KIRBY: building sustainable and green innovations

The company takes all the norms of green buildings into consideration during its design stage itself so that the end user will reap the benefits leading to saving on raw material and natural resources
A green building is one which consumes less water, conserves natural resources, optimises energy efficiency, generates less waste and provides good working environment when compared to a conventional building. Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) is the agency in India that certifies the existing buildings such as corporate offices, hotels, hospitals, airports, IT parks, SEZs, townships, gated communities, residential buildings, government offices, schools, colleges, factories (manufacturing facilities), etc. with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification as per green building standards from the U.S. Green Building Council.
IGBC, formed by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in 2001, is continuously striving towards wider adoption of eco-friendly, green building concepts in the Indian industry. IGBC promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability, based on the performance in the following five key areas – sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality
Real estate is a significant contributor to global warming due to extensive use of energy causing greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions. This has made very crucial to develop sustainable building technologies and green buildings. Though penetration of green construction is still minimal in India, the concept of green construction has caught the fancy of many stakeholders and has a lot of potential in coming future. The currently prevailing buzzword “green” has also instigated to develop products that are green in nature as more and more real estate developers, owners and architects are adopting this concept to develop sustainable and green buildings. Moreover, many of the experts have got the impression that green projects are costlier than regular ones. But the price difference is very minimal and is easily recovered over subsequent years of usage and the benefits provided by the project.
Pre-engineered steel building (PEB) is one of the first choices when it comes to sustainable and green buildings. Kirby Building Systems India Ltd (Kirby India) is in the forefront of this innovation and is leading the revolution of green construction in the country through its PEB technology. Steel is the preferred material for all prefab structures and PEB use steel which is more than 90 per cent recyclable. These buildings are cost effective, energy efficient and provide better quality environment as they are cooler in hot conditions due to the favourable roofing material and natural ventilation. The use of sky lights and solar panels on rooftops will meet daylight and captive power requirements and at the same time reduce emissions and gain carbon credits under clean development mechanism. Effective usage of insulation material, louvers and other materials also help in making PEB one of the most preferred green buildings.
Kirby India designs buildings as per national and international standards like AISC, AISI, MBMA, IS, etc. through its proprietary software and other standard packages. The company takes all the norms of green buildings into consideration during its design stage itself so that the end user will reap the benefits leading to saving on raw material and natural resources. As per green building norms, all the buildings should have certain percentage of natural lighting, air ventilation, very minimal VOC content in paint consumption, SRI value of roof sheeting, etc. Kirby India supplies its buildings with all these conditions but based on the customer’s requirement. All the materials supplied by the company are easily recyclable and none of materials are harmful to the environment. The company is also a member of IGBC and is always looking forward to be a part of green buildings and eco-friendly products.
Kirby India has already supplied PEB to many of its clientele that satisfies all the green building norms laid down by IGBC. Some of the clientele include ITC Ltd, IMTMA – Bangalore (Bangalore International Exhibition Centre), SKF Technologies – Mysore, Zahoransky Moulds & Machines Pvt Ltd – Coimbatore and many more. Because of increasing demand, more and more manufacturing companies are now realising the importance of incorporating sustainability within their overall business strategies.
IMTMA building is an exhibition hall is awarded with the prestigious “LEED Certified” rating for Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) by the U. S. Green Building Council for its environmentally-friendly design. Similarly, SKF Technologies facility at Mysore has achieved Gold Rating and Zahoransky Moulds & Machines Pvt Ltd facility at Coimbatore has received Platinum Rating. All these PEB buildings are supplied by Kirby India and many such facilities across India are green in nature and have received IGBC certification.
Kirby Building Systems India Ltd (Kirby India) has a capacity of 200,000 MT per annum with Hyderabad and Haridwar each having an annual capacity of 100,000 MT respectively, thereby making the company a leading player in the Indian PEB market. Kirby India has over 27 sales offices and a network of more than 100 certified builders to cater to the erection procedures as per the international standards capable to handle any type of complexity under adverse site conditions. The company has served over 4,500 customers with more than 15,000 buildings spread over an area of 20 million sq.m. since its inception. Kirby India has the privilege of partnering who’s who of corporates both from national and international front operating across all industry segments by setting up their facilities in India and across the globe.
Over the years, Kirby India has evolved from a mere manufacturer of PEB to a total solution provider that is capable of supplying a packaged solution for all building requirements maintaining international quality standards and fulfilling the entire customer demand. Like a true leader, it has constantly tried to set new standards in the PEB industry. Its buildings have stood the test of time, time and again against all odds – manmade and natural.

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