A 'green' residential space in Bangalore!

'BCIL Collective', a green project initiative being developed by Biodiversity Conservation India Limited, an alternate technology enterprise, is all poised to be the first-of-its kind green project in a large scale residential complex space that aims at being ecologically sustainable and earning carbon credits for residents through reduced green house gas emission and lowered consumption of resources.

The complex has been designed to save 35000 litres of water per home per year by focussing on rain water harvesting and recycling within residential complex.

"Fresh water need is reduced by about 40 per cent which amounts to about 40,000 litres saved per family per year," Chandrashekar Hariharan, CEO, BCIL, said in Bangalore.

"This is perhaps the first of such green project in the country of this size in the residential complex space," he said adding currently there were 164 green buildings in the commercial complex space and some individual houses built on these lines by those who were ecologically concerned.

The Yelahanka-located complex housing 120 units spread over three acres, uses low-embodied energy building material which would help in earning carbon credits which converts to Rs 75,000 per annum per home or total annual campus carbon credit of Rs nine lakh.

The unique feature of this complex is the use of an underground earth tunnel ventilation to provide natural airconditioning.

"The system uses night air to cool the rooms and hot afternoon air for active ventilation. The blend of three natural low-energy systems is the first of kind in the world.

This is the largest earth tunnel ventilation system reported in India so far," said Anup Naik, senior architect.

The design enables harvesting of 35000 litres of rainwater on the campus per day, equivalent to 20 litres of water cans per home per day, said Hariharan. "This in turn leads to 76 lakh litres of water saving per annum equivalent to 1000 water tankers," he added.

On the energy front, the complex would not have incandescent bulbs or tubelights but hybrid lighting comprising CFL and 6600 LED lights, which meant 40 per cent reduction in power consumption translated into a saving of 400 units per day, 150,000 units per year and Rs 7.5 lakh saving annually.

The complex also aims at promoting 'zero food miles' whereby residents could access vegetables and herbs that have not travelled for miles but grown in controlled micro-irrigated patches of land in the campus. The designing enables growing of seven tons of vegetables per annum.

It also helps in conversion of kitchen waste into something useful. "On an average, every home churns out four kg of waste, which calls for effective waste management," he said.