Challenges for Building Green !!!

Yes, bring aboard your Green Building Designer at the concept stage, even before you touch the site for excavation, etc. or freezing Architectural and / or Structural Plans.  And then you can implement the 'Integrated Green Building Design' and achieve optimum benefits to the all stake-holders of a green building as well as green-capital costs.

Development in India is perhaps the most important sustainability challenging task  in the world today.  The reason for this is that many Indians cannot afford the  same products and services as western consumers. It is imperative to think of the ways, how Indians can enjoy  the same products and services and lifestyles. But for this , there is a lot of work to be done. The most primary task is to take out hundreds of millions out of poverty, educate  and improve the economy. Then only , we can make the sustainability issue exciting in the Indian context.  As regards to the existing sustainable development in India,  knowledge update is the major factor  supported by the availability of  materials and most important is the proper execution of the projects.  Men, materials and machines are simple when seen seperately. But a coordinated approach requires concrete planning and execution procedures to achieve the desired sustainability levels.

i feel the same as above... THere should be a seperate subject of GREEN BUILDING in civil engineering and architecture..... unlike environmental engg... so that the students coming out have a knowledge of this...

Its true that less availabilty and affordability of green building material is a problem but then only if a comprehensive database was available , so that info was easily available to the necessary people.

Sorry, have you ever thought in terms of the builder fetching higher price,  owner getting higher rentals and not to speak of the occupants enjoying all the green benefits for the life of the building?

I agree with Anjahi, however, we are seeing more developers looking at the additional cost,  of up to 5%, as a marketing cost.  Green is selling better than tradional home because there is more value.

Yes, Allowing the natural sun-light and whereby eliminating the usage of artificial lighting during the day, reducing  the solar heat gain to avoid usage of conditioned air (in terms of hours per day and days per year) that gives us all forms of respiratory deceases, permitting the Fresh Air Ventilation & Cross-Ventilation, assuring the good health to the occupants, conversion of all organic waste & sewage into usable energy (kitchen gas), 100% recharging the ground with the rain-water, thus insuring the perennial ground-water.