How Architects Can Build Sustainability

With Odisha’s Krushi Bhavan being shortlisted for a global architecture award, we look at how architects bring sustainability to what they build.

- Taruka Srivastava

As sustainability becomes a concept that is increasingly being adopted in various fields, it is finding its way into architecture with structures and buildings that minimise their negative impact on the environment. According to the US Green Building Council (USGBC), India ranks third, after China and Canada, with more than 899 green building projects and a total area of more than 24.81 million gross square metres.

The ITC group, for instance, has built four green buildings in India. The group’s luxury hotel ITC Maurya in New Delhi is one of the world’s first and largest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum-rated hotels, and has won numerous awards for being eco-friendly. Among various other initiatives, the hotel recycles more than 90 percent of its waste. The ITC Green Centre in Gurugram too has received a LEED certification from USGBC.

Among public sector buildings, Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan in Delhi, built in 2013 as the office of the Ministry of External Affairs, is designed in sync with its environment and surroundings. The external design of the building, derived from Edwin Lutyen’s era, incorporates features from traditional Indian architecture, while the interior is contemporary and uses state-of-the-art technology.

For instance, insulated walls and ceilings, and double-glazing on windows keep the building cool in summer and reduce air conditioning requirements by 30 percent; solar panels heat water for the kitchens, while mirror optic fixtures, CFLs and occupancy censors ensure efficient energy use.