From stadiums for the Commonwealth Games to Civic Centre buildings, today every new construction aims to be ‘green’. Greening comes at a higher capital cost, but has tremendous potential for savings, and a reduction of the strain on our natural resources in the long run.
The Basic Concept
The concept of green buildings is based on constructing buildings using environmentally sustainable processes, right from the point of design, to construction to end use. The aim is to reduce the impact of constructing a building on the environment, without compromising on the basic requirements of those using the building. 
To achieve this, one must look into site selection and planning, the nature of materials used for construction, design of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), lighting, electrical, and water heating systems, waste management, water management, indoor air quality, and the possibility of integrating renewable energy sources into building design.
Why should I have a Green Building?
As soon as a building is constructed on a particular site, it alters the natural state of the site, and the impacts on flora and fauna, the soil and groundwater are immediately visible, and to avoid this we would have to stop construction altogether. Since this is not an option, attempts must be made to minimise the damage, by substituting lost natural habitat, or providing water recharging mechanisms.
A factor we can completely control however is energy use in buildings, which also accounts for a large share of the total end use of energy (almost 40% of final energy use). In fact, instead of incorporating unnecessary features, which consume too much power, and then providing small fixtures here and there to reduce energy consumption, the aim should be to reduce the amount of energy being used in the first place.
Greening during the different construction phases 
- Pre-construction stage- This would include an analysis of the proximity of public transport, the flora and fauna of the land before construction, the natural landscape and type of soil. For example, over the last year, there has been widespread opposition to construction on the banks of the Yamuna River – an activity which would lead to the destruction of the recharge capacity of groundwater reservoirs, which provide water to millions in Delhi – this would be considered a non-green activity. Similarly, construction of large buildings near Sankey Tank in Bangalore and malls on the Delhi Green-ridge were opposed because they are a threat to the natural habitat of the area.
- Construction phase- One would want to use locally available construction material, use of fly-ash bricks reuse old tiles and stones, provide sufficient insulation in walls, ensure least damage to trees on the site, incorporate passive heating and lighting options, install energy efficient technologies for air conditioning, water heating, and lighting needs, create of rainwater harvesting facilities, among others.
- Post Construction Phase- During the building operation and maintenance stage, constant monitoring and recording of energy and water use, and segregation and recycling of waste is essential.
Codes and Green-ratings in India
In India, builders must adhere to the National Building Code, which unfortunately has no provisions for energy, water or material efficiency standards. The Energy Conservation Building Code has been developed, but it is voluntary. There is a need to develop a comprehensive and mandatory Code, including all necessary facets of construction.
ESCOs (Energy Service Companies) are now involved in Performance Contracting, a method by which the ESCO invests its own money for retrofitting a building with efficient technologies, and is paid 60% of the savings in power costs for a period of five years. This was done successfully for the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
Two green building rating available in India are the LEED (The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and GRIHA (). Some examples of certified green buildings are the Centre of Environmental Science and Engineering at IIT Kanpur (The EPI (Energy Performance Index) of the building is predicted to be 45.43 kWh/m2/annum, which is 41.3% less than the TERI GRIHA benchmark), Suzlon One Earth, Pune, the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, and Thermax Corporate House, Pune.
- LEED (The Leadership in Energy and Environmental DGreen Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessmentesign)- It has its origins in the United States, and is monitored by the US Green Building Council, and LEED-India, monitored by the Indian Green Building Council has been developed for India. LEED provides building owners, architects, consultants, developers, facility managers and project managers the tools they need to design, construct and operate green buildings. These are measurement tools, and not design tools. These guidelines are available for both new constructions and core and shell buildings. Although the initial cost of adhering to the guidelines is higher, energy savings during years of operation compensate for it. Builders who want certification may register their project with LEED by paying a registration fee, preferably at the earliest stages of design. Projects are certified as Silver, Gold and Platinum, in increasing order of compliance with LEED guidelines.
- GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment has been developed by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), to design and evaluate buildings in the inception stage. As with LEED, by following a set of guidelines, builders can achieve reductions in energy usage, water and air pollution, reduce destruction of natural habitat, limit waste generation through recycling and reuse and improve the health of inhabitants. It has been derived from building codes/guidelines developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources, MoEF (Ministry of Environment and Forests), and the Bureau of Indian Standards. Following registration, the guidelines are implemented in design, and rating ranging from one to five stars can be earned.
What will work for India? 
Sustainability in architecture is something that needs to be re-learnt in India, where modern architectural methods have led to a shift from traditional design methods. We design buildings with large glass panes, for their aesthetic quality, but this leads to an overheating of the building and therefore necessitates artificial cooling. Although this might work in cooler climates, it does not work in India. The rationale for energy efficiency in buildings come from the fact that buildings are built to last for several decades, and therefore a few steps taken during construction to ensure efficiency, will provide a lifetime of savings.
Also, it is much harder to make significant changes in buildings once they are already constructed. And there is a great opportunity for savings in India, considering most of our infrastructure is yet to be built. It is estimated that by 2030, 70% of the buildings that exist, would have been built during 2010-2030 , and therefore a careful look at our building practices could lead to a significant reduction in energy use, and related climate change impacts.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building
http://www.igbc.in/site/igbc/index.jsp
http://www.igbc.in/site/igbc/tests.jsp?event=22869
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadership_in_Energy_and_Environmental_Design
http://mnes.nic.in/website-green-buildings/national-rating-system-green-buildings-GRIHA.pdf
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Can I get carbon credits if
Can I get carbon credits if my building is a green building. If yes then how much credit will I get and how ?
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