Kirloskar Brothers to inaugurate ‘green’ office

Indian pump manufacturer Kirloskar Brothers Ltd. (KBL) inaugurated its new corporate office on April 10. The offices are in a ”green building” the company has called “Yamuna”, located at Baner in the eastern state of Orissa on the Pune-Bangalore Highway. The building can accommodate over 500 employees and, KBL said, has been designed according to LEED Platinum rating specifications, the highest level possible under the U.S. Green Building Council’s assessment system. Yamuna’s green features include the use of materials with high recycled content; an environmentally friendly heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) system; low-power lighting and an exterior building structure designed to achieve 35% savings on total energy consumption; sensors for monitoring CO2 levels and the use of low-C02-emitting paints, sealants and adhesives in the interiors. The facility also uses bio-diesel for its generator. (April 10, 2009)