United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), has listed the Energy Management Centre( EMC) campus, an autonomous institution under the Kerala government, as one of the recent achievements in the deployment of key technologies for energy-efficiency in buildings.
The 40,000-square foot building is the only one from India to figure in the list, along with five other projects worldwide.
According to the report, the EMC’s energy-positive campus was designed to allow natural cross-flow ventilation from building forms and openings. The campus is equipped with a 30-kilowatt grid-connected solar capacity that exports around 50 kWh a day on an average, with a doubling of the capacity under implementation.
The EMC campus uses daylighting controls, CFC-free heating, ventilation and cooling systems, along with a halogen-free fire-fighting system. Solar reflectance index coating, combined with high-albedo painting and turbo-vents for passive cooling, has been used, and tropical rainforest trees help create cool surroundings. Only certified green construction materials, recycled wood boards, low-emitting paints and adhesives, and green-plus certified carpets have been used.
Built with assistance from the Global Environment Fund, the EMC campus is the only LEED Gold certified building in the government sector in Kerala. Up to 94% of the built-up space is daylight illuminated.