Features of a Green Building

If you are an architect, an engineer or a professional working in the construction domain then you must be aware of green building. In case you are hearing this term for the first time, then this write-up will act as your guide. Let’s begin with the basic definition of green building. When resource-efficient techniques are used to construct buildings that put less impact on the environment and have affordable maintenance charges then it is termed as a green building. In this type of construction, we understand that the building environment can have both negative as well as the positive impact on nature and people. So, it enhances positive impact and decreases the negative effect throughout the building life cycle. Solar lighting and other environment-friendly solutions are used in this type of building. Adhering to the green building concept and standard allows us to lower water and energy costs and decreases greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, there are numerous other benefits of green building enumerated below.

Vapour barrier and airtightness in the building walls and surface

Walls in the green building keep out the humidity and moisture from the outside and that makes the building naturally cool. As a result, it saves electricity consumption, costs and minimizes the usage of air conditioning systems.

Enthalpy recovery of exhaust air

Enthalpy wheel is a device that recovers cool air from inside and utilizes the coolness of the spent air to fresh air from the outside. The air from outside gets dehumidified in this process. It is a cost-effective method of improving indoor air quality and minimizing energy consumption by air conditioning systems.

Occupancy sensors

In occupancy sensors, the lighting system turns on when it senses the presence of people in the room. The same technology has also been used in the escalators that get activated when people stand on them. Many big brands offer products with smart lighting controls and occupancy sensors, which makes the entire lighting system energy-efficient and eco-friendly.

Daylight-controlled lighting systems

Daylight-controlled lighting systems contain sensors that can detect daylight. Based on the astronomical time-clock, these sensors function to switch on lights when natural daylight is not sufficiently available. So, the usage of artificial lighting during the daytime is minimized. It prevents misuse of electricity when occupants forget to turn off the lights when not required.

Rain-water harvesting

In green buildings, some structures catch rainwater and gather them in huge containers. The collected rainwater is then used in toilet flush, for watering plants and supplying water to cooling towers, etc.

Materials recovery facility (MRF)

Materials recovery facility is one of the best features of green buildings. In MRF, the building’s garbage and wastes are segregated into biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes. The recyclable, non-recyclable, hazardous or special wastes are kept separately. Then the biodegradable waste is composted and used as fertilizers.

Vegetation

In green buildings, an unpaved portion of the building is left for vegetation. This decreases the heat urban island effect. This effect is caused in urban areas because the concrete surfaces in these areas absorb heat from the sunlight and radiate it to the environment. In this era of development, municipal corporations of big cities, the building councils and members from the construction industry should focus on creating more and more green buildings. Architects and engineers need to pay attention to everything used in these buildings, whether it be the use of plywood to the installation of lighting fixtures. They can use trusted products offered by brands like Wipro Lighting for meeting the illumination requirements.