1st green building in Coimbatore
After entering in the Limca Book of Records for being the first pillar-free trade fair complex in the world, Codissia Intec Technology Centre (Cointec) is expected to become the first green building in the city. Cointec president R Palanisamy said the Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (Codissia) has proposed to expand the trade fair complex in accordance with the norms of the US Green Building Council. The new building will have environmentfriendly carpets, recycled tiles, wood from certified forests, cement and bricks made of fly-ash, organic or milk-based paints, eco-friendly air-conditioning systems, rainwater harvesting pits and solar heaters. C Muthusami, president, Codissia, told ET: “With increasing enquiries for participation and the Intec fair attracting overseas visitors, we have embarked on a Rs 20-crore expansion plan.This includes construction of two halls with a built-up space of one lakh sq ft each and a food court on 30,000 sq ft with a seating capacity of 700-800 people”. It is to be funded with a Rs 15-crore loan from the Small Industries Development Bank of India and the balance Rs 9 crore from internal resources. The existing has a world-class building. Giving equal importance to greenery, the association is planning to have saplings over 200 sq m. The expansion is scheduled to be completed by January 2008 so that the new facility would be available for hosting Intec 2008 next February. “Post expansion, we hope to earn scores for our project through the leadership in energy and environmental design rating system developed by US Green Building Council,” he added.
