Green colour over buildings, nay “Green Buildings”, IGBC inspires India’s real estate to a new idiom

In a meeting of Real Estate developers, when discussion commenced on green buildings, almost all hundred odd participants raised their hands, saying yes. The presiding person, Anand Mishra was a bit bemused.  However, when the very ‘meaning’ of green buildings was elaborated, almost all had quit the hall! Its implications? See what Harsh Vardhan has to share in this context..

“A green building is the one which uses less water, optimises energy efficiency, conserves natural resources, generates less waste and provides healthier spaces for occupants, as compared to a conventional building,” explained Anand, Co-Chairman of Indian green Building Council (IGBC) Jaipur Chapter. Being passionate on conservation, he cited that he presently has five Green Building projects under various stages of execution in Jaipur alone. 

Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) is part of the apex business organisation, Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). It assists real estate people on Green Building rating programmes, certification services, Green Building training, etc. Anand was CII-Rajasthan President until a few months ago. 

He outlined that today more than 6,000 Green Buildings projects, with a footprint of over 7.36 billion sq.ft., are registered with the IGBC. 

John Jundy plantation (a Mulbury) at TRIMURTY’s Ariana with Anand Mishra (extreme right) inspiring the community to go green, (photo by: Harsh Vardhan)

Of these, 2,024 Green Building projects are certified and fully functional in India. There were only 20,000 sq.ft. green built-up area in the country in 2003. 

Anand is also President of the Tourism & Wildlife Society of India (TWSI), a four decade old organization that saved Bustards from hands of Arab Sheikhs, served Siberian Cranes and is running an Indian Birding Fair at Jaipur’s Man Sagar lake since 1997. He has to canvass hard for adopting conservation norms among real estate barons. Not easy to sail through, he frankly adds. 

Meanwhile, it needs to be mentioned here that Maharashtra, a hub of real estate in India, boasts of maximum Green Buildings in service. 

Rajasthan has 113 registered Green Building projects. Jaipur claims 61 such projects. Some of the prominent green building projects in Jaipur are ITC, Trimurty’s Aurum and Ariana, LIC headquarter, Hero Motocorp at Kukas, NBC, Infosys, etc.  

Anand happens to be the lone gardener, as he cites his role, to plead for planting indigenous species of trees within real estate environs and can pick a quarrel with architects who unknowingly suggest exotics which cannot sustain. He bikes 160 km, runs 21 km and swims in open water for 1.8 km, and for such a trilogy, a winner in Thailand. 

Amazing personality? Isn’t it? Hope if we all could learn something from him!

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