GRIHA
NEWSLETTER
 
June, 2021
 
 
         
  Message from CEO
Mr. Sanjay Seth, CEO GRIHA Council
 
With the ongoing pandemic continuing to confine us to our homes, we look with hope toward a gradual return to our workplaces in the coming days as the situation shows signs of improvement. Meanwhile, the activities of GRIHA Council continue unabated with our colleagues conducting site visits, orientation workshops, developmental activities and project reviews from the safety of their homes.

A marked increase in the uptake and acceptance of green buildings is also on the horizon, as awareness about environmental issues gains momentum. The percentage of new buildings opting to adhere to sustainability norms is steadily on the rise. Apart from creating green housing projects of its own, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had earlier come out with draft regulations for incentivizing green buildings as part of the Master Plan of Delhi 2021. Recently, DDA has also introduced requirements for building green on newly opened up real estate, and we hope that we continue to see this shift toward greener infrastructure moving forward.

The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India has been exceptionally severe, and continues to extract a heavy toll. While we slowly work toward making a recovery, I would once again encourage everyone to adhere to safety and sanitation protocols, and avail of vaccines wherever possible. Together, we can look forward to a gradual return to normalcy in the coming weeks and months.
 
  Message from Secretary & Treasurer on Environment's Day
Ms. Shabnam Bassi, Secretary & Treasurer, GRIHA Council
 
The rapidly changing climate of our planet has resulted in an ever-growing need to invoke action. The awakening of our society to this need for climate action has been the driving force behind a multitude of global initiatives and agreements focused on sustainability, de-growth, restoration and decarbonisation. This year, the World Environment Day is centred around the theme of 'ecosystem restoration', focussing on resetting our relation with nature. In a post-COVID-19 world, it is now clearer than ever that the protection of the natural world is of paramount importance. Emerging from the initial onslaught of the pandemic presents us with multiple opportunities to re-build a world where nature and biodiversity are restored, and the building industry must play a key role in rebuilding communities with sustainability and efficiency at their core. The sector has the potential to proactively drive a green recovery and support a climate-resilient future. It can deliver employment and economic growth through the improvement of existing built assets and by ensuring that new construction has the smallest possible environmental footprint. A large percentage of the buildings expected to exist in India in the near future are yet to be built, and our focus needs to remain firmly on building green. On the occasion of the World Environment Day 2021, GRIHA Council renews its pledge to work toward promoting sustainability in the construction sector, and we look forward to a society with increasingly resilient and regenerative built infrastructure.
 
 
  E-course on GRIHA Version 2019
  DDA offers extra FAR to GRIHA rated projects
 
Agricultural belts in Delhi’s villages will soon be opened up for private real estate development under the Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) new Green Area Development Policy, and sustainability is poised to be a cornerstone of the plan. According to Bhupender Bazad, President of the Delhi Master Plan Committee, "For larger plots, 15-45 per cent of the plot area must have trees, and the buildings must have GRIHA certifications”.
 
 
  GRIHA Five Star Final Rating awarded to Headquarters Building for Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)
 
The project has demonstrated 53.20% reduction in energy consumption compared to GRIHA benchmark. 54% of building water demand has been reduced by installing low flow plumbing fixtures and 40% of water savings was achieved in landscape water requirement through use of highly irrigation system. Furthermore, 75% of the habitable spaces are day lit and meet the daylight factors prescribed by the National Building Code of India.
 
  New products have been enlisted in the GRIHA product catalogue
Company name: FastBuild Blocks Pvt. Ltd.
Product name: AAC Block
Product typology: Building Block
Company name: Atomberg technologies Private Limited
Product name: Gorilla Version – 2 [Efficio 1200mm] ceiling fan
Product typology: Ceiling Fans
  Editor's choice
 
Coronavirus Lockdown in India Results in Reduction of Air Pollutants
The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in India has resulted in environmental benefits, including a significant reduction of air pollutants such as black carbon aerosols, which can pose an adverse risk to human health, according to a new Cal State Fullerton study.

Environmental engineer Sudarshan Kurwadkar is a co-author of the research, published May 10 in the journal Air Quality, Atmosphere, and Health. The study documents how the strict coronavirus pandemic lockdown resulted in a significant reduction of atmospheric concentrations of black carbon and other air pollutants in India’s major urban cities.

This paper reported the overall decrease in black carbon and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons before and after the lockdown. These findings are critical to driving home the message that even short-term interventions can dramatically impact the environment and reduce inhalation of air pollutants, said Kurwadkar, professor of civil and environmental engineering.
This School Made of Sandstone in the Middle of The Thar Desert Needs no ACs
The architect says the oval shape kept coming up in her initial drawings, and that is how the ellipse structure was finalised. She adds that the shape also made practical sense, as it would reduce the distance between the different sections in the building. Having a courtyard for the building was familiar to Indian culture.

“The oval shape works, as it symbolizes womanhood across many cultures. The symbol projects infinity and complements the landscape of dunes that merges with the school. It is also how the children play in circles or the women work in a community. The close circles of a community, like the extended aunts, uncles and relatives, are unique to Indian culture,” Diana tells The Better India, adding that the curves blend well with the forms of the forts that are round in Jaisalmer.

The elliptical shape of the structure also helps bring aspects of sustainability. “The canopy and the jalis filter the sand. They keep the sun and heat out. The pattern of airflow inside the building naturally cools it down,” she says.
Dr. Binish Desai’s Innovation Converts Recycled Medical Waste Into Bricks
In April 2020, when the nation was under lockdown, Binish was immersed inside his home laboratory. “Initially, everyone was talking about how the lockdown had helped reduce pollution, but I could only think of what the rising demand for PPE suits and masks would lead to,” the young innovator said. He collected a bunch of used masks from his own family and started studying the material they were made of, checked their tenacity and explored various combinations of binders with small prototype experiments. He decided to create a brick with a ratio of 52% PPE + 45% paper waste + 3% binder, Binish concluded after his prototype experiments.
  CLF- Join the movement to decarbonizes the built environment
 
On the 29th of May, Mr. Sanjay Seth, the CEO of GRIHA Council participated in the event organised by Carbon Leadership Forum with the goal of decarbonising the built environment. The global efforts of the CLF are supported by architects, engineers, contractors, material suppliers, building owners, and policymakers who are concerned about the environment and are taking bold strides toward eliminating the carbon footprint of built infrastructure. The event saw eminent experts from across the globe discuss key issues such as embodied carbon, the importance of LCA and EPD and decarbonisation in an Indian context. A regional hub for the CLF in Bengaluru, the first of its kind in India and the second in Asia, was launched during the event.
 
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