Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
The Dossier
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You can make a difference . . .
Dear Member
It’s happened to us every time. The first sight of a tion and building systems. At T–ZED , the density
land, either warms the cockles of our hearts, or it of homes is greater and the services offered are
leaves us cold. It wasn’t any different this time world class. Here is a blend of modern building
around, too, as we scouted for land after land physics, and contemporary engineering.
looking for one that was right on the feel it As planners, at every step of the way, we’ve been
offered, on the convenience of distance that it conscious of energy use—from building materi-
offered the resident [about ten minutes from the als to water generation and use; power; and
Bangalore airport], and the excitement of contour land use. ‘Zero energy ’ is an aspiration. It’s
and vegetation that it roused in us as planners hard, near impossible to achieve in our times. In
and as aesthetes. development jargon, being a ‘carbon-neutral’
BCIL has all along over the years sought to community will only remain an ideal.
sensitize the use of land and building resources. It Can we deliver all of what you read here in these
has sought to set models that inspire, and pave pages? Well, with some of the best minds in
the way for a future that conserves. renewable energy design working on it, with a
The core values have never gone away from band of dedicated, competent professionals to
sustainability and good neighbourliness. And back their effort, and the years of experience that
how does one think spartan? Be it infrastructure, BCIL has notched up with its sound track record—
or all the many little things that add simplicity, we have here a combination that is hard to
grace and elegance to a living environment, match.
while remaining resource-sensitive. Welcome to your new age home. This is the
As you will read in these pages, T–Z ED Homes is future, here and now. Remember, you can make
the first of its kind, at least in India. It offers a difference to the world, while you make home
many amenities that will make you wonder, “So is in the comfort of the campus.
there a catch somewhere?” And what better city Sincerely,
than Bangalore with its cosmopolitan make-up
for hosting such a path–breaking effort?
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on what could go in, what had to be eliminated.
There were many things we would have loved to
have—wind power to take care of lighting loads in
Heady experience
B
ack in July ‘03, when we first toyed with the directions real and meaningful to you as a T–
idea of creating a campus of this kind, we Z ED der. They prove that engineers are ingenuous
were not too clued in on what we will enough to devise ways to meet our needs without
integrate into it all. All that we did know was that destroying the natural world.
the time had come for a mature response to the Convincing you of the importance of sustainability
mayhem of buildings that will not come merely by
surround us on every road in preaching its merits. It will
every city. come through a host of
Walk into any large hotel, and conveniences and amenities
we are acutely conscious of the made available, exciting and
Z ED is no mere
insensitive use of material and relevant to your family.
concept. It’s a
energy. Bury your nose in the Putting together these plans
day ’s paper, and you read lifestyle you choose
has been a heady experience
about the acute shortage of to adopt. It is not an for us all out at BCIL . We have
water and power. alternative; it’s an come out of meetings,
Over years BCIL has cultivated imperative for the haggard and beaten, but not
the capability to rewrite the broken. We have moaned
future.
rules of building infrastructure, about how we are being
and to demonstrate simple pushed on impossible dead-
technologies that demonstrate lines. Scores of uncomfortable,
a future that is sustainable. tough questions have been
So began an effort to put together a team for T– asked on the feasibility of many things [See The
Z ED. Then followed endless hours of tireless debate ABC s of ZED for all of them]. We were prodded, each
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by the other, to provide convincing have to rally around their own re- ethical ‘developer’ with a built–in
responses. sources, and not depend on govern- supply chain of environmentally
But this is just the beginning. We have ment agencies for two vital resources, sensitive products, services, and
a long haul in the months ahead—on water and power. resource people who span an array of
the delivery of every promise that this At T–ZED Homes you have a better technology applications.
Dossier and the other three accompany- chance of securing these resources over We are not a conventional enterprise—
ing documents offer. the very long term—because every we are not builders or developers in the
T–Z ED takes responsibility for generat- design is aimed at providing an usual sense of the term. Our strength
ing the power that is needed to meet all enduring facility or amenity with lies in our ability to create sensitized
essential home and campus needs, for conservation as a core value. infrastructure for large campus spreads
recycling the waste it generates, and BCIL ’s recent track record has proven that stand the test of time.
harvesting the water the campus uses, that there are enough people, though a
among many other concerns. minority, who seek such a discerning
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All the technologies incorporated have
been successfully used in previous
projects—the innovation lies in
T
he central reason for the This is apart from BCIL ’s successful
celebrates life and relationships, and of
creation of T–Z ED arises from record in building communities as well
your place in the larger scheme of
four separate strands of focus, as properties that add value, ecologi-
things, you should be talking to us.
incorporating the experience and cally and economically.
Like we said, you sure can make a
expertise of BCIL ’s own professionals, Since the mid–Nineties, BCIL has been
difference in your own small way by
and a number of organizations founded on the green ideal of taking a choosing a lifestyle that does not bring
dedicated to reducing environment market-led approach to sustainable substantial harm to natural resources.
impact. development and promoting the
n BCIL ’s long–term commitment to application of appropriate technology.
quality housing and strong
Discerning n ational acclaim
communities committed to conser-
The New Delhi–based TERI chose one of
vation values in their own lives.
BCIL ’s earlier projects, Trans Indus, as
n Our goal of local sustainability.
an example of sustainable development
n Our past work on zero–energy
for its Best Corporate Environment
housing.
Initiatives Award 2001. The Company
n Our commitment to promoting a
has also won another prestigious
model approach to energy–
national award for the ‘best example of
conscious development.
sustainable construction’.
Award winning record
Low–tech Systems
BCIL is one of Bangalore’s larger You don’t need to worry about untried
housing projects companies. technology.
BCIL is also one of the rare few corporate BCIL has believed in using local
enterprises, lending its expertise to materials, often using traditional
Governments. It consults for the building techniques, as this minimizes
Governments of Nagaland and Kerala environmental impact of the construc-
in the creation of eco–tourism infra- tion process, while maximizing
structure. durability.
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foremost practitioners in the country of architecture
Who’
Who’ss Behind All that employs energy–efficient systems. He has been
dedicated to such work for close to a quarter
this? century.
T
–Z ED Homes has brought together a new for energy systems, water, air–conditioning, refrig-
breed of architects and designers who are eration, harnessing of renew-
today pioneering able energy sources— just
environmentally low–impact, about any thing that can
high–performance construc-
Here is a team of sensitize resource use.
tion techniques.
professionals who don’t To Sanjay, indigenous tech-
Practical vision niques are not primitive. He
carry a mere contractual
Presiding over these direc- regards some of them as
obligation. What they
tions at BCIL is an untiring, environmentally sophisticated.
carry is a commitment to
alternate technology profes- Sanjay’s two most well known
sional, Chandrashekar themselves to do their projects is the Mirambika Free
Hariharan, who has wrestled life’s work at T-Z ED . . . Progress School at the
for a dozen years with how Aurobindo Ashram in Delhi,
our homes and offices are and the TERI Retreat building
made of materials and building systems that are that is an autonomous training facility of the tuture.
unrelated to the environment in which they are Design studio
built. He despairs at the use of building materials Anup Naik is the second key creative artist. As the
that are ecologically unsustainable, and buildings chief architect, he presides over every detail of floor
that need much more energy to heat, cool and light plans and the aesthetic of materials. This is a man
than is necessary, with only some planning. In with a rare talent for designs that are grounded in
driving T–Z ED ’s values, and those of BCIL , he brings the local environment. His office in Bangalore
a blend of strategy and passion that has galvanised serves as the design studio backed by a half-dozen
energies of some of the best technology people and architects versed in building processes.
designers in the country. There’s in him at once the Sustainable water use
foolhardiness of a visionary and the blunt forth- Mohan. He has the task of stewarding the land’s
rightness of a do–er. contours. Having created over a half–dozen
The physics of buildings
amphitheatres in the past, and some of the exquisite
Sanjay Prakash. Heading the creative team of gardens and interiors in town, his presentations
architects and design people, Sanjay is one of the speak of a certain precision. He is spoiling for
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challenges that go beyond the pale of the conven- extension of the man, and his beliefs.
tional. His own home is a model of systems that Economy in air and cooling
vest meaning to sustainability—on water use, Dhaliwal. A mechanical engineer whose prowess at
building materials and space management. It’s an design is only matched by his charming inability at
Given the front–running expectations on the project, ing. He is a technologist-lawyer, and management
though small and within the capability of the T–Z ED and finance specialist, who heads TARU , a New Delhi-
Project Team, an independent panel has been consti- based consulting firm. He was one of the first re-
tuted. The task before it: to provide value assurance searchers from the developing world to apply ecologi-
on the implementation of the different project segments, cal systems analysis and design methods to what
particularly in relation to the Zero energy values. was then a fuzzy concept of sustainability in the mid-
This is an independent committee set up to ensure 1980s. Aromar has lectured and taught widely in India
that it presents its findings periodically on long-term and the West, and been a senior advisor to various
responsible management. ministries, and international development institutions.
He is an Ashoka fellow (1990) and a Balaton Member
The stewardship committee shall be steered by Dr.
1997.
Anil Mishra, an energy consultant and Secretary at
present of Solar Energy Society of India. Trained in Caroline Lobo, an Arizona-based green architect who
renewable energy use (a Masters from the Univer- is widely known in environmentally and energy effi-
sity of Oldenburg, Germany), he was Fellow and cient design circles as a young leader. She is Chair-
Research Associate at TERI , New Delhi, before turn- woman, Committee on Environment, American Insti-
ing professional consultant for energy–efficient build- tute of Architects, [Arizona] and member of the board
ing technologies. of directors, central Arizona chapter of American In-
stitute of Architects.
At T–Z ED he is working on a series of simulation
models that help in choice of materials and building Rustam Vania, journalist and environmentalist, is al-
technologies. Performance prediction and thermal ready a member of one of BCIL ’s eco-conscious en-
analysis of buildings and renewable energy systems claves. He today edits and provides graphic support
through computer simulation are his core strengths. for Gobar Times, the popular pull-out section of Down
to Earth, the journal of the Centre for Science and
As Secretary of the Solar Energy Society of India,
Environment.
and Board Member of the International Association
for Solar Energy Education, of the University of Solomon Benjamin, architect–planner–urbanist, running
Florida, Anil Mishra brings vital understanding of independent research projects, spends time at the
state–of–the–art in building industry worldwide. National Law School in Bangalore. A city–based pro-
fessional-philosopher who divides his time between
There are four other professionals who are members.
Bangalore and the rest of the world.
Aromar Revi, an IIT –Delhi alumni of Civil engineer-
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business! He directs two vital aspects of boasts some of the world’s best Homes? “The concept drove me. When
T–Z ED — the built-in Refrigeration practitioners of earth block technology. I heard of it the first time, I wanted to
system for every home, and the Z ED air– get involved—it didn’t matter in what
Managing the doing
conditioning system. way. The entire team thinks differently.
Sridhar R. Reining in the entire team—
Solar and heat systems Well, I know I’ll learn a deal by the
from architects and designers, to
time we are done with it.”
Atam Kumar. A one–time nuclear vendors and execution groups—is this
scientist at BARC now turned a solar and At AEC Infoech, Sridhar is backed by a
1970s structural engineer, an IIS c
heat systems engineer, he chooses professional team of engineers, task
alumni, who monitors and manages
occasionally—between his time as a managers, and trainers. The team takes
the entire process of the creation of T–
committed organic farmer—to consult responsibility for the entire set of tasks
Z ED Homes.
on energy conservation and with management of instructions
He rose over two decades at Semac
solarisation projects. He designs between the Architects and Contractor
Consultants from design engineer to
buildings for comfort conditioning. He groups. Primarily, they ensure that
Director on the Board of that consult-
is one of India’s few specialists in earth prompt servicing of all costs is ensured
ing company. At present he heads AEC –
coupling by Earth Air Tunnels. while protecting the interest of the
Infotech, a Semac spin–off. The nature
project.
Energy with a think of management that AEC does is
Project schedules have been drawn up
Lyle Lopez. An electrical engineer, he unique.
for the following task segments—
began his career in the early 80s with a We’ll let Sridhar speak for himself: “It’s
Club ZED and related works; Service
stint at the Aero–Engine Services hard to tell people of what we do. We
Core Block — civil works and installa-
support Group of General Electric as monitor every process from men,
tion of machinery; Z ED Homes in five
an instrumentation engineer. He then materials to funds flow. We choose the
clusters; Stand-alone homes—fifteen of
joined his father’s long–established execution groups. We seek to sensitize
them; Z ED scaping, roads, park lots,
consultancy firm. Since then he has processes at every stage. We take
tanks, and other infrastructure.
been consulted upon several projects complete ownership of a project once
on electrical engineering and design assigned.” Details can be had from BCIL ’s officers.
needs. So why did he choose to work on T–Z ED
Lopez has offered project management
services, energy and safety audits, for
Providing Value Assurance Through and After . . .
an array of large facilities in Delhi and
around. The firm has also actively T-Z ED establishes a simple objective: make sustainability easy, attractive, and af-
supported heritage conservation efforts, fordable, without your having to make an compromise on present-day conveniences
the Taj Mahal Conservation Collabora- and comforts. To ensure delivery mechanisms are established right, Team T-ZED
tive, being one of them. At T–ZED , he invited Prasad Vaidya of the Weidt Group, based in California, to develop a set of
offers inputs on all aspects of electrical Value Assurance techniques for implementation of the Z ED-values promised in the
energy and intelligent lighting systems. design.
Au r ov i l l e b u i l d i n g c e n t r e This is to ensure right delivery and monitoring. An Architecture and Environmental
The Auroville Building Centre is a Consulting firm, the Weidt Group of consulting green architects help designers with
HUDCO recognized centre for excellence energy conservation and achieving LEED certification in the states of Minnesota,
systems for sewage and waste disposal, Before joining the Weidt Group he practised architecture for seven years, working
and successfully commissioned projects on projects in the US, Korea, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and India.
in the south for over 50 systems in use; The Weidt Group is a consulting firm with complimentary specialties in sustainable
the biggest system at present is at a design, energy, and software. Founded in 1977 by John Weidt, the firm consults
hospital near Pondicherry for 2000 with other architects and engineers to create environmentally appropriate buildings;
persons. The team, beaded by Tency conducts environmental research and analysis of buildings, and creates software to
Baeten, a long-time Aurovillean, also helps architects and engineers make buildings more efficiently.
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Z ED : What’
What’ss on offer? At home
I
t’s important that we are offered You don’t need to worry about untried
are built into the kitchen sinks at
alternatives that have the potential technology—every element has been
home.
to improve quality of life while created with two
n Well lit,
reducing our collective environmental things in mind:
very well
impact.
[a] feasibility of ventilated Z ED
At T–ZED Homes you will see a return to
creating the If there’s a reason you
homes with
many First Principles on quality of choose to live in a gated
facility now; solar passive
water, air and and power available at
and community such as this, architecture
your home.
[b] easy mainte- it’s the assurance of
that ensures
The campus envisages eighty Z ED
nance in the excellent
homes in five clusters of four–floor many others as
long term natural
configurations. Each cluster offers neighbours who share
with running lighting. No
sixteen homes. the advantages of living
costs being dark gloomy
We have harboured a theme that homes with
less than together.
unifies the afforesting plans at Z ED. The those of poor ventila-
clusters are— Bayleaf, Bilva, Begonia, tion.
conventional
Babul and Basil. Some of these plants options. n Solar hot water with cluster–based
are sacred. Some of them are known for
servicing backed up with low
This section presents all aspects of T–
their aromatic and medicinal value.
Z ED. Please ask for the pullout, All That voltage heating elements for cloudy
They all have a firm place in the hoary
periods.
You Wanted to Know About T–Z ED. . ., if
stories of our ancient past. And they
you need to know more about any or all n No personal domestic lights
provided a unifying theme in our effort
of these Z ED features. The near–
to christen the clusters.
exhaustive Q & A will put you at rest on
These ZED homes are configured in area Car Wash That Conserves
scores of issues that should arise in
options that suit your need [see matrix
your mind.
of home areas detailed in accompany- T–Z ED provides water–conserving
ing document, Pencilling Z ED]. No home Here we take you through a tour of the
car–wash nozzles akin to the hand–
is like any other. Each has its varia- individual aspects of T–Z ED Homes.
held telephonic ablution nozzles in
tions, and its oddities, and distinctive There are four streams — what T–ZED
WC s—without using a bucket one
elements. facilities mean to you at your home, in
uses less water than a bucket to
terms of Amenities, at the Services
There are then fifteen single-family wash a car.
Core, and on Zedscaping, or the
homes in the rear block—called the
planting and vegetation plans.
Candida cluster.
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required at your home. T–ZED
homes offer you built–in energy-
efficient lights.
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The T–Z ED campus offers many facilities beyond campus takes responsibility for all waste, while
what it needs to. But then, remember, T-Z ED Homes benefiting from it.
is about demonstrating many values that go far n Gravity fed tanks across the campus catering to
beyond the usual norm. every home in each
n Centralised, intelligent cluster.
security system; Panic T-Z ED Homes will n Services Core Block
buttons in every home have an internet shopping with central plants for
to enable security chilled water which will
link with a local
alerts. serve your needs of
supermarket, with regular
n Intelligent lighting refrigeration, freezing,
co–ordinated deliveries.
systems for homes, airconditioners—all
common corridors and generated in-house.
other areas, and for n Gas banks on your floor to avoid gas cylinders
public lighting of the campus areas. They save being housed inside your home.
energy; appliances last longer.
n In-house power generation that takes care of
n EPABX facility that offers you one phone connec- all power needs without interruption.
tion with direct dial facility. Every home offers
n Organic solid wastes recycled through vermi-
three more cable-pairs for external connections.
composting in the common campus areas.
n Optic fibre connectivity for broadband
n Old newspaper and other paper sent to
connectivity and cable TV .
recycling shop.
n Elevators for each ZED Homes cluster, with a
n Organic vegetables, fruits and flowers are
compact machine room.
community assets.
n Rainwater is collected, and stored in tanks or in
Amenities at Club ZED
virtual tanks that the shallow aquifers will serve
n Childcare facility. Don’t worry about young
as.
children – walk to the tots lot at C LUB Z ED ’s
n Car-wash ports with water connections and
health spa, and pop them home for lunch. This
water-conserving outlets.
will be a call that the Z ED community will make
n Centralised, intelligent fire detection system depending on the need for such a facility.
(beyond legal requirement)
n You can scale down your washing at home. The
n Fire fighting system (beyond legal requirement), central laundry that uses stored rainwater and
using hose reels with chilled water from biodegradable detergents will be more efficient
distribution grid. and will cost you just as much as the help
n Central services (electrical systems that relate to you’ll hire.
common areas, pumps, lifts) including security, n You don’t need to go out of your way to stay fit.
gardening, building maintenance and repair. CLUB Z ED offers a contemporary fitness centre.
n Disabled–friendly drop kerbs and ramps for We hope to have a consulting nutritionist on
roads, corridors and connecting vestibules. call on certain days of the week.
n Solid wastes separated by residents into n A conferencing centre [50 capacity] with
recyclable groups (paper, metal, plastic, secretarial support.
organic, mixed, toxic) n Theme restaurant in a semi open-air setting.
n A waste management plan that takes care of Organic home meal from restaurant encour-
treatment in a manner that will involve low aged.
maintenance and low running cost. Ensures the n An ozonized poolside you can use in winters,
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too. The waters are warmed to n Generous bicycle storage. n Energy-efficient design — with
ambient temperature by a unique n A ‘pedestrian first’ policy – with homes facing north or east to make
energy–efficient heating process. good lighting, drop kerbs for prams the most of the solar axis, and to
The pool draws, like many things at and wheelchairs. bring in sunlight in place of
ZED , on zero energy values by artificial lighting.
n Car parking spaces are laid with
avoiding use of energy-inefficient n A water strategy that enables
porous block paving over gravel to
ceramic tiles. The surface is clad in reduction of consumption. This
minimise surface run– off. Runoff
a blend of designer stones and includes installing water-saving
from sky gardens, roads and
sand-simulating granular surface appliances and making the most of
pavements is drained to the
material—no ceramic tiles. rain and recycled water.
underground storage, with excess
n A convenience store that caters to water being distributed to the n Don’t spend a fortune on utilities
residents’ household needs. BCIL is vegetated areas of the campus. bills. Whether it is on water, or
negotiating an internet shopping n A road layout that keeps vehicles to electricity, or heavy duty appliances
link with a local supermarket, with walking speed. like the air-conditioner or refrigera-
regular co–ordinated tor. You can rest easy, knowing
deliveries, to reduce time that you are not abusing natural
taken and distance resources.
travelled for the monthly
n You don’t have to eat organic
bulk shopping. Pool waters at Club ZED
vegetables got from miles away
Besides, the EcoStore are warmed to ambient temp from your home. You will have a
provides recycled paper, by an energy-efficient heating choice from within the campus.
biodegradable detergent,
process... n Location that is strategic. The
organic vegetables, fruits,
airport is 12–15 minutes away,
flowers, rice and dal
and the railway station is 40
varieties, other domestic
minutes away. The city’s shop-
consumables like tooth-
ping district, MG Road, is 25–30
paste. This is apart from main- n Bio-fencing with warm, cheerful
minutes away in peak traffic.
stream market produce. installation art for the periphery
n An affordable art mart that will walls.
display a range of oil and wash n Ecofriendly plants.
paintings, craftwork, and bric-a- n Permeable roads, bike and jogging
brac. trails.
n A health farm with options on n Cars are out of the way—it’s a
ayurvedic stress-busters child-friendly space.
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Instead it puts into practice the latest
thinking on protecting the environ-
ment, bringing together in one project
T
–Z ED ’s skill lies in the way it ZED naturals spell gloom for the next generation.
brings together a number of In as many aspects of the buildings, T– You can see that T–Z ED is not just a
proven methods—none of them Z ED has employed natural, recycled or bunch of buildings. Its soul lies in the
particularly high tech—of reducing reclaimed materials. values you will engender in going
energy, water and introducing Z ED beyond making a living, to living.
Again, wherever possible, we have
features that bring luxury and comfort
encouraged use of building materials
to the dweller. And, crucially, it creates
traditional to the region, such as
a campus that is affordable on the
natural flooring stone, terra-cotta tiled
running costs.
roofing and
We have defied economic logic by
natural floors.
creating much less as built area than is No r ocket
permitted by the norms—a mere s cience here
225,000 sq. feet against FAR norm of
Every single
over 400,000 sq. feet.
aspect of T–ZED
The footprint—or the area buildings
has been
consume—is no more than 80,000 sq. designed to
feet, against the total land expanse of
conserve finite
232,000 sq. feet. natural re-
We chose not to mar the skyline with yet sources, and to
another high–rise. Here’s a set of have minimal
buildings that will lend grace over impact on the
years to the cityscape without offending environment.
the land’s sensitivities. However, the
While we have striven to reduce entire scheme of
environment impact with a reduced elements does
physical footprint, as T–ZED residents, not rely on
you have to work together to reduce complicated
your ecological footprint. technology.
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The place to sit down, and
chat away . . .
Club ZED takes away commuting from your shopping
T
o the old Bangalorean, its salubrious you step out ... these had to be detailed with care,
climate is at once a blessing and a love and attention. Little things like steps that help
blight—the latter because, just about every you negotiate levels were important, too.
one who visits Bangalore wants to make home here. The forms had to be organic, free–flowing. Design
There are over 1,500 families, those lifeless had to be unconscious, not inviting your attention,
statisticians tell us, that migrate to the plateau for yet agreeable to the eye.
good, every day. But that’s another story . . . The long, curving restaurant space reflects a contem-
At T–ZED , we set out to make the most of the city ’s porary steel cable truss roof with an overhanging
cool conditions. With so fabric that gives the
much as land expanse at ambience a gay, tropical
the campus, the natural A significant struc- character. From the
choice on designing the restaurant that overlooks
tural feat is the Seminar space
Club Z ED ’s string of the articulated
that hovers over the limpid
facilities was to be plantscape on either
minimal on architectural turquoise of the pool waters.
side, you are guided
distinctions between An expansive glass front, and through small interreg-
indoors and the out. port holes in glass on the nums of spaces that
The buildings had to accommodate the
floor lend a charming element
expand into the landscape, prosaic functions — the
of diversion to this Z ED –
while the sights, sounds of kitchen, the washrooms,
airconditioned conferencing
the outdoor waft through the pool changerooms.
the living spaces. We had centre. This serves as a And as you move along
to ponder over the scale of centrepiece for Club Z ED . the radial, the health
buildings, their size and spa [that doubles as the
spaces that have to tots lot] rests, while the
necessarily be enclosed and the level of natural and amphitheater with its inviting green spread lies
artificial illumination. The textures of the walls, the draped in a curved hollow.
floors, the roofs, the columns, and the land areas as A significant structural feat is the Seminar space that
15
Misgivings you may nurse
16
to let a mountain of green cascade the
building.
Embodying the T–Z ED Ideal The hallmark of Z ED design, its sky
gardens that use light–weight mulch in
Putting environmentally intelligent design to the test. . .
place of heavier soil on the upper
tloors, and every balcony space, had to
be sewn into the internal spaces
seamlessly.
Yo u c a n ’ t j u s t s t a n d t h e r e a n d a s s e r t t h a t t h e w o r l d s h o u l d b e
T–Z ED lends a subtle dimension to the
d i ff e r e n t . Yo u h a v e t o p r o v i d e t h e p r a c t i c a l r e s o u r c e s a n d i d e a s f o r
treatment of pergolas, the texture of
change.
materials and colours, and the
World Resources Institute.
checkerboard of light and shadow in
the lower segments as the building
turns askew.
The spinal road that meanders between
A
ll architects care about campus, called the Candida cluster. the clusters forms a subtle frame for the
building right. But at T–Z ED , We bore in mind the need for the connecting wooden corridors that
the big questions were and resident’s right to privacy, and exclusiv- extend an old–world elegance to the
have been: How can we build this ity. Each home had to have its identity, street. They also reduce traffic speed by
urban community which will live up to while integrating with the whole. making the streets seem an uncertain
its promise of a quality lifestyle while The external facades, the split levels environment for cars.
being the envy of the rest of the city? between each Z ED home in the cluster, The Z ED masterplan achieves a pleasant
Most architects use three basic design the treatment of the corridors that place to live—with good quality
criteria: aesthetics, performance and connect ... all were hand-crafted to outdoor spaces. The plan provides
cost. At T–Z ED, in order to deal with the create spaces security and
threat to natural resources posed by that invite demarca-
modern-day building techniques, we the softer tion of
added two additional criteria: build- eastern and
At T-Z ED , no two houses public and
ings must be designed to be environ- northern sun. private
are at the same floor level. We
mentally intelligent and built of At T–Z ED , areas.
took good care to ensure that
materials that utilise, not exploit every Everything
resources. building’s elements of ‘Vaastu’ were not
about the
We turned down the possibility of a configuration defied. ZED
high-rise and chose to hug the treeline. changes at masterplan—
Discovering a building through the each level. from the
foliage and not looking at it from a No two layout and
distance, had an appeal we couldn’t houses are building materials, to the energy and
resist. The high-rises are less sophisti- the same at the floor level. We took water supply systems—has been
cated—they fight the environment, and good care to ensure that elements of designed to drive towards resource
do not take advantage of natural ‘Vaastu’ were not defied. efficiency.
forces. More out of deference to the carefully BCIL ’s aim in designing T–ZED has been
We first carved out the three segments crafted Z EDscape, we designed the to create an attractive urban village,
of the land—Club Z ED , the five clusters homes to overlook the green outdoors reflecting and enhancing the local style
of Z ED Homes, and the single family from almost every side of the house. and flavour, while lending warmth and
homes tucked away at the rear of the Terraces were pulled back at each level cheer to the campus and the home.
17
natural stone and laterite make for
energy reduction. The mix of
materials ensures thermal and
The Matrix of Materials
Matrix visual comfort for every home.
O
ver the years, we have ucts that go into making every T–Z ED filler slabs employ laterite blocks
who worked on the plans, showed a rare the insides. Exposed exteriors. slate with surface treatment to make
asked ourselves whether our buildings higher thermal comfort in homes. n Doors. Frameless, flush doors
needed disproportionately large quanti- n Laterite exposed work in certain covered with rubberwood doors.
sections to lend warm, earth tones. n Accents on granite in the Z ED
ties of energy to construct and maintain,
whether the harvesting of the materials n Quarry dust in place of ecologi- clusters, parks, and lift foyers.
cally destructive sand for PCC and n Wardrobes are offered as options.
could potentially destroy other species,
plastering work. In rice husk and particle or bamboo
and whether any of the materials are
n While concrete framed structures do boards. The energy values of such
toxic.
signify greater embodied energy, the materials will be certified.
We present here a checklist of the prod- soil cement blocks, and the use of
18
Smart Lights that Save
Making the most of present-day technology
H
aving said as much, we will run you home. You are networked into an EPABX facility that
quickly through this section. will allow free internal voice calls.
The external lights (gate lights, path- You can organize with the business centre to receive
ways, parking and façade) shall be on a timer with your calls (acting as your office or taking messages)
an ambient light sensing device; both devices shall when you are out.
intelligently determine in combination whether it is
The low–rise T–ZED buildings do not legally require
appropriate to switch the lights on, or put them off.
any fire detection or fire fighting provisions, nor a
The lights in the lift lobbies, corridors and stairs, security system. But as a T–ZED measure of safety
shall be “group switched”. This is a system where and security, we offer a centralized fire detection
one light in a group of three shall come on as a system, and an intelligent security system that
base light (as daylight dims), while others come on includes panic buttons to the central security post,
for a short while only when a person is walking and boundary wall surveillance.
(activated by a PIR sensor and switched off by a
The fire fighting systems will utilize water from the
timer).
19
distribution grid of chilled water to douse the rare choice without being “punished” by the state for
fire. saving energy or generating your own. Recent legal
reforms in the power
T–Z ED offers you homes
sector have already
that come complete with
started working this
built–in energy–efficient The low–rise T–ZED issue towards our side.
lights. If you do have a
buildings do not legally
favourite bedside lamp,
require any fire detection or
you have the option of
plugging it in. fire fighting provisions, nor a
20
from the Water Supply Board of its
regularity in the long term future.
I
t’s easy to forget the importance of ently stealing agricultural freshwater documents.
water when the monsoon is in resources from the countryside to the Store a lot
lot: This is because renewable
swing. We use our water resources city (using the city ’s superior paying
resource yields like rain are diurnal,
to capacity. We have seen in recent capacity), and it creates waste (grey and seasonal. We get all our rains in
years in every city and every village, the water) or sewage (black water), ideally about 90 hours in the 8,700–plus hours
alarming short supply during the requiring treatment before merging that a year offers—that’s one per cent
summer months. back with the resources of nature. of the entire year’s time.
Water shortages are here to stay. There Myth of water growing in pipes . . . It is this capital cost of storage that is
is no magic wand we can wield to daunting, and where the most develop-
The fact that water does not grow in
produce water. But our long years of pipes explains why the pipes are often ment work is scheduled at T–Z ED.
work on water management has helped Build two–way
dry! But, levity
us harness water resources well. apart, all piped networks for
T–Z ED’s water strategy will make it easy supplies Water shortages security: Every
for residents to conserve this precious, essentially come consumer is also
are here to stay. There is no
taken-for-granted resource, by reducing from some a producer. We
magic wand we can wield to
water usage and making the most of natural resource are beginning by
other sources such as rainwater. produce water. But our long setting the
ultimately
Domestic water use is typically 135 litre traceable to rain years of work on water unparalleled
per person per day (roughly 15 lppd for or other management has helped us example of not
lppd for washing ourselves, 50 lppd for to harvest this connection. The
flushing, and 10 lppd wasted). Add urban domestic water directly from the day is not far off when the municipal
rain, which otherwise chokes our services shall allow us, no, require us,
another 65 lppd for a small garden,
drains. It makes more sense to do this to flow freshwater back to them for
and you have a total of 200 lppd.
rather than consume water from storage and distribution for other use.
If domestic water is used indiscrimi-
municipal pipes with no assurance However BCIL is committed to one
nately, urban areas end up inadvert-
21
undertaking: we will provide water million litres harvested from all the roof any treatment, by way of abundant
supply connection from the Water tops and 12 million litres harvested precaution, T–Z ED’s plans include such
Supply Board, some day in the future — from the green areas around the domestic water being ozonized to
if, that is, the Z ED water plan does not buildings in the land expanse. That drinking water quality, so that all
provide adquate water. amounts to 40,000 liters per capita of kitchen sinks, wash basins, bathing
Manage our own water resources potential stored groundwater. and ablution nozzles have high quality
Can we really manage with the water Being shallow, it is economical to pump water.
available on the campus. this water with solar photovoltaic pumps The faucets at each home will all have
Well, picture this possibility, which is and ozonize it for use in cooking, aerating nozzles so as to conserve
of 80 lppd (See box on Per Capita water demand (so 80 lppd contains a treatment plant and the water it
Stake) from their roofs, gardens and safe margin), dishes being passed recycles (see the following page on
roads. Imagine storing some of this through running water, and a comfort- Waste Turns to Relative Wealth),
water in an underground tank as it is ably long shower. That makes for a total practically no water is lost except to
nearly soft, for use in cooling devices, Campus need of 30,000 litres per day, leaks and transpiration of plants or
and charging a shallow underground or 11 million litres a year. (We should perspiration of human beings, or to
aquifer (which can be treated as some avoid, as conscionable citizens, use of evaporation in machines. And there is
sort of a ‘virtual water storage’) together bath tubs every day that drain wastefully, no need for a drain or sewage outlet in
with the rest of the rainwater that the after each use, up to 280 litres). the system, as all water and waste
land receives through the year. Ozonized waters become a resource rather than effluent.
At T–Z ED , this storage amounts to 4 While this type of water would not need And all this can be implemented with
22
an additional capital cost. That’s the responsibility In putting these plans into place, we have relied on
BCIL has taken on, of incurring an extra a sound understanding of First Principles and
infrastructural cost if it means securing a Z ED choice of systems that are well-established, and low
value. on technology, as well as maintenance in the years
ahead. .
Why aren’t they all doing this?
Besides, the water from the Supply Board in soft water, with optional self-service or your
internittent, unreliable in quantity and quality, and housekeeper calling in at the Laundromat at Club
23
The greenhouse also feeds Campus needs for
mother plants.
The process
Owning up for the community’s refuse
All the water produced from baths and showers,
Green planning has been tested, and has shown its worth. The idea
wash basins and sinks (grey water) is non–
is gaining momentum, and it’s finding people who live by it.
pathogenic. The waste (sullage from showers, wash
Robert McNamara
basins, and kitchen counters) lines from homes
lead the sullage water to the waste treatment
system. The water passes through the filtration
chambers, and is then ozonized to rid the water of
turbidity and residual pathogenic content.
M
any activist groups across
flushing and the sky gardens in each home.
the country have waged
At homes, T–Z ED uses water-conserving flush cocks
endless battles to regulate and clean
at the closets (advanced versions of the humble
up after environmentally destructive waste is
ones in a train toilet). All Z ED gardens employ drip
spewed by poorly planned housing colonies, or
irrigation techniques. These two functions alone
industries. At BCIL , the shift in strategy is clear: the
claim over 135 litres per person per day.
search is for more energy-efficient, less polluting
methods of meeting human needs. This has opened In most conventional situations, sewage water
24
This sanitary system has been around a
long time, and has served the function
well. But the decomposition of waste
takes place in anaerobic conditions
[without contact with air and oxidiz-
ing], and creates an effluent that is
high on odour. Often this water is used
in gardens. This carries potentially
harmful pathogenic bacteria, and can
contaminate underground water
resources. This system does not ensure
black water is treated adequately.
In theory such treatment can make These baffled chambers ensure that the sewage is clarified without residual odour
water potable again, especially if it is and the clarified water is used for water–conserving farms — (below).
25
Bangalore where many air-conditioned
buildings are being cooled up to the
first week of December, when it is
City-specific Z E D –AC’
–AC’ss colder outside!
When in Bangalore, design for Bangalore, is the T-Zed The Z ED air-conditioning is aimed at
credo. Here we tell you how. improving efficiency—in the making of
the system, and in the running of it.
Since it is not done as a retrofit after
Even the most eco-conscious consumer finds it hard to go home the building is already created, we have
without a sizeable amount of unnecessary packaging. the advantage of custom–designing a
James Campion in Once Upon a Universe. system that is in conjunction with the
building and the city ’s climate.
‘One solution fits all’
T
–ZED homes offer for every one guzzles more energy to provide more is, air-conditioners are, in principle,
of its 95 homes a customized cooling—there’s a bill you pay every energy–guzzling devices that [a]
air conditioning system, that is month, and think you didn’t have a overcool the air in humid times to
hugely different from the conventional better option. condense out the water, then [b] heat it
AC ’s you have known in homes [split And if you don’t see the AC system in all over again, and [c] cool the air, not
units that fit as stand-alone equipment isolation, but see it in the context of the person, and treat perfectly accept-
on your wall] and in office blocks [the the building, you will notice that able fresh air as a liability.
centralized duct system]. buildings are poorly designed for The larger global hazard of warming
T–Z ED offers homes with no dust, no thermal comfort, poorly oriented and has resulted largely due to emissions of
pollution, no germs—if managed well, poorly insulated—you only have to look ozone depleting substances driven by
you will keep away the dozens of around as you AC and refrigeration.
per cent the running cost. There is also soak more than
26
Utterly simple Z ED option
L
et’s look at air–conditioning the daft to install a system that is designed to work in
T–Z ED homes. In a city like the Sahara and in the jungles of Borneo!
Bangalore, the older citizens would dismiss People don’t like to lug their AC units with them
the very idea as ridiculous, as the climate contin-
ues, despite all the abuse and the population
surge, to be ‘air-conditioned’—you only have to Energy Standards
step out of an aircraft after a ride in from any city
When you set out to buy a refrig-
in India, to know the difference.
erator, or any such heavy-duty ap-
Yes, it helps to improve the quality of air. Eliminat-
pliance, look for the small print in
ing dust and occasional humidity will add to
the catalogue that details the power
human comfort, enhance productivity, and the life
rating of the system. There are stan-
of furnishings.
dards set for energy use for differ-
Do–Nothing helps, too
ent sizes of refrigerators. For in-
Though there are obviously situations where do– stance, the current BIS standard for
nothing would be a perfectly acceptable solution in the most popular 165–litres refrig-
Bangalore, this is so only if you do nothing and erator is 750 KwHrs a year under
stay with that solution forever, accepting the five what is uncomfortably called ‘lab
percent bad times with the good, not heading out conditions’ — this translates to
to buy a split unit the moment the mercury touches about two units of power consumed
35 deg. C one of these summer afternoons. per day on your power meter. Now
The conventional solution has it that the AC a 22-cubic-feet refrigerator [over 600
(typically a split, which is not very healthy, as it has litres] in Japan or the US uses as
no fresh air input) is used only during the ‘hot’ little as 561 kilowatt-hours a year!
27
when they transfer residence, but are currently More we buy, more
forced to do so due to the perception that central the global risk
AC is expensive, itself born out of the “one solution
Annual refrigerator sales in less-in-
fits all” mindset.
dustrial nations are on a 15% trot a
So when in Bangalore, we design for Bangalore. At
year. China has the biggest refrig-
T–Z ED , air conditioning is approached in three
erator industry in the world. Only
parts:
15 years ago Chinese homes didn’t
(a) Do nothing when the outside air is good (which sport fridges. Today 20 to 25% of
is very often)—just filter or wash the air and homes in rural China have refrig-
feed it in. erators. It is as high as 90% in the
(b) Sensible cooling in the dry seasons and dry cities. India is not far behind. Shows
periods of the day, something that can be there is a sore need for devising
accomplished by using water as refrigerant. You technologies, like at T-ZED, that bring
don’t need to fret over humidity. These are greater efficiency.
indirect evaporative systems that do not directly
add water to the indoors, and are used as
low–energy air–conditioning system with full
window units. Since the water is relatively soft controls. And, it runs at 1.5 times the efficiency of
and collected from the roof during monsoon, it a regular split unit — saves you over 50 per cent in
enhances the life of the monthly bills.
Z ED AC .
So why isn’t it done
(c) To really make it crisp elsewhere already? Well,
and comfortable for There is another because this solution
every hour in the year, reason that these energy– requires, initially, large
we provide for latent efficient systems are not volumes of order for
cooling by chilled tooling —if the pricing is
implemented—they do not
water sent to these Z ED to be competitive.
necessarily pay the AC
AC ’ S in your home Second, such climates as
supplier, or the consult- the one in Bangalore are
The T–Z ED AC is a con-
tainer about the size of a ant, what they perceive as not common, so the
split unit, but going sufficient compensation demand from a poor old
28
the effort, because the solution requires At BCIL , we’re glad that that step has
care to implement, and because it does been taken by us with T–Z ED Homes. We
not blindly “fit all”, in a countrywide raise the bar on building technology
market. with this low–technology Z ED air
It is not idiot–proof—it would not work conditioner, as with many of the other
in, say, a high–humidity town like Z ED features you see detailed in this
for over ten years now), is truly appall- altogether. At your T–ZED home, you
ing. Someone has to begin to change pay only when you use, and for what
right step.
At the Kitchen sink, every T-Z ED home will sport an ultra-sonic dishcleaner which is discreetly tucked underneath the counter.
A 5-amp switch generates a high-frequency set of ultrasonic sound waves at the rate of 27,000 times per second. This helps
form millions of tiny vacuum bubbles that collapse on the surface of the dish that needs cleaning. The enormous explosive
force dislodges all grime and grease while decimating germs and harmful bacteria. By the nature of the force it creates, the
bubbles reach every nook and crevice and cleans better than
most dishwashers. It can clean fruits and vegetables, meat
and fish, too.
29
Z ED refrigerator
refrigeratorss come with ‘no heart’!
T-ZED puts a new spin on an old technology, and makes it work . . .
I a m I , p l u s m y s u r r o u n d i n g s , a n d i f I d o n o t p r e s e r v e t h e l a t t e r, I d o
not preserve myself.
Sri Aurobindo
W
elcome to the new–age tor sure is one such. Given space from the refrigerator will serve two
kitchen. At T– Z ED homes, constraints, it usually takes a corner purposes — one, reduce time you keep
you don’t any more need which is poorly ventilated. the door open; two, keep the door half–
your unwieldy refrigerator. You walk Take the way we open a refrigerator. You open and so reduce temperature loss
into your kitchen to find a built-in, usually use your stable right hand inside.
stainless steel high-finish quality [there are few left–handers amongst us]
This may seem too small a detail, but
refrigerator [for foods, beverages, to open the door, and lift things with
in such detail
vegetables, eggs, and so on]; and a our unstable left
lies solutions
freezer [for meats, ice creams, ice hand. If the
for achieving
cubes]. vessel is heavy
energy
and large, we
There is a third panel designed into the It’s the little things at efficiency.
kitchen wall which is the Water use both hands
home that we take so much You will begin
Dispenser—for chilled, hot and and kick the
for granted. The refrigera- to look at the
ambient temperature water. door shut. The
good old
extra time you tor sure is one such. Given
So here’s a system that is elegant, refrigerator you
hold the space constraints, it usually
visually appealing, has no compressor have at home
refrigerator wide
motor, and no internal fan. The heart of takes a corner which is now, in fresh
open, when
the system lies in the Services Core of poorly ventilated. light when you
multiplied by the
the campus. realise that the
number of times
God lies in the details contraption,
you do this in a
But we are jumping the gun, so to however useful
year —usually
speak. Let’s begin at the beginning. it is, is one of
about ten times
Let’s get to the story of what the ZED the highest energy users in your home.
a day or about 3,500 times a year—
values were that we set out to achieve The reason: it’s perhaps the only
makes for a sizeable energy loss.
on the refrigerator and the freezer. electrical appliance—and an energy
Installing the door hinge on the left
guzzler at that—that operates all 8,760
It’s the little things at home that we side, in a manner that we use our
hours of a year, every year.
take so much for granted. The refrigera- stable right hand for picking up things
30
Energy has never been a priority . . .
It doesn’t require a rocket scientist to any case, for lack of choice, buyers
understand what this meant. With have, well, kept buying. Worse, the
poorer insulation, the refrigerator’s consumer has not been told of the im-
metal skin got so cool that it tended to portance of energy efficiency—it has
condense moisture (sweat} from the air. suited the industry to let things lie.
This led to another irony—many im-
ported refrigerators in the early ‘60s
had mullion heaters installed on the ex-
ternal body especially under the door
gasket of the fridge to evaporate the
dew!
can cycle off for 16 hours in 24 hours. Almost every community, though it’s
other electrical appliance at home works for a few been done for institutions.
minutes to a few hours each day, and is surely
switched off after use.
31
So What Does Z ED Offer at your Home?
Does
I
t was Europe that first promoted tional thermo-
‘district heating’, or localised
stat to maintain
heating for community home projects. They different
improved it by the composite heat and power route,
temperatures in
which is a generating system that harnesses waste the refrigerator
heat from the power generators.
and the freezer.
ZED refrigeration
Chilled brine
At T–Z ED Homes we call this the Z ED District that is centrally
Refrigerator [ ZDR ]. It is, for the first time in India, circulated, picks
that such an installation is being made to take up the heat from
advantage of the strengths of this 95–home stored foodstuff
community. The aim is to dramatically improve at the built–in
energy efficiency and eco–friendliness of the refrigerators in
household refrigerator. your house, and
The system is primarily a thermal energy storage returns to the
device using ammonia as a refrigerant to cool a central chilling
non-corrosive brine solution to –20 deg C. The station of the
brine is circulated through a ‘roll bond heat ZDR located in
exchanger’ installed inside the custom–built the Services
refrigerator cabinets. Core Block.
If you check ratings before you buy, it will determine Warmer conditions as in India need additional care .
the amount of energy the fridge will use, far more Since Indian kitchens are not air–conditioned and
than how efficiently you make use of it. often poorly ventilated. Refrigerators have to work
You can see that factors that impact energy use are harder to keep the insides cool.
— Second, many MNC brands are designed for air-con-
n Compressor efficiency ditioned houses. And Indian companies have not re-
32
What makes it unique? tion with higher coefficient of perfor- chilled again. Circulation pumps
For one, you don’t have to invest in a mance. This improves mechanical employed at Z ED for this purpose are
refrigerator. The other big advantage is efficiency; and [c] Thermal storage reliable and energy–efficient. Each Z ED
bill every size, at the The meter calculates the chilled brine
This saving in
It’s not without reason chilling it to money by multiplying with the
plant. This stipulated rate per unit.
energy comes that we say that by being a
reduces User–friendly
out of [a] the member of the community,
capital cost,
use of three The system is as friendly as your mobile
you will, truly, make a running cost
phase motors phone or TV . The microprocessor base
difference. of energy,
at the central controller lets you set the temperatures
and operat-
chilling within a range.
ing and
station. This This controller monitors the defrost
maintenance
nearly cycle automatically. It puts on the light
costs—you
doubles the moment you open the door. A soft
get to pay
energy alam sets off if you have not shut the
less per
efficiency door properly.
month.
from 55 to 95 It diagnoses independently if tempera-
per cent; [b] The central chilling station As we said, the brine flows through the
ture in any compartment has gone up
uses ammonia compression refrigera- pipes to every house and returns to get
beyond the acceptable limits.
Chilled water
2. Improved system efficiency by re- [refrigerators and air-conditioning] temperature as desired, within a
ducing number of motors from in the ZED campus. specified bandwidth, for both chilled
ninety-five of them for as many 6. For the techies among you, may and hot water. Save energy by using the
homes, to just one — each con- we add that the refrigerator load hot water direct for instant coffee or
3. Improved COP by using Ammonia • Better magnetic gaskets This is ambient temperature water that
instead of HCFC or Hydrocarbon re- • Open Door Alarm comes, again, from a central ozone–
frigerant. • Elimination of compressor treated source. This is re–filtered at the
4. Improved compression system effi- • Elimination of condenser dispenser unit, and is available at the
33
setting the temperature within a refrigerator? You take that call. You from devising solutions that meet
specified range. could give it to a friend, who is not a specific needs, and not by the insanity
Global par T–ZED der. And no, we can’t make the of the mainstream market’s one
Z ED refrigerator for your friend else- solution–fits–all systems.
Even if we say so ourselves, this is truly
where. Remember, it’s a district
an innovation that puts the T–Z ED
refrigeration system, and needs a
Homes on a global par. It is not
minimum number of homes—about a
without reason that we say that by
hundred as in the case of T–ZED .
being a member of the community, you
will, truly, make a difference. The Z ED District or community-based
Let’s now get to the inevitable ques- Refrigerator is an example of how the
tion: So what do you do with your old future lies in learning from our past,
There are two broad aspects to ther defrost too often or you need- monly available, technologically
these. Let’s deal with them. lessly heat the inside of the fridge accepted, low–cost, better coeffi-
Electro — mechanical or you do not often enough, and cient-of-performance, refrigerant
the ice on the cooling coils keeps ammonia? This is time-tested and
The changes in refrigerator tech-
them from doing their job effi- proven.
nology so far have been fairly
ciently). One reason for this is that refrig-
mundane — thicker insulation,
minor incremental improvement erators in India are bought by and
Refrigerants
with more efficient motors (inci- large by the housewife. And at the
Some Indian refrigerators have
dentally, the fractional horse risk of being politically incorrect,
moved on to HCFC refrigerants, and
power motors offer less than 60 we must admit that market re-
others are moving on to hydrocar-
per cent efficiency) and anti- search shows they go usually for
bon refrigerants.
sweat switches, which allow the the new, better–looking, shinier,
They are better than CFCs, but are most advertised, bigger than the
user to turn off the heaters in the
still harmful. The West is keen on next-door neighbour’s refrigerator
outer walls of the fridge if it isn’t
encashing the market potential in without fretting over more impor-
“sweating”.
countries such as ours, by dump- tant things like energy rating.
One improvement that has made
ing their least energy–efficient
a difference is the fan inside the Energy efficiency is usually not
white goods because there is vir-
food compartment. Inefficiency high on the list.
tually no awareness about energy
here has been cut by half. In India we are far from having
efficiency in our markets. The sad
We see two elements—motor ef- energy labels. It will be years
truth is that refrigerators without
ficiency; and removing waste before the Energy Efficiency Act
any energy efficiency labels will
heat from the food compartment. gets implemented, and an aver-
continue to be sold in India right
age householder starts taking
Further gains in efficiency have into the next decade.
‘energy use’ seriously before pur-
come from having a microchip to If CFC or the hydrocarbon variant
chasing a refrigerator.
control the defrost cycle instead is a serious hazard, why are en-
of relying on a timer. (Timers ei- gineers not talking about the com-
34
Melding the Buildings with
the Greens. . .
I
n every aspect of T–Z ED Homes we have transforming a brownfield from scratch. And the
embodied a powerful ideal—that even in an challenge of celebrating the T–Z ED values drove our
‘apartment–like’ block, we can learn to live in best creative impulse. This involved weaving in
harmony with nature. From the day we laid our eyes flowerbeds, lawns, shade trees, fruit and nut trees,
on the land, we reflected on how we could let our and shade vines in a way that they can treat and
reverence of nature permeate the campus. absorb the wastewater and bilogically treated
The sun, trees, stones, and water were elements of sewage water from the waste treatment unit.
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Babul, Begonia, Bayleaf, and Candida — gave A cardinal rule of sensitive stewardship of land
impetus to the mosaic of greens that arose at the that BCIL has pursued religiously, is : let the land
campus. breathe, and restore the skin of the earth to barren
The other major aspect of lands. This extended, at
greening was to do with your Z ED , to every stretch of
private garden. land—be it a pathway, or
So we set about creating a set of gardens, with or pre-cast concrete blocks, leveled over sand beds.
patterns, textures, and motifs, that were imbued by A judicious mix of grass and ground cover are
the uniquely Z ED character which to us, at this planted in the spaces between. Once complete, the
moment, is hard to define, but is distinct, unmis- road would be a visual continuation of the natural
takable in every aspect of the campus. landscape of earth, the native vegetation, and
groundcover.
In the making of every plan, we needed to recog-
nize costs of maintenance, mortality of plants in Less ‘brick and mortar’
early years, the need for water conservation, and, As a general rule, ‘raw’ construction is preferred
finally, a sense of cheer filling the campus with over ‘solid’ elements of construction. From the
round–the–year flowering of plants, shrubs and point of view of lower embodied energy, locally
hedges. available stones – granite slabs, uncut stones and
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boulders are preferred over burnt brick. trenches. Any drain, concealed or open, basin–shaped depressions. In dry
Such material take no energy in the is, well, a ‘drain’ on economic re- weather swales meld well with the
making, and are therefore Z ED – sources since they are expensive to greens. They regulate the rate of flow of
adaptible. build. Also, they water, reducing peak flows to levels
Where vertical ‘drain’ the site of that can be handled by the vegetation
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Greening the campus series of covered and open-to-sky system, when it’s May and everywhere
Where does the landscape end and spaces along the main street. else the lawns are parched, you have a
where does the building begin? The street leads to pockets of covered green lawn. Your flowers are growing
Usually, landscape is a four-letter- parking adjacent to the elevator and like the dickens, and you’re not using a
word. People deem it an afterthought. stairway of each of the ZED home drop of city water because it’s your own
More often than not, you have land- clusters. wastewater going out into the garden—
scaping seen as mere cosmetic in times, that is, when it’s not stored
Away from the street, are meandering
treatment slapped on to a barren, ‘left- rainwater which is used for irrigating.”
pathways that serve as a jogging track,
over’ space after the ‘ buildings’ have several hundred meters in length. This That’s a Z EDscape that will surely grow
been erected. stretch is dotted by courts and plazas, on you, over the years ahead.
At T–Z ED Homes, we worked with, rather and pergolas with park benches.
than against, the limitations of the The vegetation is chosen to showcase
land. We have configured our planting biodiversity in a wide spectrum. Plants
in loose associations in the well- are chosen for their colour, texture,
drained, gravelly soil typical of this form, fragrance, seasonality, utility,
region. medicinal properties.
Landscape is a continuously moving, Says Mohan, who has articulated these
changing entity that flows through the elements, “With the recycled water
site and the buildings themselves. It
moves horizontally, defining character
and usage, moves vertically and
defines spaces, weaves through public
and private spaces, intimate and grand
ones. It climbs along the buildings and
creeps into little nooks and balconies,
pauses as those personal sky gardens
and reposes as a green rooftop.
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T-ZED
H O M E S Biodiversity Conservation (India) Limited
No. 5, Ali Askar Road, Bangalore 560 052
Tel : 4018 4018 (30 lines)
E-mail : bioconserve@vsnl.com
Website : www.t-zed.com
www.ecobcil.com
THE BALANCE BEING NON - FOREST WOOD PULP . GO WOOD - FREE WHERE YOU CAN .
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