Bangalore to get first green exhibition complex

A 4-lakh square-feet exhibition complex is being built by the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers' Association (IMTMA) near Peenya and will be completed by the end of the year. The complex is expected to secure the platinum rating, the highest rating for a 'green' building some time during 2007.

Below platinum comes the gold-rated buildings. A platinum rating is for a new structure built to the necessary specifications and a gold rating is for an existing structure which has been modified to achieve green status.

Green buildings represent the latest technologies and best performance practices, healthy and low-impact development. These building also facilitate performance and enhance the experience for all those who work, live and play in these structures.

The country's first green rated school, built by automobile major Ashok Leyland, is to come up in Hosur, an industrial suburb of Bangalore, but geographically located in Tamil Nadu.

With the idea of conserving natural resources catching up among the Indian corporates, the concept of green buildings has caught on and several firms have come forward to get their projects registered for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating.

These ratings cover the voluntary pursuit of any activity that encompasses concern for energy efficiency, the environment, water conservation and the use of recycled products and renewable energy. In addition to making the business profitable, these activities lead to sustainable development and a healthy economy.

Addressing a CII seminar on 'green buildings' here on Thursday, S Raghupathy, senior director and head CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre, said since 2003 when the country's first green building was commissioned, the concept of green buildings and concern for preserving nature percolated to the employee level at various organisations.

With growing awareness among corporates and employees, nearly 15 green buildings are in various stages of construction in the country, he added.

During the last three years, three buildings in the country have been platinum-rated. They are CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre in Hyderabad, the Wipro campus at Gurgaon, and ITC Green Centre in Delhi. In addition to these, the country has two gold standard green buildings -- Grundfos and NEG Micon, both in Chennai.