Page 22 - GRIHA Manual Volume I - Introduction to National Rating System
P. 22
Introduction 9
# Use of materials, recycling and waste management
# Water quality, conservation and recycling
# Energy effi ciency, conservation and management
HK–BEAM also exempt building from attempting certain criteria when an issue or past of an
assessment is not applicable to particular circumstance or building type.
The overall assessment grade is based on percentage (%) of applicable credits. Given the
importance of indoor environment quality, it is necessary to obtain a minimum percentage (%) of
credits for IEQ in order to quality for the overall grade.
1.3 Introducing GRIHA
Most of the internationally devised rating systems have been tailored to suit the building industry of
the country where they were developed. TERI, being deeply committed to every aspect of sustainable
development, took upon itself the responsibility of acting as a driving force to popularize green
buildings by developing a tool for measuring and rating a building’s environmental performance in
the context of India’s varied climate and building practices. This tool, by its qualitative and quantitative
assessment criteria, would be able to ‘rate’ a building on the degree of its ‘greenness’. The rating shall
evaluate the environmental performance of a building holistically over its entire life cycle, thereby
providing a defi nitive standard for what constitutes a ‘green building’. The rating system, based on
accepted energy and environmental principles, seeks to strike a balance between the established
practices and emerging concepts, both national and international. The guidelines/criteria
appraisal may be revised every three years to take into account the latest scientifi c developments
during this period. On a broader scale, this system, along with the activities and processes that
lead up to it, will benefi t the community at large with the improvement in the environment by
reducing GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions, improving energy security, and reducing the stress on
natural resources.
The rating applies to new building stock – commercial, institutional, and residential – of
varied functions. Endorsed by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India,
as of November 1 2007, GRIHA is a fi ve star rating system for green buildings which emphasizes
on passive solar techniques for optimizing indoor visual and thermal comfort. In order to address
energy effi ciency, GRIHA encourages optimization of building design to reduce conventional
energy demand and further optimize energy performance of the building within specifi ed comfort
limits. A building is assessed on its predicted performance over its entire life cycle from inception
through operation.
GRIHA was developed as an indigenous building rating system, particularly to address and
assess non-air conditioned or partially air conditioned buildings. GRIHA has been developed to rate
commercial, institutional and residential buildings in India emphasizing national environmental
concerns, regional climatic conditions, and indigenous solutions.
GRIHA stresses passive solar techniques for optimizing visual and thermal comfort indoors, and
encourages the use of refrigeration-based and energy-demanding air conditioning systems only in
cases of extreme thermal discomfort.
GRIHA integrates all relevant Indian codes and standards for buildings and acts as a tool to
facilitate implementation of the same.
# Use of materials, recycling and waste management
# Water quality, conservation and recycling
# Energy effi ciency, conservation and management
HK–BEAM also exempt building from attempting certain criteria when an issue or past of an
assessment is not applicable to particular circumstance or building type.
The overall assessment grade is based on percentage (%) of applicable credits. Given the
importance of indoor environment quality, it is necessary to obtain a minimum percentage (%) of
credits for IEQ in order to quality for the overall grade.
1.3 Introducing GRIHA
Most of the internationally devised rating systems have been tailored to suit the building industry of
the country where they were developed. TERI, being deeply committed to every aspect of sustainable
development, took upon itself the responsibility of acting as a driving force to popularize green
buildings by developing a tool for measuring and rating a building’s environmental performance in
the context of India’s varied climate and building practices. This tool, by its qualitative and quantitative
assessment criteria, would be able to ‘rate’ a building on the degree of its ‘greenness’. The rating shall
evaluate the environmental performance of a building holistically over its entire life cycle, thereby
providing a defi nitive standard for what constitutes a ‘green building’. The rating system, based on
accepted energy and environmental principles, seeks to strike a balance between the established
practices and emerging concepts, both national and international. The guidelines/criteria
appraisal may be revised every three years to take into account the latest scientifi c developments
during this period. On a broader scale, this system, along with the activities and processes that
lead up to it, will benefi t the community at large with the improvement in the environment by
reducing GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions, improving energy security, and reducing the stress on
natural resources.
The rating applies to new building stock – commercial, institutional, and residential – of
varied functions. Endorsed by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India,
as of November 1 2007, GRIHA is a fi ve star rating system for green buildings which emphasizes
on passive solar techniques for optimizing indoor visual and thermal comfort. In order to address
energy effi ciency, GRIHA encourages optimization of building design to reduce conventional
energy demand and further optimize energy performance of the building within specifi ed comfort
limits. A building is assessed on its predicted performance over its entire life cycle from inception
through operation.
GRIHA was developed as an indigenous building rating system, particularly to address and
assess non-air conditioned or partially air conditioned buildings. GRIHA has been developed to rate
commercial, institutional and residential buildings in India emphasizing national environmental
concerns, regional climatic conditions, and indigenous solutions.
GRIHA stresses passive solar techniques for optimizing visual and thermal comfort indoors, and
encourages the use of refrigeration-based and energy-demanding air conditioning systems only in
cases of extreme thermal discomfort.
GRIHA integrates all relevant Indian codes and standards for buildings and acts as a tool to
facilitate implementation of the same.
