The effort to reconnect manwith the nature he still desires,and needs, to be a part of byincorporating scientific designsin architecture is the core of

Biophilia.

Health Benefits Global warming is no longermerely a chapter read in class-rooms; its effects are stark.Summers are searing and win-ters are abnormally cold; waterreserves and air are contami-nated. Considering these, build-ings constructed on the princi-ples of Biophilia emphasise onthe health and overall well-being of its occupants andfocuses on its environmentaland social impact, consequentlypromoting a healthy and effi-cient workplace environment.The prime focus is to provide apollution-free surrounding,enabling better creativity andlowered levels of stress.

In view of the fast depleting natural resources andstartling rise in the carbon emission rate,environment-friendly and energy-efficient greenbuildings have indeed become the need of the hour.The concept and motive behind green buildings is highly appreciable, which beyond business aims atenvironmental and human welfare. Green buildings not only promote corporate health,thereby increasing efficiency, they also lead to ahealthier way of living and thus such projects needto be taken up .

Carbon consumption needs to be reduced, wa-ter recycling undertaken and electricity costs cutdown. All this will lead to a healthier environment,and green buildings need to address all these issues.

We have already done a lot of damage to the earthin the name of development. It’s time now to do ourbit to undo the damage and build a greener planet.

The government too believes that green buildings are going to be the future of Kolkata. Talksare on about providing incentives to private builderswho adopt the principle of green buildings. We arealready talking to builders and agencies like Credaito boost the concept of green buildings in the city.

Government policies can also encourage greenbuildings. We are trying to work out a method ofgiving incentives to those builders who are goingto develop green buildings. Increasing the awareness about the advances in green buildingtechnologies is of utmost importance. .

Today’s modern buildings are no doubt a marvel in terms of architecture and technology,but have also led to an adverse impact on the environment. Green buildings can address this is-sue. Rapid urbanisation has done a lot of damageto the ecological balance of the earth. The Westerncountries have already addressed this issue by large-ly adopting the green building model.

I am very optimistic as far as the real estate landscape of West Bengal is concerned. There is noreason that the green building model cannot be replicated here. We need to gift the future genera-tion a cleaner earth, a greener earth. Green build-ings are the future, they are here to stay. Both in-dividual and collective efforts are needed to makethis green dream a reality.

Hakim is state urban development minister

ADVERTORIAL AND PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

INCLUSIVE OF CALCUTTA TIMES & EDUCATION TIMES | EPAPER.TIMESOFINDIA.COM

KOLKATA | MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2009 | PAGES 32 | PRICE RS. 4.50 along with The Economic Times BENNETT, COLEMAN & CO. LTD. | ESTABLISHED 1838 | TIMESOFINDIA.COM

ACCOLADES

Research reveals that the qual-ity of life directly affects thequality of life in a space; peo-ple are happier and can workmore effectively when they haveaccess to daylight and outdoorviews. Offices therefore need tocreate a feeling of openness andto take advantage of naturallight as much as possible. Nat-ural resources should beutilised intelligently and re-sponsibly.

The essence of the produc-tivity argument in green officebuildings is that certain designattributes enhance occupanthealth and well-being, thereforeresulting in healthier, happier,more satisfied and ultimatelymore productive workers.

Green buildings have the po-tential to improve indoor envi-ronments and offer a major op-portunity to use buildings toleverage broader organisation-al success. Green buildings aresomething that tenants, in-vestors and policy makers willcome to demand and expectover time. This momentum hasgrown globally wherein moreand more places green is be-coming the new status quo.

Benefits Galore The tenant - Better healthand well-being, increased pro-

ductivity, reduced downtime, hence, lower operating costs.

The owner - Slower depreciation, increased

occupancy rates, ability to secure finance, rapid return oninvestment, increased marketvalue, reduced vacancies,reduced downtime, lower operating costs.

Biophilic buildings havewell-documented environmen-tal benefits and also impact eco-nomic priorities such as returnon investment and risk mitiga-tion on social priorities such asemployee productivity andhealth.

These buildings shall alsoensure an economically, envi-ronmentally and socially sus-tainable future. Investing in bet-ter indoor environments can

lead to better returns on one ofevery company’s greatest assets- its employees. Research sug-gests that by making even small

improvements to factors suchas productivity, health and well-being, businesses can experi-ence greater financial benefitsthan they would from more ef-ficient resource use in buildingoperations. Biophilic buildingsthat support their employeesbetter also have better organi-sational outcomes. Productiv-ity at the workplace is measuredby a number of factors such asefficiency of input, frequencyof errors and do-over’s, absen-teeism and lack of motivation,and many other such factors.

Advantages and attributesof such buildings include highlevels of natural day lighting,better ventilation, and open and inviting spaces that increase interaction and physical movement.

First-ever Indiancorporate park to win theglobal award for the bestsustainable development

BIOWONDER, the sole nomineefrom east India, has been offi-cially recognized as one of thebest sustainable future projectson a global platform. It hasemerged the winner of TheCityscape Global (Dubai)Awards, in the category of theBest Sustainable DevelopmentAward -Built on the principles ofbiophilic architecture, alongwith being approved to be thefirst-of-its-kind ‘Gold Green ratedLEED’ certified environmentpositive work space boasting anadjoining business hotel - ITCFortune Select – completing thediverse needs of a commercialcorporate hub.

The League of AmericanCommunications Professionals(LACP) Awards is one of the mostcoveted recognitions for those whodemonstrate exemplary marketingcommunications capabilities.Biowonder is the proud winner ofthe Platinum Award in BrochureDesign category

Vivek Singh Rathore(Principal Architect,

Salient Pvt. Ltd.), thearchitect of Biowonder said,“Receiving this Award makesme feel more committed tothe future. I am very happythat Biowonder has receivedthis accolade on such arecognized global platform.However, this is just thebeginning - a lot more has tobe done for the people and theplanet.”

A Greener Future Talks are going on to provide incentives tothose builders who promote green buildings,says Firhad Hakim

“Biowonder is a con-cept that will unleash a

green revolution inKolkata, setting a benchmark

for all future constructionswhere nature and architecture willtalk to each other.”

The world around is changing rapid-ly and so is the City of Joy. Today,Kolkata represents the very epitome oflife. To meet these rapidly changingneeds of a world that seek a balancebetween ecology and technology, thePasari Group brings to Kolkata,Biowonder, the highest cantilever proj-

ect in east India that is also an ecologi-cally sound corporate space, builtupon the principles of Biophilia.

Biophilia: The ConceptHuman beings, similar to all other lifeforms, are an intrinsic part of the nat-ural world. We rely on nature to healour body, inspire our soul, and provideus with sustenance. But, the spread ofurbanisation has alienated us consid-erably from our natural environment,stranding the society amid an ever-growing concrete jungle.

India’s first to win theprestigious LACPPlatinum Award“We always wanted to have aproject where architecture isbuilt as a part of nature – some-thing eco-friendly, sustainableand green, that would developthe working environment of thepeople in the city. BIOWONDERis simply that; inspired by natu-ral dynamics. We feel humbled,for our effort has been acknowl-edged by the Cityscape Global(Dubai) Awards. Winning thePlatinum at LACP (Atlanta) forbrochure design has also boost-ed our morale towards strate-gising premium marketing and communication routes. We arehopeful that our project will seta benchmark for all future con-structions.”

Biowonder is a concept that willunleash a green revolution inKolkata, setting a benchmarkfor all future constructionswhere nature and architecturewill talk to each other

The Magic of Biophilia

LEED(ing) the WayLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design(LEED) is an inter-nationally-recognised green building certification system, providingthird-party verification that a building or community was designedand built using strategies intended to improve performance, measura-ble in metrics such as energy savings, water efficiency, cardon dioxide emission reduction, improved indoor environmental qualityand resource stewardship and sensitivity to their impacts. TheBioWonder team is proud that the project has successfully met allthese criteria laid down under the LEED programme.

EXPERTSPEAK

’

‘

THE CITYSCAPEGLOBAL AWARDS ARE

REPUTED TO RECOGNISEEXCELLENCE ANDCELEBRATE OUTSTANDINGPERFORMANCES IN REALESTATE ANDARCHITECTURAL DESIGNSACROSS EMERGINGMARKETS WORLDWIDE

Environment PositiveMuch in contrast to the gen-eral idea of pollution ema-nating from urban construc-tions, Biophilic architectureactually replenishes theenvironment by utilisingnatural energy sourceswherever possible, thereby,reducing fossil fuel con-sumption. Lowering ambi-ent temperature by prudent-ly blending spacious land-scape with architecture,extensively harvesting rain-water, implementing com-prehensive waste manage-ment policies and practices,enhancing green cover topromote the creation of a‘natural habitat’ are a fewways it does so.

Corporate NeedThe need for incorporatingBiophilic designs in the cor-porate sector is increasingby the day as corporateheads are realising the sig-nificance of a sound bodyand mind of workers whospend a major part of theirday within the premises ofan office, to their overallproductivity.

Based on the fundamentalsof Biophilia, these projectsare structured around theinter-dependence of thethree P’s, i.e., People,Productivity and Product.

Companies that give toppriority to ensuring safetyof their employees are alsoturning to Biophilic con-structions — as exemplifiedby Biowonder — as its dex-terously engineered archi-tecture provides maximumprotection in the face of nat-ural disasters such as earth-quakes. Also, the utilizationof natural energy sourceswithin the corporate build-ings saves the company over20% in electricity bills,which translates into mil-lions in Indian currency.

‘Eversendai Malaysia’, thename behind the creation ofthe Worlds tallest buildingand several milestones in thehistory of contemporaryarchitectural wonders are put-ting their skills and expertiseto accentuate the wonder of aproject, this time in Kolkata.Over the years, the Group hasevolved from a structural steel

erection specialist toone of the leading inte-grated structural steelturnkey contractors with astrong design and engineeringdivision and modern fabrica-tion facilities in Malaysia,UAE and Qatar. The Grouphas completed over 100 proj-ects including many challeng-ing and landmark projects in

countries such as Malaysia,Thailand, Philippines,Indonesia, Hong Kong, Oman,Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatarand UAE whilst maintaininghigh standards of safety, andquality. Here we hold up themost eminent ones, pickedfrom their portfolio for you –

Burj Kafila, Dubai, TheWorld’s tallest building since2009 as well as the world’stallest man-made structure.Burj Al Arab Hotel, Dubai.World renowned hotel. con-structed on a manmade islandand towering 321 meters high,this master piece is theworld’s tallest hotel structure.Petronas Towers, Malaysia,the tallest twin tower inthe world. The tallest twintower in the world. Measuring452 meters high, The PetronasTowers have 88 floors com-prising 8000 tons steel.

And now the longest cantilever corporate gardenis on its way to completion.

They Shaped the Burj Khalifa andPetronas Towers... and now BIOWONDER

Breathe in freshair with Biophilia

“West Bengal has a huge potential for coming upwith more green buildings, and they help in a lot ofoperational and investment savings, it’s just that ithas not been utilized much. Green is not just thecolor, it is an entirely different way of life whichneeds to be followed in a city like Kolkata. We needto orient our vision in such a manner that we canadapt ourselves in both an active and passiveway.It’s just that the government needs to come upwith proper laws for the same.”

Arup Sarkar, professor and head, Department ofArchitecture, Bengal Engineering and ScienceUniversity, Shibpur

‘’Green buildings ensure environmental, ecologicalsustainability and it’s not just architecture that weare talking about, they pertain to all spheres. Theproblem is the cost which happens to be a lot and ittherefore is difficult to put into practice despite thetheoretical advantages. We are trying to teach ourstudents and future architects to come up withmore such projects that can be a part of the com-mon man’s life and not just limit them to the IT sector. I think a mass movement is needed for it.’’

Sanjib Nag, Department of Architecture, UrbanHousing & Urban Design, Jadavpur University

Biophilia strives to reconnectman with nature by recreatingthe ambience desired. This isdone by incorporating scientificdesigns in modern architecture

Buildings constructed on theprinciples of Biophilia emphasiseon the health and overall well-being of its occupants and focus-es on its environmental andsocial impact, consequently pro-moting a healthy and efficientworkplace environment

Biophilic architecture actuallyreplenishes the environment byutilising natural energy sourceswherever possible, thereby,reducing fossil fuel consumption

Based on the fundamentals ofBiophilia, these projects arestructured around the inter-dependence of the threeP’s, i.e., People, Productivity andProduct

Committed to theFuture: Rathore

“Biophilia is the powerful and far-reaching conceptof bringing buildings to life to connect human withnature”Juzer Kothari, conserve consultant, Green Build-ings expert.

BIOWONDERIS THE FIRST-OF-ITS-KINDBIOPHILICSTRUCTUREIN THEEASTERNPART OFINDIA

‘

’

’

’

‘

‘

CONSUMER CONNECT INITIATIVE