A 'green' building is a building that, in its design, construction or operation, reduces or eliminates negative impacts, and can create positive impacts, on our climate and natural environment. Green buildings preserve precious natural resources and improve our quality of life. Given below is the list and brief description of seven green buildings in India which are certified by recognized authorities.
1. Suzlon One Earth, Pune
This significantly unique office is designed by Christopher Charles, Pune based architect and has received LEED Platinum rating in 2010. To ignite our eyes, he and his partner came up with the concept “Office in the garden”. Spread over 10 acres, this magnificent structure is one of the largest green building projects of the country and is also one of the India’s first buildings to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified.
Suzlon one earth is 100% powered by onsite and offsite renewable sources. The campus has 18 hybrid wind turbines that fulfil 7% of the total energy consumption, the rest of energy demand is met from offsite wind turbines. The structure is designed in a way to ensure maximum daylight exposure thereby reducing artificial lighting consumption. The infrastructure within the campus is designed to enable water percolation and thereby control storm water runoff thus, contributing towards an increased water table level.
2. Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad
India’s 6th busiest airport, which is situated in the downtown of Hyderabad set a benchmark for the green buildings in India.
The structure of the airport is designed in a way so as to consume less water, electricity and conserves natural resources. Within the campus of the airport, there is a green belt of 273 hectares with numerous plants. In the last couple of years, RGIA has been successful in saving energy for nearly 3.97 million kWh and have reduced the carbon footprint by 3331 tons.
3. CII- Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre, Hyderabad
This architectural masterpiece has set the world’s best example of passive architectural design. The CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Center (GBC) was the was the first building outside of the US to be awarded LEED platinum rating at the time of its inauguration. The building doesn’t let out any waste and recycles it all within. It can be said that building is literally made up of only recycled materials.
4. Infosys Limited, Mysore
Located in the city of palaces, this green building is an awe-inspiring structure is the third Infosys building to win a Platinum rating, taking the total Platinum certified building area at Infosys to 780,000 square ft. The 5 story structure has been built keeping in mind a holistic approach to sustainability in five key areas, including – Sustainable site development, Water savings, Energy efficiency, Materials selection and Indoor environmental quality .The smart mechanism and efficient equipment lead to 40% of less energy consumption.
5. Infinity Benchmark, Kolkata
At the time of its inauguration, this 20 story structure which is spread over 5,60,000sq.feet was 7th building in the world to receive the LEED Platinum rating. The building is furnished with Co2 monitor sensors, rainwater harvesting, waste water recycling system and humidification controls. The exterior of the building is made of brick wall block while the roof comprises of deck thick polyurethane foam for better insulation.
6. I-Gate Knowledge Centre, Noida
Next on the list of green buildings is the Patni Knowledge Centre with the prestigious platinum LEED rating. The building is built over 4,60,000 square ft. in Suburban Noida and is designed in a way that it captures 73% of daylight within the office. Nearly 50% of land is covered with grass which doesn’t let wastes and sewage water go out.
7. Wipro Technologies, Gurgaon
Wipro Campus, Gurgaon is a Platinum Rated LEED certified Green Building by IGBC (under the umbrella of USGBC). The main focus of the design is the inverted cone, strategically located at the cross junction of two roads to give visibility to the building. A key highlight of the building is a controlled, open to sky landscape courtyard that will contribute towards keeping the building cool during summers. All open office spaces overlook the courtyard, thus allowing good access to daylight.