Green Cities: Urban Architecture in India is Going Green
- Agri Joy
- 16 hours ago
- 2 min read
If you were driving through Bandra, Mumbai, and you looked up, and instead of smog, there were green facades, solar-powered towers, and rooftops with food crops. No, you aren't daydreaming, you're witnessing the green revolution in Indian urban architecture!
The problem :
Let's dive into this metamorphosis through some examples that will stimulate your thinking!
Urban India: It's Hot!
According to the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, buildings account for *35% of national energy consumption. Water scarcity and pollution only fuel the chaos of the present. We need to use architecture to work with nature and not against it.
The Green Blueprint: Sustainability
Constructing the Green Way: Sustainable Transformation in Urban India
Indian cities are marrying heritage and cutting-edge technology with their green dreams.
Here are some examples of urban landscape transformations:
1. Green Roofs and Living Walls
Imagine a building sheathed in vegetation, like a Saree of green covering the entire structure. Green roofs and walls can now be found throughout India to reduce the temperature of buildings and reduce energy use by *20-30%.* The Eco World office complex in Bengaluru has green roofs to improve the cooling costs of the air conditioning while sequestering *4 kg of CO2 square meter per annum*.
2. Hydroponics: Vegetables up in the Sky
Why long for parks after office when you can have your own inside the office?
Hydroponics--the growing medium for plants is nutrient-rich water and not soil--uses *90% less water, and yields **5 times as many crops* in small spaces compared to farming practices. Mumbai's UrbanKheti manages hydroponics farms in repurposed warehouses and provides local restaurants with fresh greens
3. Smart Materials and Vernacular Knowledge
Indian architects are combining old techniques and modern technology. *Cool roof coatings,* such as lime-based paints, reflect sunlight into the atmosphere, reducing indoor temperatures by *2-5°C. The solar panels at *Infosys' Hyderabad campus account for *60% of the electricity.*
The Hiccups: Being Green Isn’t Always Easy
Eco-friendly design faces challenges:
• Cost: Green roofs are expensive, costing *₹2,000-5,000 per sqm, which diminishes the desire of building developers sensitive to budgets.
• Skills Gap: Hydroponics requires a skilled workforce to operate and manage, which is largely missing in India.
• Retrofitting: Retrofitting all older buildings in Kolkata or Chennai as green structures is going to be a challenge.
The Dream: Indian Cities as Green Cities
We could imagine a wave of green walls covering the flyovers in Delhi or dhania roof gardens on skyscrapers in Mumbai. Projects such as GIFT City in Gujarat with externally solar-paneled buildings are paving the way forward.
The End
Indian cities are replacing grey concrete with green cities. From hydroponic farms that serve fresh bhindi all the way to green roofs cooling the summer, urban architecture is changing the game. Next time you feel stuck in a Bengaluru traffic jam, look up - you might be viewing a building growing your next meal!
Share your thoughts or ideas on greening your neighborhood with us.
Stay Engaged for further updates!
Ready to embark on your hydroponic journey? Start today with Agri Joy—your partner in sustainable, Joyful farming! 🌱🌿
Comments