Eco-friendly: An artist’s impression of the upcoming green business park in New Town, Rajarhat

Going green is the new brick-and-mortar credo in Calcutta.

After Technopolis, touted to be the “country’s first IT infrastructure” conforming to the US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) certification, Calcutta is now set to have its “first green business park”.

Synthesis, a 650,000-sq-ft twin-tower commercial property coming up in Action Area II of New Town, Rajarhat, promises to carry the green crusade forward with a design that is in “orientation with the climatic conditions”.

Bengal Shrachi Housing Development Ltd, doing the Rs 90-crore project, has appointed acclaimed eco-architect Karan Grover for the design solution. Grover, whose design for the CII Sohrabji Green Business Centre won the “world’s first platinum rating” under LEED, will be working with local architect Harsh Sanon.

Synthesis will have two towers — one G+7 and the other G+11 — the circular north block housing the Hidco office and the two connected linear blocks in the south forming the corporate towers. Work on the entire green project is expected to be complete by March 2009.

“We have reached a stage of urban saturation where the onus is on the real estate community to create sustainable development. Synthesis, with its unique green design, aims to preserve the delicate green environment by conserving energy and reducing wastage of resources,” Bengal Shrachi managing director Rahul Todi tells Metro.

Grover has harked back to our architectural past and drawn inputs from indigenous elements like havelis, aangans and jaalis to create an energy-efficient and nature-friendly environment with “healthier indoor air quality”.

The project embraces the guiding principles of LEED and The Energy and Research Institute (Teri), an international body. LEED norms have been developed by the USGBC to certify green designs in the US. The system rates a building on criteria like site selection, efficient use of water, energy optimisation, materials and resources used for construction. Teri was established in 1974 to start sustainable development practices.

Synthesis will be built on the east-west axis to counter the typical hot and humid conditions. Natural light will filter through the foliage and reduce the need for artificial lighting. “Novel methods” of night ventilation will reduce air-conditioning costs, while a central open space will form a “green oasis”.

A curved open space, driveways, pathways and promenades are designed to double as green cover, “significantly lowering” electricity needs. They also replenish aquifers by allowing rainwater to seep through the grass.

Stepped terrace gardens reduce heat and glare from paved areas. A central waterbody spanned by a bridge and sculptural columns also helps in rainwater harvesting. With “carefully chosen” building materials, green spaces and waterbodies, Synthesis reduces the heat island effect, claim the developers.

They also promise soil balance will be restored to the original after construction to create a sustainable community.