CASE

STUDY
CII-SOHRABJI GODREJ GREEN
BUSINESS CENTRE, HYDERABAD
"A green building uses less energy, water and natural resources, creates less
waste and is healthier for the people living inside compared to a standard
building
Indian Green Building Council (IGBC

GREEN BUILDINGS

Green building (also known

as green construction or
sustainable building) refers
to both a structure and
processes
that
are
environmentally
responsible
and
resource-efficient
throughout a building's lifeFOCUS AREAS OF THE LEED RATING SYSTEM :
FEATURES
cycle.
Sustainable Site
Conserves Energy
Water efficiency
Saves Water
Uses Environmentally Sensitive Material Energy & Atmosphere
Provides Productive Indoor Environment Material & Resources
Indoor Environmental Quality
Generates Less Waste & Pollution
Innovation and Process
HOW TO START?
Weather data analysis
Natural ventilation analysis
Thermal comfort analysis
Day light analysis
Views analysis
Building thermal analysis
Building energy analysis

ITC, Gurgaon
Platinum Rating

CII, Hyderabad
Platinum Rating

Patni Computers
Platinum Rating

SOFTWARES

Spectral Services,
Noida
Platinum Rating

Wipro Tech.,
Gurgaon Platinum
Rating

01

SITE FEATURES AND CLIMATE ANALYSIS

Located on the flattest zone on site
Easy access from Main Road
Scope to create buffers surrounding the building for effective
design
according to site climate.
Less prone to pollution
The building layout ensures that 90 percent of the spaces have
daylight
access and views to the outside.

Cooled air is retained and

circulated within the site
and
prevented
from
escaping by landscape on all
sides

SUN STUDY
During the summer months due
to the massing of the blocks and
due to the position of the sun the
courtyard
receives
minimum
radiation between 11 am to 2 pm.
During
winter
months
the
radiation is between 10 am and
3pm in the courtyard

Warm breeze that picks up

heat from the vast
expanse of barren land in
the surroundings

Cooled by the presence of

Greenery and further by
the water body to the
North

Warm breeze from

the South West gets
filtered and cooled
by the presence of
lush greenery
Maximum exposure to
pollution-North and West
boundaries of the site,
along the main roads

02

GREEN SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES

One Indian building demonstrates that modern technology can
be combined effectively with traditional design elements and
principles to achieve the highest standard results in the world.
RATING : LEED PLATINUM rating by USGBC
ARCHITECT : Karan Grover and Associates

Rocks retained within the

site to minimise
ecological imbalance.

Locally available stone

cladding for the external
facade.

Water body to store and

treat water

On site solar energy - photo

voltaic panels generate
electricity.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

State-of-the- art Building Management Systems (BMS) were

installed for real-time monitoring of energy consumption.
The use of aerated concrete blocks for facades reduces the
load on air-conditioning by 15-20%.
Double-glazed units with argon gas filling between the glass
panes enhance the thermal properties.

ZERO WATER DISCHARGE BUILDING

All of the wastewater, including grey and black water,

generated in the building is treated biologically through a
process called the Root Zone Treatment System.
The outlet-treated water meets the Central Pollution Control
Board (CPCB) norms. The treated water is used for landscaping.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

20% of the building energy requirements are catered to by

solar photovoltaic. The solar PV has an installed capacity of
23.5 kW.

Use of paver blocks in the

drive way and parking
area to facilitate
percolation of rain water.

Courtyard between two

living spaces to bring in
natural daylight.

03

GREEN SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES

MINIMUM DISTURBANCE TO THE SITE

The building design was conceived to have minimum

disturbance to the surrounding ecological environment.
The disturbance to the site was limited within 40 feet from the
building footprint during the construction phase.
This has preserved the majority of the existing flora and fauna
and natural microbiological organism around the building.
Extensive erosion and sedimentation control measures to
prevent topsoil erosion have also been taken at the site during
construction.

Good ventilation keeps the

room cool.

Roof top garden to reduce heat.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

80% of the materials used in the building are sourced within

500 miles from the project site. Most of the construction
material also uses post-consumer and industrial waste as a
raw material during the manufacturing process.
Fly-ash based bricks, glass, aluminium, and ceramic tiles,
which contain consumer and industrial waste, are used in
constructing the building to encourage the usage of recycled
content.
Office furniture is made of bagasse based composite wood.
More than 50% of the construction waste is recycled within the
building or sent to other sites and diverted from landfills.

Central courtyard

High performance
glazing to bring in
natural light while
minimising heat ingress.

INDOOR AIR QUALITY

Indoor air quality is continuously monitored and a minimum

fresh air is pumped into the conditioned spaces at all times.
Fresh air is also drawn into the building through wind towers.
The use of low volatile organic compound (VOC) paints and
coatings, adhesives, sealants, and carpets also helps to
improve indoor air quality

Roof garden to reduce heat.

Wind Tower precools the

fresh air entering Air
Handling Units and
Towers.

04

FEATURES
COURTYARDS
The courtyards act as "light
wells,"
illuminating
adjacent
work areas. When this light is not
sufficient, sensors trigger the
deployment of efficient electric
lights. Dimmers automatically
control the illumination levels,
turning the lights off when
they're
unnecessary.
Also,
occupancy sensors prevent a
light from being switched on at
an unoccupied workstation.
NATURAL LIGHTING
Natural Lighting Natural light
deflection systems can direct
light deep into the room and
ensure better natural lighting
provisions.
REFLECTIVE GLASS
This material will most significantly
reduce penetration of radiation from the
reflecting side to the non-reflecting side
(penetration of 11-37% of total striking
radiation).
Such glazing is used in this building
where it is desir-able to maintain eye
contact with the outside as well as to
prevent penetration of radiation and in
areas where it is hot most days of the
year.

ROOFS
Absorbing heat and radiating it
into
the
building.
This
is
minimized through the roof
gardens covering 55% of the roof
area.
Rain water harvesting, seepage
into the ground have been
installed in pedestrian areas and
parking.
Water filter Slope given for the
water flow Outlet for water
USE OF DOUBLE GLAZED GLASS
collection
The double glazed glass
will just allow the diffused
sunlight to pass through and will radiate the solar
radiation back. It is located in the western direction
because the suns rays is highly radiant when it is
setting.
This consists of two sheets of glass with space in
between, sometimes filled with air or other gases, or
vacuum..
The main advantage
thisthickness
type of crossis
Variationsof in
have section
a certain
its ability to effect,
reduce up
heattotransfer
from limit,
one pane
a certain
on to
the
the other
percentage of radiation allowed to
penetrate .

05

FEATURES
USE OF TRADITIONAL JALI
Lattice walls are used to prevent glare and heat
gain while ensuring adequate day lighting and
views.
bringing in Natural Light and ventilation

SOLAR CELLS
Harvesting of solar energy - 20% of the buildings energy
requirement is catered to by solar photovoltaic The Solar PV
has an installed capacity of 23.5 KW Average generation is
100-125 units per day Solar system Solar system Solar
The solar panels are
Photovoltaic
placed
on
the
eastern side and as
it is a commercial
building
more
amount of energy is
consumed during the
working hours (DAY).

WIND SYSTEM
The hot ambient air enters the tower through the
openings in the tower and is cooled, when it comes
in contact with the cool tower and thus becomes
heavier and sinks down. When an inlet is provided
to the rooms with an outlet on the other side, there
is a draft of cool air.

After a whole of heat exchange, the wind towers

become warm in the evening.
During night the reverse happens; due to warm
surface of wind tower and drop in temperature of
ambient air due to buoyancy effect, warm air rises
upwards. As a result, cooler ambient air is sucked
into the room through the window. As a bye-product
of this process, wind tower loses the heat that was
collected during the day time and it becomes ready
for use in cold condition up to the morning.

06

CONCLUSION
OTHER NOTABLE GREEN FEATURES

COST AND BENEFITS

This was the first green building in the country.

Hence, the incremental cost was 18% higher.
However, green buildings coming up now are being
delivered at an incremental cost of 6-8%. The initial
incremental cost gets paid back in 3 to 4 years.
Benefits achieved so far:

Fenestration maximized on the north orientation

Rain water harvesting
Water-less urinals in mens restroom
Water-efficient fixtures: ultra low and low-flow flush fixtures
Water-cooled scroll chiller
HFC-based refrigerant in chillers
Secondary chilled water pumps installed with variable
frequency drives (VFDs)
Energy-efficient lighting systems through compact
fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs)
Roof garden covering 60% of building area
Large vegetative open spaces
Swales for storm water collection
Maximum day lighting
Operable windows and lighting controls for better day
lighting and
views
Electric vehicle for staff use
Shaded car park

Over 120,000 kWh of energy savings per year as

compared to an ASHRAE 90.1 base case
Potable water savings to tune of 20-30% vis-vis conventional building
Excellent indoor air quality
100% day lighting (Artificial lights are switched
on just before dusk)
Higher productivity of occupants

07