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Kohinoor is a LEEDing light

Mumbai's Kohinoor Hospital has bagged the much-coveted Platinum rating in LEED certification. Rita Dutta reveals the measures the hospital adopted to achieve this enviable feat

With around 15-20 per cent of a hospital's operational expense being drained by energy and water, today's environment-conscious hospitals are making efforts to reduce wastage of these resources. And that's why it's highly commendable when a hospital braces itself to attain the highest rating in green building certification, right from conception. We are talking about the newly-commissioned Kohinoor Hospital at Kurla in Mumbai which attempted and successfully bagged the Platinum rating (the highest in green building) in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED certification, even before it started functioning. The 100-bed hospital, expandable to 175 beds with a current built-up area of 2,27,000 square feet, was commissioned in December 2009. The hospital takes pride in being Asia's first and the world's second LEED Platinum rated hospital.

So, what led the Kohinoor Group, which has created business empires in education, hospitality, real estate and power sectors, to attempt the highest rating in green building, since its first healthcare project was finalised in 2006? It seems the group has adopted rainwater harvesting, sewage treatment plant and vermi-composting right from 2004 for its residential projects. Even their malls have taken on the same responsibility by not depending on municipal water for flushing and cooling towers but recycling water.

"It has been my dream that all Kohinoor projects will be green" - Unmesh Joshi CMD Kohinoor Group

"We used more than 40 per cent recycled material and used local products" - Sudesh Bhelekar General Manager-MEP Kohinoor Planet Constructions

Says Unmesh Joshi, CMD, Kohinoor Group, "It has been my dream that all Kohinoor projects will be green. Green is the future of all the commercial projects as it helps the industry to save on the resources of the world which are slowly getting depleted." The other benefits are that it enhances productivity and health benefits and reduces operation costs. By going green, an institution can achieve energy savings up to 35 per cent over the ASHRAE standard, the benchmark for building design standards.

Studies of workers in green buildings have reported substantial productivity gains of up to 16 per cent including reduction in absenteeism and improved work quality based on 'people friendly' green design. In other words, it has been established that green building design has environmental, economic and social elements that benefit all building stakeholders including owners, occupants and the general public. Green building practices can substantially reduce or eliminate negative environmental impacts and improve existing unsustainable design, construction and operational practices.

About LEED

The LEED Green Building Rating System, developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC), provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction. LEED aims to promote integrated, whole-building design practices, recognise environmental leadership in the realty industry, stimulate green competition and raise consumer awareness of green building benefits. Green building ratings are classified into four categories: LEED certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

The Certifying Authority for Kohinoor Hospital was the Indian Green Building Council - IGBC. The intent of LEED India - IGBC New Construction was to assist in the creation of high performance, healthful, durable, affordable and environmentally sound commercial and institutional buildings. The LEED India Green Building Rating System for New Commercial Construction and Major Renovation (LEED India NC) provides a set of performance standards for certifying the design and construction phases of commercial, institutional buildings and high-rise residential buildings. The specific credits in the rating system provide guidelines for the design and construction of buildings of all sizes in both the public and private sectors.

The rating system is organised into five environmental categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources and indoor environmental quality and innovation and design process. Credit points are distributed as per the environmental benefits of these five criteria.

High solar reflective index pavers

Solar panels

How Did Kohinoor Fare?

While for Platinum rating, one has to achieve 52-69 points, Kohinoor Hospital was awarded 54 credits. This is what the hospital did in each category:

Water Efficiency: In 'Water Efficiency' category, a new building has to focus on water use reduction, water-efficient landscaping, and innovative waste water technologies. Kohinoor Hospital uses a total rainwater harvesting scheme as per BMC guidelines. It also uses a state-of-the-art Sewerage Treatment Plant located at lower basement to aid water re-circulation. It has a reverse osmosis plant of 600 litres per hour capacity for dialysis. To conserve water, the hospital has dual-flush toilets - toilets flush at varying levels depending on whether it's solid or liquid waste. To conserve water and control flow rates, the hospital uses urinal sensors.

The result is that more than 40 per cent of water is conserved as compared to a standard case. Out of the possible six credits, Kohinoor Hospital got full marks.

Sustainable Site: The category 'Sustainable Site' is for ensuring that the development undertaken will not require additional infrastructure to be laid by the authorities and is in a densely populated area, with ample alternative sources of public transportation. While one can achieve a maximum of 26 possible points in this, Kohinoor Hospital received 10 points. Says Sudesh Bhelekar, General Manager, MEP, Kohinoor Planet Constructions, "We used more than 40 per cent recycled material and used local products. Sustainable and indigenous building materials such as FSC wood, concrete with high content, re-rolled steel, recycled frame work have been used throughout the exterior facade, flooring and walls."

The effluent treatment plant

The water harvesting plant

Co2 sensors

The skylight

Energy and Atmosphere: This category lays emphasis on Onsite Renewable Energy, Enhanced Commissioning, Enhanced Refrigerant Management, Measurement and Verification, and Green Power. The hospital used high Solar Reflective Index (SRI) pavers within the hospital premises to prevent urban heat island effect. An urban heat island is a metropolitan area which is significantly warmer than its surroundings. Outside, a sheath of green foliage in parking areas keeps the area cooler. The hospital structure was built with an emphasis on natural light. The ICUs have large windows and the fifth floor has an open skylight which drenches the hospital with an abundance of natural light.

To reduce dependency on electricity, the hospital uses a solar system for hot water. Forty-five solar collectors have been installed on the roof. The energy generated using the solar panels is used to supply hot water (a total of 9,000 litres per day) for patients and their relatives, OT scrub units, ICU, kitchen etc.

"We also use screw chillers with R 134a gas (an environment friendly gas) for the HVAC system," informs Dr Pravin Swamy, General Manager (Operations), Kohinoor Hospital. The hospital uses smart solutions for insulation, high performance glass in façade, polystyrene insulation, plantation on the roof, solar panels for hot water, high coefficient of performance (COP) chillers and heat recovery wheel. "We use Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) on chillers, cooling tower pumps, AHUS and secondary chilled water loop. The smart lighting design and intelligent crystallisation of light fixtures ensure conservation of energy," says Bhelekar.

Hot water coils (instead of heaters) are used in AHUs for humidity control. The hospital uses light emitting diodes (LED) bulbs of 1 Watt, which leads to 60 per cent cost saving in electricity than CFL. The monthly energy consumption for Kohinoor Hospital is approximately 2,10,000 units per month, which is 10-15 per cent less than if the hospital had not taken the initiative. In this category, out of the maximum of 17 credits, the hospital had applied for and achieved 13 credits.

Material Resources: In 'Material Resources' category, the emphasis is on Building Reuse -Maintain Existing Walls, Floors and Roof, Maintain Existing Interior Nonstructural Elements, Construction Waste Management, Materials Reuse, Recycled Content, Regional Materials, Rapidly Renewable Materials and Certified Wood. "We have used highly efficient solar glass, with double all of them.

Indoor Air Quality: In the 'Indoor Air Quality' category, the focus is on Outdoor Air Delivery Monitoring, Increased Ventilation, Construction Indoor Air Quality Management Plan during construction and before occupancy, Low-Emitting Materials in Adhesives and Sealants, Paints and Coatings, Flooring Systems, Composite Wood and Agrifiber Products, Indoor Chemical and Pollutant Source Control, Controllability of Systems-Lighting, Controllability of Systems-Thermal Comfort in Design and Verification, Daylight and Views.

To ensure that patients have dual benefits of a healthy and hygienic atmosphere with extra fresh air in a controlled manner, the hospital uses carbon dioxide sensors. When carbon dioxide in the air goes above a certain level, it automatically triggers injection of more fresh air into the atmosphere. "This ensures that patients are constantly exposed to a clean green environment within the hospital premises," says Dr Swamy. The hospital also uses fragrance sticks to further enhance the quality of air. Additionally, the hospital management has taken a policy decision to maintain the building as a 'No Smoking' zone. Studies have shown that improved air quality leads to less fatigue and thus improved efficiency of staff.

The result was that out of 15 possible credits, the hospital attained 12 points.

Innovation in Design: This focuses on 'Innovation in Design', LEED Accredited Professional and Regional Priority. In the landscaping, the focus has been in using native plants like roheo, chlorophytum, bahunia purpuria, bahunia blackiana, plumeri alba, pisonia alba, polyalthia longifolia etc. that require less water for survival. Here, the hospital received five points.

Measures Taken

Right from the design stage and even during construction, all requirements of green buildings were put into process so as not to forget on any details which would affect savings envisaged for the future. "We ensured maximum vigilance on the process of installation and conducted a thorough check, so that there were no short cuts during the installation. Only the approved make and quality of materials were used. No exceptions were made. Selection and installation of all MEP devices like glass, walls and roof insulation, sanitary fittings with reduced flow, motors with VFD drives for energy savings etc were ensured," says Bhelekar. Care was taken during construction to protect all equipment to avoid damages. Above all, a strict check was in place to ensure that all processes required by the Green Buildings Council were adhered to by appointing a third party which regularly conducted surprise inspections.

Let's hope the spate of hospitals mushrooming across the country also choose to go green right from the project stage.

rita.dutta@expressindia.com