Sustainability in the Indian settlement is constant and is based on living practices. The traditional wisdom of building human settlements is known to be tested by time for its sustainability through planning, material and architectural practices. Green architecture increases the energy efficiency while reducing the impact on human health and environment. The term green architecture came into 1990’s, but its roots can be traced long back. The LEED standard is aimed to produce world’s greenest and best buildings by providing developers a checklist of criteria through which the greenness quotient of a building can be measured.
What does it pay to go green?
Going green saves money by reducing long-term costs. The use of natural daylight in office, as well as reducing energy costs also seems construction workers to be more productive. Green buildings also require more planning by engineers and architects than a traditional building.
How to become environmentally responsible?
Green architecture is not only about implementing a solution alone; instead the architects need to work in collaboration for finding solutions that can reduce the carbon footprint. With the increased focus on hazards the buildings are now adopting green initiatives. Cities are now investing in climate action plans with the goal of reducing environmental footprint. It is very important to practice sustainable architecture in India because the practice is mostly non-existent in Indian cities.
Vernacular architecture is an example of building with inherent sustainable characteristics. It is architecture before the architects, meaning domestic. This form of architecture is traditional and energy-efficient.
It’s an alarming situation for all architects, engineers and builders that they should now realize that the building industry consumes 50% of the energy produced in the world. The green architecture will reshape the construction industry in the coming years with more energy-efficient buildings. For more information: http://www.cpkukreja.com/green-architecture/