GREEN BUILDINGS

Subject: Environment

Context : The Vice President of India, virtually inaugurating the 12th GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) Summit, organized by the GRIHA Council from Hyderabad.

Concept:

• Quoting the World Green Building Council data, the Vice President said that buildings and construction account for 39% of energy-related CO2 emissions in the world and called for accelerating the process of total de-carbonization of the built environment.
• Opining that the roof cooling should be an area of priority for all, he mentioned that in India, over 60 percent of roofs are made from metal, asbestos, and concrete – thus trapping heat inside buildings and contributing to heat island effect in urban areas. cool roofs can lower indoor temperatures by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius as compared to traditional roofs.
• Observing that the implementation of Bureau of Energy Efficiency’s Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) has not been uniform across the nation, Shri Naidu appreciated the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for taking a lead in this regard.
• GRIHA Council has developed the Building Fitness Indicator (BFI) tool – a free-to-use self-assessment tool that allows organizations to measure the preparedness of workplaces to prevent exposure to COVID-19.