There is no doubt about the fact that green buildings are becoming quite popular nowadays due to the concerns raised as per the environment. Although if you are not quite aware of what green buildings are, then here is a brief to explain you. Green buildings are those buildings which use the processes of maintenance, working, operations, service etc. by those means which are environment-friendly. These buildings are an endeavor to protect the environment.

The question is ‘Why green buildings?

With an endeavor to develop green buildings helps in striking a fine balance among the sustainable environment and house building techniques. With the global concerns of global warming, greenhouse effect, imbalance of water table, the green buildings seems as a promising alternative of the near future that would be well adopted in several countries. There is a host of features which makes these houses the preferred living options which would soon be adopted by many.

Facts and figures you can bank upon:

Below mentioned are some facts and figures about the green buildings:

• Taipei 101, located in China has been certified as the tallest as well as the largest green building.
• In the Northern America, LCA i.e. Life Cycle Assessment is a part of the green globes rating. It has also been incorporated in the ‘Green Building Protocol for Commercial Buildings’
• GRIHA and LEED employ a rating system for the green buildings, according to which certifications are given in the form of Platinum, Gold and Silver.
• LEED certification has been given to more than 13.8 billion square feet of building space in the United States of America.

Residential green buildings:

The residential green buildings serve as a great way to achieve environment-friendly living. These methods are now being opted by many apartments wherein rainwater harvesting, solar panels etc. prove to be quite beneficial. Also, the large glass doors and windows help to maintain an optimum temperature within the living space. Terrace garden in the residential green buildings is also quite useful. This helps to keep the outer surface and the ceiling of the house cool preventing much heat from penetrating inside. Try using porotherm clay-bricks which have achieved a higher rating in India by TERI and GRIHA, the two organizations that deal with green buildings in India.

Commercial green buildings:

Now this is simply a great idea to promote sustainable development in any country. Green buildings can also be developed for commercial use. Since commercial spaces are large, there can be many benefits that can be availed from the same.

Small office spaces: If there is a small office space, ideas for green building can be built in a way to have solar panels (saving electricity bills for the office). The cost of building green buildings is economical, hence making them a better option than the traditional buildings.

Large office spaces: The large office spaces are usually present in a larger area such as in a case of a multi national organization. For them, green buildings can prove to be useful as techniques of rainwater harvesting, energy saving, temperature maintenance are some of the benefits that can be availed.

What are the benefits of the green buildings?

There are innumerable benefits that are offered by the green buildings, however, we have a compiled a list of the top benefits that these buildings offer:

Rainwater Harvesting: The rainwater harvesting set up in the green buildings helps to store the rain water in a storage space built within the building. With the alarming concerns growing about the shortage of water, there is a necessity to save all the water we can and green buildings offer the facility for the same.

Solar panels: The solar panels which are installed at the top of the green buildings is an efficient way to harness the energy of the sun. This energy can further be used for heating the water through geysers, used for electricity. Hence, the green buildings can be useful for saving electricity.

Eco – friendly construction material: The kind of material that is used for the construction and regular maintenance of the green buildings is environment-friendly as compared to the material used for general house construction.

These are just a few of the many benefits that are listed by the presence and development of green buildings around us.

With the global concerns increasing alarmingly, there is but no other option to opt for green buildings, whether it is for residential space or for commercial space. People who are considering to build new spaces for living or office can employ this concept and not only make their charges less on electricity and save ample of water but get other benefits as well.

Curated by a Building Expert from Wienerberger India

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