The real estate construction sector accounts for nearly 40% of the greenhouse emission reported worldwide. With such an immense impact on the environment, every real estate stakeholder needs to understand the need for sustainable construction methods to mitigate climate change and its adverse consequences. For a start, real estate companies can start with Green buildings to achieve sustainability.
With climate change advancing and having a negative impact on human lives, it is critical to implement new solutions to deal with it. The phenomena related to climate change have forced people to adopt new lifestyles. Adopting green is by far the most important part of the changing lifestyles and preferences of people.
However, adopting a green lifestyle alone won’t solve the problem we are tackling. A more robust approach would be to change the fundamentals of human lives - homes. Unless we change the way we have been building homes traditionally, mitigating climate change risks will not be very effective.
Going by the data, the real estate sector alone contributes 40% of global greenhouse emissions. This alarming rate is enough to understand the gravity of changing the perspective of construction methods, including more sustainable design, material selection, and construction techniques.
In fact, real estate developers around the world including in India, have already started the trend of designing more eco-friendly green buildings. Moreover, such designs are necessary for a sustainable future, while having the least impact on the environment.
A green building is a structure designed to work in harmony with nature. It makes efficient use of its surrounding like land, energy, and water. However, the most important thing is it should be less costly to build and maintain.
Among its characteristic features, energy efficiency is the prime feature that defines a green building. Furthermore, it reduces water use and maximizes the use of recyclable, and non-toxic materials.
Even during its construction phase, a green building incorporates innovative methods and eco-friendly resources to reduce any negative impacts on the environment.
The concept of green building is comparatively new in India. Indian builders throughout the country have started incorporating the concepts quite recently as a new age development feature to attract homebuyers, rather than environmental consciousness.
However, the trend is now changing. Along with the top builders in India, even the smaller property developers have started incorporating it as a renewed mission and environmental responsibility.
From a nascent stage in early 2010, the green construction sector in India has so far tripled in construction areas and values. Expressing it in figures, currently, India has about 10 billion sq ft of green architecture(residential and commercial combined) with a combined value expected between USD 35 billion to USD 50 billion.
According to a survey report by LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and GBC (Indian Green Building Council), Maharashtra tops among the states in housing green buildings, followed by Karnataka and Haryana.
The rapid pace and increased awareness of the importance and benefits of green buildings are already encouraging real estate companies in Bangalore, Delhi & NCR, Chennai, and other metro cities to design and implement more green architectural concepts in residential and commercial spaces.
The GBC has been playing an active role in transforming the country’s architecture into more eco-friendly and sustainable. However, it is critical to understand the need for more strategic and swift transformation. Implementing the green building concept in stages will not be enough to tackle the severity of the problems that it is meant to solve.
The journey must be interwoven into every area of the construction from the beginning for the best results. This is true for all types of construction projects, be it residential, commercial, or industrial.
When we look at the big picture, the products utilized by construction companies in the process play a big part in achieving the target of green buildings. Investing in modern building technology and sustainable construction materials, rather than traditional brick and mortar, can help us get a long way in this attempt.
Furthermore, real estate companies and builders should adopt the practice of sharing the necessary information about Environmental Product Declarations or EPDs with their customers. Moreover, these declarations must be prepared in accordance with global standards and they should be audited periodically by third parties and regulatory agencies.
As one of the best real estate companies in Bangalore, Mana has been a pioneer in conceptualizing the green building initiative, even before the concept started becoming a trend in the real estate market in Bangalore.
Real estate projects like Mana Tropicale and Mana Uber Verdant have been the landmarks for green buildings in India. However, the magnum opus project is undoubtedly Mana Foresta, which redefines the concept of green building and urban forestry in India.
The 14-storey residential tower is dotted with green trees on every corner and stands tall on a lush green landscaped premise. Mana Foresta is the culmination of futuristic design and sustainable architecture - a milestone in itself.
Green buildings are not only the need of the hours but also a way to ensure a better future. By implementing green architecture in accordance with global norms, real estate developers can play a huge role in gifting a better and more beautiful place for posterity, not to mention the climate change risk mitigations.