Though India has a massive population, its rate of urbanisation has been relatively low. This is a matter of some concern, con- sidering that India has three of the world’s 20 biggest cities, which are Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi. It also has 23 cities that house populations of more than one million each.Going by established and ongoing patterns, it can be safely said that true urbani- sation has been limited to India’s western and southern regions. However, the process of urbanisation in these parts is limited to cer- tain cities. While this is in itself a serious situation, the bigger problem is the gross imbalance between rural and urban development. It is becoming increasingly evi- dent that agricultural growth is no longer the answer for our rural economy because India’s average yield per hectare is much lower than that of countries like China. Not surprisingly, there has been a steady exodus from India’s rural areas to its urban centres, putting a huge strain on the infrastruc- ture of the latter. This is most apparent in a city like Mumbai. Other Indian met- ros are also buckling under the pressure of steady inward migration.
Rapid urbanisation Rapid urbanisation is fast compromising the urban real estate marketplace. There are real concerns now about what the scenario will be a few years down the line.Gradually, it is being realised that urbanisation must go hand in hand with environ- mental sustainability measures.
For instance, by 2020, India’s demand for commer- cial energy will most proba- bly increase by a factor of 2.5.
India is already unable to meet its energy needs, and rapid urbanisation is not helping. We see the conse- quences everywhere in the form of power shortages and supply interruptions. This growing gap between energy demand and supply sounds an alarm about the need to increase dependence on sta- ble, more environment- friendly energy alternatives, such as solar power. However, one of the prob- lems is that the Indian real- estate sector is divided into players who are serious about sustainability, and those who aren’t. The second group, which is in the majori- ty, has issues with overall profitability, since rendering land and buildings sustain- able costs money. However, the overarching issue has more to do with `change resistance’. The laws of change resistance underline the difficulty in persuading people, corporations and nations to adopt proper sus- tainability practices.
Sustainable buildings At its very root, sustainabili- ty is a process or state that can be maintained at a given level for prolonged periods.
Sustainable buildings are defined as buildings that are designed, built and operated with low environmental, social and economic impact while enhancing the health, welfare and quality of life of the people that live and work in them. With growing inter- national awareness about corporate responsibility, sus- tainability has become a crucial factor in the assessment of the impact of real estate.
Organisations, especially MNCs, are taking an increas- ing interest in the environ- mental credentials of the real estate that they occupy.
Although the demand for higher levels of compliance may initially appear like a threat to owners of large assets, sustainable buildings do not represent a loss in building utility or level of profit. Instead, modern sus- tainable technologies possess proven ability to raise envi- ronmental efficiencies while simultaneously bringing real economic gains. However, to reap these benefits, sustain- able development requires a change in mindset.
Implementation The process of making com- mercial buildings more sustainable is, therefore, akin to embarking on a journey.
Owners and occupiers of buildings must work together to establish goals, undertake audits, and establish where savings and improvements can be made.
However, the foundation of achieving sustainable out- comes is the adoption of sound design and manage- ment principles.
Performance enhance- ments can be achieved by focusing first on high-impact, low-cost solutions that can be implemented within a realis- tic timeframe.
Once the appropriate solu- tions are identified and a business case established, the process of physical works, education and com- munication can begin.
What is clear is that it is an ongoing process of improve- ment, feedback and further enhancement.
In developed nations, there has been a steady increase in the development of sustainable buildings. It is our belief that it is only a matter of time before this market preference towards sustainable buildings in developed markets begins to manifest itself more convinc- ingly in India, as well.
Various starts have been made and the major Indian rating systems are: LEED India by Indian Green Building Council and US Green Building Council.
There are currently 604 buildings registered under LEED India.
GRIHA, or the Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment, developed joint- ly with The Energy Research Institute and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India.
Why go green?
Green buildings are around 25 30 per cent more energy efficient, with gold-rated buildings as much as 37 per cent efficient. Green build- ings use 20 30 per cent less water compared with similar conventional buildings Research by The American Institute of Architects indicates that Green buildings tend to reduce the absenteeism rate by 40 per cent and increase productivity by 5 per cent.
The author is CEO - Business, Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj
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