History of Green Building:-

Since the beginning of time, people have improved their dwellings with the use of sustainable building. Ancient construction techniques involved using passive systems such as wind power, water power, water reuse, renewable energy and solar design, inventions such as windmills, wind towers, aqueducts, hydraulic mines, natural power sources, solar orientation, and cliff dwellings became crucial to health and well being. These creations set the new standard for living. Professionals like LEED Green Associate help in integrating these features into buildings.

Over time, the population became so crazed over the new technologies available and soon forgot that the environment we live in is finite. The new inventions built to improve living conditions eventually endangered our health once again.  Today, we build green with the help of organizations like the USGBC and the CAGBC to stop the environment from deteriorating and give back as much as possible, New standards improve our impact on the world, lessen our ecological footprint and save us money in the long run. The USGBC also provides professional credentials like LEED Green Associate.

Modern Green Design                    

Some of the newer technology used today improves upon the wind, water, and solar power techniques and introduces coll roofs, biodegradable and recycled materials as well as smart appliances. Professionals like LEED Green Associate help in integrating these in new buildings.

Cool Roofs: Increase solar reflectance, lower the heat island effect & reduce thermal emittance

Biodegradable Materials: Create green disposal, lower materials costs, reduce emissions & increase cost savings

Recycled Materials: Recycled storm-water lowers sewage overflow & reduces stormwater pollution

Smart Appliances: Reduce emissions & increase cost savings

USGBC & CAGBC

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC) have been in place since 1993 and 2002, respectively, Groups of architects and designers gathered to create a standard for new buildings to abide by in order to make a more sustainable environment. This system, LEED, is based on a point system. The more points you have, the higher your LEED status and the bigger the cost-reward. It is also helpful for professionals to take credentials like LEED Green Associate in order to implement green building strategies.

Point Status:

    40-49 certified

    50-59 Silver

    60-69 Gold

    70+ Platinum

To prove the efforts of the two councils have been effective, they have each done case studies on local LEED Certified buildings to record their progress and cost advantages.

USGBC Case studies observed

Reduce waste created by construction, prevent pollution, reduce heat island effect, improve water efficiency, recycled material use, purchasing green power, heightened energy efficiency and thermal comfort & maintain air quality. 

Conclusion:

With the incorporation of green building and the LEED program, we have seen overwhelming improvements in the way that we live. Though it is a common misconception that green building is expensive to initiate, if planned for early on it, it can be the most cost-effective way of construction. The LEED Green Associate professional can help in integrating green building strategies also reduce the operational costs.

Most cost benefits are seen over time. Reduced water consumption, more efficient use of materials, the diversion of waste and decomposition of materials during construction all lower the environmental impact the building has on the earth while simultaneously lower costs and increase the quality of life.

Since the building has lower operation costs and studies show the building design increases the productivity of workers, companies are not only lowering their costs but increasing their output, therefore, creating another incentive among the many to build green.  GE3S is a leading green building consultant and also a training provider for LEED Green Associate.

Incentives from Ministry of Environment and Forest: GRIHA pre-certified projects are entitled to receive fast track EIA from MoEF. Fast track enables to save at least 3 months. Incentives from Ministry of new and renewable energy: Incentives to developers: (up to 2012): 90% of registration cum rating fee will be reimbursed for projects having built up area less than 5,000 sq.m with minimum 3-star rating and built up area more than 5,000 sq.m with minimum 4-star rating. Having a professional who has completed LEED Green Associate Exam training can help one in achieving the GRIHA requirement and availing the incentives from the Ministry.

Incentives to Municipal Corporations/ Urban Local bodies: Incentives of Rs. 5o lakhs and Rs 25 lakhs are given to Municipal Corporations and Urban Local bodies respectively that announce rebate in property tax for green building and make it mandatory to get the new buildings for government and public sector rated under GRIHA. Additionally, award of Rs. 50 lakhs will be announced to Municipal Corporation and Rs. 25 Lakhs to either urban body who performs best. Therefore it is of utmost importance that we have in our team a professional who has successfully completed LEED Green Associate Exam. 

Incentives from Banks:            

Small Industries development bank of India (SIDBI) has announced a scheme of providing financial assistance at a concessional rate of interest to GRIHA rated projects. -For GRIHA Compliant projects, processing fee is waiver from SBI for home loans. -SBI gives a 0.25% rebate on the interest on housing loans. To avail such benefits developers should rope in LEED Green Associate Exam qualified individuals who can assist in GRIHA compliance.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)

It is a product of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) that provides a complete framework for assessing building, performance, and meeting sustainability goals within 6 category rating system. The categories are sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials & resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation & design. In India, the Indian green building council (GBCI) provides LEED ratings to structures and aims to make the country one of the leaders in green buildings. LEED, the green building rating certification system, evaluates a building based on multiple aspects, including sustainability, water efficiency, energy, resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation, and throughout the building's planning, construction, maintenance, and operation. They also provide professional credentials if you pass test like LEED Green Associate exam.

LEED Certification can be applied to all types of buildings, ranging from homes to commercial office buildings. In 2018, India ranked third on the list of top countries with LEED certified buildings. There are 4 LEED certification levels of buildings. If it has 26 to 32 points that are basic level, if it has 33 to 38 points then it has silver level, 39 to 51 points i.e Gild level, 52 to 69 points it is platinum level. There are maximum possible points in LEED Rating of buildings. There is 69 level of points and four certification level.  Having a team member who has qualified  LEED Green Associate exam makes LEED certification easier.

BEE Star Rating:

BEE Star Rating is a voluntary program to assess and rate the energy performance of existing commercial buildings. The scheme is based on the actual performance of the buildings in terms of energy performance index (EPI) expressed in Kwh/m2/yr. the scale used is 1 to 5. This rating is applicable to both air-conditioned and non-air conditioned buildings (offices, hotels, hospitals, retails, and IT parks). This programme will rate buildings having a connected load of 100 kW and above. The 5-star labeled buildings are the most efficient in this star rating. Five categories of buildings - office buildings, hotels, hospitals, retail, alls, and IT parks in five climate zones in the country have been identified for this programme malls. As mentioned team members with  LEED Green Associate exam credentials can help in achieving green building goals.

LEED is an internationally recognized green building rating system developed by USGBC. USGBC is non-profit organization. One can also earn green building credential by passing LEED Green Associate Exam. LEED is basically to which provides a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations, and maintenance solutions. LEED is a voluntary certification system. USGBC does not force any building or development to go for LEED certification. LEED is a consensus-based rating system, it is acceptable to all stakeholders in construction markets. People who are interesting in getting to know more about LEED and building a career in the construction sector should also pass LEED Green Associate Exam. LEED rating system is a large group of members from every section of a market. There are a number of contractors, manufacturers, consultancy, govt agencies, research institute, developers etc. LEED is a third-party certification. The project assists and certified by an agency not related to the project. LEED is totally based on triple bottom line openly called people, planet, and profit. LEED-certified buildings offer better living condition for people. It is created with the social responsibility for the people. LEED certification building has lesser environmental impact. People who have passed LEED Green Associate Exam can help building reduce its environmental footprint and also led to cost optimization during operation.

LEED is based on 3 pillars:

Social responsibility (People) - better living standards for people

Environmental Stewardship (Planet) - Less impact on the environment

Economic Prosperity (Profit) - Reduce the life-cycle cost of the building

LEED Rating System Families

There are 5 families of LEED Rating system:-

LEED for BD + C - LEED Building design + construction

LEED BD + C are applicable for new construction and major renovation of buildings.

LEED for ID + C - LEED Interior design + construction

LEED for ID + C is applicable for projects whose scope is limited to interior fit out

LEED for O + M - LEED for operation and maintenance

LEED for O + M is applicable for existing building undergoing improvement. In this minor upgrade may be included.  

 LEED for ND - LEED for Neighborhood

LEED for ND is applicable for land development projects, mixed-use developments projects etc

LEED for Homes - LEED for Homes

LEED for Homes is applicable for all residential projects except high rise residential building.

A professional who has passed LEED Green Associate Exam is expected to have understanding of all the above types if LEED rating system.

LEED for BD + C Adaption:

    LEED BD + C: New Construction

    LEED BD + C: Core and Shell

    LEED BD + C: Schools

    LEED BD + C: Retail

    LEED BD + C: Healthcare

    LEED BD + C: Data centers

    LEED BD + C: Hospitality

    LEED BD + C: Warehouses and distribution center

LEED BD + C: Schools

This is applicable for academic buildings of K-12 schools and non-academic buildings of schools, post-secondary academic buildings and pre-kinder garden buildings may qualify for both for LEED BD + C: Schools & NC

LEED BD + C: Core & Shell

This is applicable for projects whose scope is significantly restricted to core & shell of the building

Core - structure

Shell - Facade/building envelope

for eg: Shopping malls

LEED BD + C: New Construction

This is applicable for office buildings, library, museum, office buildings, church etc. This is also applicable for high-rise residential buildings i.e., 9+ habitable stories.

LEED BD + C: Hospitality

This is applicable for buildings dedicated to hotels, inns or other businesses within the service industry that provide transitional or short-term lodging with or without food.

LEED BD + C: Health Care

This is applicable for inpatient and outpatient healthcare facilities and licensed long-term health care facilities. Medical offices assisted living facilities and medical education and research centers.

LEED BD + C: Retail

This is applicable for retail building projects like banks, restaurants, apparel, electronics, big box etc  GE3S Academy conducts LEED Green Associate Exam in every quarter please get in touch with us for more information.

One of the important green building as the Indira Paryavaran Bhavan building it is one of the first building in India that is rated GRIHA 5 - star under Green Rating for under Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA).  This building used various energy efficiency and renewable technologies on a large scale. Some of the green techniques used in the building are earthquake-resistant structure, use of earthquake-resistant structure, A LEED Green Associate professional becomes useful when incorporating green building techniques into design and operation. More than 75 percent of natural light utilization, Thin-client networking system, A robotic parking system in the basement for accommodating 330 cars, Planting trees and grasses in more than 50 percent area outside the building, This building is also fully compliant with the requirements of the energy conservation building code of India (ECBC). Other examples of green buildings in India with its energy savings like Wipro buildings in Gurgaon, ITC in Gurgaon, CII Godrej in Hyderabad. you can also see the area of the building and the percentage reduction as well as the energy savings in rupees in lakhs. The annual benefits of green buildings in India are the carbon dioxide reduction of 12,000 tonnes and energy savings of 15000 MWH. Realization of these benefits on larger scale would need more LEED Green Associate Professionals in the market.

The implementation of the ECBC is one of the major to improve building energy efficiency. It is the first building code in India and was launched on Feb 2007 by the Indian Bureau of energy efficiency (BEE). This code is applicable to a new commercial building with a connected load above 100 KWH or a contract demand of over 120 KVamps. The building with a conditioned area of over 1000 sq.m generally falls under this category and a connected demand of power of 500 KW or 600 KVA. This building code performance standards for the building envelope, heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system, interior and exterior lighting and service hot water in each of the five climatic zones in India. It also sets the energy-efficient requirements for building, electrical power and motors. LEED Green Associate professionals are well aware of these requirements.

The compliance of buildings is based on prescriptive, simple trade-off, and whole-building performance. It is now mandatory for large national public buildings to comply with ECBC. ECBC has been adopted in 7 states and 16 states are in the process of adopting ECBC. The energy performance index of the building is set from 90 KWh/sq/year to 200 kWh/sqm/year for ECBC compliance. In order to spread this rapidly and churn out savings, we would need more LEED green associate and other green building professionals in the construction industry.

In addition to this ECBC, there are voluntary programs to encourage the development of efficient and sustainable buildings, this includes GRIHA rating i.e., Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment, BEE i.e, Bureau of star rating and LEED ie. Leadership and energy and environmental design.  LEED GA & LEED AP qualified professionals are in great demand, Let see about the GRIHA means.

The Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment is the recent national rating system of India. It was developed by the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) jointly with the Ministry of new and renewable energy, India. The latest version of GRIHA is GRIHA V 2015. This rating is used for all kinds of buildings across India. It follows 31 criteria of ratings under 4 categories namely -Site selection and planning, building planning and construction, building operation and maintenance, Innovation.  LEED GA and LEED AP professionals are well aware of these requirements.

GRIHA is a building rating program that is widely implemented in India. it is applicable to new buildings with floor space of over 2500 sq.m. Eligible buildings include offices, retails buildings, institutional buildings, hotels, hospitals, and healthcare facilities, and multi-family high rise buildings. The minimum points required for GRIHA V 2015 certification are 25.  LEED GA & LEED AP can help in green building certification.

Building scoring 25 to 40 points will get 1 star, 41 to 55 points will get 2 stars, 56-70 points will get 3 stars, 71-85 points will get 4 stars respectively. A building scoring more than 86 points will get the maximum rating of five stars. GRIHA evaluates a building's performance throughout its life cycle based on nationally accepted energy and environmental principles and aims to minimize the environmental impact of buildings and promote green building development.  LEED GA & LEED AP professional can help you in maximizing the score.

The program is executed by the GRIHA Council, which was founded by the Energy and Resources Institute with the support of the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. There are currently 700 projects on record that are registered with the GRIHA system.  LEED GA & LEED AP individuals possess understanding of all such requirements.

The GRIHA V 3 rating system consists of 34 criteria covering various subjects such as sustainable site planning, energy, and water optimization, sustainable building materials, waste management, and building operations & maintenance. There are bonus points for strategies implemented over and above the listed GRIHA criteria. The minimum points required for certification is 50. Building scoring 50 to 60 points, 61 to 70 points, 71 to 80 points and 81 to 90 points will get one star, two stars, three stars, and four stars respectively. A building scoring 91 to 100 points will get the maximum rating of five stars. This rating system follows- national building code (NBC), the energy conservation building code (ECBC) and other IS codes, local bye-laws, other local standards, and laws.  LEED GA & LEED AP professionals in India are aware of these building codes as well.