From a handful of about seven net-zero buildings listed in India, Godrej & Boyce鈥檚 Plant-13 Annexe Building in Mumbai is among the firsts to be formally certified Net-Zero Existing Building (NZEB) by the IGBC.Sustainable buildings have always been the way ...
From a handful of about seven net-zero buildings listed in India, Godrej & Boyce鈥檚 Plant-13 Annexe Building in Mumbai is among the firsts to be formally certified Net-Zero Existing Building (NZEB) by the IGBC.Sustainable buildings have always been the way ahead for the Godrej Group. Having created several benchmarks in this area, Godrej & Boyce recently achieved the 鈥楴et-Zero Energy Rating鈥� from the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) for its Plant-13 Annexe Building, which is part of its Vikhroli campus in Mumbai. This multiuse, office-cum-convention centre has won many accolades like the 鈥業GBC-EB Platinum Rating鈥� and the 鈥楤EE 5-Star鈥�. 鈥淟ast year, when we partnered with the World Green Building Congress (WGBC) to further the cause of 鈥楴et Zero鈥� in the Asia-Pacific Region, we were determined to demonstrate that in our own campus, and here we are!鈥� says George Menezes, COO, Godrej Electricals and Electronics. 鈥淚 have no doubt that this will be the harbinger for many more 鈥榥et-zero鈥� buildings to follow in the country.鈥� He shares more on the green features and the net-zero mark: What鈥檚 green?Over the years, Plant-13 Annexe has demonstrated the highest standards of performance. The building has been supported by several green features including recessed glazing and shading device; natural daylight harvesting in the occupied area (Centre Core lighting concept); operable windows for fresh air; roof garden; high SRI paint on paved terrace areas; natural surrounding with trees, which help maintain the microclimate; screw chiller with secondary variable pumping system; VFD for the canteen鈥檚 kitchen ventilation system; building management system (BMS); system-level monitoring and analytics of energy end use; non-potable water use for landscaping, flushing and C Tower make up; retrofitted T-8 fluorescent tube lights with T-5 (HE) low-mercury tube lights; retrofitted PL-36 square light fittings with LED lamps in the staff dining area; and segregation of waste at source.Several additional features and upgrades have been added to achieve net zero. These include improving upon the building鈥檚 systems (HVAC, lighting) performance; monitoring energy performance at the system level to understand energy end-use efficiencies; addressing cost streams associated with building operations; improving occupant comfort resulting in productive employee workspaces; enlightening building occupants and visitors regarding the benign impact on the environment; providing public recognition for leadership in sustainability; and becoming a case study for other corporates to emulate in future.Achieving the net-zero goalA sustainable thought process has been applied right from the conceptual design stage to the construction stage, systems integration and operations. This has been keeping in line with India鈥檚 Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC), wherein the country is committed to reduce its emissions by 33 per cent with respect to the 2005 level by 2030. Existing buildings far outnumber new buildings. The thought process behind IGBC-EB (Indian Green Building Council-Existing Building), IGBC NZEB and BEE 5 Star certifications for 鈥榚xisting building鈥� was to demonstrate the fact that with an incremental investment and some smart efforts, it is possible to improve upon the operational performance (energy, water, waste management) of the building鈥檚 systems. For existing buildings, operational efficiency and maintenance issues receive a great deal of attention in the IGBC rating system where the primary challenge is not optimal design but optimal utilisation of assets (systems). Addressing improvement in operational efficiency and maintenance issues in the existing building has a greater outreaching impact. The management鈥檚 school of thought for the PL-13 Annex building:鈥楤e Lean Before Green鈥�: Improve upon the building鈥檚 systems performance.Improvement in occupant comfort.Demonstrate the merits of institutionalisation of sustainable practice in the building industry.A self-sustainable modelBy virtue of the building鈥檚 design, most areas are natural daylit. The centralised air-conditioning system has been designed considering the diversified occupation of the building. Also, two nos 125 TR + two nos 250 TR water-cooled chillers (redundancy of one chiller in both capacities) have been installed.System-level monitoring and analytics of HVAC, lighting, ventilation energy consumption and solar PV generation on a daily basis has resulted in identification of potential energy-saving opportunities and control of operations; Rs 0.15 million has been invested towards institutionalising a system-level metering system, which has yielded significant benefits by way of monitoring and control of wasteful energy in the building.The overall energy consumption reduction in the past two years is 276 MWh (7 per cent of total energy consumption).Energy cost reduction for the past two years has been Rs 4.8 million (8 per cent of the total energy cost).Total energy generated from renewable sources (rooftop solar PV) is 8 per cent.Energy performance and renewable energy sourcesThe NZEB rating system gives significant weightage and thrust to enhancing energy-efficiency of systems in the building. Of all the points scored by this building, the major points have been scored in the area of energy-efficiency and the least in renewable. Total points attempted: 77Total points awarded: 77Energy-efficiency improvement: 75Renewable energy: 2. ECBC baseline The Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) defines the roadmap to build up the 鈥榖ase case鈥� of the building鈥檚 energy performance wherein 鈥榖ase-level energy conservation measures鈥� (ECM) are instituted. We have compared the actual energy consumption computed from the Electricity Board (TATA Power) invoice with the base case to determine the Energy Performance Index (EPI), which is denoted as 鈥榢Wh per sq m per annum鈥�. As seen in the table below, there is 46 per cent improvement with respect to the base case with EPI ratio: 0.54.To offset the energy consumed in the building, the following solar generation is required, and has been met in this project, as shown in the following table. The aim of the project proponent should be to lower energy consumption in the building by implementing ECMs and then offset the consumption with solar power.Takeaway from the certification journeySeveral challenges were faced in planning the building as a green one and achieving the net-zero vision. This included diverse building operations (dining, food manufacturing, office, food court, conference rooms) and executing the plan keeping these in mind and varying occupancy and retrofits (carrying out modification in occupied spaces).However, the certification system helped identify the gaps in operations and maintenance (O&M) performance. It helped to institutionalise best practices, which provides an outline for enhancement of the building鈥檚 performance. This included optimisation in energy, water end use, natural resources; waste management; improving the indoor environment; and continual focus on operating efficiencies.Location: MumbaiBuilt: 2008IGBC-EB Platinum: 2015BEE 5 Star Rating: 2016Architect: Rumy Shroff & Associates Architects. Tel: 022-2203 7745. MEP: Eskayem Consultants. Tel: 022-2528 2645; E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.eskayem.comGreen consultant: Godrej Green Building Consultancy Services. Tel: 022-6796 2130. Website: www.godrejgreenbuilding.comSolar PV (120 kwp) (On site): 2016Solar PV (1.2 mwp) (Off site): 2015IGBC-NZEB: 2019IGBC-EB Platinum (Recertification): 2019Built-up area: 24,443 sq mAir-conditioned area: 16,050 sq mBuilding usage 鈥� Floor-wise:Basement floor: Utilities and parkingGround floor: Kitchen and canteenFirst floor: Cafeteria and officeSecond floor: OfficeThird floor: Conference roomsFourth floor: Auditorium and banquet.
Reliance, Diehl Advance Pact for Precision-Guided Munitions
Diehl Defence CEO Helmut Rauch and Reliance Group鈥檚 Founder Chairman Anil D. Ambani have held discussions to advance their ongoing strategic partnership focused on Guided and Terminally Guided Munitions (TGM), under a cooperation agreement originally signed in 2019.This collaboration underscores Diehl Defence鈥檚 long-term commitment to the Indian market and its support for the Indian Government鈥檚 Make in India initiative. The partnership鈥檚 current emphasis is on the urgent supply of the Vulcano 155mm Precision Guided Munition system to the Indian Armed Forces.Simultaneously, the 鈥淰ulc..
Modis Navnirman to Migrate to Main Board, Merge Subsidiary
Modis Navnirman Limited has announced that its Board of Directors has approved a key strategic initiative involving migration from the BSE SME platform to the Main Board of both BSE and NSE, alongside a merger with its wholly owned subsidiary, Shree Modis Navnirman Private Limited.The move to the main boards marks a major milestone in the company鈥檚 growth trajectory, reflecting its consistent financial performance, robust corporate governance, and long-term commitment to value creation. This transition will grant the company access to a broader investor base, improve market participation, en..
Global Capital Flows Remain Subdued, EMEA Leads in Q1 2025
The Bharat InvITs Association鈥檚 industry update for Q1 2025 shows subdued global capital flows, with investment volumes remaining at the lower end of the five-year range despite a late 2024 recovery. According to data from Colliers and MSCI Real Capital Analytics, activity in North America declined slightly, while EMEA maintained steady levels and emerged as the top region for investment in standing assets.The EMEA region now hosts seven of the top ten cross-border capital destinations for standing assets, pushing the United States鈥� share of global activity below 15 per cent. Meanwhile, in..