VCE Summer Internship Program 2020

Smart Task Submission Format

Intern’s Details
Name Pragya Tripathi

Email-ID Pragya072tripathi@gmail.com

Smart Task No. 02

Project Topic Green buildings

Smart Task (Solution)

Task Q1: Study GRIHA, USGBC and LEED in detail. Please a short summary of your
understanding on these systems.

Task Q1 Solution: USGBC stands for United States Green Building Council. Three key members of the
green building community established the USGBC in April 1993 to help promote sustainability in the building
and construction industry. USGBC is best known for its development of the Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating systems and its annual Greenbuild International
Conference and Expo, the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building. USGBC was
one of eight national councils that helped found the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) through its
LEED green building program, USGBC is committed to transforming how our buildings and communities are
designed, constructed and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and
prosperous environment that improves quality of life.

LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is developed by U.S. Green Building Council
(USGBC) committees with the aim to promote “green” design. USGBC (2005) claims that LEED is
“consensus-based, market-driven, based on accepted energy and environmental principles, balancing
between established practices and emerging concepts.” LEED is voluntary and very market oriented.
Besides assessing issues related to Energy, Materials and Indoor Environment areas LEED gives credits
related to the issues: Water, Design Innovation and Site. CSH also specifically assess Water, Waste,
Management and Ecology. Eco Effect includes Site assessment and calculation of Life Cycle Costs. The
tools also measures issues differently. LEED assesses energy performance, green power and management.
LEED covers Air Quality, Thermal Comfort, Daylight and Management of Indoor Air Quality but surprisingly
not Noise. Projects may earn one of four levels of LEED certification (Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum) by
achieving a given number of point-based credits within the rating system.
GRIHA is an acronym for Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment. With over two decades of
experience on green and energy efficient buildings, TERI has developed GRIHA, which was adopted as the
national rating system for green buildings by the Government of India in 2007 .This tool has been adopted
by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. This tool, by its qualitative and quantitative assessment
criteria, is able to ‘rate’ a building on the degree of its 'greenness’. It evaluates the environmental
performance of a building holistically over its entire life cycle, thereby providing a definitive standard for what
constitutes a ‘green building’. The rating system, based on accepted energy and environmental principles,
will seek to strike a balance between the established practices and emerging concepts, both national and

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 VCE Summer Internship Program 2020
Smart Task Submission Format

international.
GRIHA attempts to quantify aspects such as energy consumption, waste generation, renewable energy
adoption, etc. so as to manage, control and reduce the same to the best possible extent.

500 Words (Max.)

Task Q2: Explain in step by step the process of getting a GRIHA rating of a building in India.

Task Q2 Solution: Except for industrial complexes, all 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.

GRIHA is a performance-oriented system where points are earned for meeting the design and performance
intent of the criteria. Each criterion has certain points assigned to it. It means that a project demonstrating
compliance with a criterion would achieve the associated points. GRIHA is a 100-point system consisting of
some core points, which are mandatory, while the rest are optional. Different levels of certification (one star
to five stars) are awarded based on the number of points earned. The minimum points required for
certification are 25.
Rating Process :-
i. Registration
A project must be registered with GRIHA Council. Registration should preferably be done at beginning of a
project
ii. Post-registration workshop
An orientation workshop is conducted by the GRIHA Council, for the entire project team. The workshop
serves the dual purpose of awareness of GRIHA System for all involved and identification and evaluation of
the optional criteria to enhance the rating of the project.
iii. Online Submission of documents
Documentary evidence to demonstrate compliance with the criteria must be provided. Submitted documents
will be checked and vetted by GRIHA Council.
iv. Due Diligence
Three site visits will be conducted as part of the rating process to verify the compliances on site. The first
site visit will be done when the project is at plinth level, the second one will be done when the structural work
is complete and interior finishing is in progress. The third and final site visit will be done after the preliminary
document assessment by GRIHA.
v. Evaluation process
 The submission summary report generated by the online portal will be sent to the evaluators. The
evaluators will award provisional points.

 The evaluation report will be sent to the project proponent to review the same and, if desired, take

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Smart Task Submission Format

steps to increase the score.

 The project proponent will be given one-month time to resubmit the documents with necessary
modifications /additions.

 The resubmitted documents will again be put through the vetting process described above.

 The final score will be presented to the National Advisory committee for approval and award of the
provisional rating.

 Final award of rating will be subject to an independent energy audit of the project after a year of
commissioning the building.

Once rated, the rating will be valid for a period of five years from the date of commissioning of the building.
Projects that do not fulfil mandatory criteria and minimum required optional criteria are not eligible for rating.
vi. Certification Fee
The registration cum rating fee has to be submitted to GRIHA.

500 Words (Max.)

Task Q3: Why is Green Building important? How is it saving the environment? What should we do
for small houses to make them energy efficient?

Task Q3 Solution: Globally, buildings are responsible for a huge share of energy, electricity, water and
materials consumption. The building sector has the greatest potential to deliver significant cuts in emissions
at little or no cost. If new technologies in construction are not adopted during this time of rapid growth,
emissions could double by 2050. A well-designed green project includes a wide range of elements ranging
from full utilization of resources to careful consideration of functions, climate and location. It positively
influences our climate and overall ecosystem by reducing water use and energy sources that pollute our
environment. Green building also reduces your carbon footprint. It provides several economic and cost
effective benefits. Moreover, it enhances return on assets and profits because green built require lower
maintenance costs as they are built from sustainable components which in turn adds value to the property.

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 VCE Summer Internship Program 2020
Smart Task Submission Format

The most important benefit of green building is that which it offers to our environment. Green buildings
promotes building practices that conserve energy and water resources, preserve open spaces through
brownfield development, and are accessible to public transportation. The construction and operation will
promote a healthy environment for all involved, and it will not disrupt the land, water, resources and energy
in and around the building. Green building not only decreases water wastage, but preserves natural
resources, defends biodiversity and enhances our air and water quality.
Small houses can be made energy efficient by:-
 Using sunlight through passive solar, active solar and photovoltaic equipment.
 Using plants and trees through green roofs, rain gardens and reduction of rainwater run-off.
 Using low-impact building materials or using packed gravel or permeable concrete instead of
conventional concrete or asphalt to enhance replenishment of ground water.
 Re-using of building materials and the use of materials that are fast renewable.
 Use cool roofs which uses highly reflective materials to reflect more light and absorb less heat from
sunlight.
 You can save money and energy at home by choosing energy efficient appliances and electronics
and reducing the amount you use them.
 Weatherizing your home helps you save money by saving energy, and it can also improve the
comfort of your home. 

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