Search Contact Site Map Download News Vicharan Home Medical Activities
Environmental Care Environmental Care
Eco-Friendly Buildings & Construction

By the wish of Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the architects and engineers of the Sanstha now design and construct buildings and mandirs that are friendlier to the Earth. In 1995, Sri Swaminarayan Mandir in London was inaugurated. It is Europe’s first traditional Hindu Mandir in marble and limestone. The beauty and craftsmanship of the whole complex has already made it famous around the world and also earned it an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records (1997). The whole complex is made with a view of being eco-friendly.

Eco-Friendly Features of Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London

Natural Lighting
The majority of the Mandir complex has been constructed so that glass panels on the walls or ceiling allow sunlight through to produce a calm, soothing atmosphere. This means that there is minimal burning of fossil fuel to light up the complex.

Energy Saving Lighting
In areas where natural lighting cannot be accessed, there is use of energy-efficient bulbs. These special bulbs save up to 90% of energy, and also have a prolonged lifetime of 10 years.

Energy Saving Heating
The whole complex has the potential to be an energy saver. For example when the community hall is filled with people, heat reclamation takes place, where the heat created by the people is collected by special heat-save pumps in the ceiling and is used to heat the Mandir boilers; 1,000 people can make 20 kW!

Environmental Audit
Before deciding which sub-contractors to select, all the various candidates were asked to perform environmental audits so that the Sanstha could select those who had CFC free manufacture methods, those who disposed of waste (such as dyes used in the carpets) most efficiently – to save ozone depletion. This resulted in higher monetary cost but lower environmental costs.

Tree Preservation

  • English Oak – 226 English Oak trees were used for the construction of the complex. To compensate for the loss of the trees, 2,300 English Oak trees in total were planted in Devon, England and India. Moreover, the trees were obtained from two environment approved companies.
  • Burmese Teak – This is a controlled species of tree, which meant it was purchased from managed farms. Each tree was logged and had a certificate which showed official approval of sale. The trees were taken from an approved controlled environment.

© 1999, Bochasanwasi Shree Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, Swaminarayan Aksharpith