Bangladesh Green Building Council
Bangladesh Green Building Council (BGBC) earlier known as Sustainable Built Environment Initiative of Bangladesh is an organization in Bangladesh that serves as the Green Building Council of Bangladesh. Its main objective is to promote principles of Green Buildings and sustainable architecture in Bangladesh, especially in Dhaka, its capital which is predicted to becoming the second most largest city in the world by 2015 according to UNEP as well as one of the most polluted and unhealthy cities on earth.
History
Initially founded as Sustainable Built Environment Initiative of Bangladesh in 2008 by environmental entrepreneur Sanwar Azam Sunny, BGBC's mission was to unify the stake holders towards a greener country, as with a growing population in a diminishing land and rapid urbanization to major cities, ‘Going green’ had become a marketing ploy for various organizations without any quantifiable way to judge a structures sustainability. The council earlier offered a centralized board to offer Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifications to interested projects and firms. but later proposed a similar voluntary building rating tool that is much cheaper to attain and one that is much suited to the socio-economic conditions of the country and relevant to its building environment and construction culture.
Background
Citing that in cramped environment, such buildings and structures would be far more comfortable and satisfying but most importantly directly address some national issues, like conserving water and energy. The Government of Bangladesh in 2009 stopped giving connections to newly constructed buildings meaning that new homes would not have access to energy, and even water due to shortages. Experts agreed that a rating tool would not only facilitate government incentives to sustainable communities but achieve the six point goals of the National Water Policy of 1999 by the World Bank as well as the Renewable Energy Policy of 2008 by the Ministry of Power and Energy.
Climate change mitigation and adaptation
There was a national need for sustainable development in the nation’s growing building industry and brought a forum together to act as the national GBC of Bangladesh. With needed reductions of carbon emissions from buildings. National and international energy companies like Energpac and Siemens attended the event to assess the roles of the corporate stakeholders while United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) fellows commented on the global imperative of such an initiative. The first proposed rating tool aimed to fulfill the Seventh Target from the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), as for the first time the council provided support for green building certifications.
Rating Systems: Tools and Indexes
Such green building standards and tools will lead to conservation as buildings would less consumption of electricity and water, and also 'the need for reduction of carbon emissions' in the current building and construction scenario. At the same meeting, the Additional Chief Architect of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, Bangladesh spoke AbOUT the government’s role. By 2012, the Ministry of Public Works began working with the World Bank to study energy and water efficiency and emissions reductions through Green Building Codes.
Activities
Professional Development
Initially with minimal government support, the plan was to transform the market with cost effective steps. According to an article in the The Independent BGBC executives and experts claimed there is a great misconception regarding the cost effectiveness of the green design and construction, and that increased productivity and energy savings of a green building outweighs initial costs. About the feasibility of widespread utilization of LEED certifications, they said that it is very expensive and the Bangladesh is in the process of developing a green building rating system in the regional context. These activities were also promoted by national and region experts. Prominent national award winning architects such as Mustapha Khalid Palash, the 2010 Holcim Green Built Sustainable Design Competition winner was the Chairman of the Practicing Professionals Committee, and Rafiq Azam, defined BGBC platform as a way for Bangladesh to define ‘Green’ according to the national circumstances. The Institute of Architects Bangladesh, which works with different government organization to offer education and government advocacy commented on the adaptability of sustainable principles in the national architecture community in the form of the BGBC rating tool.
Education
BGBC encouraged educational programs in sustainable designs at various universities in Bangladesh and promoted Green Building principles in their curriculum. Universities included Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, American International University-Bangladesh, North South University, BRAC University and Asia Pacific University.