to contractors, architects and all.

Advice provided by: Yusuf Turab, InHabit and Buildscape 

Firstly, you need to be careful not to mix up your CSR (corporate social responsibility) message. While being environmentally responsible in your projects is a valid CSR initiative, providing LEED related services is a multi-billion dollar business today and has very limited CSR value. 

Green construction industry alone is going to be worth $60 billion this year and a lots of people are becoming very rich while claiming to save the environment, so any such CSR message has to be very carefully planned so as not to send the wrong message to your customers.

Secondly, in my personal opinion environmental consideration in business is a little old fashioned way of demonstrating CSR. Environmental consideration is more on the mandatory side of things these days.

Green building consulting has proved to be a lucrative business model and it has worked brilliantly for many architecture and building contracting firms around the world. In your case you need to first examine if the LEED standard is accepted in the markets you work in. I know South Africa has a a rating system called Green Star SA but I do not think any other African nation follows any particular green building standard. This makes it very hard to market or command a premium on green buildings in the continent.

In any case to provide Green building consultancy, an organisation needs to have thorough understanding of the rating systems they plan to work with. Assuming you plan to work with LEED, your organisation needs to train its staff in the LEED NC rating system and then maybe branch out to the other rating systems within the LEED suite. You can also employ experienced LEED Accredited Professionals. Most LEED APs have thorough understanding of the standard and usually come with sufficient project experience to start taking up projects immediately. LEED APs also tend to have a good understanding of various building products and are good judges of what is considered to be a Green material and what is not. There is also plenty of paperwork involved in filing submittal documentation for each credit attempted. So you will also need admin staff with some understanding of the rating system.

Once you have such a team in place, your company needs to start concentrating on learning latest green building practices. Try to gain knowledge of the latest building materials, fixtures and their environmental credentials along with latest technologies in the form of lighting, controls, automation, renewable energy, greywater systems, green roofs, glazing, heat pumps, HVAC etc. You will also need to create strategic partnerships with manufacturers so that you can source these materials for your clients easily. Just ensure you carry out a very strict evaluation of these manufacturers and their products before you recommend it to your customers.

Along with all this your organisation will need to have the ability to carry out advanced simulation for energy and lighting consumption in building designs. Find courses that can help your staff gain this knowledge and encourage them to practice till they can perfect it. Or you can also simply outsource this part of the job to freelance energy modellers, whichever suits your business model.

None of this is going to happen overnight, it can take many months to a year until you can create all the above and claim to be a full service green building consultancy. Once you have achieved this, you only need to do these three things, marketing, marketing, marketing.

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

1. Water efficiency - capture, reduce, reuse
2. Energy efficiency and Renewable energy (always energy efficiency first)
3. Site sustainability
4. Indoor Environment - health, comfort and well being
5. Material sustainability - reduce, reuse, recycle
6. Waste management - during construction & post occupancy
7. Durability
8. Measurement, verification and action
9. Make it easy for occupants to be green
10. 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

The scope of work of a green building consultant is listed below. I may have missed a few things but at the crux of it all; this is it.

• Manage entire Green Building rating compliance and documentation process.
• Current design feedback, project acceptance and then project registration with the certification body
• Creating a project strategy to save energy and water; recommend eco-friendly materials, optimise indoor environmental quality and create a sustainable site.
• Conduct water audits, waste water management and rainwater harvesting studies.
• Regular meetings with all stake holders making it clear well advance the requirement to meet each credit and assigning responsibility for the same.
• Creating energy models, daylight simulations of all buildings to demonstrate compliance with energy efficiency, IEQ requirements of the Green Building rating program.
• Performing all measurement and verification of credits as per the Green Building rating program
• Compiling all documentation, photos, technical specification, various calculations, getting the required authorisation letters and signatures from stake holders and any other write ups and documentation required by the certification body to carry out the assessment of the project.
• Duly submitting all documentation to the certification body and act as a one point contact for the evaluators and respond to any clarifications they might require.
• Regular site visits to keep the contractors up to date on the requirements and to ensure the criteria are stringently followed.
• Identifying and recommending suppliers for green building material and services procurement.
•  Being accountable if any targeted credit is missed due to poor submissions or due to misinformation provided to the responsible stake holder.

The good green building consultant should be able to provide the following deliverables and benefits to his/her clients:

• Introduce best practices in energy & water management.
• Provide accurate energy efficiency and water efficiency data.
• Help minimize waste during construction and introduce best practices in waste management post occupancy.
• Improving indoor environmental quality to meet minimum daylighting and ventilation requirements.
• Introduce best practices in improving quality of life and maximizing productivity.
• Compiling a Green Building Owner's Manual complete with green building features, how to lead a green lifestyle, maintenance tasks and other operational information.
• Staff training and awareness on project green features.
• Providing any guidance to a stake holder if necessary.
• Provide assistance in creating a clear marketing campaign and help generate awareness of the GREEN credentials of the project. This includes creating an online presence for the project, writing a case study, blog articles etc.
• Provide any other sustainability related advice, service and assistance within scope.

The general impression is that a green building consultant simply compiles all documentation required to demonstrate compliance with the various green building rating systems. But the truth is that a good green building consultant should ideally bring a lot more to the table.

Due to the nature of their job, green building consultants are naturally focussed on efficiency in every aspect, even their day to day living. This makes them ideal candidates for handling projects where more needs to be done with less. The project owner should be in a position put his faith in this individual and ideally use him as his right hand man when it comes to making project decisions.

The development uses environmentally friendly building materials and high performance glass. It has set top standards in reducing environmental impact during construction.

The buildings have been designed to provide excellent indoor environmental quality through improved daylighting, fresh air ventilation and thermal comfort. There are many more factors that have brought about this major milestone:

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