Heaptalk, Jakarta — Amidst the issue of climate change, the green building concept emerge as one of the solutions to mitigate this issue.
Green building is an architecture notion to construct a house or building which adopts green concept, such as advancing the use of natural resources and new and renewable energy (NRE), benefitting the remain construction material optimally, etc,
In an interview with Forum Carbon Indonesia, Green Building Consultant Yanu Aryani explained that this concept minimizes adverse environmental impacts by optimizing resource efficiency throughout its life cycle. This green scheme includes the design, construction, operation and maintenance, renovation, and demolition stages.
“This way aims to reduce the carbon footprint by saving energy and water and using sustainable materials. Implementing Green Building involves diverse aspects, such as planting trees or green plants and various technologies and strategies, to increase the efficiency and sustainability of buildings,” Yanu added.
According to her further statement, this green concept was initially introduced in the archipelago in 2009, with the establishment of a pioneering organization concerned with environmentally friendly buildings. The organization developed a green building standard, Green Ship, adapting the international standard to be adopted in the Indonesian context. With its significant progress, Indonesia’s Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) officially applied this standard in the Ministerial Regulation No.21 on Green Building (BGH).
Although the development of this concept in the archipelago remains relatively slow, with only about 16 million square meters of green-certified buildings, people’s awareness of implementing this concept continues to grow.
“Even though the implementation is less than 1% of the annual new construction, we continue to perceive increasing awareness and interest from multiple parties,” said Yanu.
Green Building’s primary components
In obtaining the certification, Yanu voiced the green building certification emphasized three main components that contribute to diminishing carbon footprints, as follows:
- Energy conservation, reducing energy consumption through technology and renewable energy sources utilization efficiently
- Water conservation, minimizing water usage through an efficient water management system
- Sustainable material usage, adopting environmentally friendly and recyclable materials.
“With these three components, we can significantly reduce carbon footprint emissions by shrinking energy consumption and shortening greenhouse gas emission (GHG),” Yanu Aryani conveyed.
What’s the benefit of Green Building?
Yanu, in her further statement, voiced that the concept adoption provides various advantages for building owners, economy, and the environment, covering:
- Energy conservation: this green method are designed to reduce energy consumption, which decreases greenhouse gas emissions and lowers building owners’ costs.
- Water conservation: a green building scheme can curtail water usage and related costs and alleviate pressure on water resources by utilizing water-efficient technologies.
- Sustainable materials: using sustainable building materials can lessen the environmental impact of raw material extraction and building materials production.
- High property value: certified green buildings tend to possess higher property values, enabling international companies to seek offices with green certification as a part of their sustainability strategy.
“The benefit of this green method is not only for the building owner but also for individuals. For example, as a resident, you need to reduce your electricity use. Just remember that reducing electricity or water use helps the government and the global community mitigate climate change.” Yanu concluded.
