Eco groups hail new norms

KOCHI: The new set of guidelines issued for highrise buildings has evoked mixed response from various quarters, including the environmentalists.While some argue that demanding wider roads for buildings would lead to an increased pressure on the existing land space, others say such guidelines will help slow down the pace at which skyscrapers are cropping up in the city and hence reduce environmental impact.One of the issues of contention here is whether the height of a building determines its environmental impact or not.“The environmental impact of a building is not determined by the whether it is a high-rise or a low-rise building,” says Jaimohan G Rao, architect and managing partner of Inspiration, a construction company specialising in green architecture.“The environmental impact depends on the design, sewage disposal, rain water harvesting and parking space of the building,” he says.Moreover, it is unscientific to use the height of the building as a measure to evaluate the pressure on the road.In a given area, the number of houses in a building depends on the floor area ratio rather than its height.In a given area, a builder can either use the whole area and build a short structure or he can use less floor space and build a high rise.In both cases, the capacity will be the same. Pockets of vehicle-free residential complexes with high floor index ratio is a much better option as far as linking environmental impact with roads are concerned, Jaimohan says.“In 30-40 acres of land, roads must be made completely vehicle-free and parking lots placed outside of the complex.But this needs intricate planning on the part of the government and a change in the mind set which might not be possible over night,” he says.True as this might be, some do argue that guidelines like this can help in reducing the number of high rises in the city.“Linking the height of the building with the road space can put a check on the building boom in the city.The rate at which the buildings are constructed in the city is having a huge impact on our ecology.Most of the buildings are just an investment option with people buying them with an eye for resale rather than for occupancy.A trend like this raises several ecological questions.