The state may be hobbled by a severe power shortage, but its capital is home to more green buildings than any other city in the country. Chennai is home to 42 of the 212 structures in India that are certified as eco-friendly by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).
Chennai is followed by Mumbai, with 29 green buildings, and the National Capital Region (28), among cities awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by IGBC. Hyderabad and Bangalore are tied in fourth place with 24 each and Kolkata is sixth with eight.
Tamil Nadu tops the states with 47 green buildings and 57 more have been registered for certification in 2011, a big increase over previous years. Sriperumbadur has three green buildings , Tirupur, two, and Madurai , Salem, Siruseri and Coimbatore have one each.
Among the green buildings in Chennai are the Turbo Energy office complex in RA Puram, Menon Eternity in Alwarpet and Shell Business Service Centre, all with platinum certification, the highest rating. Platinum is followed by gold, silver and certified ratings, based on sustainability, waste management , use of natural resources and indoor environmental quality.
Anna Centenary Library and the new Tamil Nadu assembly building are gold-rated as is Express Avenue Mall.
Viswa Syamalam, a house in Madipakkam, is one of only two individual homes in the country to have received a green rating . It was awarded platinum rating in 2009. The other green home is in Hyderabad.
"People in Chennai have been proactive about green buildings," says Sathiaram Ram, managing director of En3 Sustainability Solutions Pvt Ltd, a green building consultancy in Chennai. "The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is also promoting the concept."
What is a green building?
A green building is one that uses less water, is high on energy efficiency and sustainability, generates lesser waste, conserves more natural resources and has a better indoor environmental quality than a conventional building
Green Is Gold For State Builders
Tamil Nadu Developers Grab Business Opportunity As Eco Buildings Get Popular; Clients Save On Energy, Water Bills
Today's monoliths of concrete, glass and steel will soon be replaced by green, selfsufficient buildings and towns. Eco-friendly blueprints are off the drawing board, hauled onward by energy-saving rafters and photovoltaic louvres on gigantic cranes, as the cities of the future rise from the grime of urban sprawl.
While these new cities are taking shape in China, the United States and various European countries, builders in Tamil Nadu are getting into the act too, constructing ecologically sustainable buildings that generate their own power, stay cool with cornices covered with native plant species that require little water and save electricity with occupancy sensor-fitted lighting.
According to the Indian green building council (IGBC), there has been a sharp increase in the number of buildings in Chennai that have been awarded green certification over the past three years.
Chennai leads the country with 42 green buildings with leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) rating. Only 10 buildings in the city won the rating from 2004 to 2008, while 37 buildings received the rating between 2009 and 2011. Experts attribute this to rising ecological awareness as well as business opportunity: Green certification gives builders a new branding option.
"For a consumer, the green certificate is a third party validation, just like a college degree. They are ready to pay more for a green building," says Sathiaram Ram, managing director of En3 Sustainability Solutions Pvt Ltd, a green building consultancy in the city.
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