Green building and sustainability are mere nomenclatures

The underlying concept of both these terms are the same, it all revolves around safeguarding the environment and building more with less amount of natural resources says Nilesh Gandhi, Principal Architect, Metadesign Architects.

Green buildings and sustainability are two words we hear intermittently in the building and construction industry, is it same or different?
They are mere nomenclatures, depends on who is using it! A more inclusive word is sustainability, while a lay man or novice would identify as green buildings.! The underlying concept is the same, it all revolves around safeguarding the environment and building more with less amount of natural resources.

Horizontal expansion vs vertical sky rises, what role does alignment play when it comes to aiding the tenets of sustainable buildings?
Alignment or a “passive measure”, is the key to define the sustainability quotient. While vertical expansion though expensive leaves us with much more ground space available, horizontal expansion being cost affective, is not possible in metros or urban context. It is a complete factor of available space and the context in which the building is built.

How can green buildings aid health and well-being unlike the regular buildings?
Energies are at play, the very effort gone into making a green buildings, contributes by way of the mind effort gone in achieving the goal. Apart from the physically better characteristics of better air quality, leading to enhanced productivity or organized operations that save a lot of redo and maintenance efforts in the long run, green building contribute heavily towards the health and well-being of occupants.

Does it mean going green always has to be expensive or is it a farce, can you validate the argument?
Yes, that’s a farce, it’s the same case of making `16 a minute calls decades back and for a meagre amount now. As the awareness and reach of green buildings expands, the costs which were beyond 10-15 per cent decade back have now dropped to less than five per cent.

Can you cite an example of a building which epitomizes the codes of green building and sustainability?
The NMSEZ IT Towers in Uran, Mumbai, The Platina building in BKC, Mumbai, or the First pioneer building the CII-Godrej building in Hyderabad and several others are beating benchmarks and creating green buildings, nearing to Net Zero Buidlings.

One of the projects which I was involved in recently was Dedhia El Canto based in Thane. The project is one of the premium residential developments of Dedhia Group. The landscape design was projected for three different areas. The inspiration of the concept of the design had to be contained within the framework of musical elements. We have aimed at harmonizing music with the natural layers of the environment to create a musical experience for the viewer.

This process of integrating music with landscape was done with the objective to create different forms and design capturing and inviting the attention of the residents motivating them to come outdoors and fall in love with the different elements of nature and everything that it has to offer. Sinofa, being the recreation zone is all about the colourful foliage, tranquillity and expansive garden. It is a perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. This zone covers over 1,000 sq.m which include several indoor games with chess, carom, table tennis and karaoke room that seamlessly flow together. It also includes tranquil water feature and tunnelled pathway on the podium.

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