For Embassy Tech Village in Bengaluru, sustainability is not just an abstract concept-it is something incorporated into everyday work life, confirming why this 106-acre park has been developed as a wholeheartedly green initiative with LEED certification as a primary pursuit. Building 2A was awarded the LEED Gold rating in January 2016 while other buildingsùBlock 7B, Block 5 and WFIS projects-are in the process of LEED certification. On World Environment Day this year, Embassy TechVillage received the Platinum Green Campus certification by IGBC, making it India's first IGBC Platinum-certified, multi-tenanted business parks. Mike Holland, CEO, Embassy Office Parks, shares more on the features and the measures incorporated at the park.
Holistic approach: The project has a holistic approach to sustainability and green building. With a sale area of about 13.6 million sq ft, all the buildings in this campus have been planned and designed for LEED Gold rating; all are G+10 structures. While several amenities have already been provided in the park, a food court with multiple options, a medical centre and gym, crFche, a second food court and a larger fitness centre are among those in the planning stage. With the green approach being initiated at the building conceptualising stage, every design and material selection has been done keeping in mind sustainability and energy and resource efficiency.
Local flavour: Over 20 per cent of the materials used in the project have recycled content, and more than 25 per cent are local or regional, procured from within 800 km of the project site. Moreover, the project has consciously attempted to use low-embodied energy materials, including cement with fly ash, concrete blocks instead of conventional bricks, etc. The intent is to reduce virgin material exploitation and resource conservation and select materials that come from post-consumer or pre-consumer waste streams such as fly ash, quarry dust, etc. The project has minimised the use of virgin materials that have limited supply and can lead to quick environmental degradation.
Smart design: The building envelope design has been planned to reduce heat ingress into the building to minimise air-conditioning loads and, thereby, overall energy use. The fatade design and glazing specifications have been selected carefully to bring in natural light while curtailing the heat. The buildings have been designed such that they can harvest maximum daylight; the floor plates are large to ensure the occupants' connect to the outdoors and reduce the use of artificial lighting as much as possible. The landscaping has been planned to ensure improved air quality around the building with fresh air coming in. Moreover, the landscaping has been done with native and adaptive species to ensure water demand is minimised as much as possible. A sun-path analysis was carried out at the conceptual stage to locate buildings optimally to bring in natural light while cutting off direct solar radiation as much as possible. The focus of HVAC has been energy conservation from day one and the selection of the equipment-including high-COP chillers, high-efficiency fans and variable frequency drives (VFDs) for all secondary pumps, AHUs and cooling towers-were used to minimise energy use as much as possible.
Building energy: The roof and walls have low u-values to ensure minimum heat ingress for better energy performance. Moreover, the air-conditioning design (with high-COP chillers, high-efficiency fans with VFDs, secondary pumps and cooling towers with VFDs, energy-efficient lighting) ensures maximum energy-efficiency. On average, each building saves around 20 per cent energy compared to the ASHRAE 90.1-2007 baselines. Compared to conventional non-green buildings, these buildings will save much more on energy; as these buildings are all pursuing LEED Core and Shell Gold rating, they have been mapped against the stringent ASHRAE 90.1-2007 baselines.
Effective water management: 100 per cent of the wastewater on site is being treated to tertiary standards and reused for landscaping, HVAC makeup and other custodial purposes, thereby minimising the use of potable water for all these applications. The STP plant on site ensures that the final treated water has a BOD level of less than 5 mg per litre and the TSS is 5-10 mg per litre, which is far more stringent that even CPCB norms. In addition, all toilet fixtures selected are ultra-low flow including dual-flush closets, sensor-based urinals, faucets with aerators, and low-flow showers that use 40 per cent less water than conventional fittings. The project also has elaborate rainwater harvesting systems to ensure maximum water conservation. With water playing an integral part in the greening process of the ETV 2A Building, the project has reduced potable water use by more than 50 per cent from the calculated baseline design fixture performance requirements established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 through the installation of low-flow urinals, showers, kitchen faucets, flush-water closets, etc. The STP-treated water is used to satisfy 50 per cent of landscaping water requirements.
Sustainable initiatives: The project faced challenges such as selection of appropriate glass and sourcing of the same; meeting the LEED requirement in the design; energy-efficient design; and selection of appropriate MEP equipment such as chillers, etc. Additional time and budget were allocated for taking a decision on the selection of the equipment and fatade glazing. Further, Embassy Services ensures the maintenance of electromechanical equipment to achieve optimum performance meeting LEED requirements. Yearly audits are done by MEP and LEED consultants to maintain the same.
- SERAPHINA D'SOUZA
Make box Project details Year of certification: 2017 Cost: About Rs 2,500 per sq ft built-up area Contractor: BL Kashyap. Website: www.blkashyap.com. KEF Infra. Website: www.kefinfra.com Architect/planner: RSP Design Consultants. Tel: 080-2559 6868. Website: www.rspindia.net LEED consultant: EN3. Tel: 0860-425 4363. Website: www.en3online.com Structural consultant: Innotech. Website: www.innotechconsult.in Elevators and escalators: PVN Associates. Tel: 044-2252 3032. Website: www.pvnassociates.com HVAC consultant: RSP; Airtron HVAC contractor and air-conditioners: Blue Star. Website: www.bluestarindia.com. Johnson Controls India. Website: www.johnsoncontrols.com Roofing and glazing: Glass Wall. Website: www.glasswallsystems.in. KEF Infra.