T-ZED HOMES Responsible living paves the way for luxurious living
THESE HOUSES are all about saving—a 40 per cent drop in energy demand load, 70 per cent drop in energy use, 30 per cent drop in freshwater use, 5 per cent drop in internal temperature, 60 per cent drop in the use of diesel and other fossil fuels, 60 per cent drop in manufacturing energy for building blocks and materials, 30 per cent drop in the costs of repaint, and an 80 per cent decrease in the energy used for transporting construction material. While developer Biodiversity Conservation India Ltd has managed to save 20,000 tonnes of CO during construction, residents save 1,500 tonnes of CO a year by reducing dependence on artificial 2 lighting and cooling needs, and through waste management. These have been made possible by innovating design and energy sourcing, careful material selection and efficient management.
External walls are made with exposed stabilised soil and laterite blocks, with some stoneclad and grit surfaces. Internal partition walls have been rendered in smooth surfaces. Nearly all the internal solid-concrete-block partition walls are plastered. A combination of gypsum plaster with quarry dust and sand-cement has been used. A white lime base with non-toxic paint has been used for plastered surfaces.
The campus has 52 wells recharging the shallow aquifer and rainwater collection tanks on the roof. The community is the first in the world to treat grey water and make it potable without any government intervention. This allows them to be water-sufficient, without depending on water supply boards, sewerage boards, deep bore wells or water tankers. The residents also separate solid wastes at source and then recycle them.
The landscape has been planned keeping in mind the local vegetation that require less water than exotic species. Passive design innovations in architecture and landscape have been complemented by adopting energy-efficient technologies. T-Zed homes use renewable energy sources for hot water and cfl/led hybrid external solar streetlights. To reduce power consumption during late hours of the night, the system is designed in such a way that only low-energy led lights remain switched on. All the homes and corridors are prefitted with low-energy cfl bulbs and low-energy fans. Now each resident makes a savings of ` 12,000 per annum on resources saved or consumed less.