Thaindian News

By Richa Sharma
New Delhi, April 1 (IANS) It’s one of the greenest sporting arenas in the world. The Thyagaraj Stadium for the Delhi Commonwealth Games boasts of it all, from glass glazing for insulation to energy saving light fixtures to water conserving plumbing.

Built from scratch at a cost of Rs.300 crore (Rs.3 billion/$65 million) and slated to open Friday, it is the most talked about venue for the Oct 3-14 event. With retractable chairs, disabled-friendly signages and ramps, and folding doors with fire sensors, it is as state-of-the-art as it gets.

It took nearly three years for the public works department (PWD) to construct the multi-disciplinary games stadium spanning an area of 16.5 acre with a seating capacity of 5,000. The stadium also has a practice track for athletics, three tennis clay courts and two grass courts.

“We have made all efforts to minimise the carbon footprint of the building,” Amit Kumar, executive engineer with PWD, told IANS.

“From solar- and gas-based power generating systems to rainwater harvesting and an effluent treatment plant, several environment-friendly technologies have been used.”

Designed by famous Australian sports architecture firm Peddle Thorp, the stadium has an Integrated Building Management System for energy efficiency.

It has been built using 28 lakh (2.8 million) fly ash bricks and all the brick walls have cavity in between - effective for thermal insulation and acoustics, consequently reducing the air-conditioning loss and improving energy efficiency.

“The stadium has glass glazing all around the building which will prevent transfer of heat from the atmosphere. The glass used for glazing has very high light transmission and very low heat transfer capacity, thereby increasing energy efficiency,” said Kumar, who has been handling the project since beginning.

There is a composite aluminium roofing system with acoustic and thermal insulation properties. The stadium will get power from solar panels and piped natural gas.

“The stadium requires 3.5 MW of energy per day and using our solar power generation system we will be able to generate 1 MW of energy, the largest in the country from a single solar unit. The generated power shall be directly fed to the northern grid and we will get the power from there,” he said.

The exhaust smoke generated by the gas turbine is being utilized for air-conditioning by installing a Vapour Absorption Machine (VAM) to run the air-conditioning of the building.

For construction, emphasis was laid on using eco-friendly materials and practices.

The stadium, having three pairs of escalators, has separate entrances for players and VIPs, spectators and media people. There is a basement parking that can accommodate 450 cars. However, it will not be used during the Games for security reasons.

“The venue is disabled-friendly and has three ramps besides visual and audio signages to help visually and hearing impaired people,” said Kumar.

The stadium has 10 vertical folding doors attached with fire sensors. “If there is a fire in the stadium, the doors will automatically open and help in mass evacuation.”

Another feature, introduced for the first time in the country, is retractable chairs. The system acquired from China will retract the chairs in a few seconds, thus helping in fast evacuation after the games get over.

For water conservation, rain water harvesting is being done in a 16.5 acre area. Besides, rain water from the roof of the stadium will be collected in a tank for horticulture and flushing purposes. The stadium has an Effluent Treatment Plant for sewage treatment.

The changing and rest rooms are fitted with hydrotect tiles, which have a coating of titanium oxide to improve air quality inside toilets.

With so many eco-friendly initiatives, the authorities have already begun the process of acquiring LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green certification.

“We are applying for the platinum rating, the highest level for any building, he said.

(Richa Sharma can be contacted at richa.s@ians.in)

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