Promoting recycling

The three main materials processed by Saint-Gobain–glass, cast iron and gypsum–can are Recycled over and over again. The Group extensively promotes their recycling. This offers a double advantage for the environment as recycling reduces both waste volumes and consumption of raw materials.

At the glass manufacturing sites, each metric ton of cullet used in the melting process avoids255 to 300 kg of CO2 emissions.

GLASS:

In 2008, the percentage of recycled material in most of our glass furnaces was above 35%. The proportion is particularly high for glass wool and container glass. Saint-Gobain Packaging recycles 100% of collected glass and is stepping up collection so as to increase the percentage of recycled glass in its furnaces around the world. In the Flat Glass business, the volume of cullet recovered externally from processing plants rose by 3% between 2007 and 2008 thanks to sorting practices and logistical solutions now in place–including the installation of cullet bins, operator training in sorting procedures and deployment of the necessary systems and equipment.

CAST IRON:

Cast iron can be made from iron ore or from scrap metal and recovered cast iron when a large scrap metal market is located nearby. In 2008, recycled materials went into 47.8% of the metric tons of finished product at concerned sites.

GYPSUM:

The conversion of gypsum into plaster is an age-old process. Plaster is very environmentally friendly because it requires very little energy to be produced and can be recycled indefinitely. Saint-Gobain Gyproc is a pioneer in recycling. In 2008, at the concerned sites within the Gypsum Division, 25.4% of finished gypsum was produced from recycled materials. Waste recycling facilities have been established in several countries. In the United Kingdom, for example, a comprehensive service is provided that spans from on-site collection to gypsum reuse and mechanical sorting to separate paper from other waste components. In southeastern France, Placoplatre® has set up a dedicated collection network for plaster waste among its three production sites in Chambéry, Cognac and Vaujours, with 18 partner organizations that collect plaster waste and recycling workshops. The service is projected to save over 1,000 metric tons of natural resources per month in 2009 and eliminate the need to landfill an equivalent volume of waste.

Building Architecture – Sun Path Analysis

Architecture has evolved over the years and today the facade plays an important role in defining the architecture / form of the building. With modernity, glass has become eminent material for façades for its aesthetic appeal and functionality. However, the inappropriate or inefficient use of glass may result in unwanted heat gain inside the building. While choosing the right energy efficient glazing solution, the façade design needs to incorporate the building location and an understanding of solar geometry with respect to the building. Every building design is classified as Passive Design strategy & active design strategy.

• Passive design, results when a building is created and simply works "on its own". The plan, section, materials selections create a positive energy flow through the building and "save energy".

• Active design uses equipment to modify the state of the building, help maintain energy efficiency and provides comfort; i.e. Fans, pumps, etc.

A good passive design reduces heat gain thereby reducing the dependency on active designs such as air-conditioning system, lighting system etc..,
One of the important passive designs is the Sun Path.
BASICS OF SUNPATH
Earth's orbit is an ellipse, not a circle. The distance between earth and sun varies as revolution occurs. Earth's axis is tilted to a plane of elliptical orbit of 23.5 degrees which causes seasons. Northern hemisphere faces sun in June & Southern hemisphere faces sun in December.
To understand the sun path we need to visualize a skydome - Imaginary "dome" over building site. Every hour of day, we can "mark" points where sun's rays penetrate sky dome. This creates sun path for day. Most critical part of day is the "solar window"

Components of a Sun Path
Position of sun in the sky is defined by azimuth angle & altitude angle. Solar azimuth (Y) is angle along the horizon of position of sun, measured to the east or west of true south. Solar altitude (X) is the angle measured between the horizon & the position of the sun above the horizon. These enable you to locate the position of the sun at any time of day, month and location.

Southern hemisphere : The movement of the sun is east to west through north.

Northern hemisphere : The movement of the sun is east to west through South India falls in this hemisphere. High intensity sun fall is received in the South & South west directions. North is exposed to very low solar radiation.

SHADING DEVICE

Shading is one of the key strategies to achieve thermal comfort and it also impacts the daylight penetration. An ideal shading strategy or device will block maximum solar radiation while still permitting daylight, views. Shading device also depends on climatic conditions and nature of building.

• Horizontal shading device such as overhangs are best for south where solar altitude is high. For Indian Climatic type, shadings are ideally suited for Southern direction

• Vertical Shading device such as vertical fins are best for east and west where solar altitude is low

To understand the calculation & effect of shading device on glass and building performance, keep watching this space. The same will be covered in next edition :

Building Architecture – Sun Path Analysis Part :02

To know more write to us at : designstudio@saint-gobain.com.

OUR ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION

RESPECT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT IS A KEY PRINCIPLE DRIVING OUR ACTION:

Saint-Gobain’s manufacturing processes involve relatively little technological risk, as they mostly use mineral raw materials and very few environmentally hazardous substances. The main concern for Saint-Gobain, as for many other manufacturers, is carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The Group has set ambitious targets for CO2
emissions at sites with a signifi cant environmental impact. It has accelerated its ISO 14001 certifi cation process to obtain accreditation for more than 80% of these sites. In 2008, 46% were already certified.

These sites are also being called on to reduce their CO2 emissions, landfi lled waste and water withdrawals by 6% between 2007 and 2010. In 2008, the Group had already cut its CO2 emissions by 2% and water withdrawals by 4%.

Role of Glass in Green Architecture

Role of Glass in Green Architecture

Green building design criteria emphasizes the energy-efficient performance of fenestration materials and maximum use of natural daylight. Given this background, Glass is an indispensable material for green building. It has a wide range of functional benefits. Its transparency allows day-lighting of the interiors and integrates the interiors with the exteriors. Studies have proven time and again that this substantially improves the productivity and health of the occupants of the building.

Glass is completely recyclable and non-toxic in nature. It satisfies all the ecological parameters of being the most sought after “green” building material in Green Buildings. Moreover it harmonizes a structure with its environment.

Glass has varied “Green” benefits of which, some of them are:

1. Day-lighting - The use of glass brings in lot of light that helps in giving a high amount of natural day lighting instead of depending solely on artificial lighting thus reducing considerably electricity consumption.
2. Blending interiors with exteriors (Views) - Glass facades give a spectacular view of the outside world from the cozy interiors.
3. Recyclability - Glass being recyclable satisfies the important parameter of being a “Green” building material.
4. Achieving energy efficiency - High performance glass helps in controlling the solar and thermal heat in the interiors and helps to maintain the temperature at its minimum best and in turn helps to tone down the air-conditioning expenses.
5. Innovative application - Being very flexible building material glass helps to satisfy and capture an architect's utmost imagination in its shape and form.
6. Controls noise: Double glazed glass facades help in achieving a high degree of acoustic comfort by keeping away noise penetrating from the exteriors to the interiors thus ensuring a calmer atmosphere inside.
7. Self Cleaning: The future belongs to self-cleaning glass which keeps itself clean on its own and brings out an ever sparkling effect.

Glass and LEED Rating

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, developed by the U.S. Green

Building Council (USGBC), provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction.

The LEED rating system for Green buildings has six major areas of which four have the potential to be tapped through

appropriate usage of High Performance Glass in design:

ENERGY & ATMOSPHERE (EA)

Optimize Energy Performance

The building facade, windows, doors, and skylights can be designed with high performance glass to meet the desired solar  heat gain  coefficient and U-value  requirements.  The  use  of  glass  can  let in  adequate  daylight resulting  in reduction of artificial lighting costs. A complete energy simulation for the building is possible nowadays and helps to improve the energy performance of the design.

MATERIALS & RESOURCES (MR)

Regional Materials

The distance from the glass manufacturing/fabrication facility to the job site (within 500 miles radius) is a major factor in gaining points under the Regional Materials Credit. The wide network of Saint-Gobain Glass' processors and fabricators helps under this category.

INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (EQ)

Daylight and View

High Performance glass from Saint-Gobain helps to blend the twin actions of achieving desired levels of daylight and transparency to enable external views. The letting in of natural light helps cut down on the artificial lighting costs.

INNOVATION & DESIGN PROCESS (ID)

Innovation in Design

Saint-Gobain  Glass  addresses  needs  such  as  Acoustic  Insulation,  Self-cleaning  etc  apart from  the  prescribed requirements of Energy Efficiency, Recyclability and Day-lighting. High performance glass when used in Double Glazed panels or as Laminated units provide higher degree of Acoustic Insulation that ward off unwanted noise from the external atmosphere. Saint-Gobain also offers Self-cleaning glass that can keep itself clean without any maintenance hassles.

Thus the overall innovative use of High Performance Glass from Saint-Gobain in a building can fetch upto 13% of the overall points in the LEED Rating system.

Choosing Glass

In tropical countries like India, one needs to be careful in selecting the right glass solution. Selecting the right kind of product is critical in maximizing the benefits possible from glass.

Broadly glass can be chosen according to the performance needs and the aesthetic needs. For a Green Building it is important to choose a glass solution that gives high performance without compromising on aesthetics.

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

Optimum Light Transmission (LT)

As India is a tropical climate, we have abundant sunlight. Ironically the bill on artificial lighting contributes 20% to the total spend on electricity. The facts in reality are :

1.  The lux level from direct sunlight is around 1,13,000 Lux.
2. The lux level in shade is around 9,000 Lux.
3. Brightly lit interiors which are conducive for working require 500 Lux.

High Performance Glass helps in cutting down excessive glare and brings in abundant natural light thus reducing the dependence on artificial lighting.

Energy Efficiency

In climatic conditions like India, 80% of  the  total heat gain is due  to direct solar  radiation  and  the  rest is due  to temperature difference between the exteriors and interiors. Thus to reduce the overall Relative Heat Gain (RHG) in tropical  climates,  it becomes  necessary  to  curtail  the  incoming  solar  radiation  by  the  use  of  glass  with  high performance solar “control” coating. Contrary to this, in cold climates the emphasis is on glass with low-emissive coatings to reduce the rate of heat loss from interiors to exteriors.

The  total  heat gain  is  measured  in  terms  of  Solar  Factor  and  U-value  and  is  expressed  as  a  sum  of  these  two components.

Solar Factor

Heat gain on the inside of the building due to direct solar radiation incident on glass is measured through the solar factor of glass.

Solar  Factor:  It is  the  sum  of  percentage  of  incident solar  energy  directly  transmitted  and  incident solar  energy absorbed and re-emitted inside.

U-Value

Heat gain due to temperature difference is expressed by U-Value of a glass.

U-Value: It is the amount of heat transferred(lost/gain),due to a temperature differential of 1˚C between inside and outside per square meter.

The best energy performance is obtained from a glass solution which is lower in terms of Solar factor and the U-value. Thus the best option for tropical climates, is to use glass with high performance solar control coatings double glazed with low-emissive glass to reduce the overall heat gain.

AESTHETIC NEEDS

The  High  Performance  Energy  efficient glass  solutions  from  Saint-Gobain  have  also  been  categorized  under  the various Houses of Color to enable comparison of the products based on aesthetic considerations.

The Houses of Color are:

1. Neutrals
2.  Metals
3.  Blues
4.  Greens
5. Blue-Green

Shortly, India would have stringent regulations to conserve energy by way of the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) that would impact upcoming buildings and buildings going in for renovation. Saint-Gobain Glass has a wide range of ECBC Compliant products.

Applying “Green” Thought

Building: Wipro Technology

Location: Gurgaon, India

Build in area: 1,75,000SqFt

Architect: Ar.Vidur Bharadwaj

                  Design & Development

                  consultants

Significance:        Platinum Rated green building

Rated by:             USGBC-LEED (US Green Building Council -Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) through CII IGBC, Hyderabad

www.igbc.in 

Year awarded       2005                                                 

Points Scored       57/69

Energy consumption Statistics

·        Estimated cost of construction                     INR 36.69 crore

·        Increase in cost of construction                   8%

·        Payback years                                           5 years

·        Contract Demand                                     1040 Kw

·        Normal building electricity consumption     43,77,043 Kwh/annum

·        Actual building consumption                      21,09,000 Kwh/annum

·        Daytime building (12 hours/day)

·        Comparison between May-Sep 06 and May-Sep 07

Non-LEED building                           506 kWh /person /month

LEED rated building                          329 kWh /person /month

·        Reduction in energy consumption             48%

·        Annual energy saving INR in millions        10.2

                                               

                                                                  

 Architect’s design intent                                                                

The main focus of the design in WIPRO technology, Gurgoan is the inverted cone, the tip of which symbolizes the seed of this software world which grows both horizontally and vertically. This dynamic flower symbolizes the growth of technology. Wipro project was targeted for platinum with very little extra cost

About the project

The Wipro-Gurgoan center has a built up area of    1,60,000 sq ft built on a 1.12 acre plot includes two basements and G+5 floors. The Center houses 1,305 people.

Architect: Vidur Bharadwaj (Design & Development Consultants) Structural designs:  M/s. Juneja Structural Consultants L & T, Blue Star and Johnson Controls were others involved.

Energy consultants: CII was the LEED consultant supported by EDS    

Commissioning agents: Godrej & Boyce

                            

Building design

Project demographics

·        Gurgoan, NCR Delhi, India

·        2.0km from NH –8, corner plot

·        Orientation           South-East

·        Wind direction     NE-SW

·        Climatic Zone       Composite

·        The main circulation spines both horizontal and vertical and originates from this dynamic public realm.

·        This public realm forms a link between outside and the inside world. People meet in this realm to exchange ideas and information.

·        Meeting rooms, conferences, training room, library, cafeteria form part of this public area

Wipro Technologies Development Centre's courtyard design is inspired by the traditional inward looking haveli plan that performs varied functions –

·        designed to form a light well

·         acts as a micro-climate generator, thus reducing energy consumption;

·        mutual shading of the courtyard walls keeps them cooler than outside walls;

·        a big water-body and vegetation in the middle of the courtyard reduces its temperature by evaporative cooling.

·        free cooling method or blowing natural air that passes through air filters is used for         the building, again saving on electricity by not using air conditioners

·        AAC walls, insulated rooftops and terrace gardens that again reduce the solar gain of the building.

·        grass concrete pavers on the outside surface of the building area reduce storm water run-off and decrease the heat-island effect caused by asphalt pavers.

·         terrace gardens at various levels and the grass concrete pavers help to filter sediments and pollutants from storm water before it reaches the rainwater-harvesting pits.

·        channeling the direction of sunlight and wind, insulating walls and having the right kind of windows.

Glass Design

·        The overall Window Wall Ratio (WWR) for the building is 21.7%.

·        Glass specifications were developed very carefully in order to enhance available daylight in the space and maintain visual comfort for occupants

·        Requirement of high performance glazing with high visual light transmission to efficiently use the day lighting, allowing the natural lighting to enter into the building

Windows Shading / Recessed Windows

·        Exterior lighting shelves / slab projections to shade the daylight glazing. The west façade uses vertical Fins to cut-off the low sun angles during late afternoon.

·        Deeper Recessed windows with wider light shelves on south east and south west façade

·        Vertical fins to protect terrace and Windows from low west sun

·        Recessed windows with shallower light shelves on north east façade

·        Design of light shelves

·        Vegetation reduce temperature of the court by evaporative cooling

·        Design inspired by the traditional inward looking haveli plan.

·        Solid walls, with recessed peep windows, face outside

·        Compact building, greater transparency towards courtyard

·        Mutual shading of the courtyard walls

Glass solution for day-lighting & energy efficiency strategy

Saint-Gobain’s 5mm SGG Planitherm Pristine White - advanced thermal control glass with 12mm air gap and 6mm SGG Parsol Green was selected as the final glass solution after a detailed study

·        Visual light transmission    53%

·        Solar Factor SF                            0.38

·        U value                               1.8W/SqmK

         

Green Building Features

Varied features were incorporated in the building which helped it to go Green.

Materials and Resources:

·        With the increased concern over resource depletion, the concept of ‘Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle’ (3R) was the need of the hour

o   Resource Reuse: More than 10% of the building materials used was salvaged from the old building.

o   Recycled Content: Some materials used in the project, like fly ash based aerated aerocon (AAC) blocks, acoustic cladding, glass, ceramic tiles and MDF boards had recycled content in them and accounted for more than 10% of the cost of building materials that went into the structure cost comprises of materials with high recycled content.

·        Local materials: More than 95% of the building materials were sourced from within 500 miles of the project site.

·        Rapidly renewable materials: MDF boards were used for interior partitions. These were made from materials like bagasse, agricultural waste, etc.

·        Certified wood: More than 75% of virgin wood used in the building is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

·        During Excavation the top layer fertile soil was removed and reused for greenery purposes.

·        All the existing trees (57) were left untouched though they limited the workspace.

·        Vertical excavation was done to prevent the removal of trees. Since excavation depth was more than 9 m, L&T introduced state-of-the-art Nailing Concept for vertical excavation.

Energy Efficiency

·        Energy conserved was to the tune of 51% vis-à-vis ASHRAE 90.1 requirements.

·        Various energy efficient features incorporated in the building have made this possible. The building envelope is constructed of fly ash based AAC blocks, double glazed windows with high efficiency glass from Saint-Gobain.

·        75mm thick expanded polystyrene insulation is provided in the roof against heat penetration.

·        Other energy efficient features in the building are solar thermal heating for hot water, chiller COP of 6.1, double skinned AHU’s , VFD’s for fans, pumps.       

Water Conservation

·        Water efficiency too was an integral part of the building through the use of recycled water for irrigation in the campus and use of high efficiency irrigation systems.

·        A sewage treatment plant operating on extended aeration process treats the entire Waste water discharged from the building. 

Indoor Environment Quality

Some features which enhance the indoor environment quality at WIPRO Gurgaon are:

·        CO2 Monitoring Sensors are provided inside the air-conditioned spaces to ensure that the concentration is maintained within acceptable limits of 530 ppm differential with the outside environment

·        Low emitting material -The Paints, Adhesives and Sealants used in the building are low in emitting VOC

·        An internal courtyard provides extensive day lighting to the building occupants

·        A unique feature of the building is controllability of systems. To enhance occupant comfort, individual controls viz., temperature and airflow, have been provided. This is the first green building in India to have this facility

Storm Water Management

·        Rain water run-off is not discharged into the municipal drainage but used to recharge the ground water

Transportation

·        Parking, shower and changing facilities have been provided for the bicyclists

·        Reserved parking for car pooling

·        Bus pooling for employees

·        Battery charging facility for electric cars

Lighting

·        Managed exterior lighting with low height units to reduce disturbance to neighboring areas

·        Reduced energy consumption using energy efficient dimmable ballasts and movement sensors of Wipro lighting

·        Use of light shelves for increasing the natural lighting in the building resulting in low density requirement

The site was awarded “Certificate of Merit” for Zero Accident Rate during the year April 2004-March 2005. The clients commended ECC for maintaining quality standards, workmanship, timely completion and contribution towards LEED Certification.

Green points at Wipro Technologies Development Centre

·        82.2% of the total roof area is green, covered with terrace gardens

·        27% of the external area has concrete grass pavers and 17% is covered with vegetation

·        100% of the water is recycled

·        50% of occupants have personalised temperature, light and thermal conditions

·        75% of the area is daylit

·        95% of workspaces have direct access to outside view

·        46% saving in the electricity bill by channeling natural light and air

·        Wood used in construction of building sourced from shipwrecks from Jamnagar port

·        Cafeteria furniture hand-picked from chor bazaars (flea markets)

·        Leftover building material used for landscaping external area

·        Photocell-based controls automatically dim available light based on daylight, reducing energy wastage

·        Daylight Sensors The interiors have an access to daylight and this has been achieved with the selection of glass with higher visible transmittance. Energy model by using daylight sensors, which dim / switch off interior lights depending on daylight

Thoughts on sustainable concept

“Applying thought, Wipro’s positioning statement governs all our actions and guides to go beyond the ordinary. This guided us right through the proc ess from the original concepts to the final percepts,” says SS Ramesh – General Manager (Civil Infrastructure) Wipro. 

Team Members

Anand Pratap Singh                              Resource Engineer

N. Hariharan                                        Planning Engineer

Ar.Vidur Bharadwaj                             Design & development consultant

M/s.Spectral consultant Pvt.Ltd            HVAC consultants

M/s. Juneja Structural Consultants        Structural consultants

L & T                                                  Builder

CII                                                      LEED consultant

EDS                                                    Energy consultant

Godrej & Boyce                                 Commissioning agent

The building has been awarded the prestigious Leed Platinum Rating by the US Green Building Council and has the unique distinction of having received all the 57 points attempted.