GOING green or not?

“Eco-friendly or ‘green’ buildings not only improve energy efficiency but also improve lifestyles. Besides, if used in industries, green structures can apparently increase the industrial output manifold.”

With a large population and limited land space, Bangladesh’s real estate industry is booming.
But the country is yet to adopt any index or standard to comprehensively assess a building’s environmental impact.
As a result, countless structures have mushroomed across the country, thanks to real-estate developers who think nothing of destroying greenery for the sake of the so-called ‘development process’. Ironically, they term these structures ‘green’ buildings, though there’s nothing eco-friendly about them.
Studies, however, show that eco-friendly or ‘green’ buildings not only improve energy efficiency but also improve lifestyles. Besides, if used in industries, green structures can apparently increase the industrial output manifold.
“The problem is, we don’t truly understand the concept of eco-friendliness of green buildings,” said Mahfujul Haque, the principle architect of ‘Shatotto’, a firm known for designing eco-friendly landscapes.
According to him, ‘green’ architecture means reducing building operating costs, such as energy consumption and maintenance, by incorporating solar power and rainwater harvesting.
“However, in Bangladesh, the meaning has boiled down to planting some green trees on rooftops and balconies,” he said, adding that this practice neither serves the purpose of reducing operational costs nor of improving environmental efficiency.
Haque pointed out that people usually think that eco-friendly structures are expensive and luxurious. “If you look at the so-called eco-friendly buildings or resorts, you will find that their rents are way higher than that of the conventional buildings. This happens because the ‘green’ part of the building is just a show. It does not serve the real purpose,” he said.
Haque explained that an eco-friendly structure should not need an artificial air-conditioning system or artificial light in the daytime. “Yet, all the so-called eco-friendly buildings have ACs and need artificial light during the day. This increases electricity consumption, and thus, heats up the building,” he said.
Sarwar A Sunny, a US-based Bangladeshi engineer and the founder president of Bangladesh Green Building Council (BGBC), told The Independent that the problem with going green with buildings is that the conventional construction methods have worked just fine so far. Many people wonder why they should choose eco-friendly construction over the conventional one as most of them have grown up in conventionally built homes, he pointed out.
 Climate change
“However, things have changed a lot in the last two decades. Not only is energy becoming increasingly expensive due to the growing demand, but humanity is perhaps facing its greatest challenge in history—climate change—which is, in the first place, a result of human actions. This is where eco-friendly construction comes in,” he said.
He said the financial benefit is not the only reason why people are becoming increasingly interested in environment-friendly homes. Reduced energy consumption automatically reduces the carbon footprint and helps reduce the human impact on the envi ronment. “Besides, for industrial buildings, operational costs could have been lower had the structures been really green,” he added.
A recent study report has revealed that many buildings require extra cooling because of inappropriate metal roofing that radiates heat. Others need extra electric lights because poor design means a lack of natural lighting, which can exacerbate cooling problems.
Another research report has said that more than 70 per cent buildings in the readymade garments (RMG) and textiles sector are constructed poorly, resulting in 30 per cent extra electricity consumption.
It was found that the humidity range was above 85 per cent in many factory buildings, while the global permissible standard is 60 per cent at the most.
The yearlong study jointly carried out by the architecture department of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), run by the German government, suggested that green retrofitting would help the sector by reducing energy consumption and yield a higher industrial output.
It would also minimise the negative environmental impact of the existing textiles and garments factory buildings.
The study also revealed that most of the garments factories in Bangladesh suffer from high thermal gains because of rooms of inappropriate dimensions. The noise, ventilation and other aspects affecting the workers’ comfort are not considered either during the construction of factories, which hampers their efficiency.
The study carried out at a number of RMG and textile factories found that 46 per cent of the workers have been suffering from chronic headaches while 27 per cent have been suffering from severe eye pain because of a lack of lighting.
It was found that workers preferred natural light to electric lights, and those who worked in natural light produced more garments with fewer defects.
 Energy domain
Sajal Chowdhury, one of the research architects from the BUET-GIZ project, said a factory building’s performance is hardly checked before construction. “Building performance modelling, a mandatory requirement in many countries for constructing factory buildings, is still considered an optional design phase in Bangladesh,” he said.
He added that the step was essential to make the most of natural resources like wind and daylight. “Our study found that with an efficient design, it is possible to achieve far better output with less energy consumption,” he said.
Some RMG manufacturers are now realising the efficacy of the green structures. The sector is moving towards green building initiatives to impress the growing tribe of eco-minded international retailers, and, in the process, grabbing more work orders.
According to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers’ and Exporters’ Association (BGMEA), a number of garment factories in Bangladesh has already received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the United States Green Building Council.
A total of 150 factories are in the queue to receive the LEED certification, as they have already passed the selection criteria, according to the BGMEA.
Terming this a “success”, Sunny said Bangladesh has just started on the right path. “The LEED certification is obviously a standard. However, to popularize the eco-friendly concept, Bangladesh must develop an index or standard in its national building code,” he emphasised.

GOING green or not?

“Eco-friendly or green buildings not only improve energy efficiency but also improve lifestyles. Besides, if used in industries, green structures can apparently increase the industrial output manifold.”

With a large population and limited land space, Bangladeshs real estate industry is booming. But the country is yet to adopt any index or standard to comprehensively assess a buildings environmental impact. As a result, countless structures have mushroomed across the country, thanks to real-estate developers who think nothing of destroying greenery for the sake of the so-called development process. Ironically, they term these structures green buildings, though theres nothing eco-friendly about them. Studies, however, show that eco-friendly or green buildings not only improve energy efficiency but also improve lifestyles. Besides, if used in industries, green structures can apparently increase the industrial output manifold. The problem is, we dont truly understand the concept of eco-friendliness of green buildings, said Mahfujul Haque, the principle architect of Shatotto, a firm known for designing eco-friendly landscapes. According to him, green architecture means reducing building operating costs, such as energy consumption and maintenance, by incorporating solar power and rainwater harvesting. However, in Bangladesh, the meaning has boiled down to planting some green trees on rooftops and balconies, he said, adding that this practice neither serves the purpose of reducing operational costs nor of improving environmental efficiency. Haque pointed out that people usually think that eco-friendly structures are expensive and luxurious. If you look at the so-called eco-friendly buildings or resorts, you will find that their rents are way higher than that of the conventional buildings. This happens because the green part of the building is just a show. It does not serve the real purpose, he said. Haque explained that an eco-friendly structure should not need an artificial air-conditioning system or artificial light in the daytime. Yet, all the so-called eco-friendly buildings have ACs and need artificial light during the day. This increases electricity consumption, and thus, heats up the building, he said. Sarwar A Sunny, a US-based Bangladeshi engineer and the founder president of Bangladesh Green Building Council (BGBC), told The Independent that the problem with going green with buildings is that the conventional construction methods have worked just fine so far. Many people wonder why they should choose eco-friendly construction over the conventional one as most of them have grown up in conventionally built homes, he pointed out. Climate change However, things have changed a lot in the last two decades. Not only is energy becoming increasingly expensive due to the growing demand, but humanity is perhaps facing its greatest challenge in historyclimate changewhich is, in the first place, a result of human actions. This is where eco-friendly construction comes in, he said. He said the financial benefit is not the only reason why people are becoming increasingly interested in environment-friendly homes. Reduced energy consumption automatically reduces the carbon footprint and helps reduce the human impact on the envi ronment. Besides, for industrial buildings, operational costs could have been lower had the structures been really green, he added. A recent study report has revealed that many buildings require extra cooling because of inappropriate metal roofing that radiates heat. Others need extra electric lights because poor design means a lack of natural lighting, which can exacerbate cooling problems. Another research report has said that more than 70 per cent buildings in the readymade garments (RMG) and textiles sector are constructed poorly, resulting in 30 per cent extra electricity consumption. It was found that the humidity range was above 85 per cent in many factory buildings, while the global permissible standard is 60 per cent at the most. The yearlong study jointly carried out by the architecture department of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), run by the German government, suggested that green retrofitting would help the sector by reducing energy consumption and yield a higher industrial output. It would also minimise the negative environmental impact of the existing textiles and garments factory buildings. The study also revealed that most of the garments factories in Bangladesh suffer from high thermal gains because of rooms of inappropriate dimensions. The noise, ventilation and other aspects affecting the workers comfort are not considered either during the construction of factories, which hampers their efficiency. The study carried out at a number of RMG and textile factories found that 46 per cent of the workers have been suffering from chronic headaches while 27 per cent have been suffering from severe eye pain because of a lack of lighting. It was found that workers preferred natural light to electric lights, and those who worked in natural light produced more garments with fewer defects. Energy domain Sajal Chowdhury, one of the research architects from the BUET-GIZ project, said a factory buildings performance is hardly checked before construction. Building performance modelling, a mandatory requirement in many countries for constructing factory buildings, is still considered an optional design phase in Bangladesh, he said. He added that the step was essential to make the most of natural resources like wind and daylight. Our study found that with an efficient design, it is possible to achieve far better output with less energy consumption, he said. Some RMG manufacturers are now realising the efficacy of the green structures. The sector is moving towards green building initiatives to impress the growing tribe of eco-minded international retailers, and, in the process, grabbing more work orders. According to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), a number of garment factories in Bangladesh has already received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the United States Green Building Council. A total of 150 factories are in the queue to receive the LEED certification, as they have already passed the selection criteria, according to the BGMEA. Terming this a success, Sunny said Bangladesh has just started on the right path. The LEED certification is obviously a standard. However, to popularize the eco-friendly concept, Bangladesh must develop an index or standard in its national building code, he emphasised.