Sustainability in Mumbai - the struggle with a pinch of hope

One of the most expensive real estates in the world, Mumbai’s construction industry is at a constant tug of war between providing quality living spaces and maintaining economic feasibility. Especially the residential sector struggles with a tremendous space crunch, a highly competitive market, and no significant incentive for building sustainably. In such a scenario, it is difficult to expect construction professionals to go above and beyond for sustainability. However, the fact of the matter is, sustainability still matters at the end of the day. What we build today will impact the health and well-being of ourselves and our planet for decades to come!!

Policy might take its own sweet time to evolve, but is there something we as construction professionals can do in the interim to make sure we build better? In this blog, we want to take a look at what is possible even with tight budget constraints. The key is to strike a balance between sustainability and business viability. 

In our residential redevelopment project in Ghatkopar, we used several passive design strategies. When you integrate passive design within your planning itself, it reduces the requirement of employing active design strategies which demand a lot more investment. We did a quick study to understand the micro-climate of the site and the factors affecting it, including sun path, tree canopies, heights and location of the surrounding buildings in relation to the plot; and mapped out the favorable orientation of different habitable spaces. 

Simple research and a rough simulation massively elevated our elevation design (alliteration much? :P). In architecture since times immemorial, the elevation of a building has always been not just about aesthetics, but more importantly creating the conditions for interior comfort. In the extremely competitive residential real estate market of Mumbai, there is a substantial budget allocated for elevations, simply because developers want their building to look attractive! But for construction professionals, it is an ethical responsibility to provide more than just aesthetics -  especially for the end-users who will have to suffer from suboptimal shading conditions, low thermal comfort and high energy bills for as long as the building stands!

We custom designed the ‘chajjas’ (shading element over windows) so that they have a desired angle for shading, but also a usable flat surface top for holding AC condenser, potted plants; considering the space crunch of Mumbai. The budget wouldn’t allow for double glass windows which help keep the interior cooler. So we settled on a medium standard but quality product and also applied anti-glare sheets. Additionally, we chose natural materials for heat gain reduction like terracotta railings. 

With Mumbai’s tight regulations, open space deficiencies, and developers’ budget constraints; not every vision is always possible. But we always try to strike a balance. Studio A’17 believes that even one foot in the right direction is still better than one foot in the wrong direction! Because with every single step, construction professionals are making a choice that has its consequences. That is the truth, whether we like it or not! 

Use your ability to rationalize 

Construction professionals are trained to rationalize, analyze and make better decisions, which a layman is not. So use your power to bring the change others can’t. If you see a potential for improvement, take the initiative to apply your knowledge rather than doing what’s always been done. Sometimes we tend to get so comfortable with a certain way of doing things, that new ideologies can pass by without any consideration. There is always a stream of new products coming into the market in the name of sustainability. Not everyone is good, but a layman has no way to know the good from the bad unless we take the incentive to adopt new possibilities. It definitely takes more effort and an appetite to take small calculated risks. It might require two more meetings to change the perspective of the stakeholders or a couple of extra design options to arrive at the best solution. But maybe it's worth it for the future of your own city?

Use your power to influence 

Ultimately for sustainable construction to be feasible, it is important that the end users understand its value, and are willing to choose it for themselves over projects that are cheaper. As a construction professional, you can educate this awareness by encouraging a dialogue with your clients and stakeholders, and be willing to choose it in your own work. If the buyers choose better, so will the perceptions of developers change. Because honestly, it will not only benefit the end-user but also help in creating the developer’s USP for the project.

Sustainability can be achieved with the right balance of economic, social and environmental decisions. We already have the first two factors in place, it's time to push hard for the third one!  

Value engineering is the first step towards sustainability in construction! It is an absolute must-have skill on the Mumbai construction scene. Check our Part 2 of this blog to find out more about what value engineering can do for your project…