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Green Building Design: A step towards sustainable habitat

Conference Paper · January 2012

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 National Conference on Renewable Energy 2010 (NCRE2010) 
23 – 25 March 2010, Tezpur University, Tezpur 

Green building design: A step towards sustainable habitat

Manoj Kumar Singh1*, Sadhan Mahapatra2, and S. K. Atreya1
1
Instrument Design Development Centre, IIT Delhi, New Delhi 110 016, India
2
Department of Energy, Tezpur University, Tezpur 784 028, India
* Corresponding author: Phone: +91-11-26591430, Fax: +91-11-26582037, e-mail: mksinghtu@gmail.com

Abstract: Energy, built environment and thermal comforts are closely inter-related. The unprecedented growth in building
sector due to growth in population and enhanced thermal comfort standards leads to more primary energy consumption and
consequently increases the green house gas (GHG) emissions to the environment. The construction industry in India is one
of the largest economic activities and is growing at an average rate of 9.5% as compared to the global average of 5%.
Buildings are the major consumer of energy in their construction, operation and maintenance. In India building sector
accounts 30-40% of total primary energy consumption and more than 30% of electricity. While the growth is imminent, it is
imperative that the developments need to happen in an environmentally sustainable manner. In this context, energy efficient
building, climate-responsive building or green buildings designs have great impacts on conservation of natural resources,
energy efficiency, better waste management, water use efficiency and reductions in GHG emissions. In this article, the
various measures taken worldwide to reduce the energy consumption and carbon footprint of the buildings through green
building approach are discussed. The present state of the green building initiatives, green building rating and certification
procedures in India are also discussed.

Keywords: Thermal Comfort, Energy efficiency, Sustainable habitat, Green building

1. Introduction

Green building is a concept incorporating a wide spectrum of solution and best practices [1]. It is an outcome of design
philosophy which emphasizes on optimum utilization of resources and increases the efficiency of resource utilization [1].
Green building also referred as sustainable building is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are
environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from sitting to design, construction,
operation, maintenance, renovation, and deconstruction [1]. This practice expands and complements the classical building
design concerns of economy, utility, durability and comfort. The basic objectives of these kinds of buildings are;

• Efficient use of energy, water and other resources

• Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity
• Reducing waste, pollution, environmental degradation and better waste management

Energy, architecture, indoor comfort and environment are closely associated [2]. The role of energy within the building
varies from country to country and climate to climate [2]. The sustainability of building is greatly influenced by socio-
cultural setup, economy, materials and technology availability and affordability [2]. US Energy Information Administration
(EIA) and International Energy Agency (IEA) illustrates that buildings are responsible for almost 48% of total energy
consumption [2-4]. Hence the green house gas emissions from the buildings are also significant. In the life time of a
conventional building, the maximum energy is consumed not for construction but for heating, cooling, lighting, cooking and
ventilation of the building [2]. Typically more than 80% of total energy consumption occurs during the operation of the
buildings and around 20% during construction of the buildings [2]. The construction industry in India is growing at 9.5 %
as compared to the world average of 5.2% [3,4]. Hence energy efficiency, waste management and surrounding
environments in the building sector have tremendous importance [5]. Commercial buildings are one of the major consumers
of energy and are the third largest consumers of energy, after industry and agriculture. Buildings annually consume more
than 33% of electricity used in India. Building sector energy consumption has increased from 14% in the 1970s to nearly
33% in 2004-2005 [5]. The potential for energy savings is 40 – 50% in buildings, if energy efficiency measures are
incorporated at the building [2]. The energy consumption in different sectors in commercial and residential buildings is
presented in Figure 1.
 National Conference on Renewable Energy 2010 (NCRE2010) 
23 – 25 March 2010, Tezpur University, Tezpur 

Commercial buildings Residential buildings

Figure 1 Energy consumption in different sectors of residential and commercial building in India

2. Green building design

The passive solar building design techniques were practiced for thousands of years, by necessity, before the advent of
mechanical heating and cooling. It has remained a traditional part of vernacular architecture in many countries [2]. There is
evidence that ancient cultures considered factors such as solar orientation, thermal mass and ventilation in the construction
of residential dwellings [2]. Fully developed solar architecture and urban planning methods were first employed by the
Greeks and Chinese who oriented their buildings toward the south to provide light and warmth. In India, Fatehpur Sikri,
Agra and Red Fort, Delhi is excellent example of passive solar architectural concepts. Passive solar building design is one
part of green building design, and it does not include the active systems [2].

Green buildings have both tangible and intangible benefits. Most important benefits are reduction in energy and water
consumption from the very first day of occupancy [7]. Green buildings address the most important national priorities which
include water conservation, handling of consumer waste, energy conservation, conservation of resources like wood and
lesser dependence on usage of energy intensive building materials. Green building encourages use of water in a self
sustainable manner through reducing, recycling and reusing strategies. By this means, 30 - 50% of potable water can be
saved [7]. Green practice encourages to segregates the waste generated at household level itself. Green building minimizes
energy consumption through energy efficient artificial lighting systems, air conditioning systems, motors, pumps etc and
using daylight. The use of energy efficient appliances leads to 20 - 30% overall energy saving [7]. Use of alternative and
green fuels for transportation and captive power generation is an integral part of green buildings. Green building projects
encourages the use of recycled and reused material thus reducing the impact on environment. Health, well-being and
comfort are most important aspect of green building. Hence the green buildings ensure use of maximum day lighting and
natural ventilation.

3. Green Building Design Examples

3.1 Hitkarini College of Engineering Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh

This new building is the first building in Madhya Pradesh to undergo green certification (Figure 2). The construction
process of this building incorporated various green buildings practices [8]. Sustainable site planning and design is taken care
by erosion and sedimentation control measures like trenches, sedimentation basins and mulching have been incorporated on
the site, and the dense plantation of trees on steep slopes to prevent erosion. Temporary drainage channels are being
constructed around the construction site to direct pollutant-laden water to a treatment device, thereby preventing
groundwater contamination. Topsoil from the site has been collected and stored; and is re-applied, after adding fertilizers, to
achieve the nutrient content for the healthy growth of vegetation. Compensatory plantation in the ratio of 1:4 of removed
mature trees has been integrated in the landscape plan [8]. Water efficiency is taken care by using fixtures with flow rate
 National Conference on Renewable Energy 2010 (NCRE2010) 
23 – 25 March 2010, Tezpur University, Tezpur 

recommended by GRIHA rating. This leads to 50% reduction in water consumption in the building [8]. Features such as
soak pits and detention basins in the form of water ponds have been incorporated to integrate rainwater harvesting at the
site. Taking cognizance of the lack of sewer lines on the existing campus, the college has followed the norms provided by
GRIHA to treat all waste water on the campus by a decentralized waste water treatment plant. Energy and atmosphere, and
material and resources component is taken care by optimizing the building envelope in the air-conditioned spaces following
the recommendations provided in the draft ECBC (Energy Conservation Building Code) and National Building Code 2005.
Indoor Environment Quality component has been taken care by optimizing building envelope by proper fenestration design,
shading, combination of insulated and double brick cavity walls, and an efficient lighting and air-conditioning system. From
the different measures has taken, it is estimated that the annual energy consumption for cooling and lighting of the building
will achieve a 24% reduction from the benchmark. Thermal comfort criteria as specified by the National Building Code
2005 have been satisfied for air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned spaces.

Figure 2 Hitkarini College of Engineering, first green Figure 3 Rabi Rashmi Abasan, Kolkata, India’s first
building in Jabalpur, Certified by GRIHA [7] completely solar-powered housing complex [8]

3.2 Rabi Rashmi Abasan, Kolkata

This is a housing complex built in Kolkata (Figure 3). It is India’s first completely solar-powered housing complex. The
complex has been built on a plot of 1.76 acres at Action Area I in New Town. The 58 kW project consists of 26
photovoltaic systems comprising 464 units of 125Wp solar modules. The solar modules were customized to fit on the
building roofs. Each home generates 2 kW of power [9]. The solar power generated is used to fulfill electricity needs of the
homes, and the surplus power is sent to the utility grid. This is also India’s first building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV)
project. The building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system saves 0.5 kg of carbon emissions for every kWh of solar power
produced. The houses have both passive solar architecture and active solar energy features. The passive solar features makes
the houses cool during summer, ensure natural light and better air circulation inside the house. The active solar energy
elements also include the solar water heating system [9]. The housing complex also have other sustainable features like
waste management system, battery operated pick-up vans for residents, solar street lights, and swimming pool with solar
water heating system. The complex has been conceived, designed, engineered and built by West Bengal Renewable Energy
Development Agency (WBREDA) and Bengal DCL.

4. Climate responsive buildings of North-East

North-East region is classified into three major climatic zones namely: warm and humid, cool and humid and cold and
cloudy [9]. This classification is based on ambient temperature, humidity, rainfall, wind speed, altitude and solar radiation
and also takes into consideration the physical topography of the region. It also takes care of wind direction, sky condition,
and rainfall (precipitation) [9]. A detailed study on vernacular architecture of north east India have been carried out to
identify the passive design features, orientation and material used etc. It has been found that locally available material like,
processed mud, stone, cane, cane leaves arranged in a particular fashion, bamboo, straw, jute, lime, jiggery, cow-dung and
wood etc are used effectively in construction [2]. It is also found that the peoples are very much aware of the passive
features such as air gap between walls and ceilings, multiple layered false ceilings, variation in mud wall thickness and
material processing techniques, orientation, compactness of houses (surface to volume ratio), size and positions of window
 National Conference on Renewable Energy 2010 (NCRE2010) 
23 – 25 March 2010, Tezpur University, Tezpur 

and doors and use of locally available materials etc [2]. In warm and humid and cool and humid zone; vernacular
architecture shows floor to ceiling height at 15 to 18 feet and the sum of window and door areas are about 50% of the floor
area. The height helps in the formation of natural draft and the windows helps in ventilation [2]. More emphasis is given to
ventilation as relative humidity remains above 80% throughout the year. Buildings of cold and cloudy region are relatively
compact in comparison to the buildings of other two climatic zones and are constructed on south slopes so as to receive
more solar radiation [2].

Bio-climatic charts have been prepared for three bio-climatic zones. These bio-climatic psychometric charts facilitates
overall representation of the climate of the region, which can be used on purely qualitative basis, to arrive at basic passive
design strategies during the building initial design stage, before a detailed analysis is performed [10]. These qualitative
decisions also helps to understand building orientation, surface to volume ratio, thermal properties, construction materials,
fenestration, windows size and shape, sun control and provisions for ventilation, etc. Vernacular architecture provides a
good solution to the climatic constraints of the region [2]. It has also been found that there is more than one approach to
solve the same climatic constraints. The local builders and residents always try to takes into account the climatic constraints,
culture, social, economic and religion, while constructing these built environment [2]. This sort of spontaneous process
leads to a new form of architecture which the people of the region commonly called as ‘Assam type’ [2]. The unique
features of Assam type house are (i) wooden framed wall for anti seismic (ii) tilted roof arrangement (iii) false ceiling (iv)
proper ventilation and (iv) using locally available building materials. This type architecture form is quite simple,
economical, satisfies the social setup, cultural needs and above all, it intelligently meets the climatic requirements [2].

In most of the buildings locally available materials like stone, wood, bamboo, cane, cane leaves etc. are used. Since these
materials are from the same climatic zone, they fit into the local environment perfectly [2]. Use of locally available material
has environmental advantages such as; (i) significant reduction in energy involved in material processing and transportation
(ii) making the structure light, flexible and anti-seismic and (iii) low environmental impact in their production, renewability
and even natural dissolution [2]. It has been found that the different solar passive features available in most of these houses
are related to temperature control and natural ventilation. Vernacular architecture of north-east India establishes relation
between the bioclimatism, socio-economic status, cultural setup and sustainability. Thus this kind of buildings represents an
example towards sustainable building design [2]. From our study, it can also be concluded that occupants have enhanced
control over indoor environments in the vernacular houses because they have the flexibility to control their personal and
environmental conditions in the form of different thermal adaptations [2].

5. Green building rating

Several green building rating systems have been developed to evaluate the energy and environmental performance that
spans the broad spectrum of sustainability of a building. Typically, the buildings are designed to meet building code
requirements, whereas green building design challenges designers to go beyond the codes to improve overall building
performance, minimize life-cycle environmental impact and cost. Green building rating systems are transforming the
construction industry by focusing on high-performance, energy efficient, economical and environment friendly buildings
[6]. All green building rating systems are voluntary in nature. Though energy efficiency is a major component of designing
a green building, several other basic sustainability requirements also need to be met before claiming the building is green.

Recognizing that energy efficiency and waste management are important issues in building sector, National Housing and
Habitat Policy was formulated by Government of India in 1998 [5]. In 2001, Indian Government enacted the Energy
Conservation Act (EC 2001) to promote energy efficiency and conservation. This act leads to the formation of Bureau of
Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the Ministry of Power in 2002. The Act also authorizes BEE to establish an Energy
Conservation Building Code (ECBC). The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) published National Building Code in 2005. It
is mainly focused on structural safety and other design issues of the buildings. However, it did not cover the energy
efficiency issues of the buildings. In 2007, BEE comes out with Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) in India. It is
currently voluntary for private players but mandatory for government owned buildings.

5.1 LEED and Indian Green Building Council

US Green Building Council (USGBC) founded in 1993 and launched Leadership in Energy and Environment Design
(LEED) Version 1.0 in 1998 to promote the design and construction of buildings that are environmentally responsible,
profitable, and healthy places to live and work. They are focused on integrating building industry sectors and leading a
market transformation towards greener construction. LEED is a system for designing, constructing and certifying green
 National Conference on Renewable Energy 2010 (NCRE2010) 
23 – 25 March 2010, Tezpur University, Tezpur 

buildings. It is a voluntary rating program based on which buildings are classified or certified as Silver, Gold or Platinum
depending upon the number of points they acquire within the following building components.

o Sustainable site planning and design

o Water efficiency
o Energy and atmosphere
o Material and resources
o Indoor environment quality
o Innovation in design processes

Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) has been formed in 2001 [6]. IGBC is actively promoting green buildings in India. It
a part of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and comprise of construction companies, architects, product
manufacturers and research institutes. Similar to the LEED rating system, developed by US Green building Council, LEED
India promotes a complete building approach for its sustainability analysis. Currently IGBC provides certification under
LEED India NC Green Building Rating System for new Commercial Construction and Major renovation, LEED India CS
Green Building Rating System for Core and Shell, IGBC Green factory building rating system and IGBC Green home
rating system [6].

5.2 GRIHA

GRIHA stands for Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment, to encourage design construction and operation with
green building principles for new commercial, institutional and residential buildings [7]. This GRIHA rating system is
developed by TERI (The Energy Resources Institute) and accepted by MNRE. It aims to integrate various national
standards and policy frameworks into one building rating system, including ECBC, IS codes such as NBC, IS codes for
building materials, water quality and functional requirements, solid waste handling rules and local regulations etc [7]. The
rating criteria are categorized according to three aspects:

• Site selection and site planning, including conservation and efficient utilization of resources.
• Building planning and construction, including design for efficient use of energy and water, embodied energy use in
the building materials and construction activities, use of renewable or recycled materials, the reuse of water, waste
management, and health well-being and
• Building operations and maintenance, including energy audits and validation, building operations and maintenance
and innovation.

5.3 Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC)

The building sector consumes about 33% of electricity consumption in India, which commercial sector and residential
sector accounting 8% and 25% respectively [5]. Electricity usage in commercial buildings has been growing at about 11-
12% annually. Building sector energy consumption has increased from 14% in the 1970s to nearly 33% in 2004-2005 [5].
Electricity uses primarily in lighting, space conditioning (cooling, heating and ventilation), equipments and appliances.
ECBC is the first stand alone national building energy code. The structure of ECBC is patterned like that of ASHRAE
Standard 90.1-2004. ECBC establishes minimum energy efficiency requirement for building envelope, lighting, HVAC,
electrical system, water heating and pumping system. Building designers can take several approaches to compliance with
ECBC. While they must ensure compliance with mandatory measures, they have flexibility in meeting the prescriptive
requirements. They can comply either by directly meeting the prescriptive criteria, trading off these criteria in a particular
section of the code, based on the trade-off options of that section, or by using the Whole Building Performance Method.
BEE released a revised version of ECBC 2007 in May 2008. ECBC can be only applied to those buildings which has the
connected load of 500 kW or grater, or a contract demand of 600 kVA or greater and a conditioned area of greater than
1000 square meters [5]. The provisions of this code apply to (a) Building envelopes, except for unconditioned storage
spaces or warehouses, (b) Mechanical systems and equipment, including heating, ventilating, and air conditioning, (c)
Service hot water heating, (d) Interior and exterior lighting, and (e) Electrical power and motors. Various reports indicate
that ECBC compliance buildings can use 40 to 60% less energy than conventional buildings. It is estimated that the
nationwide mandatory enforcement of ECBC will yield annual savings of approximately 1.7 billion kWh of electricity [5].
Table 1 presents a few buildings energy performance index at different locations in the country.
 National Conference on Renewable Energy 2010 (NCRE2010) 
23 – 25 March 2010, Tezpur University, Tezpur 

Table 1 Star labeling scheme of buildings

Building Name Location Energy Performance Index Star Rating

(kWh/sq meter/year)
Reserve Bank of India Ahmedabad 143 2 ( **)
Reserve Bank of India Chennai 94 5 (*****)
Reserve Bank of India Kolkata 94 5 (*****)
Reserve Bank of India Kochi 99 5 (*****)

6. Conclusion

Building sector has emerged as one of the largest primary energy consumer throughout the world. Population growth and
housing demand has forced policymakers to compromise on the environmental friendly aspects of the buildings from last
two decades. Global warming and climate change issues has now forced the policy makers to have a fresh thought on the
energy and resource consumption of modern buildings. Throughout the world greenness of building has become the
synonym of environmental and sustainable building. Some of the countries have developed their own methods depending
upon their geographical location and resources; to define and certify buildings. However, most of these green building
rating systems lack in addressing the issues related to their respective socio–cultural and socio–economic. Also most of the
rating systems are available for commercial buildings. The rating system also fails to define the proper monitoring and
verification, after a particular building is certified and also the validity of certification (in years) after which re-certification
needs to be carried out as per enhance standards and certification process.

In India, there are two certification processes viz. GRIHA and IGBC building assessment methods are available for
assessing the greenness of commercial and residential buildings. As of now total 59 building are certified and 17 buildings
are under certification process by IGBC across the country. GRIHA at present certified 2 buildings and 19 buildings are
under certification process. These rating systems are made as unified standards for all the climatic regions of the country.
Since residential sector is the major end-user of the total energy consumption in building sector so more detailed study is
required before putting forth any standards for the whole country. These rating systems also must have scope to address the
various climates of the country along with the socio-cultural and socio-economic norms.

6. References

[1]. US Green Building Council. http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1718. Accessed on 02.02.2010

[2]. Singh M. K., Mahapatra S., Atreya S. K., Bioclimatism and vernacular architecture of North East India., Building and
Environment. 44 (2009) 878–888.
[3]. International Energy Agency. http://www.iea.org/publications/free_all_papers.asp. Accessed on 05.02.2010
[4]. US Energy Information Administration (EIA). http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/country/index.cfm. Accessed on 08.02.2010
[5]. Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). http://www.bee-india.nic.in/ecbc.php. Accessed on 21.02.2010
[6]. Indian Green Building Council. http://www.igbc.in/site/igbc/publication.jsp. Accessed on 05.03.2010
[7]. Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA).
http://www.grihaindia.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14. Accessed on 08.03.2010
[8]. West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (WBREDA). http://www.wbreda.org/publication.htm.
Accessed on 05.03.2010
[9]. Singh M. K., Mahapatra S., Atreya S. K., Development of Bio-climatic zones in North East India., Energy and
Buildings 39 (2007) 1250–1257
[10]. Singh M. K., Mahapatra S. Atreya S. K., Bio-Climatic Chart for Different Climatic Zones of North East India.
Proceedings of 3rd International Conference on Solar Radiation and Day Lighting (SOLARIS 2007), February 7‐9,
2007, Anamaya Publishers, New Delhi. pp 194‐199.

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