Building Green Developing a Contextual Rating System

2ND ANNIVERSARY 2016

Copyright 2016 © Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) All rights reserved Coordinated by Md. Anwarul Islam Sikder, ndc Chairman, SREDA Published by Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority Power Division Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources IEB Bhaban (9th & 10th Floor), Ramna, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh Tel: +880 2 55110340 Fax: +880 2 55110341 Website : http://www.sreda.gov.bd Publication Supported by GIZ, SREPGen, IDCOL, Energypac, Rahimafrooz Solar, Bright Green Energy Foundation, BIFFL Cover Design by Yeasin Hossain Sumon Printed by NETCOM e-mail : [email protected]

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Building Green Developing a Contextual Rating System Dr. Zebun Nasreen Ahmed Professor, Department of Architecture, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka [email protected] INTRODUCTION Green buildings help keep the environment sustainable – meaning that the building does not adversely affect the immediate surroundings, and at least maintains the status quo, i.e. the state prior to construction. But the definition of ‘green’ is not a static or universal one. In general, buildings are labelled or rated ‘green’ based on an accepted system, evaluating ‘green-ness’ and certifying it under different categories or levels. What is green for one region, may not be so for another. This paper examines the process of greening buildings in the context of Bangladesh. As the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system is the most commonly cited and applied building rating system in use presently in Bangladesh, whenever the issue of greening buildings arises, the discussion below focuses mainly on this assessment tool, to the exclusion of others. LEED, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is implemented by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). Though based on the US context, this is one of the most widely used environmental assessment tools for buildings, all over the World. BREEAM (the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), dominates environmental assessment of UK buildings. While BREEAM is more relevant in the UK, as it uses UK policies(BSRIA, 2009), LEED can sit alongside as part of a global corporate policy, in the UK building industry. The Australian building industry relies on its own system of assessing green-ness, the Green Star rating tool, with agreed standards and benchmarks (GBCA, 2016).

(Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment), which is run alongside the LEED India system(IGBC, 2016), in an attempt to ensure sustainable green buildings. The voluntary, consensus based, market-driven building programmes of the IGBC rating system (also known as LEED India), are based on the five elements of nature (Panchabhutas), thus being an adaptation of green rating methodsfitted to the Indian context, blending ancient Indian architectural practices with modern technological innovations. It is seen therefore, that though LEED exists side-by-side in much of the World at present, every nation is trying to work in the local context, so as to get a rating system that fits the immediate needs of the locality. This is to take into account that, LEED has not been created with the level of adaptability that is required to fit with different legislation and contexts, as it is fixed to ASHRAE standards and the US way of thinking (BSRIA, 2009). Clearly, any blind adoption of the US based LEED rating in the Bangladesh context cannot remain unquestioned. LEADERSHIP IN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN

China has also developed its own Three Star Rating.The 3-Star program does not have the same collaboration between green building suppliers and industry, as the LEED system.The Three Star program tends to focus on simpler and cheaper solutions for energy efficiency, while LEED has a much stronger preference for high tech solutions and materials.

Rating systems are normally voluntary, but in recent times, many of the stipulations are being adopted by legal bodies, in an attempt to legislate sustainability. At present, there are 25 ongoing projects that seek LEED certification in Bangladesh, most of which are buildings for the Garments Industry (Gateway, 2016). The interest of the Garments Industry in the LEED system comes as a result of buyers’ pressures, whereby they demonstrate greater interests in engaging in business with industriees that use LEED certified premises. Certification under the LEED system begins with registration with the USGBC, involving sizable fees that have to be paid in foreign exchange. The entire design and construction of the building/project is subject to supervision from LEED Professionals, and the process is reviewed at various stages of the project’s implementation, until the commissioning of the project after the end of construction.

India, where much of the country has contexts similar to Bangladesh, too, have developed the GRIHA

It is only after a building has been completed, and the project team has submitted the project documentation,

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along with the appropriate fee, that the USGBC will certify the project, based on the total number of points earned on a menu of green building measures. The ratings classify buildings as LEED Certified (40-49 points), Silver (50-59 points), Gold (60-79 points) or Platinum (80-110 points). It is a very thorough process, undoubtedly, but the question remains whether the process cannot be managed locally using local experts and designers. LEED bases its certification process on a number of criteria: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation.Two of these criteria, Sustainable Sites and Energy & Atmosphere, are discussed below, pointing to contextual disharmonies, and the need to adapt to local conditions. SUSTAINABLE SITES The category, Sustainable sites, addresses issues related to site location and linkage, neighbourhood pattern and design, transportation, stormwater management and the heat island effect (US Green Building Council), aiming to provide stewardship of nature and the site’s surroundings. Considerations of whether a site is an already developed site, bordering roads for easy access to building materials, and facilitating transportation of the users with infrastructure and public transportation, yield points in this criterion. However, the position a site is going to be located in, is rarely a choice for the designer in Bangladesh. Nor does the design team have the luxury of deciding what project to build in a particular location. The client comes to the Architect, with specific requirements, which the designer/architect then proceeds to plan/supply. LEED points assigned for the category sustainable sites carries a maximum possibility of 26 points. But much of these points have to be foregone by applicants from Bangladesh, due to contextual inapplicability. These points are included in the discussion below. The reason why site selection is given a lot of weightage in the LEED system is that, this early decision can have great impact on energy conservation strategies, such as the use of daylight, shades for natural cooling and natural ventilation prospects (Green Building Education Services, LLC, 2009). Landscaping and vegetation impacts erosion, stormwater drainage, irrigation and maintenance, while location directly affects proximity to public transportation, thereby influencing the tendency of automobile use. However, the freedom to choose sites for design and construction is hardly within the scope of work of Architects in Bangladesh.

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Whereas, it is definitely beneficial to reuse an existing, previously developed or Brownfield site, rather than choosing to build on a Greenfield site (undeveloped land), the ultimate decision for such

steps, lies under the jurisdiction of policy makers and legislation, for instance by providing tax incentives and/or attractive business deals. Until such measures are in place, these points for the LEED rating too have to be left out of consideration. For the Bangladesh context, the stipulations on site planning and land use are more relevant. These relate to considerations of how the building is to be placed on site, its footprint, and on the site’s ability to support this construction, while minimizing environmental impacts. With the main objective being that the development (which includes all hard surfaces, along with the building footprint), should be minimized, while maximizing open spaces. Any adaptation of rating systems to suit the Bangladesh context therefore can increase focus/points on this issue. The recommendations for reducing construction pollution, preventing loss of top soils, grading sites to contain erosion due to storm water run-offs, are all positive ideas that the Bangladesh building industry can incorporate within by-laws. To reduce the quantity and quality of storm water runoff, LEED calls for reduction in the number of impervious surfaces and the reuse of rainwater – but in the context of over-populated, dense Dhaka, these become very difficult to implement, and the options for pervious, green open spaces,are almost always limited to the minimum requirements stipulated by the Building Regulations. Clients will rarely agree to sacrifice rental/sale value in favour of environmental stewardship, unless financial/tax incentives can be created, again at the policy level. Zoning requirements differ from location to location, mainly being categorised as residential, commercial, industrial, mixed-use, and so on. Though zoning protects property values, it increases the use of the automobile, which is one of the key energy set-backs. Mixed-use areas are slowly gaining value in the urban metropolises of the industrialised countries, allowing residences to be built among office spaces and basic services. Such arrangements facilitate people working close to home, thus restricting automobile use. But many of the issues addressed in LEED to control automobile use are beyond the scope of the Architect in the Bangladesh context. These measures include managerial and behavioural issues like carpooling, compressed work week systems, alternate fuel vehicles, car share programmes, and so on. Locating near mass transport hubs are also problematic in a city/region, where the concept of public transport has been given low priority for so long. This further restricts the points available in rating. ENERGY AND ATMOSPHERE Another major area that LEED points are awarded is under the category of Energy and Atmosphere, where a maximum of 35 points can be awarded. This

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category supports using less energy, and the use of more environmentally friendly energy sources. Therefore not only the demand side is addressed, but also the supply. It is recognised that it is easier to save energy by reducing demand and the loads needed, than to install expensive high-efficiency equipment. For LEED certification, the building needs to reduce energy use by a certain percentage in comparison with a baseline building. Using certain validated tools, a target is set for energy use. The first step in this category therefore is a pre-requisite, where equipment is installed for the commissioning of building energy systems, along with a Commissioning Authority. Energy use is monitored by auditing, which identifies inefficient areas where savings can be targeted, matched with the owner’s project requirements. The emphasis is on heating, ventilating, air-conditioning and refrigeration systems (mechanical and passive) and associated controls, along with lighting and daylighting controls. A minimum energy performance is then proposed based on codes, another of the prerequisites for this category – here the contextuality becomes questionable, as the relevant codes of Bangladesh are not invoked. Using energy modelling simulations, a 5% (for renovations) and 10% (for new buildings) improvement needs to be demonstrated, in a comparison with a base building performance rating. It is only after these two prerequisites are fulfilled that the points available in the category become accessible. But most of them are based on the two prerequisites, and how well the performance of the building matches with the figures set in them, therefore are often not very related to Bangladesh conditions. Passive architecture features can greatly influence the energy use in a building. Key among these are building orientation, location, building envelop (glazing percentages) and thermal mass. In the details related to this category, the dependence on industrial products available in the US seem to predominate, which makes it a difficult and expensive option for the Bangladesh building industry. Moreover, the implications of using materials and technology that require such vast distances for transportation is contrary to the need to conserve energy. It is only through the use of local materials and technology that sustainability can be achieved. Up to 7 points are available for on-site renewable energy use, where in the Bangladesh context, only the photovoltaic systems can be presently used. It therefore becomes necessary to give this option much more credit than LEED presently does. LEED gives 2 points for the use of green power for buildings, which is not an option available for Bangladesh, as a green power grid has yet to be established in this country.

A CONTEXTUAL RATING SYSTEM FOR BANGLADESH The question arises about whether a Contextual Rating System can be developed for Bangladesh, and what it would focus on. This section highlights some of the relevant issues that answers this query. It is clear that the LEED rating system is a very strong advocate for sustainability, and much of it can be taken as a strong guideline for any rating system, that may be developed anywhere in the World. Moreover, since so much time and effort has already gone, into identifying many of the key issues related to sustainability in the building industry, there is no reason to do the exercise anew, and start from scratch. However, it will be important to use the spirit of the system, rather than practising mere emulation. The first step is to take a policy level decision that there is a need to contextualise. Thereafter, the steps to construct our own system will follow the steps given below : • examine the system is detail, to find common areas; these will be fitted to suit Bangladesh conditions, if necessary with research to get appropriate quantitative inputs • identify areas which are not relevant to Bangladesh conditions; these can be left out from any new rating system for this country • examine changes that other countries of the region have incorporated, into the basic LEED system, to develop their own rating systems; these can be examined further and modified for Bangladesh’s own characteristic conditions • determine focus areas, which suit Bangladesh conditions, and can be incorporated afresh into the new rating system; these should take into account the climate, and passive architecture to address adverse environments, along with socio-cultural issues related to the building industry and usage of buildings, and economic aspects of the stake-holders. All of the above require research, which has to be the first priority, if the rating system is to be contextual. Passive architecture and its dependence on climate, are the topic of research for many of the graduate and postgraduate studies at BUET, and other Universities, around the country. But applications of these research are limited, and the findings remain theoretical and isolated. The need of the policy makers is to begin utilizing this vast existing resource, identify the key areas, and initiate outcome based studies that will find actual applications in the new contextual codes. Only then will the building industry in the country be truly sustainable.

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CONCLUSIVE REMARKS

REFERENCES

The heavy dependence on US products and standards, found in the LEED building rating system, can easily be modified and adapted, to suit the context found in Bangladesh. The core objectives of the LEED system, to ensure that all future building activity is sustainable and ecologically and environmentally friendly, is beyond dispute. The system works with very encouraging results in the US. Many other countries in the World, including our neighbours, are also using the system, to guide their own construction and development activity, with important contextual adjustments, to suit their own characteristic needs and requirements. This paper has discussed only a few aspects of the LEED system, with special reference to the Bangladesh building industry needs. It is clear that for true sustainability, changes need to be made, not only to suit the needs of this region, with its characteristic socio-economic requirements, but also to respect the needs of sustainability, that is the main thrust of any building rating system. A contextual rating system for Bangladesh can be developed – and the first step towards it can only be made at the policy level. The country has the need, we also have the expertise – we now require the will.

BSRIA. (2009, February). BREEAM or LEED strengths and weaknesses of the two main environmental assessment methods. Retrieved from https://www.bsria.co.uk/news/article/breeam-or-leed-strengths-and-weaknesses-of-the-two-m ain-environmental-assessment-methods/ Gateway, T. G. (2016, April 18). EXPLORE GREEN BUILDINGS. Retrieved from GBIG: http://www.gbig.org/places/77 GBCA. (2016). Green Star. Retrieved from Green Building Council, Australia: https://www.gbca.org.au/green-star/ Green Building Education Services, LLC. (2009). Green Building and LEED Fundamentals, Revision 1.03. Lewisville, Texas. IGBC. (2016). IGBC. Retrieved from Indian Green Building Council: https://igbc.in/igbc/ US Green Building Council. (2011). Green Building and LEED Core Concept Guide Second Edition. Washington DC: Prentice Hall.

About the Author Dr. Zebun Nasreen Ahmed Professor, Department of Architecture, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka

Dr. Zebun Nasreen Ahmed is a Professor of Architecture and the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Planning at BUET. She studied Architecture at BUET, did her M.Phil in Sheffield, UK, and PhD in Leicester UK, focusing on Climate-building Interactions. She has been teaching Architecture since 1988, with special emphasison Energy Efficiency in Buildings, Green Architecture and Sustainability, Climate-responsive Architecture and Daylighting in Architecture. She has authored a number of books and numerous papers, nationally and internationally. At the national level, Dr. Ahmed was involved in the currentrevision of the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC), contributing a new Chapter on Energy Efficiency and Sustainability in Part 3: General Architectural Requirements. Dr. Ahmed is also a practicing Architect, designing residential and commercial buildings. In addition to teaching, she is currently involved in research in Green Architecture, Thermal and Lighting Environments in Built Form.

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