Green Building Certification Institute is Committed to Growing LEED in India

NEW DELHI, June 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), the exclusive certification body for administering the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) process worldwide, announces that beginning July 1, 2014, LEED project teams in India can now directly register and certify with GBCI by taking advantage of the state-of-the-art technology platform LEED Online.

"LEED is a global rating system," said Mahesh Ramanujam, president, GBCI, and chief operating officer, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). "Twenty-two thousand projects in 150 countries recognize LEED as the premier green building rating system. GBCI manages LEED certification worldwide to deliver superior technical support and customer experience to ensure maximum quality for project teams. The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) will provide LEED certification in collaboration with GBCI to avoid any inconvenience to LEED projects already registered with IGBC."

Announced earlier this month by USGBC, the news coincides with last week's announcement in India that all state governments must comply with minimum requirements for energy efficient design and construction set by the central government by 2017. 

"India is playing a leadership role in the efforts to transform the built environment into one that enhances the quality of life for all its citizens," continued Ramanujam. "High performing buildings should be a mark of pride for India. The new code for minimum energy standards for new commercial buildings is a big step in the right direction. LEED is used by leaders across the globe and features several opportunities to reduce energy consumption through strategies such as natural ventilation, passive cooling, high efficiency systems and smart building controls." 

According to a USGBC report, India ranks third globally for countries outside of the U.S. with the most LEED-certified space, with nearly 12 million square meters. There are more than 66 million square meters of building space undergoing the LEED process in India, comprising 1,657 building projects.

USGBC has established a LEED "hub" in India, with the primary goal of accelerating the adoption of LEED. The LEED hub acts as a local technical, market, certification and customer support center for LEED project teams.

"We are excited about our LEED hub in India and are aggressively building capacity in collaboration with our key partners in the region to support future growth of LEED in India," said Ramanujam. "Stay tuned for some exciting partnership announcements."

About the Green Building Certification Institute
The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) is a third-party organization that provides independent oversight of professional credentialing and project certification programs related to green building. GBCI is committed to ensuring precision in the design, development, and implementation of measurement processes for green building performance (through project certification) and green building practice (through professional credentials and certificates). Established in 2008 to administer certifications and professional designations within the framework of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED® Green Building Rating Systems™, GBCI continues to develop new programs and offer the marketplace validation that building certifications and professional designations have met specific, rigorous criteria. For more information, visit GBCI.org.

About the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USGBC works toward its mission of market transformation through its LEED green building program, robust educational offerings, a nationwide network of chapters and affiliates, the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, the Center for Green Schools and advocacy in support of public policy that encourages and enables green buildings and communities. For more information, visit usgbc.org, explore the Green Building Information Gateway (GBIG) and connect on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Contact: Joe Crea
USGBC
+1-202-595-3988
[email protected]