ACREX Hall of Fame—an industry benchmark instituted by ISHRAE in partnership with Danfoss India— on Wednesday held the ACREX-Hall of Fame energy efficiency drive at Hotel Le Meridien, Delhi, to honour excellence achieved in conserving energy by construction projects in India. The coveted recognition showcases success stories and encourages innovation in technology, design and systems to achieve the highest standards of energy efficient HVAC systems in buildings.
Recent economic changes have caused consumers to revaluate how they use energy and how they can maximise energy efficiency and sustainability of buildings. With rapid social and environmental changes underway, focus on conservation of natural resources and promoting sustainable living has considerably increased. Therefore, employing more energy efficient building methods in new construction and in renovation could reduce the amount of energy consumed, thereby saving money and reducing electric load growth and air emissions resulting from electric generation. Similarly, sustainability in building developments is a vast and complex subject that must be considered from the nascent stages as the potential environmental impacts are very significant. There have been many developments in the promotion of energy efficiency in the construction sector, which is organised and acknowledged by ISHRAE.
Starting from Mumbai, the initiative intends to take the energy efficiency drive across the country. In its third edition this year, the event in the capital had discussions on energy conservation and also had this year’s nominees showcasing their presentations on effectively incorporating energy saving technologies in their commercial building projects initiated after January 2014.
Every year, nominations float in from across the country and scrutiny & shortlisting is done by the ISHRAE Technical Committee. The final list of the inductee to Hall of Fame is done by a jury that consists of eminent personalities in the field of HVAC, Government, Architecture and the Building Industry.
The primary criterion for the nominations is subjected to the inductees, IEQ (Indoor Environment Quality) initiatives, energy saving initiatives including the use of renewable energy, energy performance index and building management systems.
Recent economic changes have caused consumers to revaluate how they use energy and how they can maximise energy efficiency and sustainability of buildings, threreby promoting sustainable living. environmentalpromoting sustainable living has considerably increased.
For the event in Delhi, the top projects inducted for excellence in energy efficiency and sustainability, were: Infospace, PVR Cinemas and The Institute of Liver & Billiary Sciences. Speaking on the occasion, Sushil Chaudhry, Presidential Member, ISHRAE, said “It was incredible seeing the massive entries we received this year for the ACREX Hall of Fame. We believe in acknowledging and honoring the efforts taken by the builders to help spread the message of sustainability and importance of energy conservation and this was our stride towards the same”.
Sachin Maheshwari, Presidential Member, ISHRAE, said, “The reason why we gathered here tonight is to honour those who have worked hard to inculcate and amplify an invaluable message of conserving energy and renewable resources to bring in an organic dimension to our living. Considering the rate at which our planet is deteriorating, it is important to value it by implementing energy saving means to spread healthy sustainable living.”
A special message was shared by, D. Nirmal Ram, Presidential Member and ACREX Chairman. “We at ACREX believe in organic development and sustainable living which runs parallel with where we reside. With resource degeneration steadily rising in the country, it is crucial that we construct buildings that are environment friendly and that help in harnessing and optimizing the renewable resources. ACREX-Hall of Fame is a platform to promote and generate awareness about the significance of green living and this ceremony was to applaud the commendable work that has been developed in the last year. We look forward to the incessant support of builders and architects in helping establish our vision of 100% sustainable buildings one day.” he said.
In line with the ACREX India vision of becoming the largest network and the most dynamic platform for the HVAC&R and the building construction Industry, ISHRAE has advocated the importance of natural resources, recycling and reusing materials alongside employing energy efficient equipments is the key to organic sustenance. Laying importance on efficient use of resources such as energy, water among other, will aid in protecting occupant’s health and improving quality of life. Every year ACREX Hall of Fame honours and recognises the best in energy efficient HVAC systems in buildings across various categories and celebrates its achievements and contribution towards the planet. Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai, Terminal 2 was the first to enroll into ACREX Hall of Fame in 2016. Following the Mumbai airport was Infosys EC-53 (M&C Building).