Page 7 - Shelter - April 2025
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THEME PAPER
industry has become one of It puts on priority the the market. However, it
the key contributors to global concept of waste to resource is to note that a climate
warming, and has the largest and focuses on waste responsive design that
capacity to substantially management and water leverages local materials
reduce carbon emissions conservation practices. The and site conditions
via resource efficient and ultimate outcome of a well- significantly lowers
low-cost interventions as conceived building design the energy and water
well. A deliberate shift from yields a comfortable and consumption of a building,
conventional to building resource efficient structure thereby reducing the initial
green is imperative. that integrates seamlessly
with its natural environment. cost and shortening the
What are Green Buildings? These buildings emerge from payback time of a project
a systematic and collaborative significantly. Moreover, the
Green buildings are a very process where architects, concept of green building
scientific and integrated landscape designers,
response to the challenge of engineers, consultants, and should be an intrinsic
part of the design process
soaring carbon emissions in contractors work in unison
the environment from the across all phases of design, and not a mere add-on
building and construction space planning, material, as renewable resource
sector. A building that is and equipment selection or efficient systems on
designed considering the to commissioning and a poorly designed high
local site conditions and the maintenance. Critical analysis resource consuming
prevailing climatic conditions of every decision taken during structure.
utilises minimum natural a project design is essential • Lack of implementation
resources and relies on locally to reduce the environmental frameworks and incentive
available materials. impact of the project while mechanisms to support
making it cost-effective at the
These buildings are aimed at same time. green construction
minimising the consumption • Lack of green building
of non-renewable resources, Challenges in the materials & technology
maximising renewable Adoption of Green related data: Data that gives
resource integration, and Buildings assurance to developers
implementing the concept on the durability and
of reuse and recycle. The While there are multiple strength of such materials
benefits of green buildings,
design of green buildings lays the market share of these and technology is not
emphasis on:
buildings is as low as 10%in easily available in the
• making maximum use of the country (Goel, M. 2024). market. Most of the green
sun and wind movement, The various issues identified building specific data is
existing vegetation in the adoption of green not available in public
and contours, drainage buildings are as follows: domain that restricts
patterns, efficient building • Myth that green buildings building practitioners
materials and construction are ‘expensive’- coming from adopting a certain
practices, efficient from an era where green innovation in the green
equipment to provide buildings were a new building sector.
visual and thermal comfort
concept, the notion of • Lack of knowledge and
• utilising renewable sources green buildings being awareness among home
of energy. ‘expensive’ still dominates buyers and developers:
April, 2025, Volume 26. No.1 - SHELTER 5
