6.1.1. Building planning and construction stages

GRIHA introduces a comprehensive approach of assessing 11 Parameters with 30 criteria accumulating to 100+5 maximum points (refer Fig. 6), across three stages:

1. Pre-construction stage: This stage addresses both on-site and off-site factors, such as the proximity to public transportation, soil type, land characteristics, location, existing flora and fauna, and natural landscape features before construction begins.

2. Building planning and construction stages: This stage focuses on resource conservation, reducing resource demand, optimizing resource utilization efficiency, promoting resource recovery and reuse, and ensuring occupant health and well-being.

3. Building operation and maintenance stage: This stage encompasses the operation and maintenance, monitoring and recording energy consumption, ensuring occupant health and well-being, and addressing factors that impact the local and global environment.

This chunk provides an overview of the GRIHA rating system, which evaluates buildings based on sustainability and environmental impact. It is divided into three phases: the pre-construction stage, where initial assessments occur; the building planning and construction stages, which aim to optimize resources and ensure health safety; and finally, the building operation and maintenance stage, which includes ongoing energy management. Each of these phases has specific criteria and focuses on different aspects of building sustainability.

Imagine planning a community park. Before any construction, you must assess where the park will be located, ensuring it's accessible via public transport (pre-construction). During the park's design, you decide on eco-friendly materials and ensure there's a way to recycle waste (planning and construction). Finally, once the park is open, you'll monitor the plants' health and visitor satisfaction while managing waste (operation and maintenance). Just like the GRIHA framework, each step is crucial for ensuring sustainability.

This stage focuses on resource conservation, reducing resource demand, optimizing resource utilization efficiency, promoting resource recovery and reuse, and ensuring occupant health and well-being.

In the building planning and construction stages, resource conservation is a critical consideration. It involves not just using fewer materials, but also making sure that the materials used are as efficient as possible—this means selecting materials that require less energy to produce and can be reused later. Additionally, this stage emphasizes the well-being of the occupants, ensuring that when a building is designed and constructed, it meets health standards and provides a comfortable living environment.

Consider a restaurant that aims to reduce waste. They source ingredients locally to minimize transportation energy (resource conservation). They also design their menus to use all parts of the produce, ensuring nothing goes to waste (resource recovery). Lastly, they create an inviting dining environment with good ventilation and lighting, promoting customer comfort (occupant well-being). Just like this restaurant, buildings designed with conservation and health in mind can lead to better outcomes for the environment and occupants.

This stage encompasses the operation and maintenance, monitoring and recording energy consumption, ensuring occupant health and well-being, and addressing factors that impact the local and global environment.

In the operation and maintenance stage of building planning, ongoing attention is necessary to ensure that energy consumption is managed effectively. This generally involves implementing systems to monitor energy use, adjust as necessary, and ensure the building continues to meet the health needs of its occupants. Furthermore, it addresses both local and global environmental impacts, striving for continuous improvement in sustainability practices long after construction is completed.

Think of a car that's well-maintained. Regular servicing helps improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions (operation and maintenance). The car's owner tracks how much fuel is used on each journey, allowing them to adjust their driving habits for better efficiency (monitoring energy consumption). This ongoing care ensures the car runs well and has a smaller carbon footprint, paralleling how buildings should be monitored and maintained for sustainable operation.

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