Among 11 state bldgs in city, Vidhan Bhavan, traffic police HQ get green rating

Vidhan Bhavan, Mantralaya’s annex building and new administrative building at Nariman Point, and the Traffic Police’s headquarters at Worli are now among 11 state-owned

Vidhan Bhavan, Mantralaya’s annex building and new administrative building at Nariman Point, and the Traffic Police’s headquarters at Worli are now among 11 state-owned green buildings in Mumbai.

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The government owns 45,000 buildings across the state and of these, 300 have been converted into green structures, The Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi too has been made green. Additionally, 122 new buildings have been given the green label.

Green buildings are environment-friendly structures that are resource-efficient and use renewable energy where possible. A green building is structured in a way that uses less water, is effective in solid waste management, and optimises energy usage. Over the next two years, all government-owned buildings will go green, according to a senior government official.

Since more than a year back, the government started upgrading its existing buildings based on the Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) Council’s pre-requisites. The state and GRIHA Council signed a memorandum of understanding in January 2018 and June 2018, to convert existing state-owned buildings to green ones, and ensure all new buildings adhere to green building norms during construction.

“Henceforth, it is compulsory for all new buildings to be green. Meanwhile, we have begun to upgrade existing buildings. The most basic thing to do is paint the roof white so it does not absorb much heat and ensures the top-most floor remains relatively cool. There are many more criteria,” said a senior official from Mantralaya.

The criteria include soil conservation around the building post-construction; reducing hard paving; enhancing outdoor lighting efficiency; reducing landscape and building water use by installing low pressure taps; treating and reuse wastewater; sustainable storage and disposal of waste; optimising energy performance (air-conditioning, lighting, heating) ; tobacco and smoke control, among others.

A green building policy for commercial and residential buildings in the state is underway and will be finalised by the Urban Development Department (UDD) within a month.