The ‘W’ Factor
Issue 45
March, 2022
In Focus
With focus on the wellness of students and children, for enhanced learning and better academic performance, the Bunts Sangha’s Shashikiran Shetty Educational Institutions (BSSKEI) Campus in Borivali in North Mumbai is an Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) certified Green School, with eco-friendly buildings strictly adhering to IGBC standards.
For a child, just as a healthy lifestyle encompassing nutritious food, regular exercise, and sufficient sleep is fundamental for physical and mental wellbeing, and nurturing filled with care is essential for emotional wellbeing, a conducive learning environment and positive surroundings foster cognitive growth, impact wellness, retention, and academic performance. Keeping this in mind, the Bunts Sangha’s Shashikiran Shetty Educational Institutions (BSSKEI) campus in Borivali focuses on creating highly conducive environments for learning, under the tutelage of Mr. Shashi Kiran Shetty as the patron of BSSKEI.
The core values of Care for Environment and Society are ingrained in the Allcargo Group, which, under Mr. Shetty’s leadership as its founder and executive chairman, has consistently exhibited environmental stewardship. This has formed the basis of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm, Avashya Foundation, doing impactful work in the verticals of Education, Environment, Health, Women Empowerment, Disaster Relief and Sports. Allcargo Group has also committed to reduce its environment footprint, and to be carbon neutral by 2040.
The nurturing nature of green buildings:
Green buildings ensure environments conducive to learning, by promoting health and well-being of children due to improved air quality with lower concentrations of air pollutants and allergens, well-ventilated rooms, plenty of natural light utilisation, and designated internal and external spaces for exercise. These factors reduce various health risks such as cardiovascular disease, asthma, and allergies.
Clean air and a hygienic environment positively impact respiratory health, directly influencing a child’s ability to focus and learn. Moreover, an environment with plenty of natural light, optimal space to explore the much needed recreational tools of learning – such as games, sports, and other extracurricular activities contributes significantly to emotional wellbeing in educational settings.
With optimal wellness, each child has a better learning experience and academic performance, thus unlocking their full potential.
BSSKEI’s features:
The Green building features at BSSKEI include classrooms designed to optimise air circulation, with cross ventilation and large windows for natural light. Both aspects of cross ventilation and natural light play crucial roles in creating comfortable and healthy indoor environments, with natural light known to positively impact mood and productivity.
The use of paints and coatings with low or no VOC ensures that the air quality indoors is maintained at all times.
The buildings have also been designed keeping in mind anthropometric dimensions – proportionate to measurements of the human body – for classroom furniture, toilet fixtures and stairs.
Unlocking the full potential for all!
Even in educational endeavours, like in all aspects, the aim is to move forward keeping in mind care for the environment and community, while nurturing talent, and enabling all around to unlock their full potential.
Green buildings play an important role in building a sustainable future, addressing environment concerns and their impact on human health, while enhancing energy efficiency, These structures utilize innovative technologies reducing consumption of energy and water usage by up to 30%.
Beyond environmental benefits, green buildings enhance occupants’ wellbeing, fostering healthier indoor environments.
In India, they are gaining momentum as the country is increasingly embracing eco-friendly practices, showcasing a shift towards a more sustainable and resilient urban landscape.
