The US Environmental Protection Agency defines green buildings as “the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life cycle.”

This brings us to the concept of “Green Buildings” and the positive effect they can have on the health and productivity of occupants. The World Green Building Council lists certain features that make a building green. These include:

The efficient use of resources, ensuring worker health, increasing productivity, and reduction of harmful impact on the environment requires a holistic approach that takes into consideration construction materials, building architecture, and the need for sustainability.

One of the major areas of focus in workplaces these days relates to health and wellness of employees. Design of buildings incorporating green features can have a substantial effect on employee health, thereby inculcating a more productive environment. All this ultimately leads to sustainable value creation in the long run.

Source: https://www.gbca.org.au/green-star/why-work-in-a-green-building/

Green Buildings: Features and their benefits

There is suggestive evidence that “green” buildings have positive effects on the occupants as compared to conventional buildings. Thus, at workplaces, green buildings reduce sick time and improve employee well-being. A spinoff is increased productivity. Green buildings tend to focus on the basics like lighting, ventilation, biophilia, etc. Though many of these features tend to overlap and work in conjunction, the synergy has a positive impact on the inhabitants.

Some of the features of green buildings that have an effect on employee productivity:

Productivity through Well-Being

The well-being of employees is being recognized as one of the major drivers of productivity within an organization. Providing a harmonious work environment cuts down absenteeism, reduces sick downtime, and improves worker engagement. The result is a quantifiable improvement in productivity.

Green buildings are now moving beyond energy efficiency and integrating health and wellness features in an effort to focus on employee harmony and prosperity. The goal is to boost productivity, foster innovation, and reach a stage where employees are satisfied with their jobs.

Pioneering by example: Sehgal Foundation’s headquarters “Green” building

The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is an important tool to raise awareness on making workplaces safe and promote worker well-being. This day is being promoted as part of the Global Strategy on Occupational Safety and Health. One of the ways this initiative is being conceived is through holistic work environments made possible by green buildings.

S M Sehgal Foundation (Sehgal Foundation), a rural development NGO, has constructed its headquarter building in Gurugram, Haryana, according to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum standards set by the Indian Green Building Council and the U.S. Green Building Council.

Sehgal Foundation’s green building includes features like photo-voltaic solar panels on the rooftop generating 35 kW of electricity; solar water heaters; shading devices; a rainwater harvesting storage tank of 800,000 liters; onsite recycling of gray and black water; groundwater recharging (zero runoff site); courtyards maximizing natural light and ventilation; recycled wood; various endangered plant species; use of in-situ bricks; maintenance-free exteriors; insulated walls; use of rapidly renewable rubber wood and bamboo; double-glazed glass, and a highly reflective roof finish, among others.

The founders, Dr. Suri Sehgal and Mrs. Edda Sehgal, envisioned the use of “green” design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the building to be in keeping with the organization’s mission to promote sustainable development and reduce the building’s impact of human health and the environment. Most of the technology used in the building is about common sense, and only a small part deals with sophisticated technology. With intelligent designs such as that of the Sehgal Foundation building, almost 50% of the electricity cost can be brought down.

The incorrect notion of the high cost of green buildings is a myth. Sehgal Foundation’s green building clearly shows that a sustainable project requires little or no extra expenditure and aligns with the organization’s mission to achieve positive social, economic, and environmental change.

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Our generation is leaving a massive footprint on the planet, rapidly accelerating global warming. Environmentally unsustainable buildings lead to fast depletion of fossil fuels, water, and other natural resources. Therefore, the need of the hour is to carefully manage the earth’s resources and reverse this negative impact. The term “Green Building” does not only apply to construction but also to construction strategies, design, operations, landscaping, maintenance and more. Green Buildings are designed and constructed to use less energy, water and other natural resources; create less waste; and provide a healthy working environment.

In 2009, the World Green Building Council conceptualized and implemented their campaign “World Green Building Week”. The idea was to encourage green building practices and address issues such as global warming and climate change. September 17-21 2012 marked the fourth annual World Green Building Week. Educational events, conferences, tours and gatherings were organized across 90 participating nations.

Sehgal Foundation, a rural development not-for-profit organization, housed in a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified platinum-rated green campus in Gurgaon, also marked the importance of the Green Building Week. Sehgal Foundation arranged educational tours for schools and colleges to promote the Green Building concept; educate students about easy to adopt green habits and technologies; and inform them about the features of Sehgal Foundation’s Green Building. Shiv Nadar School, Manav Rachna International School, Lady Irwin College and School of Planning and Architecture participated in Sehgal Foundation’s celebration of the World Green Building Week.

Ms. Pooja Sharma, a teacher at Shiv Nadar School, noted that “The students had theoretically talked about concepts like Rainwater Harvesting but, only some of them had first-hand experience of seeing this in action. The students were astonished to know that such concepts can be implemented at such a large scale.”

Sehgal Foundation’s Green Building is surrounded by high-rises in the millennium city Gurgaon. Sehgal Foundation Green Building’s simple design and environment friendly technologies make it unique. It is the eighth Green Building in India and the first in the development sector to receive the Platinum LEED certification from the United States Green Building Council in 2009, a distinction enjoyed only by a handful of organizations in India.

Through its Green Building, Sehgal Foundation leads by example, hosting green features like photo-voltaic solar panels on the rooftop generating 35 kW of electricity; solar water heaters; shading devices; a rainwater harvesting storage tank of 700,000 litres; on-site recycling of grey and black water; groundwater recharging (zero runoff site); courtyards maximizing natural light and ventilation; recycled wood; various endangered plant species; use of in-situ bricks; maintenance-free exteriors; insulated walls; use of rapidly renewable rubber wood and bamboo; double glazed glass and a highly reflective roof finish, among others.

Sehgal Foundation provides a platform for students, individuals and organizations to witness and experience the Green Building features in the hope that this concept inspires them to adopt a few, if not all, environment-friendly initiatives.

Tell us how you plan to do your part, how will you reduce your carbon footprint?

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