LEED India 2011: A big change from 2007?

realism.IN | Autorickshaws too feature in LEED India 2011!

LEED India 2011, was released early this year (2011) ready to take on new projects from April 2011*. It was heartening to see the changes that have come about in the rating system with this update. The new version of the rating system, no doubt, has taken leaps ahead and it will be challenging to implement. But at the same time this rating system holds great appeal to wide array of environmentally conscious developers and building owners that will keep the interest going. The rating system has more teeth and will certainly add to the pride of all new certified building owners.

Changes have been carried out in nearly all the sections making the evaluations somewhat easier in the Indian context (For eg. Scooters and rickshaws are now included in the transportation-related credits).

However, the big change is the new energy standard and the mandatory energy saving requirements. Several projects even in the US and other countries,(especially LEED Core and Shell project type) find it challenging to score high on the new energy standard (AHSRAE 90.1 2007).
Water use reduction is now a mandatory requirement. Potable water is a precious commodity in our cities and conserving it, sets the priorities right.

Early planning, experienced designers and engineers on board, and sophisticated design tools hold the key to a successful certification. Also staying abreast of the current details and the future orientation of the system can be useful in arriving at decisions regarding future planning. Cues can be taken from the USGBC version of LEED which is due for yet another update in November this year (at Green Build 2011). 

*US Green Building Council updates its version of the rating system every 3 years. 

The Opinion Editor (Minu) is a Partner at realism.IN and heads the Sustainability Research wing.