Principles of Sustainable Design

1.       Understanding Place - Sustainable design begins with an intimate understanding of place. If we are sensitive to the nuances of place, we can inhabit without destroying it. Understanding place helps determine design practices such as solar orientation of a building on the site, preservation of the natural environment, and access to public transportation.

2.       Connecting with Nature - Whether the design site is a building in the inner city or in a more natural setting, connecting with nature brings the designed environment back to life. Effective design helps inform us of our place within nature.

3.       Understanding Natural Processes - In nature there is not waste. The byproduct of one organism becomes the food for another. In other words, natural systems are made of closed loops. By working with living processes, we respect the needs of all species. Engaging processes that regenerate rather than deplete, we become more alive. Making natural cycles and processes visible bring the designed environment back to life.

4.       Understanding Environmental Impact - Sustainable design attempts to have an understanding of the environmental impact of the design by evaluating the site, the embodied energy and toxicity of the materials, and the energy efficiency of design, materials and construction techniques. Negative environmental impact can be mitigated through use of sustainably harvested building materials and finishes, materials with low toxicity in manufacturing and installation, and recycling building materials while on the job site.

5.       Embracing Co-creative Design Processes - Sustainable designers are finding it is important to listen to every voice. Collaboration with systems consultants, engineers and other experts happens early in the design process, instead of an afterthought. Designers are also listening to the voices of local communities.

6.       Understanding People - Sustainable design must take into consideration the wide range of cultures, races, religions and habits of the people who are going to be using and inhabiting the built environment. This requires sensitivity and empathy on the needs of the people and the community.

Finally Received my Certificate................!

 The exam was quite interesting with some mind twister question but happy to score 97 out of 110.

Much more Post related to Green and Sustainable design will be posted shortly 

INTRODUCTION TO GREEN BUILDINGS

Green building is defined as people with healthy, comfortable and safe living, working and activities of the space, while the building full life cycle (material production, construction planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance, and removal, recycling) process to achieve efficient use of resources (energy, disabilities, the water, materials), with minimum impact on the environment of buildings, also known as eco-building, sustainable architecture.

The concept of green building stems from effective utilization of energy resources including sunlight, electricity and water. It is more about sustainability, aimed at creating healthier and more resource efficient models of construction, renovation, operation, maintenance, and demolition.

Typical principles include climate-responsive design, use of local and sustainable materials, water harvesting, etc. Architectural elements like courtyards, clusters, wind towers, roof terraces and jaalis (stone lattices), among others, are used for effective climate control and have become social and cultural elements.

Green buildings are designed to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by:

• Efficiently using energy, water, and other resources

• Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity

• Reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation.

The main objectives of sustainable design are to avoid resource depletion of energy, water, and raw materials; prevent environmental degradation caused by facilities and infrastructure throughout their life cycle; and create built environments that are livable, comfortable, safe, and productive.

Green buildings are not only designed for present use, but consideration is also been given to future uses as well. An adaptable structure can be "recycled" many times over the course of its useful life. If specific technical issues prevent use of the building for a new function, then the materials used in its construction are designed to facilitate ease of recycling and reprocessing of materials.

In a green building, consideration is also given to the construction process itself. Materials that minimize waste or can be recycled help contribute to an efficient and environmentally sensitive construction process. Green buildings are designed to eliminate waste by using modular systems of construction, recycled products, and resourceful use of materials. The ideal green building would create no waste either during construction or use, so the impact on the environment and resources is minimized.

Another important aspect of green architecture is the integration of energy efficient mechanical systems and conservation methods.

Green buildings are designed to reduce or eliminate the dependence on fossil fuels. Further, land use and building orientation also plays a critical role in green architecture. A green building is located to take advantage of its climate and surroundings. These conditions not only affect the efficiency of a building, but of the community and society as a whole. Planning for responsible land use addresses these issues through the consideration of climate, transportation, and the natural environment.

EVOLUTION: Green Architecture began with the first Earth Day (22ND April) in 1970, and has grown in popularity as awareness of the earth’s many ecological problems become more wide spread.

The Energy and Resource Institute plays a very important role in developing green building capacities in the country. TERI came up with a rating system called GRIHA which was adopted by the Government of India as the National Green Building Rating System for the country. GRIHA aims at ensuring that all kinds of buildings become green buildings. the strengths of GRIHA lie in the fact that it rates even non-air conditioned buildings as green and puts great emphasis on local and traditional construction knowledge. THE CESE building in IIT Kanpur became the first GRIHA rated building in the country and it scored 5 stars, highest in GRIHA under the system. It has become a model for green buildings in the country. It has proved that with little extra investment, tremendous energy and water savings are possible. There are various projects which are the first of their kinds to attempt for green building ratings like apartment residential buildings and non-air conditioned buildings.

Measures are being taken to spread awareness about the GRIHA-National Green Building Rating System of India.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) plays an active role in promoting sustainability in the Indian construction sector. The CII is the central pillar of the Indian Green Building Council or IGBC. The IGBC has licensed the LEED Green Building Standard from the U.S. Green Building Council and currently is responsible for certifying LEED-New Construction and LEED-Core and Shell buildings in India. All other projects are certified through the U.S. Green Building Council. There are many energy efficient buildings in India, situated in a variety of climatic zones. One of these is RMZ Millenia Park, Chennai, India's largest LEED gold-rated Core & Shell green building.

The above introduction about Green buildings is just a example why it is required what are the step's which are initiated towards it, it would be my humble request to all the readers to start implementing the Green process on their level............... its not so late but if we don't initiate it might get to late.                                

Thinking to Renovate Your Home or Office.....!

Over the past few years buying a property in cities has been an expensive affair for people, and then the cost of renovation also creates an encumbrance on them. In this article we endeavor to analyze how a person can make a proper renovation planning about design, materials and timing to save time and money. It is not so hard to cut cost with conserving the quality.

The truth is that in renovation, every minute thing adds up, so saving on minor things will save your real money.

Here is a list of action /checklist we need to answer before starting with renovation.

1) Make a Financial plan
 Most of the time we don’t make up our mind and spend more than the budget what we have. Making a budget gives you a package to work with and gives you a   ballpark of liquidity to maintain

2) Make a list of things to do

After setting up a budget, then we can make a list of things what we have to execute. After making a list put the priority notes on them which are very critical and need to be done on precedence, this makes you understand how to allocate the budget.

3)  Make a construction Schedule and breakdown of all the Cost

Ask the Quotations from different vendors to understand the market pricing for each item.
This is the best time for you to decide which part can be put on hold.
Go through the budget line by line and don’t be shy to ask question, this will help you to understand the cost for each item that you are doing
Make the list of items(materials) that can be purchased directly by you.

4) Source your Own Material

Do the market research of each material before sourcing the material. Understand quality, Cost and functionality of the material, all the luxurious material is of no use if not used properly.
When it comes to items such as hardware, light fixtures and raw material, you can often find less expensive options on your own than through a contractor.
Don’t wait until the project has starts to decide what you will and won’t be sourcing on your own. Instead, sit down with your contractor before the project starts, and go through the budget line by line; make sure you know when they will need each item on site.

5) Be smart to Save and Spend
Economical Materials are not bad or good, it depends upon which material is applied where, saving few bucks now will cost you more in future, so before deciding on any of the material make it a point that you go through all the reviews, specifications and cost difference between the two material, if you spend little more on a worthy material, it will give you good returns in future.

You can opt for reused material/furniture which can be refurbished and made as per your requirement, but before opting for resale material make a study of your design and detail i.e. check the room dimension and composition of house because proportion of furniture need to be in ratio with your room.

6) Stay Organized

Be very clear in your cognizance about design and detail, any unnecessary changes made during the renovation can mean additional cost and time.
Be sure about the things which need to be done on priority instead of mixing things at a time. For Example: Do all the civil work at one stroke it helps for removing all the unsolicited and dirt producing items and gives way ahead for other finishing work to start. Never start the finishing work till the dust generating work is going ahead.

  

7) Try and start the work in off- season

Like many industries construction business has demanding and sluggish times each year, you can save between 5% to 10 % on labor cost by starting your project when construction tend to be slow. Not only you can save money but you will get enhanced service from your contractor during your off season. Since contractors are less busy they have more time to meet with you and discuss the thing in detail.

At last if any of the readers doesn’t have time or budget to go for major renovation work right now you may still be able to achieve a great renovation in a trivial budget.
You can make a big impression with more affordable updates like painting, lighting and window dressing, highlighting of the wall with wallpaper etc. So before starting the renovation please keeps these points in mind which may help you to save you time and money.
For any query with respect to the article please contact me at:  santoshgreendesign@gmail.com

IGBC AP........................

Hello Everyone, 

 This is my first blog in which i will share my experience which i am going through while i am preparing my IGBC AP Examination , its been three months i am preparing for the exam which is scheduled on 5th April 2014 .
Many question had raised during the preparation should i give IGBC AP or LEED AP I hope many readers would have the same question or doubt in their mind: if the Answer is Yes ,than you have to answer some simple question to yourself: 1) Why you have to do this Certification? ( just for Knowledge , Getting upraise in job, starting your own practice) 2) What you have to do after this ? ( will change you current Profile) 3) Planning to go Abroad ?  If you are thinking of only first 2 question than opt for IGBC , since IGBC had covered all the topics of USGBC and made the changes  as per the Indian context ,and as compered to USGBC the Examination fess of IGBC is relevantly very less. so the people like me who are thinking to upgrade their skills and are having no plans to go Abroad than IGBC is the best option for you .
Let me tell you the subject what you will be learning i.e. Green Design OR Sustainable Design is not so complicated  the only catch in this subject is about the understanding of the content what it has , you need to understand the content and the methodology which you need   for getting the project certified. So any readers who are new to construction field its a request from my end that please first understand the basics of on site complication and the methods which is been followed in India , this will allow you to understand why the need of IGBC OR USGBC had occurred. Every site and blobs i had gone through,it has only  given links and question with answer or without answer, but let me tell you don't get confused keep it simple , stick to the basics understand the concept rather than mugging the answers available on internet . Start with IGBC site : http://igbc.in/site/igbc/igbcapexam.jsp Top of the page is for the introduction along with the Examination Criteria and fees structure, at the bottom of this page you will get Examination Structure & Content, please go through the details carefully , why i say Carefully because you have to plan you study accordingly .
Make notes of Credit , intent of credit , different methods to achieve a credit .
Methods what i am adopting : Making pointers of:

• Design methods

• Standards and their codes 

• Green Design

• Go through the web site which has question bank and mark some of the tricky question which requires some research and understanding.

• Make a list of question which you will refer before a night of Exam .

Most of the people will think why i had started this blog before giving the exam, the only thing that i want you all to realize that, you will start loving this subject if you adopt the subject and start applying the same in your practice............!

If you have a question, use the contact form and send me. I will answer it in this post, making it available for everyone.