It may soon become mandatory for high-rises in Delhi to use ‘energy-efficient glass’ on their exterior that allow ample sunlight in but keep the heat out, cutting down on use of lights and air-conditioning. The Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC) has sent this proposal, among others, to the Urban Development ministry for approval. “This is a part of the proposal on simplified building bylaws for Delhi,” said a senior official. DUAC chairman Raj Rewal said the plan for any building will have to ensure use of energy-efficient glass, apart from other measures.DUAC had also recommended extra floor area ration for green buildings as an incentive.
The NCR is also going green. In fact, Gurgaon is way ahead of the Capital with 15 such buildings. Five of them have the highest ‘platinum’ certification of the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environ-mental Design (LEED).
One of these, the headquarters of the Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD) is built as green as possible. The building has 7,000 litre storage tanks to save rainwater and solar panels that produce 35KW of electricity per annum, enough to take care of the building’s needs.
But some experts feel that just using energy-efficient glass won’t make a building ‘green’. “Eighty per cent façade of most buildings is enveloped by glass, which lets in a lot of heat. We need design interventions,” said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, Executive Director, Centre for Science and Environment.
Buildings, energy and glass
India aims for greener buildings by design - High-rises in the Capital are all set to become greener.