Green Quotient Evaluation of Existing Buildings : A Case Study

The construction, characteristics, operation, and demolition of buildings are increasingly recognized as a major source of adverse environmental impact. Without significant transformation of building construction and operations, such impacts are expected to increase with population growth and changes in other demographic and economic factors. One strategy for achieving that transformation is most widely known by the term Green Building[3]. We have gone past the point where going ‘green’ is an option. It has now become an absolute necessity to not only mandatorily construct green but rate Green Quotient of our existing buildings also according to LEED-EB. Existing buildings in Delhi-NCR form the main bulk of the building stock, and they are a significant consumer of energy and water resources, and thus negatively affecting the environment. The International Energy Agency released a publication that estimated that existing buildings are responsible for more than 40% of the world’s total primary energy consumption and for 24% of global carbon dioxide emissions [5]. Undertaking a green retrofit of an existing building brings about both tangible and intangible benefits- reduce the energy and water consumption, improve the building’s indoor environment quality and reduces ‘sick building’ syndrome. In this paper, a case study on an existing building in Delhi-NCR has been presented to inspire all stakeholders in the industry to make a concerted effort to improve the performance of our existing buildings in every sense and ensure a better built environment for our future. Regulations have to be framed by the Govt. for every building to evaluate their green status and thus minimize the negative effects of building industry on the environment.