Glass facades harm environment

Environmentalists say that till the time upcoming buildings extensively use glass, they cannot be "green". "Glass throws back heat into the atmosphere causing warming. Structures with glass facades use air-conditioning round the clock, using up energy," said Debi Goenka from Conservation Action Trust.  

Last year, a report by the National Environmental Engineering Institute (NEERI) said that the temperature around a glass-facade building can go up by 17 degrees celsius. "This is a concept borrowed from the West, where it works as those countries are cold. India is a warm country. Here, glass traps heat and throws it back to the immediate environment," said Rakesh Kumar, chief scientist and head of NEERI, Mumbai.

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