GRIHA is working with Maharashtra Government’s PWD ministry for capacity building and has partnered with the ministry to create GRIHA trained certified green professionals: Sanjay Seth, CEO, GRIHA Council.

Although building codes and standards remain voluntary, many states and ULBs have either mandated or incentivised green buildings in order to spur the market forward. This has resulted in a gradual increase in green building construction. Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), besides other municipal bodies, is offering discounted development premium to green buildings. “While this benefits the builders, end users are being provided substantial rebates on their property tax. Of course, builders are bound by their commitments through bank guarantees, to ensure that their buildings continue to perform as per the prescribed green norms well after they have been occupied,” says Sanjay Seth, CEO, GRIHA Council.

As for government agencies, CPWD was the first government agency to adopt GRIHA ratings for its projects and it updated its schedule to incorporate minimum three-star compliance. Institutions such as IITs, IIMs and AIIMs are registered for obtaining GRIHA rating for their campuses. Airport Authority of India (AAI) has also registered many upcoming terminal buildings for certification. We engage with all such large establishments to explain the benefits of sustainable building design practices as well as their evaluation through GRIHA ratings.

“Currently, we are working with Maharashtra Government’s PWD ministry for capacity building. GRIHA has partnered with the ministry to create ‘GRIHA trained certified green professionals’. They do part of the due diligence and documentation under our supervision, while certification is done by GRIHA Council. Also, we have set up GRIHA cells in Amravati, the upcoming capital city of Andhra Pradesh, to handhold various project developers and help them comply with green parameters,” he adds.