Evaluating Green Building Standards: A Comparative Analysis of LEED and GRIHA

Abstract

Building construction is witnessing growth at highest rate in last 10 years in India. This has an impact on available resources of material for construction, also direct and indirect effect on natural environment and increase in greenhouse Gas emissions. Green building rating systems have been contributing to assessing building performance based on their efforts to minimize this impact on the natural environment. This study analyzes the criteria and their significance in two basic green building rating systems in India LEED and GRIHA. With an urban population exceeding that of the entire USA, India has two systems for encouraging environmentally sustainable growth for its rapidly growing urban population. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-India is associated with the internationally known LEED program, which is administered in India by the Indian Green Business Council. Meanwhile, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) developed GRIHA (the Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment). This indigenous green building standard is similar to the LEED system in recognizing development that meets certain environmental and sustainable development practices. This research will analyze and provide important insight into these two competing urban sustainability programs in India and begin a discussion of the merits of each.

Introduction

1. Growth of the Construction Sector

• India’s construction sector is one of the fastest-growing in the world, driven by rapid urbanization.

• Urban households now constitute about 30% of India’s 221 million homes, with projections to double by 2050.

• Rising greenhouse gas emissions from building materials are influencing the need for low embodied energy approaches in construction.

2. Green Building Rating Systems in India

• Two major systems:

  • LEED-India (by IGBC, adapted from USGBC)

  • GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment, developed in India)

• These aim to promote sustainable development through better design, efficient resource use, and improved quality of life.

3. Methodology and Data

• 810 green projects analyzed (as of 2013): 445 LEED and 365 GRIHA.

• Projects classified by location and type (residential, commercial, institutional, etc.).

• GIS mapping used for spatial analysis.

4. Scope and Focus of Rating Programs

• LEED-India focuses on: site development, energy efficiency, water saving, material selection, and indoor quality.

  • Includes specialized systems for homes, townships, and factories.

• GRIHA is India-specific, emphasizes post-construction performance monitoring.

  • Uses a 1–5 star rating system, evaluating energy, water, materials, and renewable energy integration.

5. Distribution and Project Types

• LEED projects are concentrated in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.

• GRIHA projects are more evenly distributed, with higher presence in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana.

• Maharashtra leads with 284 green projects (35% of total).

• 12 states/UTs reported no green projects due to remoteness or limited development.

6. Key Comparative Criteria

A. Site Selection & Planning:

• LEED provides more extensive guidelines (14 criteria) than GRIHA (8 for site, 9 for construction).

• LEED includes local regulations, workforce facilities, and public transport access.

B. Energy Efficiency:

• Both systems emphasize energy use.

• LEED uniquely includes ozone depletion, equipment commissioning, and eco-friendly refrigerants.

• GRIHA focuses on renewable energy but lacks ozone-related criteria.

C. Water Use:

• Water conservation is highly prioritized in both systems.

• Policies address water use during construction and operation phases.

7. Drivers of Green Building Growth

• Government mandates (e.g., GRIHA mandatory for national projects).

• Local incentives in states like Maharashtra, Noida, and Greater Hyderabad.

• Environmental pressures, such as water shortages in Chennai and energy issues in Hyderabad, encourage green practices.

• Corporate responsibility and ROI considerations also fuel LEED adoption in cities like Chennai.

Conclusion

As urban development migrates to greener building practices, developing a more thorough understanding of these green rating systems is of critical importance to practitioners and academics. The work completed in this paper begins to help build a more robust body of knowledge through examining the differences and similarities between the green programs and identifying best practices. Second, the spatial analysis highlights the role of policy decisions in encouraging certain green rating systems in specific geographies. Specifically, the role of government mandates and/or incentives is clearly showcased in the locational variation between LEED-India and GRIHA developments. Finally, the lack of green development projects in certain areas of India clearly articulates the need for a more uniform policy related to sustainable development– if creating a more sustainable pattern of development is truly desired. This study of comparison of criterion used for assigning green rating system to build environment will assist in formulating strategies and objectives to avail green rating under LEED-IGBC and GRIHA during planning phase of a new construction project. Also, careful evaluation of strategies to be adopted to achieve rating under specific criteria needs to be studied so that a particular strategy may help in availing multi criteria benefits. Also Post occupancy evaluation of each green rated project will further help in assisting impact of each strategy adopted. The future scope of the current study also expects analysis of effectiveness of rating awarded to a project on enhancement of building efficiency to handle sustainable objectives.

References

[1] A.A. Gudhade et al.,’LEED certification: an approach towards sustainable construction’, Int. Journal of Application or Innovation in Engineering & Management (IJAIEM), 2015. [2] Candace Say, Anthony Wood, \'sustainable rating systems around the world’, CTBUH Journal, Issue –II, 2008. [3] Green Rehabilitation Integrated Habitat Assessment-V 2015, abridged document. [4] Indian Green Building Councils Green New Building rating system version 03, Abridged Reference guide, August 2015. R.G. [5] Saigaonkar et al.,Unique Rating System for Green Building: By Comparing Various Existing Rating Systems’, Int. Journal of Engineering Research and Applications www.ijera.com ISSN: 2248-9622, Vol. 4, Issue 1(Version2), January 2014, pp.197-206 [6] ADaRSH (Association for Development and Research of Sustainable Habitats). 2013a. “About GRIHA.” http://www.grihaindia.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=73 [7] ADaRSH (Association for Development and Research of Sustainable Habitats). 2013b. “GRIHA for Large Development.” http://www.grihaindia.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93. [8] ADaRSH (Association for Development and Research of Sustainable Habitats). 2013c. “GRIHA Rating.” http://www.grihaindia.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=87. [9] ADaRSH (Association for Development and Research of Sustainable Habitats). 2013d. “SVA GRIHA.” http://www.grihaindia.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=86. [10] Cidell, J. 2009. “Building Green: The Emerging Geography of LEED-Certified Buildings and Professionals.” The Professional Geographer 61 (2): 200–215. [11] IGBC (Indian Green Building Council). 2013a. “Annual Review: 2012–2013.” http://www.ezinemart.com/ igbc/annualreview/home.aspx. [12] IGBC (Indian Green Building Council). 2013b. “Certification.” http://www.igbc.in/site/igbc/testigbc.jsp? desc=22968&event=22869. [13] IGBC (Indian Green Building Council). 2013c. “Green Townships.” http://www.igbc.in/site/igbc/testigbc. jsp?desc=267002&event=267001. [14] IGBC (Indian Green Building Council). 2013d. “LEED-India.” http://www.igbc.in/site/igbc/tests.jsp?event= 22869. [15] IGBC (Indian Green Building Council). 2013e. “Vision.” http://www.igbc.in/site/igbc/index.jsp#. [16] Smith, R. M. 2014. “Planning for Urban Sustainability: The Geography of LEED®-Neighborhood DevelopmentTM (LEED®-NDTM) Projects in the United States.” International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development. doi:10.1080/19463138.2014.971802. [17] Moloney, C. 2013a. “Green Building in India: Indian Market Is Second Largest After U.S.” http://www. green-buildings.com/content/782338-green-building-india-indian-market-second-largest-after-us [18] Moloney, C. 2013b. “India Expects to Reach 2 Billion Square Feet of Green Building by 2015.” http://www. green-buildings.com/content/782575-india-expects-reach-2-billion-square-feet-green-building-2015. [19] TNN. 2011. “Master Plan for a Better Noida Unveiled.” http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011 11–26/news/30444464_1_master-plan-greater-noida-noida-authority. [20] TNN. 2013. “PCMC Wants All New Buildings to be Eco-friendly.” http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ pune/PCMC-wants-all-new-buildings-to-be-eco-friendly/articleshow/18142503.cms?referral=PM. [21] Cidell, J. 2009. “Building Green: The Emerging Geography of LEED-Certified Buildings and Professionals.” The Professional Geographer 61 (2): 200–215. [22] Jain, M., M. Mital, and M. Syal. 2013. “Obstacles and Catalysts Associated with Implementation of LEED EB® in India.” Environment and Urbanization Asia 4 (2): 349–363. [23] Kaushika, P. (2010). “Noida Looks at Incentive to Promote Green Buildings.” http://archive.indianexpress. com/news/noida-looks-at-incentive-to-promote-green-buildings/699825/. [24] Lee, W. L., and J. Burnett. 2008. “Benchmarking Energy Use Assessment of HK-BEAM, BREEAM and LEED.” Building and Environment 43 (11): 1882–1891. [25] Mehta, R. 2013. “Developers Welcome Centre’s Move to Promote Green Buildings.” http://timesofindia. indiatimes.com/city/thane/Developers-welcome-Centres-move-to-promote-green-buildings/articleshow/ 26870098.cms?referral=P [26] IIHS (Indian Institute for Human Settlements). 2012. “Urban India 2011: Evidence.” http://citiesalliance.org/ sites/citiesalliance.org/files/IUC%20Booklet%20on%20Indian%20cities.pdf.

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Ar. Yashika Garg, Amatullah Betmawala. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.