New NMMC headquarters' eco-friendly design gets LEED gold rating

It May Also Be First Awarded For Any Government Building

Navi Mumbai: The state-of-the art new civic headquarters in Belapur has been given a gold ranking on Thursday for its environment-friendly design. The ranking was given by by LEED-India, the Indian arm of the international rating body. The rating, second from top—platinum being the best, is considered a first to be awarded to any civic headquarters in the country.

It also the first among government buildings in the city to get the rating, said a project architect from Hiten Sethi & Associates, the consultants hired by the civic body for designing the grand structure.

NMMC city engineer Mohan Dagaonkar said, “We are very happy to get the gold rating. We have worked hard to get the nod of the international rating agency, which has stringent norms. We had to pay detailed attention to all aspects—from design, construction materials to operation and maintenance.”

The construction of the new headquarters started in May 2009 and was completed in February 2014. LEED-India visited the site, made suggestions and inspected the work.

The agency, which has a complex evaluation system, assessed the building as per Indian climatic conditions. It set a standard base case and assigned points to rate the structure. After a year of close scrutiny of the building’s performance and functioning, it was awarded the gold rating.

The civic headquarters is the first green building to be built by any government body in the country. It is equipped with a rainwater harvesting system, solar panels for harnessing solar energy, anti-reflective tiles fitted on the terrace to minimize the consumption of electricity by air-conditioners, a sewage treatment plant inside the premises to recycle sewage water for gardening and cleaning.

The white colour of the building and reflective surfaces with the dome were part of an overall carefully structured design, which also incorporated environment-friendly measures.