GREEN BUILDING

Green building rating system

Ajinkya Nawale
Department of Civil Engineering
SITS, Narhe, Pune
ajinkyanawale09@gmail.com

Saddam Hussain
Department of Civil Engineering
SITS, Narhe, Pune

Abstract
Rating system programme is a tool which enables
the designer to apply green concepts and reduce
environmental impacts that are measurable. The
project covers the rating programme having
methodologies to cover diverse climatic zones and
changing lifestyles.

1. Introduction
The building sector in India is growing at a rapid
pace and contributing immensely to the growth of
the economy.
The tremendous growth in construction activity
across the globe is placing pressure on natural and
environmental resources. There is increasing
evidence that human activities are causing an
irreversible damage to the global environment,
which will have an adverse impact on the quality of
life of future generations.

Saddam240184@gmail.com

2. Ease of use Green Rating Systems

Green New buildings can have tremendous
benefits, both tangible and intangible. The most
tangible benefits are the reduction in water and
energy consumption right from day one of
occupancy. The energy savings could range from
20 - 30 % and water savings around 30 - 50%. The
intangible benefits of green new buildings include
enhanced air quality, excellent daylighting, health
& wellbeing of the occupants, safety benefits and
conservation of scarce national resources.
A green building uses less energy, water and natural
resources. It generates less waste and provides a
healthy living environment for the occupants.

This augurs well for the country and now there is

an imminent need to introduce green concepts and
techniques in this sector, which can aid growth in a
sustainable manner. The green concepts and
techniques in the building sector can help address
national issues like water efficiency, energy
efficiency, reduction in fossil fuel use for
commuting, handling of consumer waste and
conserving natural resources. Most importantly,
these concepts can enhance occupant health,
productivity and well-being.
However, developers face a major challenge in the
development of green buildings as in some cases
this increases construction costs. Developers find it
difficult to opt for green buildings due to price
constraints difficulty in sourcing green building
materials, technologies and service providers or
facilitators in India. Rating System procedure helps
them for the construction of the green building
using the certain criteria of the rating system.

The benefits of green buildings depend on the

extent of sustainability features taken into
consideration during its design stage.
The IGBC Green New Buildings rating system
addresses the most important national priorities
which include water conservation, handling waste,
energy efficiency, reduced use of fossil fuels, lesser
dependence on usage of virgin materials and health
& well-being of occupants. The rating system
requires the application of National standards and
codes such as the NBC, ECBC, MoEF guidelines,

CPCB
guidelines,
and
several
others.
The two green building rating systems in India are
LEED1 by IGBC2 and GRIHA by TERI. LEED is
most popular among the ratings and the credits
earned through LEED ratings can be traded in
carbon market.
The Cost Benefit Analysis of
the One India bulls Centre resulted in a pay back
period of 2-3 years on the cost premium for
including sustainable features in the building
aiming to achieve the LEED Gold certification.
The CII IGBC and other professionals are
working to mitigate the challenges faced by green
buildings to enable developers to develop and
operate green buildings with ease.

4. The green rating systems followed in

India are:
LEED India- administered by the Indian Green Building
Council (IGBC);
GRIHA -Green Rating for Integrated Habitat

5. GRIHA:

3. Green building rating system types

The green building movement has led to the emergence
of various green rating systems. The predominant ones
are:

GRIHA: green rating for integrated habitat assessment

BREEAM
-Building
Research
Establishment
Environmental Assessment Method, which is widely
used in the UK;
LEED- Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design, which was developed by the US Green Building
Council (USGBC) and used in the US;
Green Star- developed by the Green Building Council of
Australia and used in Australia. The New Zealand Green
Building Council have also developed their own version
of the Green Star tool;
CASBEE- Comprehensive Assessment System for
Building Environmental Efficiency, which was
developed by Japan Sustainable Building Consortium
and is used in Japan;
Green Mark- used in Singapore and mandated by the
Building & Construction Authority for all new
development and retrofit works;

NABERS - National Australian Built Environment

Rating System managed by the NSW (New South Wales)
Department of Environment and Climate Change. The
only rating system to measure ongoing operational
performance.

GRIHA rating system consists of 34 criteria categorized

under various sections such as Site Selection and Site
Planning, Conservation and Efficient Utilization of
Resources, Building Operation and Maintenance, and
Innovation points.
Eight of these 34 criteria are mandatory, four are partly
mandatory, while the rest are optional. Each criterion has
a number of points assigned to it. It means that a project
intending to meet the criterion would qualify for the
points. Different levels of certification (one star to five
stars) are awarded based on the number of points earned.
The minimum points required for certification is 50.
All buildings more than 2,500 sq m, (except for industrial
complexes), which are in the design stage, are eligible for
certification under GRIHA. Buildings include: offices,
retail spaces, institutional buildings, hotels, hospital
buildings, healthcare facilities, residences, and multifamily high-rise buildings.

Evaluation procedure
GRIHA Process:

of

criterion

of

i) Registration
A project has to be registered with ADaRSH through the
GRIHA website by filling in the registration form online.
Registration should preferably be done at beginning of a
project, as several issues need to be addressed at the predesign stage.
The registration process includes access to the essential
information related to rating.
ii) Documentation

The evaluation system covers interdisciplinary areas.

Submissions required for meeting any particular criterion
are elaborated in specific sections.

iii) Evaluation
The project documentation is evaluated online and rated
in a three-tier process. After online submission of
documents, the preliminary evaluation is done by team of
professionals and experts from GRIHA Secretariat,
ADaRSH. Documentation should be complete in all
respects for all attempted criteria. Any attempted criteria
with incomplete documentation is not be evaluated. The
documentation formats are provided online for each
criterion. Online calculators provided for specific criteria
need to be filled in and submitted.
The ADaRSH team first reviews compliance of the
project with the mandatory criteria and reject the project
in the event of non-compliance with such criteria.
The ADaRSH team will then evaluate the optional
criteria and estimate the total number of achievable
points. All compliance documents will be checked and
vetted through the appraisal process as outlined by
GRIHA.
The evaluation summary report is sent to members of the
evaluation committee for GRIHA comprising of
renowned sector experts from landscape architecture,
lighting and HVAC design, renewable energy, water and
waste management, and building materials. The
evaluation committee members will vet the points
estimated by the technical team. The evaluation
committee will then independently review the documents
for the award of points. The evaluation committee may
use the evaluation summary report submitted by the
technical team as a guiding document. The evaluation
committee will award provisional points and also
comment on specific criteria, if need be. The evaluation
report will be sent to the project proponent to review the
same and, if desired, take steps to increase the score.
The certificate fee includes:

Cost of GRIHA documents and templates

Third party evaluator fees

time

for

one-day

training

workshop for all consultants involved in the

project

All documents (in soft version) related to the attempted

(criteria should be submitted along with the application
(pre-construction stage). Only the attempted criteria will
be reviewed.
The document covers the details required for applying for
certification. Queries on the rating may be sent to
info@grihaindia.orginfo@grihaindia.org which will be
responded to within two working days.

Professional

GRIHA

Secretariat

costs

collection,
assimilation,
submission.

for

documents

valuation

and

Travel and accommodation arrangements for 2

ADaRSH officials for training workshop and
minimum 3 site visits shall be arranged by
project proponent.

Government taxes as applicable to be paid on

the registration fee

Handholding/facilitation/consultancy necessary
for rating

It may be noted that award of the rating is

subject to fulfillment of all requirements as
elaborated in GRIHA document.

Criteria and their weightage

GRIHA is a guiding and performance-oriented system
where points are earned for meeting the design and
performance intent of the criteria. Each criterion has a
number of points assigned to it. It means that a project
intending to meet the criterion would qualify for the
points.
Compliances, as specified in the relevant criterion, have
to be submitted in the prescribed format. While the intent
of some of the criteria is self-validating in nature, there
are others such as energy consumption, thermal and
visual comfort, noise control, and indoor pollution levels
which need to be validated on-site through performance
monitoring. The points related to these criteria (specified
under the relevant sections) are awarded provisionally
while certifying and are converted into firm points
through
monitoring,
validation,
and
documents/photographs to support the award of point.
Different levels of certification (one star to five stars) are
awarded based on the number of points earned. The
minimum points required for certification is 50.
Criterion 1: Site Selection
Criterion 2: Preserve and protect landscape during
construction/compensatory depository forestation.
Criterion 3: Soil conservation (post construction)
Criterion 4: Design to include existing site features
Criterion 5: Reduce hard paving on site
Criterion 6: Enhance outdoor lighting system efficiency
Criterion 7: Plan utilities efficiently and optimize on-site
circulation efficiency
Criterion 8: Provide minimum level of sanitation/safety

facilities for construction workers

Criterion 9: Reduce air pollution during construction
Criterion 10: Reduce landscape water demand
Criterion 11: Reduce building water use
Criterion 12: Efficient water use during construction
Criterion 13: Optimize building design to reduce
conventional energy demand
Criterion 14: Optimize energy performance of building
within specified comfort limits
Criterion 15: Utilization of fly-ash or equivalent
industrial/agricultural waste as recommended by BIS in
building structures
Criterion 16: Reduce embodied energy of construction is
reduced by adopting material efficient technologies
and/or low-energy materials
Criterion 17: Use low-energy materials in Interiors
Criterion 18: Renewable energy utilization
Criterion 19: Renewable energy based hot water system
Criterion 20: Waste water treatment
Criterion 21: Water recycle and reuse (including
rainwater)
Criterion 22: Reduction in waste during construction
Criterion 23: Efficient Waste segregation
Criterion 24: Storage and disposal of wastes
Criterion 25: Resource recovery from waste
Criterion 26: Use of low-VOC paints/adhesives/sealants
Criterion 28: Ensure water quality
Criterion 29: Acceptable outdoor and indoor noise levels
Criterion 30: Tobacco and smoke control
Criterion 31: Provide at least the minimum level of
accessibility for persons
Criterion 32: Energy audit and validation
Criterion 33: Operation and Maintenance
Criterion 34: Innovation Points

6. LEED

LEED is a national certification system developed by the

U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to encourage the

construction of energy and resource-efficient buildings

that are healthy to live in. LEED stands for Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design. USGBC established
LEED as a way to define and measure green buildings.
This is a voluntary, market driven building rating system
based on existing proven technology. After the pilot
launch in 1998 for LEED New Construction, LEED
Existing Buildings, LEED for Commercial Interiors and
LEED for Core and Shell, the next step was to create
LEED H, a rating system for Homes.
LEED H is designed to promote the transformation of
mainstream home building toward more sustainable
practices.
Why do we need one more certification program?
LEED H provides national consistency in defining green
features, and all rating is done by a third party. All
material selections and construction techniques are
documented. Energy performance is tested to represent a
consensus standard by third party experts.
Also the system provides a comprehensive evaluation of
the building process from design phases through
homeowner possession using consistent grading scale
regardless of location.
By recognizing sustainable design, construction and
operations, LEED H helps homebuilders differentiate
their homes using a recognized national brand. Buyers
can readily identify quality green homes by selecting
LEED.
How does the rating system work?
LEED is about encouraging best practices--because a
well built home is energy efficient and healthy.
LEED H breaks the certification process into eight
components and offers points in each category (by using
specific practices or certain materials) to measure overall
performance. Builders are free to choose how to acquire
points. Participating houses are awarded points based on
materials, construction methods and energy efficiency.

The point threshold is lowered for smaller houses and

raised for larger houses.
The rating system is designed to guarantee minimum

levels of sustainable practices through 18 mandatory

measures in eight credit categories.
First step is to meet with the provider and get a
preliminary LEED score based on the plans based on the
path through the eight building categories before
construction. USGBC encourages an integrated design
approach and building process.
LEED Points Offered in Eight Categories
Points are offered in eight categories for adopting
specified building practices, materials or products. All
homes must adopt 18 mandatory measures, and 16 points
must be achieved to meet minimum requirements in four
categories. Builders may choose how to acquire
additional points depending on site, climate, house
design and budget.
IDInnovation and Design 11 points
Includes such innovative measures as design methods,
regional credits, and exemplary performance Innovations
that would integrate best practices of everyone on the
team.
LLLocation and Linkages 10 points
Placement of homes in socially and environmentally
responsible ways in relation to the larger community.
SSSustainable Sites 22 points
Uses the entire property to minimize projects impact on
the site.
WEWater Efficiency15 points
Water conservation practices, indoor and outdoor, that
are built into the home.
EAEnergy and Atmosphere38 points
Optimization of energy efficiency in well insulated, tight
building envelope with efficient heating and cooling
systems.
MRMaterials and Resources16 points
Reduction of material waste during construction and
selection of green products.
IEQIndoor Air Quality21 point
AEAwareness and Education3 points
Create a homeowners manual covering the operation
and maintenance of the green features of the home.
TOTAL POINTS136
LEED Evaluation and Testing
Each LEED house is evaluated with a blower door test to
assess building envelope, a duct blaster test to evaluate
the duct sealing, and additional testing and modeling to
generate a HERS Index score (Home Energy Rating
Standards.) Using the 2006 International Energy
Conservation Code as a baseline of 100, the HERS Index

is a scoring system where each point below the baseline

represents a 1% improvement in efficiency over the
codes requirements.
Sensitive land protection, High priority site, Surrounding
density and diverse uses, Access to quality transit,
Bicycle facilities, Reduced parking footprint, Green
vehicles, Construction activity pollution prevention, Site
assessment, Site development - protect or restore habitat,
Open space, Rainwater management, Heat island
reduction, Light pollution reduction, Outdoor water use
reduction, Indoor water use reduction, Building-level
water metering, Outdoor water use reduction, Indoor
water use reduction, Cooling tower water use, Water
metering, Fundamental commissioning and verification,
Minimum energy performance, Building-level energy
metering, Fundamental refrigerant
management,
Enhanced commissioning, Optimize energy performance,
Advanced energy metering, Demand response,
Renewable energy production, Enhanced refrigerant
management, Green power and carbon offsets, Storage
and collection of recyclables, Construction and
demolition waste management planning, Building lifecycle impact reduction, Building product disclosure and
optimization - environmental product declarations,
Building product disclosure and optimization - sourcing
of raw materials, Building product disclosure and
optimization - material ingredients, Construction and
demolition waste management, Minimum indoor air
quality performance, Environmental tobacco smoke
control, Enhanced indoor air quality strategies, Lowemitting materials, Construction indoor air quality
management plan, Indoor air quality assessment,
Thermal comfort, Interior lighting, Daylight, Quality
views, Acoustic performance, Innovation, LEED
Accredited Professional, Regional priority, Use types
and categories, Default occupancy count, Retail process
Must be in a permanent location on existing land, Must
use reasonable LEED boundaries, Must comply with
project size requirements, Site development - protect or
restore habitat - alternative compliance path, EA Pilot
ACP: Advanced Buildings New Construction Guide,
Medical and process equipment efficiency, Sustainable
wastewater management, Walkable project site,
Ergonomics strategy, Bird collision deterrence,
Renewable energy - distributed generation, Enhanced
acoustical performance - exterior noise control,
Community contaminant prevention - airborne releases,
Clean construction, Design for active occupants, Material
ingredients product manufacturer supply chain
optimization, Environmentally preferable interior
finishes and furnishings, Green training for contractors,
trades, operators and service workers, Local food

production, Verified Construction & Demolition

Recycling Rates, LEED O+M Starter Kit, Social equity
within the community, Social equity within the project
team, Social equity within the supply chain, Green
Advantage certification, Innovation: Green Building
Education.

7. RESULTS
A LEED rating of Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum is
based on the number of points; a house accumulates in
the 136 point system. Point total for each grade is for an
average size house:
Certified45 points
Silver60 points
Gold75 points
Platinum90 points
GRIHA is a 100 point system consisting of some core
points, which are mandatory, while the rest are optional.

8. CONCLUSION
To the conclusion of the study of two rating system
GRIHA and LEED respectively, implementation of this
rating system in construction businesses will help protect
the natural and environmental resources and hence the
concept of green building will come into existence.

8. REFERENCES
- Reed, R., Anita Bilos, Sara Wilkison and KarlWerner Schulte (2009) International comparison of
sustainable rating tools Journal of Sustainable Real
Estates 1(1), 1-22
- Linda Reeder, Guide to Green Building Rating
System: Understanding LEED, Green Globes,
Energy Star, the National Green Building Standard,
and more.
- K.M.Fowler, E.M.Rauch, completed by the
pacific Northwest National Laboratory, operated
for the U.S. Department of Energy by Battelle.
http://www.grihaindia.org/index.php?
opyion=com_content&view=article&id=87
http://blueberrypdx.com/leed-certification.htm
http://www.usgbc.org/credits
IGBC Green New Buildings Rating System