As we all know how the country is developing with respect to urbanisation and utilising more land for building construction and other developmental projects and overutilisation of resources, the importance of green building has increased in recent times. A Green Building uses less water, is energy efficient, helps conserve natural resources, less waste generation, and provides healthy living space. The Indian Green Building Council aims to empower a sustainable built environment for everyone, make India a global leader in sustainable development, and create a sustainable built ecosystem. It includes Green building rating programmers, Green Building Certification services and green building training programmers. And this initiative has been taken to live in an eco-friendly environment, with less exposure to harmful health impacts, and to balance the ecosystem.
The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), under the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), was formed in 2001.
What is Green Building Certification?
Green Building Certification is assessing and analysing a building’s footprint or performance from a sustainable point of view. Green buildings are constructed by keeping in mind the quality and design of the building to make it environmentally sound management.
Ratings
| S.No. | Certification | Qualifying Marks |
| 1 | Green | 55-70 |
| 2 | Green Plus | 71-85 |
| 3 | Super Green | 86-100 |
Benefits of Green Building
Green Building helps to conserve natural resources for sustainable development. Which helps to meet the requirements of the present and stake a balance to meet the needs of a future generation. The benefits are as follows:
- Minimal utilisation of the natural resources
- Reduced Operational cost
- Health and safety for all the residents in the building
- To optimise energy and lower its consumption
- The occupant’s productivity will be increased
- Better Indoor air quality
- Proper utilisation of water
- Good Green corporate image and positive impacts in the market or on the customers, employees, business partners and stakeholders
Standards to be maintained for Green Building Certification
The Design of the Building Should Be Sustainable
- The design of the building should be sustainable and meet the requirements of Sustainable development goals. The project should not disturb the natural environment or the ecosystem.
Water Usage
- Innovative techniques should be introduced, such as a water harvesting system and reuse of the treated water, which helps conserve water and maintains hydrological resources nearby.
A Building Should Be Energy Efficient
- Natural light sources should be there, use of renewable energy, such as solar panel installation on the roof of the building, chargeable lights and usage of the smart appliance with a 5-star rating.
Comfort Indoors
- Efficient ventilation for good air quality as we spend more time indoors, so the residential spaces should be designed in a manner in which free flow of fresh air through windows and ventilation should be there.
Efficient Use of Non-Renewable Resources
- Minimal or no use of non-renewable resources because they are limited in stock, and the focus should be on using renewable, recyclable and eco-friendly resources for building construction.
Innovation
- Innovative techniques will also help to give a good rating for green building certification.
Emerging Policy and Regulatory Tools Help In Resource-Saving Potential
- Energy Conservation Act 2001[1]
- Integrated energy policy 2006
- The mission under the national climate action plan
- National building code
- Energy Conservation building code (ECBC)
- Environmental Impact Assessment
- Appliance standards and labelling
- Building Certification: Green Rating for Integrated Housing Assessment (GRIHA)
- Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED)
- State level action
- National Water Policy,2002
- State water policies
- National Water Mission (NWM)
- National Mission on Sustainable Habitat (NMSH)
- Indian Green Building Council (IGBC)
Who Certifies a Green Building in India?
The four leading Agencies involved in the certification of Green Building are as follows:
Green rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment
The Energy and Resource Institute has developed it, and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and its rating system is used in designing and evaluating new green building structures. 30 Criteria have been categorised into four standards to get the Green Building Certification.
- Site selection
- Efficient use of resource
- Maintenance of the building and its operational activities
- Development of Innovative Ideas and designs for the Building Construction
Indian Green Building Council
The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), under the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), was formed in 2001. And helps to provide Green building Certification.
Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC)
The Indian Government designs ECBC for brand-new commercial buildings, and Energy Conservation Building Code is to provide minimum requirements for the energy-efficient design and construction of new buildings.
Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED)
LEED is a rating system framed by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to check the environmental performance of buildings and encourage sustainable development.
Indian Green Building Council
The Rating of Green Buildings brings a host of sustainable practices and alternatives to reduce environmental risk. It provides an integrated approach to consider the life cycle impacts of the material/resources used.
Registration Process
Proponent interested in IGBC Project Certification first needs to get registered with IGBC.
Registration is the first step in IGBC to get connected with the agency. After that, they provide access to the required documents, templates, integral communications and other important information for registration. Once it is registered, the project proponent can start preparing documentation and calculations to ensure compulsory and credit submission requirements.
Documents Needed For Certification
The project proponent is expected to submit the required documents at the preliminary stage and final stages of submission,
- Filled template
- Description of the project and supporting documents, for example, drawings, calculations, declaration, contract documents, purchase invoices, manufacturer sheet, letters, and test report of materials etc., for every credit.
The project documents are submitted in two phases:
- Preliminary Phase – Submission of all documents. Later the preliminary submission will be reviewed by a third-party assessor who will share the documents within 30 days.
- Final Phase– Submission of the clarification on the review given by the third party and then final submission. The final review will also provide the final report within 30 days after awarding this rating.
Why Do We Need A Green Building Certificate?
As we all know, the urbanisation rate is increasing daily, and exploiting natural resources has led to increased greenhouse emissions. Waste generation by the construction of the building is the second largest source. And it is also imperative to achieve sustainable development goals to live in a better and a healthy environment. So Green building certification is required for sustainable architecture and green buildings not for nature’s sake but for our health and safety.
Sustainable architecture helps to minimise the harmful impacts of a building construction project. These sustainably built buildings are eco-friendly and resource-saving. This certification allows you to improve your Green corporate image and positive effects in the market or on the customers, employees, business partners and stakeholders.
History of Green Buildings in India
- Started with a 20,000 sq. ft built-up area in 2003.
- More than 10,296 Green Building projects are coming up, and the built-up area is 10.24 billion sq. ft.
Conclusion
The benefits of sustainable architecture and green building are apparent and valuable for present and future generations. Developing such projects can help generate lower maintenance costs and will lead to a higher budget, and that saved resource you can utilise elsewhere, like marketing and other operational costs. Green Building Certification is assessing and analysing a building’s footprint or performance from a sustainable point of view.
Also Read:
Why Is Environmental Clearance Needed?
Environmental Risk At The Stage Of Site Selection
Environment Clearance (EC) For Thermal Power Plants
