Green Campus of the Month: HP Global Delivery India centre, Electronic City, Bangalore

This facility, one of HP's biggest in India is a fine example of a green

campus at various levels. For a start, the facility is spread across 23 acres

and has 70% greenery. In other words, the three concrete structures that house

the employees take up only 30% of the area. There is significant greenery in the

area and HP claims that not a single tree has been uprooted during construction

and that the structures have been actually built around trees. A natural canal

that cuts through the plot has been retained and a wooden walkway created over

it.

The buildings incidentally have been constructed in such a way that there is

minimal use of glass, since having glass walls mean higher air-conditioning

settings for the incumbents. Natural lighting is significantly used in most

areas, reducing and sometimes nullifying the need of artificial lighting across

the corridor that connects the three blocks. All conference rooms, restrooms and

other common assembly areas have 'intelligent lighting systems' that are powered

by motion sensors. In the absence of any activity for more than 5 minutes, the

lights automatically switch off and air conditioning to the room is cut off. As

soon as a person enters the room, they are turned on respectively. As this

facility requires employees to work round-the-clock, the company claims to have

used such a lighting mechanism to reduce leakage of power as well as human

supervision. In certain departments, entire floors have intelligent lighting and

as the individual walks through, the lights come on and go off after a few

minutes. Employees are also encouraged to use any of the two open air

amphitheatres for leisure activities, sometimes even team meetings.

Interestingly, the landscape in the campus has a natural 28 degree decline,

and HP claims to have retained this in an attempt to not disturb the natural

living conditions of a monkeys, cats and birds. Interestingly, you enter the

first floor of the facility at one end and emerge in the basement on the other.

All the water used for maintenance of the green cover in the campus comes from a

water harvesting plant which is situated and maintained within the campus. The

sewage water generated is treated and sent back for watering plants and use for

everything except drinking. Recycle bins for used cartridges, batteries and bio

degradable waste could be found in abundance across the campus. All used

cartridges and physical computer components are recycled by HP through a

contract with an external agency and the visiting cards for all employees of

this facility come from recycled paper that employees themselves have used.

To round off the concept of a truly green campus, this HP facility has

recently started a car pooling club for its employees, and few of the many

benefits they have, is privilege parking (the regular parking lots get filled up

early and employees have to park outside the facility), and free return journey

shuttle passes in the event of one employee needing to leave earlier than

his/her carpool partner. Regular carpoolers also receive surprise gifts in the

form of movie tickets, dinner vouchers, etc. Talk of innovation in finding

reasons for doling out freebies!