Cement House to go green

In a major renovation and refurbishment programme of its headquarters, ACC is expected to save 30% energy costs

The golden bond is now turning green. The biggest cement company, ACC Limited is undergoing an environmentally friendly redo of Cement House, ACC’s corporate head office, at Churchgate. Constructed in 1939, the 68,000 sq ft six-storey building is being renovated with an aim to earn a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (Leeds) certification with the US Green building council.

To be completed by February 2009, the Rs20 crore project will be the first-of-its-kind in India to be registered under the criteria of major renovation of an existing building. Presently, 181 buildings in India have been certified green by Leeds, but they are all Greenfield projects. The Leed green building rating system is the nationally-accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. The building was constructed on a design by Ballardie Thompson & Mathews from an all-India competition among leading architects at that time.

In a major renovation and refurbishment programme of its corporate headquarters called Project Orchid, ACC is expected to save 30% energy costs. Said Sumit Banerjee, managing director of ACC Ltd, “Our aim when we started the renovation was to create and sustain an ambience which is not only energy efficient but also ushers in a new culture of an office without boundaries which fosters teamwork and effective communication.”

This makeover began by having an office sans cabins and cubicles, baring the chairman’s cabin and five-odd meeting rooms. To minimise the use of electricity, big windows are installed and the central atrium which opens right upto the basement. To enhance its heritage appeal, the facade of the 70-year old building is been refurbished. It includes special features like intelligent lighting, climate and access control and state-of-the-art office equipment and utilities. A sewage treatment plant will be set-up which will help save 50% of the water consumed.

Despite payback time for incremental investment being about five years, Banerjee says that lower day-to-day maintenance is an advantage in the long run. The company is planning to go green at the new cement plant it is going to set up at Chandrapur.