One year after inauguration the Bayer MaterialScience’s emissions-neutral office building in Greater Noida, close to New Delhi, has recorded a positive energy balance. On 8 February, Bayer organised a workshop at the building for representatives from industry, academia, politics and NGOs on sustainable developments in the building sector.

72,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy were generated with the help of the photovoltaic system installed on the roof, whereas the building used nearly 64,000 kWh over the same period. The net result is a surplus of more than 8,000 kilowatt hours of energy.

"The building is designed to use 50 percent less electricity than comparable buildings in our region," says Ram Sai Yelamanchili, who heads Bayer MaterialScience’s EcoCommercial Building programme in India. The objective of this global network of experts is to support the responsible parties in the construction industry with the planning and erection of particularly energy-efficient buildings and the rehabilitation of existing buildings for greater energy efficiency. It is part of the sustainability programme of Bayer Group. Other similar reference office buildings are in Diegem, Belgium and Pittsburgh in the United States.

Enlarge image The energy-efficient Bayer office in Diegem, Belgium (© Bayer AG) "The building meets 100 percent of its energy needs through the photovoltaic system on the roof, which is aligned with the path of the sun. This enabled us to avoid the emission of 67 metric tons of carbon dioxide last year, which corresponds to the CO2 emissions of around 20 vehicles," adds Yelamanchili.

The cuboid, two-story building with roughly 900 square metres of floor space was designed and optimised for the region’s sub-tropical climate on the basis of comprehensive computer simulations. Polyisocyanurate thermal insulation shields the building envelope against the heat, reducing the amount of energy required for air conditioning. The products and systems used were sourced from the region.

Sustainable developments in the building sector were also the focus of a workshop for representatives from industry, academia, politics and NGOs held in the building in Greater Noida on 8 February. Part of the Climate Related Energy Efficient Design of Building Product Solutions (CREED-PS) project, the event is one in a series being held during the Year of Germany in India.

The objective of the meeting organised by Bayer MaterialScience, Professor Dr. Uta Pottgießer of the University of Applied Sciences Ostwestfalen-Lippe and other academic partners, is to establish a common platform for sharing information and drafting a roadmap for future activities. The primary focus was on the pooling of know-how and concepts for energy- and cost-efficient building in India.