India was ranked third in the world for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green buildings in 2021 with a total of 146 certified buildings and spaces, representing nearly 2.8 million gross area square meters (GSM) in the US Green Building (USGBC) annual list.
China topped the list with more than 14 million GSM, and Canada certified more than 3.2 million GSM.
LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the world.
In India, LEED is administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), which has been working towards accelerating the adoption of green buildings across the country.
On a cumulative basis, India’s overall projects under LEED stand at 1,649 buildings with a total of 46.2 million gross square meters.
Among the many projects in India that adopted LEED in 2021 include CESC House in Kolkata, the First Heritage Building in India received a LEED Gold rating, was recertified to LEED Platinum in 2021. Ankit Gems Diamond Factory was awarded with a LEED Platinum certification for its diamond manufacturing facility in Surat. DLF achieved LEED Platinum for both its Cyber City project as well as for their Retail projects Avenue Mall and The Chanakya under the LEED O+M rating system.
ITC Hotels was the first hotel in the world to achieve LEED Zero Carbon Certifications for their two properties in South – ITC Windsor at Bangalore and ITC Grand Chola, Chennai.
“India’s continued presence among the top three countries for LEED outside of the U.S. in 2021 is a testament to its focus on sustainable development and achieving its Paris agreement targets. The pandemic has highlighted the fact that green buildings are not the solution of tomorrow, they are a solution for now," said Peter Templeton, president and CEO, USGBC and Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI).
The analysis used to develop the list ranks countries in terms of LEED-certified GSM space as of December 31, 2021. The United States is not included in the list but remains the world’s largest market for LEED with more than 26 million GSM certified during the year.
“India is one of the leading nations when it has come to adopting green buildings. Despite the ongoing pandemic, India has witnessed a nearly 10% increase in its LEED GSM when compared to 2020, thereby highlighting its focus on pursuing sustainable growth and development,” said Gopalakrishnan Padmanabhan, managing director – Southeast Asia & Middle East, GBCI.
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