India’s green building future takes shape as Greenbuild

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) concluded its third annual Greenbuild India conference in Bengaluru. The conference is the flagship event for sustainability professionals. This year’s Greenbuild was a sold-out event and was attended by more than 400 sustainability leaders from across India and around the world that are committed to creating buildings and communities that improve quality of life. The two-day Greenbuild took place last week at the LEED Platinum certified ITC Gardenia.

“This year’s conference once again demonstrated the enormous potential for India when it comes to creating greener buildings, cities and communities for all,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, USGBC,Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI)and Arc. “The leaders in the market are showing us what can be achieved through the adoption of LEED and other green building practices. But we also know that in order to accelerate that progress, we must do a better job of showing how green building is creating a better standard of living for people.”

Featuring education sessions and discussions around LEED v4.1, waste reduction, building performance and the connection between buildings and health, Greenbuild explored the latest LEED developments and green building practices. Highlights from the 2020 conference include:

• Launch of living standard: During the opening plenary, USGBC president and CEO Mahesh Ramanujam announced the launch of the Living Standard campaign in India. The campaign will explore a new way of talking about the challenges green building addresses and its ability to improveour quality of life.
• Future of LEED: USGBC Senior Vice President Mili Majumdar shared how the latest version of LEED, LEED v4.1, is moving the industry to focus more on performance. In addition, she outlined a vision for the development of LEED called LEED Positive, which will guide USGBC in transitioning LEED from strategies that reduce harm to those that cause no harm and begin the process of healing and repair.
• Women in Green: This year’s luncheon once again shined a light on the many ways women are positively shaping the building and construction industry. A panel discussion featured female leaders from Interface, IKEA, Ela Green Buildings and Infrastructure Consultants and GBCI India.
• LEED Residential: LEED v4.1 is available for virtually all buildings types and includes a simplified path to certification for the residential sector. Education sessions and events explored how the rating system encourages strategies that create better homes for people and the planet.

In addition to exploring the latest in LEED and green building, Greenbuild India recognised extraordinary work already happening in the market. This year’s Greenbuild Leadership Award recipients included Citi, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, GMR Group, Infosys, Tata Realty and Infrastructure and Padmashri C N Raghavendran, a decorated green building professional.

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.

Founded in 2002, Greenbuild is presented by USGBC and is one of the world’s largest green building conference experience. The event provides a forum for sustainability and green building professionals to unite, change lives, revolutionise business and address the world’s most pressing issues through inspiring keynotes, powerful education sessions and meaningful networking opportunities. The conference takes place in several countries and regions throughout the world, including the U.S., Mexico, China and Europe, in addition to India.