Green Homes, Smart Homes

History does repeat itself! From the time of the Harappa and the Mohenjodaro
(Indus valley) civilizations, all of us know the kind of structural design and
architecture that were imbibed in each house by the then architects. If we delve
more into this particular civilization, within the cities, individual homes or
groups of homes obtained water from wells. From a room that appears to have been
set aside for bathing, waste water was directed to covered drains which lined
the major streets. Houses opened only to inner courtyards and smaller lanes.
Thus, a proper planning of the city ensured a good living for the citizens.

Not to mention that in those days there was nothing called technology or the
use of IT. However, the present generation needs to be aware that with the
increasing use of technology, there is also growing concerns about the
environment. There have to be some initiatives to protect the planet earth. With
the availability of technology, the need of the hour is to entertain sustainable
green practices.

Given such a scenario, we see a lot of urbanization happening, particularly
in India. What has led to this urbanization has been the increasing use of land,
deforestation, and decreasing water levels. However, proper planning and
efficient utilization of resources would not only bring desired results, but
would also help to address the growing concerns of global warming and climate
change.

So, here we talk about the concept of green houses and what features make a
house green? A lot of builders and developers across India have started to
realize the importance of environment and how important it is to design and
build green homes which would not only require minimum maintenance, but also
ensure a healthy living of the residents. The Confederation of Indian Industries
has taken some major steps that address this situation and promotes the concept
of green building. There are lots of benefits of green buildings. For one, it
reduces the operating costs, increases energy efficiency, conserves water and
natural resources, enhances occupant comfort, and also enhances building value
and marketability.

Syed Beary, chairman and managing director, Bearys Group says, "Green is
essentially nature and green buildings are nature-centric. When we design
apartments and commercial buildings, the focus has always been on how we can
maximize our benefits from the nature. Similarly, we focus on water re-usability
and use water treatment plants and sewage treatment as well. There is no rocket
science in green buildings. Principally at Bearys Group, we have never cut
trees. We have always designed homes around trees and never changed the
contour." One of the striking projects is the first sustainable green building
research park with platinum LEED certification called the Bearys Global
Research Triangle which is to be completed by May 2010. The building is focused
on the efficient use of energy, water, and other resources, protecting
occupants health while also mitigating the buildings overall impact on its
natural surroundings through waste reduction and environmental degradation.

Chandrashekhar Hariharan, CEO, Biodiversity Conservation India (BCIL) says,
"There was a time when people addressed something known as sustainable buildings
and eco-sensitive homes. Green home or green buildings are contemporary
concepts, and is a kind of a response to the threat of excessive abuse of
natural resources which is fifteen to eighteen years old. There are a lot of
institutions working towards it including ISHRAE, LEED System from the mid 90s,
Green Business Council of the US in 1994, etc. Green buildings and homes are
essentially those that offer efficient use of water, energy, the way you
responsibly dispose waste as well as how you can reduce the heat."

Adds Upal Chakraborthy, CIO, DLF Developers, "Our focus has always been to
design homes in a way that they get maximum energy in the form of sunlight, and
hence no artificial lighting is required during the day time." A bit of
technology is also involved while designing homes. The concept of automatic
switching of lights in a room (more commonly found in hotels) is now being
implemented while designing. Adds Chakraborthy, "The concept of automatic
switching of lights is a concept that DLF planned while designing homes. We
believe that a lot of energy can be saved since many people tend to forget about
switching off lights." DLF has also been planning to use motion sensor lights
for such homes which allow shifting and switching of lights with the movement of
the person.

Kamal Sagar, chairman and managing director, Total Environment who is also an
architect by profession says, "There are different ways of saving the
environment. There is a lot of talk about using renewable energy, saving water
while there has been a concern about protecting the flora and fauna." Total
Environment believes that all their buildings complement the nature. The company
has recently started a center of excellence (CoE) for sustainable design
concepts and for advising companies on following green practices. The CoE tries
to take each area every year which is related to environmental concerns. This
year the CoE is working towards water management. Says Sagar, "This way every
year the CoE will figure out all the environmental concerns and work towards it
while designing a building."

Green homes will certainly be the future. But, it depends on how well the
design of a building has been planned and how well the resources can be
efficiently utilized. If our civilization was to end and a new civilization had
to come 2,000 years from now, let the future generation have the same impression
of what we still have for the Indus valley civilization.

PC Suraj

surajp@cybermedia.co.in