Architectural aluminium glazing systems specialist,Technal,has opened a new purpose-designed and highly sustainable headquarters in India featuring its Géode-MX curtain walling and brise soleil sun shading systems.
The 4,000sqm building in Bangalore represents a significant investment for the Group and was designed in accordance with the international sustainability standard,LEED(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).It is targeted to achieve LEED platinum status and has a projected annual energy consumption of less than 60Kw/hr/sqm.
The LEED standard aims to improve the quality of buildings and minimise their impact on the environment.To achieve LEED certification,a building has to be built to an affordable construction budget,be energy efficient,promote the use of renewable and green energy sources,preserve natural resources such as water,and ensure the comfort of the occupiers.
The sustainability features of the new headquarters building in Bangalore include:
The installation of the Technal Suneal brise soleil system–as well as a pergola and roof glazing–all fitted with photovoltaic cells.This solution generates around 18Kw of electricity per hour–approximately 30 per cent of the energy required to light and power the building.It also means the offices can continue to operate in the event of a power cut,which are a frequent occurrence in India,without the need for carbon-emitting diesel-powered generators.
The amount of water used for sprinklers has been halved in comparison to similar office buildings with the use of an innovative irrigation system that uses a'drip'device and sprinkler.
No CFC-based refrigerants were used in the air conditioning systems for the building.
In the building's construction,19 per cent of materials were from recycled sources and 48 per cent of the materials were produced locally.
Commenting on the new building,Subhendu Ganguly,Technal General Manager for India said,"As a country,India is often criticised for neglecting environmental issues in favour of economic growth.However,India is now undergoing an environmental revolution and is seeing a tremendous growth in green construction.We are a global business with a strong commitment to the environment so we felt it was really important that our new headquarters in India provides a good example of sustainable development–not just in terms of reducing the carbon footprint in the building's construction but in its ongoing operation and maintenance."
"A clear commitment to sustainability in construction is critical–and aluminium with its recyclability properties has an important role to play in meeting the environmental agenda.With around 40 per cent of the world's energy being used to operate buildings,a highly energy efficient façade and fenestration is absolutely essential."
Technal is now active in more than 70 countries and has operations in India,China,the Middle East,Morocco,South America,and South East Asia as well as across Europe.It offers an innovative range of aluminium façade products,including curtain walling,doors,windows,brise soleil,and low rise glazing systems.
Technal's UK headquarters is based at Silkwood Park in West Yorkshire and it has a network of approved,trained fabricators and installers across the UK and Ireland.
