SUSTAINABLE PLANNING &

ARCHITECTURE
UNIT 4:
Green buildings – Rating system: LEED, GRIHA, BREEAM,
etc, Case Studies
 GREEN BUILDING

• Refers to a structure and using process

that is environmentally responsible and
resource efficient throughout a building’s
life cycle : from site to design,
construction, operation, maintenance,
renovation, and demolition.

• Green building – also known as

sustainable or high performance building
increases the efficiency with which
buildings and their sites use and harvest
energy, water, and materials.
GREEN BUILDING CONCEPT
• These are buildings that ensure waste is minimized at
every stage during the construction and operation of
the building, resulting in low costs
• A Green building is a structure that is environmentally
responsible and resource efficient throughout it’s life cycle.

OBJECTIVE

• To reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human

health and the natural environment

• Efficient use of energy, water and other resources.

• Protect occupant health and improve employee productivity.

• Reduction of waste, pollution and environment degradation.

Goals of green building

• Fundamental principles:
• Emphasize taking advantage of renewable resources: Using sunlight
through passive solar, active solar, and photovoltaic techniques
• Using plants and trees through green roofs, rain gardens
• Reduction of rainwater run-off
• Structure Design Efficiency, 
• Energy Efficiency, 
• Water Efficiency, 
• Materials Efficiency: Using techniques, such as packed gravel or
permeable concrete instead of conventional concrete or asphalt to
enhance replenishment of ground water
• Indoor Environmental Quality Enhancement, 
• Operations and Maintenance Optimization, and 
• Waste and Toxics Reduction
Structure design efficiency
• In designing environmentally optimal buildings, the objective is to
minimize the total environmental impact associated with all life-
cycle stages of the building project.
• A variation of every design variable may affect the environment
during all the building's relevant life-cycle stages.

Energy efficiency
• To reduce operating energy use, high-efficiency windows and
insulation in walls, ceilings, and floors increase the efficiency of
the building envelope
• Passive solar building design
• Orienting windows and walls and provide measures to shade windows
and roofs during the summer while maximizing solar gain in the winter. In
addition, effective window placement (day lighting) can provide more
natural light and lessen the need for electric lighting during the day. 
• Solar water heating further reduces energy costs.
• Onsite generation of renewable energy through solar power, wind
power, hydro power, or biomass etc.
Water efficiency
• Reducing water consumption and protecting water quality are key
objectives in sustainable building. One critical issue of water consumption is
that in many areas, the demands on the supply exceed its ability to replenish
itself.
• To the maximum extent feasible, facilities should increase their
dependence on water that is collected, used, purified, and reused on-
site.
• The protection and conservation of water throughout the life of a building
may be accomplished by designing for dual plumbing that recycles
water in toilet flushing.*
• Waste-water may be minimized by utilizing water conserving fixtures such as
ultra-low flush toilets and low-flow shower heads.*
• The use of non-sewage and grey water for on-site use such as site-
irrigation will minimize demands on the local water supply system.

*http://www.wateraid.org/news/news/ecosan-toilets
http://www.sulabhinternational.org/
Materials efficiency
• Green building materials are composed of renewable resources.

• Green materials are environmentally responsible because

impacts are considered over the life of the product.

• Depending upon project-specific goals Green building

material/product selection criteria :
• Resource efficiency
• Indoor air quality
• Energy efficiency
• Water conservation
• Affordability
Resource Efficiency
• Recycled Content: Products with identifiable recycled content,
including postindustrial content with a preference for post consumer
content.
• Resource efficient manufacturing process: Products
manufactured with resource-efficient processes including reducing
energy consumption, minimizing waste (recycled, recyclable and or
source reduced product packaging), and reducing greenhouse gases.
• Locally available: Building materials, components, and systems
found locally or regionally saving energy and resources in
transportation to the project site.
• Durable: Materials that are longer lasting or are comparable to
conventional products with long life expectancies.
Indoor environmental quality enhancement
• Indoor Air Quality seeks to reduce volatile organic compounds,
or VOCs, and other air impurities such as microbial contaminants.
Buildings rely on a properly designed ventilation system
(passively/naturally- or mechanically-powered) to provide adequate
ventilation of cleaner air from outdoors or recirculated, filtered air as
well as isolated operations (kitchens, dry cleaners, etc.) from other
occupancies.
• Low or non-toxic materials: Materials that emit few or no
carcinogens, reproductive toxicants, or irritants as demonstrated by
the manufacturer through appropriate testing.
• Moisture resistant: Products and systems that resist moisture or
inhibit the growth of biological contaminants in buildings.
• Systems or equipment: Products that promote healthy IAQ
(indoor air quality
 Operations and maintenance optimization

• No matter how sustainable a building may have been in its design and
construction, it can only remain so if it is operated responsibly
and maintained properly. 
• Every aspect of green building is integrated into the O&M phase
• Ensuring operations and maintenance(O&M) personnel are part
of the project's planning and development process which will
help retain the green criteria designed at the onset of the project
building's life.
• The addition of new green technologies also falls on the O&M staff.
• Although the goal of waste reduction may be applied during the
design, construction and demolition phases of a building's life-cycle, it
is in the O&M phase that green practices such as recycling and
air quality enhancement take place

http://sites.ndtv.com/property/3272-2/
http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/mumbai-housing-society-switches-to-solar-power-saves-2-lakh-a-
month-on-electricity-bills/story-PY6wMwmK3Em7vh0HcMSZcO.html
 Waste reduction
• Green architecture also seeks to reduce waste of energy, water and
materials used during construction.
• For example, in California nearly 60% of the state's waste comes from
commercial buildings. During the construction phase, one goal should be
to reduce the amount of material going to landfills.
• Help reduce the amount of waste generated by the occupants as well, by
providing compost bins.*
• To reduce the impact on wells or water treatment plants, several
options exist.
• "Greywater", wastewater from sources such as dishwashing or washing machines, can
be used for subsurface irrigation, or if treated, for non-potable purposes, e.g., to flush
toilets and wash cars.
• Rainwater collectors are used for similar purposes.
• Centralized wastewater treatment systems can be costly and use a lot of
energy. An alternative to this process is converting waste and wastewater
into fertilizer, which avoids these costs and shows other benefits.

*http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thane/green-loving-housing-society-now-adopts-
bio-composting/articleshow/58184803.cms
HOW TO MAKE GREEN HOMES
Regulation and operation

• The Indian building industry is highly de-centralized with people

and/ or groups engaged in design, construction, equipment
provision, installation, and renovation working together.
• Each group may be organized to some extent.
• Hence, it is very important to define and quantify sustainable
building practices and their benefits.
• It is also important to separate the role of different participants
in ensuring that the building consumes minimal resources over
its entire life cycle and leaves behind a minimal environmental
footprint.
Indian Green Building Council
• The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), was formed in the year
2001 by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
• The vision of the council is to usher in a green building
movement in India and facilitate India to become one of the
global leaders in green buildings by 2015.
• With a modest beginning of 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2) green built-up
area in the country in the year 2003, today more than 1053 green
buildings (as on April 2011) with a built-up area of over 648,000,000
sq ft (60,200,000 m2) are being constructed all over India, of which
147 green buildings are certified and fully functional
• LEED India for New Construction
• LEED India for Core and Shell
• IGBC Green Homes
• IGBC Green Factory Building
• IGBC Green SEZ
• IGBC Green Townships
https://igbc.in/igbc/
Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment
• GRIHA has been developed after a thorough study and
understanding of the current internationally accepted green
building rating systems and the prevailing building practices in
India.
• The team has researched on several international rating
systems. A few team members were also sponsored under a study
tour by USAEP (United States Asia Environmental Partnership) to
understand the eco-rating systems prevalent in the US.
• The team has vast experience in providing design assistance to
green buildings in the country and long and varied experience in
carrying out energy conservation studies in existing hotels, offices,
and other commercial building.
• The team has effectively utilized the several multi-disciplinary
strengths and experiences of the colleagues at TERI to arrive at
the tools that addresses cross-cutting issues in the design,
development, and operation of a green building.

http://www.grihaindia.org/
 http://www.breeam.com/
BREEAM
• BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment
Method), first published by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) in 1990
•  World’s longest established method of assessing, rating, and certifying
the sustainability of buildings
• More than 250,000 buildings have been BREEAM certified and over a
million are registered for certification – many in the UK and others in more
than 50 countries around the world.

Purpose of BREEAM
 BREEAM works to raise awareness amongst owners, occupiers, designers and
operators of the benefits of taking a sustainability approach.

 It helps them to successfully and cost effectively adopt sustainable

solutions, and provides market recognition of their achievements.

 BREEAM aims to reduce the negative effects of construction and

development on the environment
Scope of BREEAM
Highly flexible, the BREEAM standard can be applied to virtually any building
and location, with versions for new buildings, existing buildings, refurbishment
projects and large developments:

 BREEAM New Construction

 BREEAM International New Construction
 BREEAM In-Use
 BREEAM Refurbishment
 BREEAM Communities

BREEAM is used in more than 70 countries, with several in Europe having gone
a stage further to develop country-specific BREEAM schemes operated by
National Scheme Operators (NSOs). There are currently NSOs affiliated to
BREEAM in:

Netherlands – the Dutch Green Building Council operates BREEAM NL

Spain – the Instituto Tecnológico de Galicia operates BREEAM ES 
www.breeam.es
Norway – the Norwegian Green Building Council operates BREEAM NOR
Sweden – the Swedish Green Building Council operates BREEAM SE
Germany – the German Institute for Sustainable Real Estate (DIFNI) is operating
BREEAM DE
LEED
 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is one of the
most popular green building certification programs used worldwide.

 It includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction,

operation, and maintenance of green buildings, homes, and
neighbourhoods

LEED 2009 encompasses ten rating systems for the design, construction
and operation of buildings, homes and neighbourhoods. They are as
follows:

 Green Building Design & Construction

 Green Interior Design & Construction
 Green Building Operations & Maintenance
 Green Neighborhood Development
 Green Home Design and Construction

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadership_in_Energy_and_Environmental_Design
https://www.usgbc.org/leed
LEED
Certification level:
Buildings can qualify for four levels of certification:
 Certified: 40–49 points
 Silver: 50-59 points
 Gold: 60-79 points
 Platinum: 80 points and above
 CASE STUDIES

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_energy_efficient_buildings_in_India
 Suzlon Energy Limited - Pune
• Suzlon’s global headquarter in Pune - “One Earth”
• The facility has been LEED ‘Platinum’ rated and certified as an eco-
friendly building by the Green Building Council.
• Built to perfection on an area of 41,000 square meters (10.13 acres)
• One Earth can be counted as among the largest green building
projects in India and is living proof that our world can be replenished
with a little green effort, everyday.

http://www.suzlon.com/about/suzlon-one-earth
 Biodiversity Conservation India Ltd (BCIL) - Bangalore
• As a green builder who strives for the conservation of diversity in vegetation,
forests, culture and urban lifestyles, BCIL has created some of the most energy-
efficient residential homes
• The company’s TZed homes in Whitefield, Bangalore has been certified as the
first residential apartment in the world to be rated ‘Platinum’ under LEED.
• TZed, which means “Towards Zero Energy Development”
• Is a 2,49,000 sq.ft. green project spread across 5.5 acres and is designed to
reduce lighting and energy by nearly 70 per cent.
• No home at BCIL TZed Homes uses incandescent lamps, halogens and
fluorescent tubelights

https://greenbuildingsindia.wordpress.com/2013/07/04/biodiversity-conservation-india-ltd-bcil-green-building-in-
banglore/
ITC Green Centre - Gurgaon
• Renowned as one of the early adopters of the green building movement in
India, the ITC Green Centre is still considered a benchmark for green buildings.
• It was the first 'Platinum' rated building in India and has endeavored to
adopt green practices that go beyond recycled waste and day-lit offices.
• Built-in area of 180,000 sq.ft., the building features alternative
transportation facilities, storm water management system, solar thermal
technology, reflective high-albedo roof paint, minimal exterior lighting,
separate smoking rooms with exhaust system and zero-water discharge
• More than 10% of the building materials are refurbished from other sites and
40% are from within 500 miles of the project site
The Druk White Lotus School - Ladakh
Traditional mud brick masonry is used internally to provide increased thermal
performance and durability
La Cuisine Solaire - Auroville
This building puts to use appropriate technologies and passive solar
concepts to achieve energy-efficiency
Doon School - Dehradun
Doon school drastically reduced the need for artificial heating/cooling air
conditioning through solar thermal systems and cross-ventilation

Raintree Hotels - Chennai

Setting new standards of environmental responsibility without compromising on
guest experience
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport - Hyderabad 
This greenfield airport has been built at a cost of Rs 2,478 crore

Patni Knowledge Centre

 Set up with an investment of Rs.175 crores, this Green IT-BPO centre is spread
over 5 acres of land and seats over 3,500 people.
Nokia - Gurgaon