GREEN RATING SYSTEMS: INDIA

Three primary rating systems – GB India Nagina

For the past few years, the word ‘Green Buildings’ is continuously hogging

limelight in the media. Some of us might have seen the Confederation of

Indian Industry (CII) – Green Business Centre building in Hyderabad which

is one of the green buildings in India.

Now the question comes up – what exactly are these structures? How are

different from other buildings? And why are they green?

We can define Green Buildings as structures that ensure efficient use of

natural resources like building materials, water, energy and other

resources with minimal generation of non-degradable waste.

Technologies like efficient cooling systems have sensors that can sense

the heat generated from human body and automatically adjust the room

temperature, saving energy. It applies to lighting systems too.

Green buildings have a smarter lighting system that automatically

switches off when no one is present inside the rooms.

Simple technologies like air based flushing system in toilets that avoids

water use by 100%, Use of energy efficient LED’s and CFL’s instead of

conventional incandescent lamp, new generation appliances that consume

less energy, and many other options help in making the buildings green

and make them different from conventional ones.

What is Green building certification and why is it required?

Whether Green buildings are really green is to be decided against the

predefined rating systems. There are three primary Rating systems in

India :

GRIHA

IGBC

BEE

GRIHA ( Green Rating for integrated Habitat Assessment) Council, is

mandated to promote development of buildings and habitats in India

through GRIHA. GRIHA Council an independent platform for the interaction

on scientific and administrative issues related to sustainable habitats in

the Indian subcontinent. It was founded by TERI (The Energy and

Resources Institute, New Delhi) with support from MNRE (Ministry of New

and Renewable Energy, Government of India) along with a handful of

experts in the sustainability of built environment from across the country.

Activities

All activities related to issuance of GRIHA Rating are carried out by GRIHA

Council.

TERI-GRIHA framework was initially developed by TERI for new

commercial, institutional and residential buildings. The rating was further

modified when it was adopted by MNRE as GRIHA. Over 330 projects

across India of varying scale and function are being built based on GRIHA

guidelines. The Centre for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, IIT

Kanpur (2009) and Suzlon 'One Earth' Office Complex (2010), Pune have

been certified at GRIHA 5 Stars. Furthermore, ITC Grand Chola and several

projects of Infosys are 5 Star GRIHA rated.

With rising costs of fuel and energy and increasing awareness of

connections between climate change and our life-styles there is a growing

interest in the small residential development sector to adopt green

measures. An easy to use and expedient way of designing green

residences, resorts, motels and small offices is underway. With a Simple,

Affordable and Versatile approach to green rating for small residences,

SVA-GRIHA would be web enabled by giving universal access to

information and guidelines on green buildings. This shall be made

available by mid 2011.

There are also a number of educational campuses and mixed use

township developments seeking GRIHA certification for the projects.

GRIHA Council has launched GRIHA LD (Large Developments) for design

and evaluation tool for large developments including campuses,

townships, SEZs etc.

Promoting Energy Efficiency within the existing building stock especially in

urban areas offers the most cost-effective means of reducing peak

demand, growth in electricity demand and carbon emissions associated

with the production of electricity. Water supply and wastewater treatment

are increasingly becoming critical issues in urban areas. Waste generation

and management also count amongst the key Urban Sustainability Issues.

GRIHA Council shall eventually develop a rating system for retrofitting

existing buildings.

Capacity Building

GRIHA Council conducts awareness workshops on Green Buildings and

GRIHA rating system to all the registered project teams. The online

certification tool at www.grihaindia.org further helps the project team to

educate themselves on their specific roles in developing project specific

documentation.

Training of trainers and evaluators: Design and development of Green

Infrastructure necessitates large pool of qualified professionals in all parts

of the country. To enable the active dissemination of knowledge and skills

necessary for designing new green buildings, GRIHA Council organizes a

series of open registration workshops across the country. These

workshops are aimed at practicing professionals who are working on

Green Building projects and are interested in GRIHA certification. Exams

are held at the conclusion of the workshops to certify trainers who could

further take up similar programmes in their region. Professionals with

considerable experience in Green Buildings are also encouraged to

become GRIHA evaluators. The pool of evaluators spread across the

country is engaged in the review process of GRIHA projects. They are also

a valuable resource for updating the rating system in-line with

transformation of the building industry. The training programmes are

actively supported by MNRE.

GRIHA Council also conducts need-based in-house awareness / training

sessions for Government and Private Organizations. GRIHA Council has

already started a nation-wide capacity building exercise with C.P.W.D. to

equip the professionals in building GRIHA compliant projects. With the

support of MNRE, GRIHA Council is now pursuing various other

Government departments for conducting similar sessions. Various private

organizations from the construction sector are also engaging with GRIHA

Council to help build internal capacity on Green Buildings.

Advocacy

National Conference: An annual event is organized by GRIHA Council in

association with key stakeholders in construction industry to discuss and

deliberate on furtherance of green habitat development in India. The first

conference, held in January 2010, had 400 participants representing all

the key stakeholders in the construction industry. The Second conference

held for 2 days in January 2011 attracted over 280 participants. The fourth

National Conference on Green Design hosted in February 2013 was a

stellar example of a platform that facilitates interaction and deliberation

between all stakeholders associated with the building and construction

industry.

Media Outreach: Professionals from GRIHA Council, TERI, MNRE are

frequently requested by the print and electronic media for expert articles

and updates on the Green Building front. These engagements ensure that

GRIHA Council is in continuous touch with the end users either directly

through its own efforts or through the media.

Commonwealth Games Village, New Delhi, Fortis Hospital, New Delhi,

CESE (Centre for Environmental Sciences & Engineering) Bldg, IIT Kanpur,

Suzlon One Earth, Pune and many other buildings has received GRIHA

rating

10/09/15 11:23 AM

Indian Green Building Council (IGBC)

The rating systems are based on the five elements of the nature

(Panchabhutas) and are a perfect blend of ancient architectural practices

and modern technological innovations. The ratings systems are applicable

to all five climatic zones of the country. IGBC rating programmes have

become National by Choice and Global in Performance.

Certification is applicable to the following rating systems:

IGBC Green New Buildings

The threshold criteria for certification/pre-certification levels are as under:

Certification

Level

Owner-

occupied

Buildings

Tenant-

occupied

Buildings

Recognition

Certified 40 - 49 40 - 49 Good Practices

Silver 50 - 59 50 - 59 Best Practices

Gold 60 - 74 60 - 74 Outstanding Performance

Platinum 75 - 89 75 - 89 National Excellence

Super Platinum 90 - 100 90 - 100 Global Leadership

IGBC Green Existing Buildings

The threshold criteria for Certification levels are as under:

Certification Level Points Recognition

Certified 50 - 59 Best Practices

Silver 60 - 69 Outstanding Performance

Gold 70 - 79 National Excellence

Platinum 80 - 100 Global Leadership

IGBC Green Homes


Certification

Level

Individual

Units

Multi-dwelling

UnitsRecognition

Certified 38 - 44 50 - 59 Best Practices

Silver 45 - 51 60 - 69Outstanding

Performance

Gold 52 - 59 70 - 79 National Excellence

Platinum 60 - 75 80 - 89 Global Leadership

IGBC Green Schools

The various levels of rating awarded are:

Certification

Level

Existing

Schools

New

SchoolsRecognition



Performance

Gold 70 - 79 77 - 87 National Excellence

Platinum 80 - 100 88 - 110 Global Leadership

IGBC Green Factory Building

The threshold criteria for certification/provisional levels are as under:





Platinum 81-100 Global Leadership

IGBC Green Townships







IGBC Green SEZs







IGBC Green Landscapes


Certification

Level

Small Parks- area

less than 5 acres

Large Parks- area

greater than 5

acres

Recognition



Performance

Gold 63 - 71 70 - 79National

Excellence

Platinum 60 - 75 72 - 90Global

Leadership

IGBC Green Mass Rapid Transit System

List of Rail based MRTS projects applicable under IGBC Green MRTS Rating

are as under:

Metro Rail Systems

Mono Rail Systems

The current pilot version of IGBC Green MRTS Rating Abridged Version is

only applicable for Metro Rail Systems. IGBC would release applicability

guide of IGBC Green MRTS Rating for Mono Rail systems at a later date.

Scope of IGBC Green MRTS Rating for Metro Rail systems includes

Elevated stations, Underground stations, At grade stations and Viaduct/

Tunnel.

LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design)

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green

Building Rating System is a third-party programme developed by

the US Green Building Council (USGBC). It’s a certification for the

design, construction and operation of green buildings.

LEED is a framework for assessing building performance against set

criteria and standard points of references. The benchmarks for the LEED

Green Building Rating System were developed in year 2000 and are

currently available for new and existing constructions.

LEED provides tools to help building owners and operators measure and

improve their buildings' performance in seven key areas of human and

environmental impact:

Sustainable site development

Water savings

Energy efficiency

Materials selection

Indoor environmental quality

Innovation and design

Regional priority

How the LEED certification system works

Each of the seven categories has a series of credits covering the most

relevant environmental issues within. Each credit can give one or more

points according to performance towards achieving the requirements.

The criteria is set out in detailed guidelines for different building types,

such as new construction and existing buildings, schools, healthcare, retail

and commercial interiors. Based on the overall rating of the building, a

silver, gold or platinum certificate is awarded.

The number of points a project earns determines the level of

LEED certification.

There are four levels of certification - the number of points a project earns

determines the level of LEED certification that the project will receive.

Typical certification thresholds are:

PLATINUM 80+ Points

GOLD 60-79 Points

SILVER 50-59 Points

CERTIFIED 40-49 Points

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) formed the Indian Green Building

Council (IGBC) in year 2001. IGBC is the non profit research institution

having its offices in CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre, which is

itself a LEED certified Green building. Indian Green Building Council (IGBC)

has licensed the LEED Green Building Standard from the USGBC. IGBC

facilitates Indian green structures to become one of the green buildings.

IGBC has developed the following green building rating systems for

different types of building in line and conformity with US Green Building

Council.

Till date, following Green Building rating systems are available under

IGBC;

IGBC Green Homes

IGBC Green New Buildings

IGBC Existing Buildings

IGBC Green Townships

IGBC Green Factory Buildings

IGBC Green SEZ

IGBC Green Schools

IGBC Green Landscaping

IGBC Green Mass Rapid Transit System and

LEED

Some examples of LEED rated building in India

Sr.

No

Green Buildings Rating received

1 ABN Amro Bank N.V., Ahmedabad LEED ‘Platinum’ rated

2 American Embassy School, Delhi LEED ‘Gold’ rated

3 Anna Centenary Library Building, Chennai LEED ‘Gold’ rated

4 Biodiversity Conservation India Ltd (BCIL) –

Bangalore

LEED ‘Platinum’ rated

5 Birla International School, Jaipur LEED ‘Gold’ rated

6 CII – Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre LEED ‘Platinum’ rated

7 ITC Green Centre – Gurgaon LEED ‘Platinum’ rated

8 Olympia Technology Park – Chennai LEED ‘Gold’ rated

9 Rajiv Gandhi International Airport – Hyderabad LEED ‘Silver’ rated

10 Suzlon Energy Limited – global headquarter in

Pune

LEED ‘Platinum’ rated

10/09/15 11:23 AM

Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)

BEE developed its own rating system for the buildings based on a 1 to 5

star scale. More stars mean more energy efficiency. BEE has developed

the Energy Performance Index (EPI). The unit of Kilo watt hours per square

meter per year is considered for rating the building and especially targets

air conditioned and non-air conditioned office buildings. The Reserve Bank

of India’s buildings in Delhi and Bhubaneshwar, the CII Sohrabji Godrej

Green Business Centre and many other buildings have received BEE 5 star

ratings.

Indians were aware of Green Building concepts from the beginning.

Conventional homes with baked red colour roof tiles and clay made walls

is a really good example of energy efficient structures that are used to

keep cool during summers and warm during the winters.

Most of rural India is still attached to this building technology with

naturally available materials like clay, wood, jute ropes, etc.

Today we have advanced technologies that create smarter systems to

control inside temperature, lighting systems, power and water supply and

waste generation.

Green buildings might be a bit heavy on the purse but are good for the

environment. In this rapidly changing world, we should adopt the

technology that helps us to save precious natural resources. This would

lead us to true sustainable development.

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GREEN RATING SYSTEMS: INDIA