The US Green Building Council (USGBC) announced six recipients, to receive the 2020 Greenbuild Leadership Awards at this year’s Greenbuild India conference. The awards recognise organisations and individuals advancing the development of sustainable and resilient buildings, cities and communities. Citi, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd, GMR Group, Infosys Limited, Tata Group and architect and engineer CN Raghavendran, were honored during the closing plenary on February 7, 2020, during the conference at the ITC Gardenia in Bengaluru.
“We know that India’s green building community plays an important role in helping the country combat the serious climate risks it is facing. This year’s Leadership Award recipients are already stepping up and answering the call through work that is critical to creating more resilient and sustainable communities that also help improve our standard of living,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, USGBC and Green Business Certification Inc (GBCI).
The Leadership Award recipients for 2020 are being recognised for work that includes:
- Citi’s commitment to sustainable commercial interiors utilising LEED helps propel a better quality of life for all. The company began adopting LEED more than a decade ago and has 32 projects spanning more than 1.3 million sq ft of space. More than 70% of Citi India’s portfolio is being certified as a way to support both its sustainability goals and the health, well-being and comfort of its employees.
- Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (DMRC) is being recognised for achieving PEER certification for its Blue Line, in an effort to support the development of more resilient and sustainable power system infrastructure.
- GMR Group is being recognised for its commitment to reliable and resilient practices that support a more sustainable airport community. Through their work, GMR Group earned PEER Platinum certification for the Delhi International Airport Terminal 3 building.
- Infosys Limited has certified more than 50 projects under the latest version of the LEED, LEED v4.1. The projects represent more than 4.3 million gross sq ft of space and currently stands as the largest group of projects to certify under LEED v4.1 O+M in terms of the number and size of projects.
- Tata Group has been a leader in utilising LEED to improve quality of life and has certified 19 projects representing more than 15.2 million sq ft of space. The company has committed to certifying 20 million sq metres of space under both, LEED and WELL, certification systems.
- CN Raghavendran is a partner at CR Narayana Rao Architects & Engineers. He is a decorated green building professional and has been responsible for the design, engineering and implementation of a wide variety of projects across India, the Middle-East and larger Asia-Pacific region. He also served as chairman of LEED India, a committee established to support the development and advancement of LEED in the country.
India’s green building activity has been steadily growing and the country has consistently been among the top 10 countries and territories when it comes to LEED-certified buildings. There are currently more than 3,200 buildings in India that are using LEED. India has also been expanding its use of the rating system to cities and communities demonstrating the many ways LEED supports sustainable development.
Greenbuild India 2020: Scot Horst, founder of Arc, to deliver keynote speech
The USGBC has announced that Scot Horst, founder of Arc Skoru, will deliver the opening keynote speech at the Greenbuild India expo 2020
January 20, 2020: The US Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced that Scot Horst, founder of Arc Skoru, a technology company created by the Green Business Certification Inc (GBCI), will deliver the opening keynote speech at Greenbuild India. Horst will kick off the global green building conference, taking place between February 6 and February 7, 2020, at the ITC Gardenia in Bengaluru. Registration for the conference is currently open.
“As we have advanced as a species, we have posed serious threats to our environment. We have the tools and technology to address the challenges ahead but our true hope lies in our relationship to nature and each other. We can only build a better world together. So, I am excited to join colleagues in India, who hold the key to a brighter and healthier future,” said Horst. Prior to founding the Arc platform, which measures the actual performance of cities, buildings and spaces as they work toward LEED certification or other sustainability goals, Horst helped in establishing LEED as the premier global benchmark tool for high-performing green buildings.
“Platforms like Greenbuild are an opportunity for the green building industry to come together and tell stories about how green buildings impact the people who use them,” added Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, USGBC and GBCI. “At Greenbuild India we will be sharing the vision for our second generation of USGBC and talking about how green buildings can create a higher standard of living for people across India and around the world,” he said.
Greenbuild India Expo to be held on February 6-7, 2020, in Bengaluru
Greenbuild India will hold its international expo in Bengaluru from February 6-7, 2020, which will bring together Indian and global industry professionals, to explore groundbreaking green building products, services and technologies in the region
November 29, 2019: Greenbuild India will hold its international conference between February 6 and February 7, 2020, at ITC Gardenia, in Bengaluru. The US Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced that registrations for Greenbuild India, have commenced.
The upcoming conference will offer education sessions featuring green building experts, covering a wide variety of sustainability topics, including LEED v4.1, waste reduction and building performance. A pre-conference technical workshop will also be held on February 5, 2019. Attendees will also have an opportunity to attend the annual Greenbuild Celebration event, the Leadership Awards Ceremony, Women in Green Luncheon and the USGBC Leadership Luncheon. The conference program is available at: https://greenbuild.usgbc.org/india/program.
“Greenbuild India offers a forum for the green building community to hear from leaders, on their vision about the future of green building in India, learn about current research and best practices and connect with peers and market leaders,” said Kim Heavner, vice-president, conference and events, USGBC.
Greenbuild India Expo to be held in Mumbai between November 15 and 18, 2018
Greenbuild India will hold its international expo in Mumbai from November 15-18, 2018 which will bring together Indian and global industry professionals, to explore groundbreaking green building products, services and technologies in the region
November 14, 2018: Greenbuild India will hold its international conference and expo between November 15 and November 18, 2018, at Bombay Exhibition Centre, in Mumbai. The expo will provide a platform for leaders and practitioners across India, to come together and determine what’s next for the green building movement. The expo has so far garnered the support of 6,124 registered attendees and 150 exhibitors, a release said.
“This year, Greenbuild India will focus on the intersection of humanity and the built environment. It will offer a forum for the green building community to unite, change lives, revolutionise business and address pressing issues, such as air quality, human health, energy use and global climate change. ‘Human x Nature’ being the core theme, represents how the green building movement embraces all of humanity, by making sustainable buildings and environments accessible to everyone and in doing so, benefits the natural environment all around us,” the release added.
See also: Bengal’s New Town awarded Gold Certification under Green Cities Rating
Participants from various companies like International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), Ibuku, Navdanya, Morphogenesis, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation, Green Earth Pictures, Ibnii, Infosys Limited, CBRE, JLL, VMware Inc, GBCI, USGBC, 75F India, Mahindra Lifespace Developers Ltd, CPPIB India Investment Advisors Pvt Ltd, K Raheja Corp, EY Climate Change & Sustainability Services and GRESB, will be panelists and speakers at the Greenbuild India 2018. The expo will also have LEED workshops and sessions on topics such as ‘Building Performance and Benchmarking’, ‘Green Design for Human Health’ and ‘Sustainable Urbanisation’, as well as an exhibit hall with green building products and services.
According to Greenbuild India, people staying in green buildings save on electricity cost, due to more natural sunlight and ventilation in their homes, improved health as the material used to build green buildings is less toxic and they also save on water cost. The construction of green buildings is also cheaper now, due to economies of scale.
It is also beneficial to the developers, as they get additional FSI. India, presently, is ranked third outside the US, with more than 2,650 LEED projects, totaling more than 1.3 billion gross sq ft of space and this is expected to increase in the near future, because of the initiatives being undertaken.
