INTRODUCTION:

Green building is a design and construction practice that

promotes the economic health and well-being of your Family, the
community and the environment.
Green building, also known as sustainable or high performance
building is the practice of increasing the efficiency with which
buildings and their sites use and harvest energy, water, and
materials; and protecting and restoring human health and the
environment, throughout the building life-cycle,
conceptualization, design, construction, operation, maintenance,
renovation and demolition. The `Green Building' concept is
gaining importance in various countries, including India. These
are buildings that ensure that waste is minimized at every stage
during the construction and operation of the building, resulting in
low costs, according to experts in the technology. The techniques
associated with the `Green Building' include measures to prevent
erosion of soil, rainwater harvesting, preparation of landscapes to
reduce heat, reduction in usage of potable water, recycling of
waste water and use of world class energy efficient practices

Green building is the call of mother earth. Green building is an

approach that emphasizes the place of buildings within both local
ecosystems and in global environmental also. Green building
increases energy efficiency while reducingbuilding impact on
human health and environment by construction, operation and
maintenance.
It has become a marketing tool and most of the time is superficial
practice approach based onwesternized adoption. Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) a green ratingsystem is
fully based on western. The Energy and Resources Institute
(TERI), Green Rating forIntegrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA)
and Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) arebeing devised
but not practices very seriously. It is well known that energy
efficiency and
sustainability are very well interwoven and well rooted in Indian
traditional architecture andIndian culture.
Green building is the practice of creating structures and using
processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-
efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle fromsiting to design,
construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and
deconstruction.

Green building is also known as a sustainable or high

performance
building.

Green building, or sustainable design, is the practice of increasing

the efficiency with whichbuildings and their sites use energy,
water, and materials, and of reducing impacts on humanhealth
and the environment for the entire lifecycle of a building. Green-
building conceptsextend beyond the walls of buildings and include
site planning, community and land-useplanning issues as well.

All over the world, the construction industry out of many other
sectors, is one of the largest energy consuming sectors. The
construction sector has a major share in the usage of energy and
resources on a global level.
 Buildings consume up to 40% of the world’s energy
 They also generate 60% of the world’s waste
 They are responsible for raising urban temperatures by up to
7 degrees centigrade
 Which also leads to increases in ground level ozone through
increased pollution
 India’s rivers shall dry up in our lifetime, with maximum
water consumption being attributed to buildings.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

There have been buildings which adopt one or more green
features. To recognize the extent of green features that a building
adopts, rating system have been evolved and come of age in
India. The prime objective of the rating system is to bring change
in the market wherein the user demands green products. One of
the most popular rating systems being adopted here is the
GRIHA. Thus to evolve a strategy to reduce energy use in
buildings so as to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas
emission into the earth’s atmosphere. Primary objective of this
work is,
1. To study GRIHA rating system for existing building.
2. To study and find a methodology to appropriately calculate the
credit calculations with respect to the GRIHA manual for EB.
3. To devise a method in Microsoft Excel for various options of
compliances to find out the credit points.
4. To prepare a case study using Microsoft Excel Programme
prepared with an existing actual green certification.

GREEN BUILDING BENEFITS

• 30% to 40% reduction in operating cost.
• Health and safety of building occupants.
• Provide thermal comfort i.e. cool in summer and warm in winter
 Incorporate latest techniques and technologies.
• The most tangible benefit is in reduction of operating energy
and water costs right from day one during the entire life cycle of
the building.

How do buildings impact the environment?

To provide all the comforts that are listed above, a building needs
to consume resources for construction and operation.
In our country, a well designed building is built out of concrete
and bricks, and may have a design life of up to one hundred
years.
During such a period, a building can consume unimaginable
quantities of resources.
Buildings consume buildings generate waste
resources such as such as
Land: Farms, forests, plots etc.Site waste: cut trees and
vegetation, excavated soil,
rubble, etc.
Soil: Earth, clay, stone, lime, Construction waste: metals,
sand, etc. broken bricks, shuttering, etc.
Trees: Wood, plywood, Organic waste: peels,
shuttering, etc. vegetables, etc.
Metals: iron, aluminium, steel, Inorganic waste:
copper, etc. i. Recyclable waste: paper,
glass, metals, etc.
ii. Non-recyclable waste:
demolition debris, plastics, etc.
Plastics: PVC, UPVC, etc. Chemical waste: adhesives,
paints, etc.
Water: Construction, landscape, Sewage/sullage: black water,
cooling, washing, drinking etc. grey water, etc.
Electricity: Cooling/ heating, E waste: CDs, electronics, etc.
lighting, pumping, etc.

What is a green building?

The greenest possible habitat would strive to achieve the
following:
Optimize demand for electricity, water and other natural
resources (in construction, operation and demolition)
Generate all its electricity on site through renewable
means
Cater to all its water demands through sustainable
processes such as rain water harvesting
Grow its own food on site
Recycle and reuse all its waste on site and burden the
environment to the minimum.
We often refer to this process of design as “closing the loop”. In
other words, striving to generate and utilize on-site resources to
construct and operate the building and then ensuring that all the
waste material is managed on-site itself, thereby leaving nothing
(if possible) to be put into the municipal systems.
In the Indian context, a building is 'green' when
It is designed using an integrated approach (as mentioned in
NBC, Part 0)
It provides its users with an “optimal” level of comfort catering
to local needs (as per NBC-Part 8)
It uses minimum resources, sourced locally (as per various IS
codes and other local materials)
It consumes minimum energy and water (as per ECBC and
NBC)
It generates optimum waste, processed locally (as per CPCB,
and MoEF norms)
... during its construction, operation and demolition (i.e., over its
entire life cycle)

Can you design a green building?

Does it cost more than a conventional building?
Yes, you can easily design a green building, by integrating
resource-efficient features into a building’s design from the pre-
design stage itself, and by ensuring that the architects, engineers
and contractors follow established environmental principles
addressing local needs, designing a green building is easy and
fun, and may cost lesser than a conventional building.

Steps
1. By adopting the integrated design approach such that the
client, architect, engineers, and consultants design the building in
a coordinated manner with a common goal – sustainability.
2. By following regional development plans (such as the
UDPFI guidelines, master plans) and local building by-laws
3. By following India’s national codes and standards
4. By optimizing site conditions (trees, water bodies, windflow,
orientation, etc.) and harnessing them to cater to the thermal /
visual comfort requirements of the building
5. By adopting sound architectural practices and taking
examples from India’s traditional architecture
6. By adopting locally available construction materials and
giving impetus to local arts, crafts, architecture and artisans
7. By designing precisely-sized energy systems and not
basing them on broad thumb-rules
8. By reducing the resource consumption of the building
and its inhabitants so that the waste generating there-from is
reduced
9. By adopting energy efficient technologies (EETs) and
equipment
10. By adopting renewable energy technology (RETs)
applications to reduce the demand on conventional energy
The emphasis of the design team must be on following
steps 1 to 8, so that the requirement for steps 9 and 10 (EETs &
RETs) can be significantly reduced, thereby lowering the initial
capital investment required for the project.

Green Building Rating System:

It is a measurement tool to find the performance of building as
per surrounding environment. Various criteria are applied to
check performance of building from its conception to design,
construction and operation stage. Points are awarded depending
on fulfillment of particular criteria. All points are added together
to get final rating. Depending on that star rating is awarded to
entire project. These ratings are encouraged to create a
awareness among mass to promote towards adaption of green
buildings.

Series of different International rating systems:

1. LEED:
It is ‘Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®)’
developed by US in 1998 as a building rating system to study
performance of existing building as well as design energy efficient
building by harnessing maximum benefits from environment and
cause least stress to surrounding eco-system.
• The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) has adapted LEED
system for rating of new construction.

Key Components of the LEED System

• Less impact of construction activities on and around site.
• Efficient and conservative water use.
• More emphasis on use of non-conventional energy resources
• Use of recyclable materials in construction activity.
• Use of natural lighting and ventilation, thus reducing stress on
artificial lighting and HVAC system
• Promote innovations in design process for step towards green
building

2. BREEAM:
Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment
Method (BREEAM) adopted by UK in 1990. It provides rating to
different categories of buildings (like offices, homes, industrial
units, retail units, schools etc) based upon points earned for
satisfying different criteria’s. It promotes to develop low
environmental impact buildings. The overall building performance
is awarded a ‘Pass’, ‘Good’, ‘Very Good’ or ‘Excellent’ rating based
on the score.

BREEAM has following criteria’s:

•Management: Policy adapted from conception to execution and
then up to commissioning period. Adoption of policies like waste
management, pollution minimization etc.
•Health and comfort: provide all comforts level to occupants of
building in terms of ventilation, humidification, energy efficient
lighting, thermal and visual comfort, low noise levels etc.
•Energy: proper and careful utilization of energy sources.
•Transport: reduce use of fossil fuels and promote electric or
battery operated vehicles
•Water: adopt policies like metering, leak detection and waste
reduction
•Materials: use recyclable materials during after construction of
buildings.
•Land use: proper use of available land by promoting
afforestation.
•Ecology: Maintain ecological balance between new construction
and surrounding ecosystem
•Pollution: try to bring pollution level, avoid ozone depletion.
3. Successful International Rating Programs: CASBEE
•Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental
Efficiency (CASBEE) was developed in Japan, in 2001.

•The family of assessment tools is based on the building’s life

cycle: pre-design, new construction, existing buildings, and
renovation.

•CASBEE presents a new concept for assessment that

distinguishes environmental load from environmental quality and
building performance.

•Under CASBEE there are two spaces, internal and external,

divided by the hypothetical boundary, which is defined by the site
boundary and other elements, with two factors related to the two
spaces, in which the
‘Negative aspects of environmental impact which go beyond the
hypothetical enclosed space to the outside (the public property)’
‘Improving living amenity for the building users’ are considered
side by side.

4. Successful International Rating Programs: GBTool

GBToolwasdevelopedbytheInternationalFrameworkCommitteefort
heGreenBuildingChallenge,aninternationalprojectthathasinvolved
morethan25countriessince1998.
•GBToolis designed to be adapted by sponsors to reflect regional
conditions and context. It includes criteria in categories :
Site Selection,
Project Planning and
Development;
Environmental Loadings;
Energy and Resource Consumption;
Indoor Environmental Quality
Functionality;
 Long-Term Performance; and
Social and Economic Aspects.
•Criteria are assessed using scales that are based on local
benchmarks of ‘typical’ practice;
•Buildings can score –1 if below typical practice or from +1 to
+5, representing good to very high performance. All criteria must
be attempted.

GBToolMajor Categories of Criteria:

Energy consumption is assessed through
Total use of non-renewable energy (embodied and operational),
Electrical demand,
Usage of renewable energy,
Commissioning.• Resource consumption is assessed through
Materials use (salvaged, recycled, bio-based and sustainably
harvested, locally produced, designed for disassembly, re-use, or
recycling)
Water use for irrigation,
Building systems
Occupant use• Environmental loadings include
GHG emissions,
other atmospheric emissions,
solid wastes
storm water
waste water
site impacts
other local and regional impacts.

5. GRIHA: Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment

• National Rating System of India.
• Will evaluate environmental performance of buildings holistically
over its entire lifecycle, thereby providing a definitive standard for
what constitute a green building.
• GRIHA has been conceived by TERI and developed jointly with
the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India.
It is a green building 'design evaluation system', and is suitable
for all kinds of buildings in different climatic zones of the country.
• ADARSH, Association for Development and Research of
Sustainable Habitats founded jointly by TERI (The Energy and
Resources Institute, New Delhi) and MNRE (Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy, Government of India) along with a handful of
experts in the sustainability of built environment from across the
country.
• ADARSH promotes GRIHA as a design & evaluation tool for
Green Buildings and Habitats.
Innovative tool to measure greenness of buildings
India’s own green building rating system
Tool to facilitate design, construction, operation of a green
building, and in turn ….measure “greenness” of a building in India

GRIHA attempts to minimize a building’s resource consumption,

waste generation, and overall ecological/ environmental impact
by comparing them to certain nationally acceptable limits /
benchmarks.
It does so, adopting the five ‘R’ philosophy of sustainable
development, namely
1. Refuse – to blindly adopt international trends, materials,
technologies, products, etc. Specially in areas where local
substitutes/equivalents are available
2. Reduce – the dependence on high energy products, systems,
processes, etc.
3. Reuse – materials, products, traditional technologies, so as to
reduce the costs incurred in designing buildings as well as in
operating them
4. Recycle – all possible wastes generated from the building site,
during construction, operation and demolition
5. Reinvent – engineering systems, designs, and practices such
that India creates global examples that the world can follow
rather than us following international examples

Going by the old adage ‘What gets measured, gets managed,

GRIHA attempts to quantify aspects, such as:
Energy / power consumption (in terms of electricity consumed
in kWh per square meter per year)
Water consumption (in terms of litres per person per day)
Waste generation (in terms of kilograms per day, or litres
per day)
Renewable energy integration (in terms of kW of connected
load)

- So as to manage, control and reduce /optimize the same to the

best possible extent
GRIHA assesses a building out of 34 criteria and awards points on
a scale of 100. In order to qualify for GRIHA certification, a
project must achieve at least 50 points.
Certain criteria / sub-criteria are mandatory and have to
be complied for the project to be at all eligible for rating.

GRIHA Key Features

Percentile based rating
• Common sense oriented rating system – Nonapplicability
clauses.
• Rates AC, non-AC as well as hybrid buildings.
• Performance based rating system.
• Lays emphasis on “cost-effective” strategies for making green
buildings.
• Emphasizes on Integrated Design Approach towards green
buildings.

All buildings, except for industrial complexes and housing

colonies, which are in the design stage, are eligible for
certification under the TERI system i.e. GRIHA rating
It includes Buildings like offices, retail spaces, institutional
buildings, hotels, hospital buildings, healthcare facilities,
residences, and multi-family high-rise buildings.

How can you get your building rated?

Eligibility
Except for industrial complexes, all buildings – offices, retail
malls, institutions, hotels, hospitals, health-care facilities,
residences, and multi-family high-rise buildings – in the
pre-design /design stage are eligible for certification under
GRIHA.

ADaRSH officials can examine your project documents to

help you establish whether your project is eligible for GRIHA
rating and render requisite assistance for registration.
Registration
Building project may register through the GRIHA website
(http://www.grihaindia.org)

For ease of adoption, registration should be completed at the

onset of the project cycle, as there are several important issues
that need to be addressed at this stage.

The registration process allows for access to essential

information such as
o Application forms
o List of required submissions
o Score points
o The weightage system and
o Online documentation

Evaluation
Project evaluation happens at two broad stages
1. Pre documentation stage – a team from ADaRSH along with
the client’s Integrated Design Team meet and determine the
points being targeted by the project, as soon as the building
project is registered, during the orientation workshop.

2. Post documentation stage – all necessary proof through

documents for the points targeted under various criteria is
submitted and then evaluated by third party regional evaluators,
to determine final rating that shall be awarded to the project.

During the construction phase of the project, members of the

ADaRSH team carry out three due diligence visits, to check on-
site compliance of relevant GRIHA criteria.
Once the necessary documentation is uploaded, and systems
commissioned on site, the building is evaluated and rated in a
three-tier process.

The preliminary evaluation is done by a team of experts from

ADaRSH.
o The team reviews the mandatory points and checks for
compliance. The project is rejected if mandatory criteria are not
complied with.
o The team then evaluates the optional criteria and estimates the
total number of achievable points.
o All compliance documents are vetted through the appraisal
process as outlined by GRIHA.

The evaluation report is given to members of an evaluation

committee, comprising renowned external experts in building and
landscape design, lighting and HVAC design, renewable energy,
water and waste management, and building materials
The members independently review and award points
A provisional GRIHA rating is awarded after evaluation of
documents submitted

Rating
The final score is presented to the National Advisory Committee
comprising eminent personalities and renowned professionals in
the field, for approval and award of the final rating.

The final GRIHA rating is awarded after receipt and evaluation

of the post occupancy performance audit reports. The audit is
conducted after 1 year of building occupancy.

The rating awarded is valid for a period of five years from the
commissioning of the building.
GRIHA reserves rights to conduct random audits of any
criteria for which points have been awarded

Queries on rating may be sent to <admin@grihaindia.org>,

and will be responded to within two working days
The registration fee can be calculated based on the following
Formula

Built-up area* Registration fee (excluding tax)

<5000 m2 Rs.3,14,000 [Rupees three lakh and
fourteen thousand only]
>5000 m 2
(Rs.3,14,000) + (Rs.3.75 per m2 above
5000) Rupees three lakh and fourteen
thousand, plus Rupees three and seventy
five paise per square meter over 5000
(*Excluding basements)

Example
If your building area is 1,50,000 m2 (One lakh and fifty thousand
meter square), then the registration fee shall be calculated as
follows:
First 5000 m2 = Rs.3,14,000/-
Remaining area
1,50,000 – 5,000 = 1,45,000 @ 3.75 per m2 = Rs.5,43,750/-
So the total registration fee shall be (Rs.5,43,750/- +
Rs.3,14,000/-) = Rs.8,57,750/-

Cost Break-up
The registration fee includes the following:
1. A one-day workshop for the project team to explain the rating
system and allocate roles and responsibilities for the consultants
involved. If the workshop is outside NCR of Delhi, the cost of
travel, board and lodging is borne by the client.

2. Evaluation fee which is paid to the external evaluators who

assess the project submittals.

Due diligence visits related expenditure

The travel and stay cost of two members of GRIHA team for three
visits to site is to be borne / reimbursed by the client.
Who rates your buildings?
Regional Evaluators
We are of the firm belief that ‘sustainability is always local’ and
thus also believe that the people of a specific region of our
country know their local requirements best.
This puts them in the best position to evaluate buildings built in
their region.
We have thus developed a pool of evaluators, who are experts in
the fields of:
1. Public Health
2. Landscape design
3. Solar Passive design and architecture
4. Building Energy systems
5. Renewable energy
6. Plumbing engineering
The relevant categories of criteria are entrusted to these people
as external evaluators, who then evaluate the project and provide
their inputs as to how the project fares and how it could be made
better in terms of its commitments to sustainable design (if
required).
Becoming an Evaluator or Trainer
Becoming an Evaluator or Trainer is easy and anyone with
adequate experience of working on green building projects can
hope to qualify for it.
ADaRSH with assistance of MNRE conducts Evaluator and
Trainer programs periodically, across the country. These training
programs are three-days long and culminate in an optional
examination based on which a person can qualify and become a
GRIHA certified evaluator or trainer.
Please note that while the training programs are open to all,
for Trainer/Evaluator certification the professional needs to
be a graduate in architecture / engineering disciplines.

Role of a trainer
A trainer can help spread awareness on sustainable habitats
by organizing training programs with MNRE support. The
MNRE offers financial support of up to Rs.2,00,000/- (Two
Lakh only) for conducting training programs on green
buildings, renewable energy, passive solar architecture, and
energy efficiency across India.
A trainer can also
Be a consultant for GRIHA rated projects
Advise proponents on obtaining GRIHA rating
Facilitate the rating process for projects in his/her region
Role of an evaluator
Evaluators assess project documents for their correctness
and appropriateness. They are given project documents
specific to their region and area of expertise (an evaluator
could have multiple areas of expertise, depending on
examinations cleared by him/her). Evaluators are paid for
every criterion they assess and for every time they assess a
criterion.
The E&T programs
Information regarding the evaluator and trainer
program can be obtained from the GRIHA website:
www.grihaindia.org

GRIHA and local modifications

GRIHA acknowledges the diverse, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic
country that is India. It thus acknowledges that regions
within our great nation vary in terms of climate conditions
and geology, and thus resources, and the problems that
result due to their shortage.
Thus, it permits assessment on a percentage rather than an
absolute basis.
Checks applicability of points as per actual
site conditions
Retains contextual points and discards others
Significant proof required to ascertain inapplicability
GRIHA and thresholds
In some projects (especially smaller size ones) – Systems
required are considerably small, such as
Hot water requirement <500 litres per day
Waste water recycling and reuse (<10 KL per day)
Solid waste recycling and reuse, particularly organic
waste <100 kg per day
In such cases, investing in technology intensive solutions
may unnecessarily lead to cost increments with poor returns.
At a smaller scale it may be judicious to adopt conventional
systems / small-scale resource-efficient systems and
technologies. GRIHA acknowledges this requirement.
GRIHA awards points to significant effort and interventions, since
we believe that the
solutions need to complement the scale of the problem.
For instance, hot-water may not be required in an office complex,
especially if it is in a
hotter climate such as Chennai. So installing a small solar hot
water system in a project in
Chennai will not get you points. However, the project will not be
marked on those points
either.
In such cases, the points will be removed from the denominator
itself, so the project shall
be marked on a percentage basis out of a lower denominator,
maintaining the integrity
of the system and awarding points for the significant criteria.

Roadmap to achieve 3*/4* star rating

*The regular bullet points are to achieve a 3 star rating.
*Items in brackets are additional steps to achieve 4 star
rating.
Site planning
Select appropriate site
Ensure sedimentation / erosion control / save trees (if
there) / plant more trees
Design as per site conditions
Air pollution control
Ensure safety and health of construction workers
Control hard paving / run off / manage utilities efficiently
Use energy efficient outdoor lighting (use RE based
lighting)
Use trees and native species for landscaping to reduce
landscape water demand over GRIHA benchmark by
40% (reduce by 50%)
Energy / water / waste
Save 25% water demand on GRIHA benchmarks
(developed based on National Building Code) (by 50%)
Save water in construction
Follow mandatory provisions of ECBC (In case of A/C
buildings)
Meet prescriptive shading norms of ECBC, provide
daylight, avoid over design of artificial lighting
Reduce energy performance index from GRIHA
benchmark by 10% (by 30%)
Provide 1% equivalent connected load of lighting
and HVAC through RE power (meet 10% lighting
consumption through RE power)
Use fly ash / other industrial waste based products in
minimum two of the following three areas: (structure/
walling/finishing)
Recycle water water and reuse 25% of treated waste
water (if waste water quantity is higher than 10kL/day)
Segregate and store waste appropriately

GRIHA pre-certification
Fast track environmental clearance through
GRIHA pre-certification
In accordance with the Office Memorandum by Ministry
of Environment and Forest (MoEF), government of India,
Association for Development and Research of Sustainable
Habitats (ADaRSH) has proposed a procedure that will
enable fast track environmental clearance through GRIHA
pre-certification.
How can you get your building GRIHA
pre-certified?
Eligibility
Except for industrial complexes, all buildings – offices, retail
malls, institutions, hotels, hospitals, health-care facilities,
residences and multifamily high rise buildings- in the predesign/
design stage are eligible for pre – certification under
GRIHA.
1) For built up area greater than 20,000 m2
Projects applying for Environmental Clearance from
MoEF can apply. Its mandatory for registering the
project under GRIHA rating after pre-certification has
been awarded.
2) For built up area less than 20,000 m2
Projects can register for GRIHA pre-certification and
GRIHA rating at the same time. The fees for both the
process has to be submitted upfront.
Registration
Building project may register through the GRIHA website -
http://www.grihaindia.org/evaluation_tool/public/index/
register
Fees
Registration cum pre-certification fees for all the projects is
INR 1, 00,000 (Rupees one lakh only) + service taxes.

Documentation
Upload all documents under respective categories as
mention in the “Checklist “of GRIHA Documents required.
A pdf copy of each document needs to be submitted with
the word/dwg file. The documents must be uploaded in the
folders mentioned below.
1) Narratives
1) Declaration/certificates
2) Drawings
3) Test reports
4) Other documentation
5) GRIHA checklist
6) Presentation for MoEF(summary of the project)
Evaluation
ADaRSH shall revert with comments on the submitted
documents within two weeks of submission. Revised
documents may be submitted by the clients within two
weeks of receiving comments from ADaRSH. In case the
project is falling short of compliance, a report on noncompliance
with necessary corrective actions to be taken
will be provided to the project proponent/SEIAC.
SVA GRIHA – background note
Eligibility
SVAGRIHA (Small Versatile Affordable GRIHA) was
jointly developed by ADaRSH and TERI. SVAGRIHA is a
significantly simplified, faster, easier and more affordable
green building rating system and functions as a designcum-
rating tool. SVAGRIHA has been designed as a variant
of GRIHA specifically developed for projects with built-up
area less than 2500 sqm. SVAGRIHA can help in design and
rating of individual residences, small offices, commercial
and institutional buildings.
The rating comprises only 14 criteria analyzed using
software tool, comprising simplified calculators. These
calculators can be filled using information from construction
drawings like areas and quantities of materials. This can be
done easily by the architect/consultant of the project. Once
completed, the tool will inform the architect/consultant
the number of points that they are able to achieve in that
particular criterion as well as the overall points.
Process:
Registration of project with ADaRSH
Submission of completed software tool and
documentation to ADaRSH
Internal review of documentation
Site visit and post construction due diligence check
(mandatory)
External evaluation of project
Award of Rating

Evaluation
SVAGRIHA evaluates projects on the following 14 criteria:
Criterion
number
Criterion name Points
1 Reduce UHIE and maintain native vegetation cover on site 6
2 Passive architectural design and systems 4
3 Good fenestration design for reducing direct heat gain and glare
while maximising daylight penetration 6
4 Efficient artificial lighting system 2
5 Thermal efficiency of building envelope 2
6 Use of energy efficient appliances 3
7 Use of renewable energy on site 4
8 Reduction in building and landscape water demand 5
9 Rainwater harvesting 4
10 Generate resource from waste 2
11 Reduce embodied energy of building 4
12 Use of low-energy materials in interiors 4
13 Adoption of green Lifestyle 4
14 Innovation 2
Total 50

In order to achieve a SVAGRIHA rating each project must achieve

a certain number of points in each category as mentioned
below. This is to ensure that each project reduces its overall
environmental impact and not just the impact through energy
and water. Based on the number of points the project attempts,
the rating shall be provided as mentioned in the table:
Category Maximum points Threshold points
Landscape 6 3
Energy 21 11
Water & waste 11 6
Materials 8 4
Others 4 1

Rating System
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.

1. Site planning
A) Conservation and efficient utilization of resources
Objective:
To maximize the conservation and utilisation of resources (land,
water, natural habitat, avi fauna,
and energy) conservation and enhance efficiency of the systems
and operations.
Criteria 1: Site Selection:
Commitment:
Site plan should be in conformity to the Development Plan/Master
Plan/UDPFI guidelines
(mandatory). Site should be located within ½ km radius of an
existing or planned and funded bus
stops, commuter rail, light rail or metro station or the proposed
site is a brownfield site (to
rehabilitate damaged sites where development is complicated by
environmental contamination,
reducing pressure on undeveloped land).
POINT: 1 [Partly Mandatory]
Criteria 2: Preserve and protect the landscape during
construction/compensatory
depository forestation.
Commitment:
Proper timing of construction, preserve top soil and existing
vegetation, staging and spill
prevention, and erosion and sedimentation control. Replant,
onsite, trees in the ratio 1:3 to those
removed during construction.
POINTS: 5 [Partly Mandatory]
Criteria 3: Soil conservation (till post-construction).
Commitment:
Proper top soil laying and stabilization of the soil and
maintenance of adequate fertility of the soil
to support vegetative growth.
POINTS: 4
Criteria 4: Design to include existing site features.
Commitment:
Minimize the disruption of natural ecosystem and design to
harness maximum benefits of the
prevailing micro-climate.
POINTS: 2 [Mandatory]
Criteria 5: Reduce hard paving on-site and /or provide
shaded hard- paved surfaces.
Commitment:
Minimize storm water run-off from site by reducing hard paving
on site.
POINTS: 2 [Partly Mandatory]
Criteria 6: Enhance outdoor lighting system efficiency.
Commitment:
Meet minimum allowable luminous efficacy (as per lamp type)
and make progressive use of a
renewable energy -based lighting system.
POINTS: 3
Criteria 7: Plan utilities efficiently and optimize on-site
circulation efficiency.
Commitment:
Minimize road and pedestrian walkway length by appropriate
planning and provide aggregate
corridors for utility lines.
POINTS: 3
B) Health and well being
Objectives:
To protect the health of construction workers and prevent
pollution.
Criterion 8: Provide at least, the minimum level of
sanitation/safety facilities for
construction workers.
Commitment:
Ensure cleanliness of workplace with regard to the disposal of
waste and effluent, provide clean
drinking water and latrines and urinals as per applicable
standard.
POINTS: 2 [Mandatory]
Criterion 9: Reduce air pollution during construction.
Commitment:
Ensure proper screening, covering stockpiles, covering brick and
loads of dusty materials, wheelwashing
facility, and water spraying.
POINTS: 2 [Mandatory]
2. Building planning and construction stage
A) Conservation and efficient utilization of resources
Objective:
To maximize resource (water, energy, and materials)
conservation and enhance efficiency of the
system and operations.
Water
Criterion 10: Reduce landscape water requirement.
Commitment:
Landscape using native species and reduce lawn areas while
enhancing the irrigation efficiency,
reduction in water requirement for landscaping purposes.
POINTS: 3
Criterion 11: Reduce building water use.
Commitment:
Reduce building water use by applying low-flow fixtures, etc.
POINTS: 2
Criterion 12: Efficient water use during construction.
Commitment:
Use materials such as pre-mixed concrete for preventing loss
during mixing. Use recycled treated
water and controls the waste of curing water.
POINT: 1
Energy: end use
Criterion 13: Optimise building design to reduce the
conventional energy demand.
Commitment:
Plan appropriately to reflect climate responsiveness, adopt an
adequate comfort range, less airconditioned
areas, daylighting, and avoid over-design of the lighting and air-
conditioning systems.
POINTS: 6 [Mandatory]
Criterion 14 Optimise the energy performance of the
building within specified comfort
limits.
Commitment:
Ensure that energy consumption in building under a specified
category is 10%–40% less than
that benchmarked through a simulation exercise. Ensure that
thermal comfort in non air
conditioned spaces is within specified limits.
POINTS: 12
Energy: embodied and construction
Criterion 15: Utilization of fly ash in the building structure.
Commitment:
Use of fly ash for RCC (reinforced cement concrete) structures
with in-fill walls and load bearing
structures, mortar, and binders.
POINTS: 6
Criterion 16: Reduce volume, weight, and time of
construction by adopting an efficient
technology (e.g. pre-cast systems, ready-mix concrete,
etc.).
Commitment:
Replace a part of the energy-intensive materials with less energy
intensive materials and/or utilize
regionally available materials, which use low energy/energy-
efficient technologies.
POINTS: 4
Criterion 17: Use low-energy material in the interiors.
Commitment:
Minimum 70% in each of the three categories of interiors
(internal partitions, panelling / false
ceiling / interior wood finishes / in-built furniture door /
window frames, flooring) from low energy
materials/finishes to minimize the usage of wood.
POINTS: 4
Energy: renewable
Criterion 18: Renewable energy utilization.
Commitment:
Mandatory provide renewable energy system with capacity
equivalent to 1% of connected load
for lighting and space conditioning. Meet energy requirements for
a minimum of 5% of the internal
lighting load (for general lighting) or its equivalent from
renewable energy sources (solar, wind,
biomass, fuel cells, etc). Energy requirements will be calculated
based on realistic assumptions
which will be subject to verification during appraisal.
POINTS: 5 [Partly Mandatory]
Criterion 19: Renewable energy - based hot- water system.
Commitment:
Meet 20% or more of the annual energy required for heating
water through renewable energy
based water-heating systems.
POINTS: 3
B) Recycle, recharge, and reuse of water
Objective:
To promote the recycle and reuse of water.
Criterion 20: Waste- water treatment
Commitment:
Provide necessary treatment of water for achieving the desired
concentration of effluents.
POINTS: 2
Criterion 21: Water recycle and reuse (including
rainwater).
Commitment:
Provide wastewater treatment on-site for achieving prescribed
concentration, rainwater
harvesting, reuse of treated waste water and rainwater for
meeting the building’s water and
irrigation demand.
POINTS: 5
C. Waste management
Criterion 22: Reduction in waste during construction.
Commitment:
Ensure maximum resource recovery and safe disposal of wastes
generated during construction
and reduce the burden on landfill.
POINTS: 2
Criterion 23: Efficient waste segregation.
Commitment:
Use different coloured bins for collecting different categories of
waste from the building.
POINTS: 2
Criterion 24: Storage and disposal of waste.
Commitment:
Allocate separate space for the collected waste before
transferring it to the recycling/disposal
stations.
POINTS: 2
Criterion 25: Resource recovery from waste.
Commitment:
Employ resource recovery systems for biodegradable waste as
per the Solid Waste Management
and handling Rules, 2000 of the MoEF. Make arrangements for
recycling of waste through local
dealers.
POINTS: 2
D. Health and well-being
Objective:
To ensure healthy indoor air quality, water quality, and noise
levels, and reduce the global
warming potential. Use of low-VOC (volatile organic compounds)
paints/ adhesives / sealants.
Criterion 26: Use of low-VOC (volatile organic compounds)
paints/ adhesives / sealants.
Commitment:
Use only low VOC paints in the interior of the building. Use water
– based rather than solvent
based sealants and adhesives.
POINTS: 4
Criterion 27: Minimize ozone depleting substances.
Commitment:
Employ 100% zero ODP (ozone depletion potential) insulation;
HCFC (hydro chlorofluorocarbon)/
and CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) free HVAC and refrigeration
equipments and / halon-free fire
suppression and fire extinguishing systems.
POINTS: 3 [Mandatory]
Criterion 28: Ensure water quality.
Commitment:
Ensure groundwater and municipal water meet the water quality
norms as prescribed in the
Indian Standards for various applications (Indian Standards for
drinking [IS 10500-1991],
irrigation applications [IS 11624-1986]. In case the water quality
cannot be ensured, provide
necessary treatment of raw water for achieving the desired
concentration for various applications.
POINTS: 2 [Mandatory]
Criterion 29: Acceptable outdoor and indoor noise levels.
Commitment:
Ensure outdoor noise level conforms to the Central Pollution
Control Board–Environmental
Standards–Noise (ambient standards) and indoor noise level
conforms to the National Building
Code of India, 2005, Bureau of Indian Standards, Part 8–Building
Services; Section 4–Acoustics,
sound insulation, and noise control.
POINTS: 2
Criterion 30: Tobacco and smoke control.
Commitment:
Zero exposure to tobacco smoke for non-smokers, and exclusive
ventilation for smoking rooms.
POINTS: 1
Criterion 31 Universal accessibility
Commitment:
To ensure accessibility and usability of the building and its
facilities by employees, visitors and
clients with disabilities
POINTS: 1
3. Building operation and maintenance
Objective
Validate and maintain ‘green’ performance levels/adopt and
propagate green practices and
concepts.
Criterion 32: Energy audit and validation.
Commitment:
Energy audit report to be prepared by approved auditors of the
Bureau of Energy Efficiency,
Government of India.
POINTS: Mandatory
Criterion 33: Operation and maintenance protocol for
electrical and mechanical
equipment.
Commitment:
Ensure the inclusion of a specific clause in the contract document
for the commissioning of all
electrical and mechanical systems to be maintained by the owner,
supplier, or operator. Provide a
core facility/service management group, if applicable, which will
be responsible for the operation
and maintenance of the building and the electrical and
mechanical systems after the
commissioning. Owner/ builder/ occupants/ service or facility
management group to prepare a
fully documented operations and maintenance manual, CD,
multimedia or an information
brochure listing the best practices/do’s and don’ts/maintenance
requirements for the building and
the electrical and mechanical systems along with the names and
addresses of the
manufacturers/suppliers of the respective system.
POINTS: 2 [Mandatory]
4. Innovation
Criterion 34: Innovation points.
Four innovation points are available under the rating system for
adopting criteria which enhance
the green intent of a project, and the applicant can apply for the
bonus points. Some of the
probable points, not restricted to the ones enumerated below,
could be
1. Alternative transportation
2. Environmental education
3. Company policy on green supply chain
4. Life cycle cost analysis
5. Any other criteria proposed by applicant
POINTS: 4 [Beyond 100 points]
Scoring points for GRIHA
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.
GRIHA has a 100 point system consisting of some core points,
which are mandatory to be met
while the rest are optional points, which can be earned by
complying with the commitment of the
criterion for which the point is allocated. 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. Buildings 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 viz. five stars.

Associating with ADaRSH

ADaRSH is a non-profit, independent society registered
under the Societies Act and is the body responsible for
administering and giving GRIHA rating to the projects
that register under the system.
ADaRSH offers membership opportunities to various
individual and collective stakeholder groups that are
associated with the building industry, whether it be
directly (developers, contractors, designers, engineers,
consultants etc.) or indirectly (product manufacturers,
students, or the general public.)
Please join the league of 'Developers of a Green Nation',
an ADaRSH initiative and become an Associate Member.
For an update of various initiatives and activities of
ADaRSH, please visit our website: <www. grihaindia.
Org>

Case study: IIT Kanpur Centre for Environmental Sciences

 Optimum orientation
 Architectural design for reduced energy consumption
 Efficient landscape design
 ECBC complaint envelope
 EAT system for pre-cooling of fresh air
 Solar PV
 Inner court yards
 Natural shades on wall and windows
 Wall insulation
 High reflective paint
 Roof insulation
 Day lighting
 Solar water heater
 Sun pipes for lighting basement rooms
 Use of salvage materials (wood)
 Use low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) paints
 onsite waste water treatment system
 On-site Bio-Gas Connection
 Use of water meters
 Star rated electrical equipments
 Efficient water fixtures
 High performance glass
 Efficient air conditioners
 Time based control lawn water sprinklers
 Dimmer control for lighting
 Movement sensors for lighting
 Recycled materials like flyash, tiles
 Eco-friendly chemicals
 Natural lighting and ventilation
 Adequate green spaces help in controlling the micro-climate
providing visual delight
 wind towers
 Unwanted gain of heat is reduced through simple design
principles like earth berming.
 Heat gain through openings is also reduced through
intelligent design of windows.
 ease of access throughout the site.
 combination of open and closed spaces keep the building
cool and well-ventilated.
 Rain water is recharged into the ground.
 waste water is treated in a root zone treatment facility.
 treated water is used for flushing toilets and irrigating the
garden
 Location, Orientation & Climate
 office block is kept towards the east, close to the main road
for high visibility
 guest house is located towards the quieter western side.
 The drain on the southern side is a major feature which
influences the design.
 Wind coming from the south over the drain brings in the foul
smell into the site
 Use of native plants
 HVAC (Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning) Systems
 BIPV