- Minimize the demand on non-renewable resources and maximize the utilization efficiency of these resources when in use
- Maximize reuse and recycling of available resources
- Utilization of renewable resources.
It maximizes the use of efficient building materials and construction practices; optimizes the use of on-site sources and sinks by bio-climatic architectural practices; uses minimum energy to power itself; uses efficient equipment to meet its lighting, air-conditioning, and other needs; maximizes the use of renewable sources of energy; uses efficient waste and water management practices; and provides comfortable and hygienic indoor working conditions.
The following aspects of the building design are looked into in an integrated way in a green building:
- Site planning
- Building envelope design
- Building system design HVAC (heating ventilation and air conditioning), lighting, electrical, and water heating
- Integration of renewable energy sources to generate energy onsite
- Water and waste management
- Selection of ecologically sustainable materials (with high recycled content, rapidly renewable resources with low emission potential, etc.)
- Indoor environmental quality (maintains indoor thermal and visual comfort and air quality)
Some of the tangible benefits of constructing green are as follows:
- 30–50% reduction in energy consumption
- Up to 40% reduction in freshwater demand
- 40–65% reduction in building water consumption
- 30–40% reduction in operational cost of buildings
Green rated buildings are a sure-fire step forward towards developing an energy secure future for the country, and planning their design, construction, and operation will result in the following:
- Prevent destruction of the local natural habitat and biodiversity
- Reuse of the construction waste material to the maximum possible extent
- Reduce the energy and water demands of the building
- Reduce air and water pollution loads on the community
- Limited waste generation due to recycling and reuse
- Increase occupant productivity
- Enhance marketability for the community as a whole
Also there are many benefits of green buildings and green development. The following are a few :
Environmental Benefits
- Enhance and protect biodiversity and ecosystems
- Improve air and water quality
- Reduce waste streams
- Conserve and restore natural resources
Economic Benefits
- Reduce operating costs
- Improve occupant productivity
- Enhance asset value and profits
- Optimize life-cycle economic performance
Social Benefits
- Enhance occupant health and comfort
- Improve indoor air quality
- Minimize strain on local utility infrastructure
- Improve overall quality of life
GRIHA, an acronym for Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment, is a rating tool that helps people assesses the performance of their building against certain nationally acceptable benchmarks. It evaluates the environmental performance of a building holistically over its entire life cycle, thereby providing a definitive standard for what constitutes a ‘green building’. The rating system, based on accepted energy and environmental principles, will seek to strike a balance between the established practices and emerging concepts, both national and international.This tool has been adopted by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. This tool, by its qualitative and quantitative assessment criteria, is able to ‘rate’ a building on the degree of its 'greenness'.