Hi,

We all think about the future of our kids and invest in wealth to secure their future. Easy options are either by buying property or buying land for construction.

When we decide to buy or construct a home, what are the things we consider? Amenities, location, accessibility, leisure, cost/sq feet, budget, and that’s it.

Do we pay attention to the standards that the construction is following? Do we know that such standards exist, and following them will give us more benefits of cost reductions and GHG emissions?

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-India (LEED-India), the standards and guidelines put down for the Residential Sector by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), TERI-GRIHA certifications govern the Green Building Standards in India. EDGE is another one for building certification. GREEN EASY is planning for BREEAM standard launch in the Indian market space. 

India ranks third with more than 899 green building projects totaling more than 24.81 million gross square meters of space, according to U.S. Green Building Council. And this will experience growth. With the scarcity of land in metros and suburban areas, I was curious to know more.

Chitranganda Bisht, a sustainability consultant, says, “India is doing good in terms of the green building with the help of these standards. The stakeholders are aware. Multiple stakeholders are involved in addition to the builders and consumers. A two-pronged approach with the government incentives and public demand has worked best so far in India. ”  

The life of a building is more than 50 years. We need to consider how the building adapts self-sufficient energy models and meets all the standards. 

Looking at the projections about the construction sector, adhering to these standards will initiate a transition towards a sustainable edge.

In India, Covid 19 stimulus package is focused on local self-reliance and providing immediate relief to those adversely impacted. The incorporation of green measures also should be considered as the top priority.

“For India to plan investments in buildings efficiency as a means of economic recovery, collaboration and trust between national and sub-national, state and non-state actors are critical. This will ensure alignment of policy, schemes, capacity building, and finance. Based on India’s experience implementing building efficiency policies and programs.” Said Sumedha Malaviya, Manager, and Tirthankar Mandal, Senior Manager, Energy program, WRI India in an interview with ET.

She mentioned three areas of interventions to strengthen this vertical integration in her ET article as follows.

• Consider local capacity and interests to build ownership in building efficiency programs.
• Fast-tracking implementation through government leadership and knowledge-sharing platforms.
• Pilot, learn, and scale-up quickly.

I reached out to Tom Abbot, the Managing Partner, GREEN EASY to understand his pre-launch thoughts.

“India should respond to BREEAM standards very well, as BREEAM is the most robust sustainable certification, Indian construction quality can move up another level with this assessment. BREEAM covers many more areas of sustainability than LEED and therefore buildings will be tested for their sustainability credentials in a more robust way.” He said while emphasizing India’s response to BREEAM standards.

The standard does not need to be adapted as it is suitable worldwide. It was interesting to go through GREEN EASY Website and learn more about them!

Considering market dynamics after BREEAM enters India he added, ” Competition between LEED and BREEAM will take place with BREEAM certification becoming more attractive to the construction industry.”

I feel that this competition will drive massive public awareness and high demands from the consumers forcing for such standards and construction industry compelled to adapt one!

I am optimistic! It will be interesting to see how India moves ahead with adapting the standards to ease the life of next generation!

Follow the blog for interesting sustainability topics.

Stay Safe!

Amaraja

More of light reading!

• Introduction to National Rating System – GRIHA
• Comparative Study of LEED, BREEAM and GRIHA Rating System
• Code For Green Buildings:- Need of the Hour
• HDFC News Article
• Green building research–current status and future agenda: A review
• A Review Paper on Green Building Research
• An Overview of the Green Building Performance Database.
• Green building literacy: a framework for advancing green building education

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