A home that is designed to be environment friendly and sustainable is known as Green Home and also there is a primary focus on efficient use of water, building materials and energy. In India, the knowledge of Green buildings or homes, though at a nascent stage, is growing as people are becoming more and more aware of the long term ramifications and there is a sense of responsibility where a lot of them are now consciously looking for workable, durable long term solutions to make a difference in their lifestyles.
The real estate sector is one of the predominant pillar of growing Indian economy and it plays a pivotal role in the GDP growth of the country alongside large scale employment generation. The amplifying urbanisation and rapid migration have bolstered up the housing need in the country but at present the sector is at the cusp of transformation and is set to become more experimental and dynamic with new demands from house owners and policy reforms. The real estate sector in the present times is witnessing massive shifts in people’s choice and an awareness along with policy changes which has led to world class trends foray into the country’s real estate sector.
The growing trend for more and more people researching, enquiring about green homes is redefining the modern Indian housing trend in the country. It employs self-sustaining, cost-effective and low maintenance construction techniques that are environment friendly and have long term effects. These houses right from their building process ensure there is less consumption of energy and usage of minimum water unlike the conventional buildings. There is efficient usage of limited resources, optimal usage of daylight, and noticeable reduction on emission of greenhouse gases to name a few.
This growing awareness is also due to the interest of the millennials who are young professionals and are in a position to purchase homes. They are well-travelled and exposed to world-class housing amenities which has initiated a demand for the same in the country. The increasing interest of this strata in the housing sector is inspiring developers and builders to deliver quality housing needs as per their aspirations and meet their lifestyle requirements. With luxury interiors and modern day fittings becoming a norm in the real estate nowadays so has the emergence of good air quality, ample open space in the house, clean water and other fundamental environment factors have appeared as a key trend which people are aware of and now consciously seeking from their dream homes. In the buyers agenda ‘sustainable living’ and the concept of ‘sustainable existence’ tops the priority. Embedding wellness features like plants on roofs, double height windows, natural ventilators, club houses which encourage wellness activities for all inhabitants are the most sought after features a home buyer will instantly be interested in before planning to invest in a property alongside many other similar sort of features. Today, a few developers have adopted ecological supportability as an integral part of living criteria and aim to grow and go green and are portraying themselves as a world class example!
The changing market dynamics in the real estate sector in India has led to gradual rise in Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), investing in real estate here over the last few years. Delhi so far has been the favourite destination for these investments but off late metro cities like Gurugram, Chennai, Mumbai and Bengaluru too are fast catching up. Also the high net worth individuals in the country who own multiple lands in coastal and hilly regions of the country are more inclined and interested in building their personal and commercial properties with Eco-friendly structure formats. Although, India has been relatively slow in adapting technology but its gradual use in various sectors has been phenomenal and its constant use in the commercial real estate sector has been noteworthy. Advanced technological use has influenced the home buying habits of the millennials at large. Homes are now being designed keeping eco and green quotient in mind; along with automation and technologies turning out to be a trend and as per the liking of the people. Green buildings made out of natural products like wood require less energy, have minimal impact on the environment and have smaller carbon footprints as compared to conventional building methodology.
Buyers of properties are nowadays researchers too, who have done their homework well as to what they want from their house. This has considerably reduced the need to educate the client face-to-face as the online presence has, for realtors, now shrunk the need for the same.
Above all, the green homes construction may be a costly affair initially but there are long term savings for the individual and the family with long lasting health impacts. The use of eco-friendly and recyclable material in these homes has generated a lot of interest. With increasing awareness on the protection of the environment and associated health benefits with them, an eco-friendly wooden house or green home has turned out to be an excellent investment option where the value appreciation in green homes is faster and there is a sure more ROI (Return on Investment) as compared to standard homes. With the societies becoming more prosperous and people willing to spend a good amount of money on their living as well, this industry has seen a remarkable shift from conventional buildings to Prefabricated, Eco-friendly and sustainable living options as moving to sustainable living is the only way to protect the environment and providing a healthy living lifestyle for all and future generations to come. Meeting the demands of the travellers and their preferences, the hotel industry is opting to make more and more of green structures- giving the eco-traveller more green options to choose from.
With the rising carbon emission and fast changing global climatic condition it is time for all of us to consciously take steps to iron out such implications which may have long term ramifications on our lives and lifestyles by making considerable changes in our lifestyle which would reflect our resolute to bring about a change. The large scale natural calamities and disasters which are being faced by people across the world have been largely our own doing which have only escalated over the years through loss of millions of lives across the globe. Protecting the environment has become a central echo by all, which also has been reflecting through our lifestyle choices and government’s changes in the policies to enhance the mushrooming of Prefabricated, eco-friendly buildings and housing. In the recent past, it has been observed that the government is increasing its budget for the construction of new structures as well as the renovation of the already existing hotels and resorts using new building techniques. A desirable addition to this initiative is the establishment of various new departments designated for the promotion of green housing or construction by alternate methods. The biophilic homes are the future of housing not only in India but across the world and their demand across the market is only going to grow due to their innate durability and long term cost effectiveness for the home buyers.
-Authored by Saurabh Sood, Founder- Nature Homes