IGBC
Rating programmes across residential, commercial, industrial and city categories under the Indian Green Building Council.
Green Building and Design Consultancy for India and World
Green building and design consultancy delivered from Mumbai across India. A project routed to the rating that suits it across IGBC, GRIHA, LEED, EDGE and the ECBC, designed to cut embodied and operational carbon and to harvest and reuse water, and carried through certification documentation to its rating level, toward net zero by 2070.
Route · Design · CertifyIGBC, GRIHA, LEED, EDGEPan India delivery
Reviewed by Team GreenSutra · Updated 13 June 2026
On recordRating systemsIGBC, GRIHA, LEED, EDGEEnergy codeECBC 2017, Eco Niwas SamhitaWater in designBye-laws 2016, IS 15797CarbonEmbodied and operationalTargetNet zero by 2070BaseMumbai · Pan India
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A green building, and the design advisory behind it
For developers, owners and occupiers certifying and running greener buildings.
A green building is one designed, built and run to use less energy, water and material and to sit lighter on its surroundings. Green building and design consultancy is the advisory work around that outcome: choosing the rating route, shaping the design to meet it, and carrying the certification documentation through to the awarded level. The work is advisory toward certification; the rating itself is awarded by the body behind each programme.
The rating landscape is plural by design. IGBC under the CII, the national GRIHA system from TERI and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the global LEED, and the design-phase EDGE from the IFC each suit a different project, and the Energy Conservation Building Code sets the mandatory floor for commercial buildings with a connected load of 100 kW or more. Choosing the right route, and designing to reduce both embodied and operational carbon, is where the advisory adds value.
The design work runs on two levers. A building lifecycle carbon splits into embodied carbon, from the extraction, manufacture and transport of materials, and operational carbon, from the energy used in operation, and a green design reduces both through material choices, efficient systems, daylighting and rooftop solar. Water sits beside carbon: the Model Building Bye-Laws, 2016, make rainwater harvesting mandatory for plots of 100 square metres and above, IS 15797 guides roof-top systems, and harvesting, audits and reuse all count toward the rating.
Based in Mumbai and delivering across India, GreenSutra carries green building and design consultancy as one engagement, from diagnosis and the rating route through design, documentation and the certified outcome, against the national net-zero-by-2070 goal. Sustainability disclosure runs as its own GreenSutra practice: BRSR and ESG reporting are separate services, linked below for businesses that need them alongside a certified building.
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Green building rating systems
The rating routes a building can take, and what each one suits.
There is no single best rating system; the right one depends on the project, its stage and its market. The systems below each rate a building against a defined standard and award a level, and choosing the route, then designing to meet it, is the heart of green-building advisory. The ECBC sits underneath them all as the mandatory energy floor for larger commercial buildings.
GRIHA
The national rating system, scoring a building against 34 criteria, required for central government projects.
LEED
The global system for new construction, interiors and existing-building operations, recognised internationally.
EDGE
A cost-effective, design-phase route focused on resource efficiency, suited to early certification decisions.
ECBC and ENS
The Energy Conservation Building Code for commercial buildings, and the Eco Niwas Samhita for homes.
Choosing the right rating route for a project, and designing to meet it, is the first step of every green-building engagement.
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How a green building engagement runs
From a diagnostic and a rating route to a certified, performing building.
01
Diagnose and scope
The project diagnosed, the applicable codes, bye-laws and rating routes identified, and the certification target scoped against the stage and the market.
02
Choose the rating route
The right rating system selected for the project and its stage, from IGBC, GRIHA, LEED or EDGE, with the ECBC energy floor confirmed for larger commercial buildings.
03
Design for carbon and water
The building designed to reduce embodied and operational carbon and to harvest and reuse water, with rooftop solar, daylighting and efficient systems integrated to meet the rating.
04
Certify
The certification documentation prepared and submitted under the chosen rating programme, and the rating pursued to the level the design earns, over the ECBC floor where it applies.
05
Operate and sustain
The certified building operated and its performance sustained, with energy and water tracked and embodied and operational carbon kept falling against the net-zero pathway.
04
How green building advisory works
A project is diagnosed, routed to a rating, designed for carbon and water, certified, and operated to its rating.
01Diagnose
The project is diagnosed and the applicable codes, bye-laws and rating routes identified.
02Route to a rating
The right rating system, IGBC, GRIHA, LEED or EDGE, is chosen for the project and stage, over the mandatory ECBC energy floor.
03Design
The building is designed to reduce embodied and operational carbon and to harvest and reuse water, with solar and efficient systems.
04Certify
Certification is documented and submitted under the chosen programme, and the rating achieved at the level the design earns.
05Operate
The certified building is operated and its performance sustained, with energy and water tracked against the net-zero pathway.
A project is diagnosed and routed to the rating system that suits it, designed to cut embodied and operational carbon and to harvest water, carried through certification documentation, and operated so the performance holds, against the national net-zero-by-2070 goal.
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Which rating route fits
Two answers point to the rating route to evaluate first.
Two questions place a project against the rating landscape: the building it is, and the stage it is at. The result names the route to evaluate first and what it suits. The choice stays advisory; the rating is awarded by the body behind each programme.
Two questions decide which rating route a project evaluates first: the building it is, from a new commercial or residential build to a central government project, an existing building or a resource efficiency target, and the stage it is at. A consultancy review routes the project across IGBC, GRIHA, LEED, EDGE and the ECBC floor.
Request a consultancy review →- Rating routeSet at design stage
- ECBC floorCommercial at 100 kW load
- CertificationBy rating programme
The commercial routes fit
A new commercial building can route through the IGBC commercial programmes under the CII or through the global LEED system from the USGBC and GBCI, and the choice turns on the market the certificate must speak to. The Energy Conservation Building Code 2017 sets the mandatory energy floor where the connected load reaches 100 kW, and the design is shaped to cut embodied and operational carbon and to meet the chosen rating.
The residential routes fit
A residential building routes through the IGBC residential programmes, with the Eco Niwas Samhita as the corresponding residential energy code. GRIHA, the national system from TERI and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, rates buildings against 34 criteria on a one to five star scale. Rainwater harvesting under the Model Building Bye-Laws applies to plots of 100 square metres and above and counts toward the rating.
GRIHA is the required route
GRIHA, the national rating system developed by TERI and adopted by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, is required for central government building projects. It rates a building against 34 criteria on a one to five star scale, and the advisory prepares the design and the documentation to score against them.
The existing building routes fit
LEED certifies existing-building operations and interiors from Certified to Platinum, and the IGBC programmes span residential, commercial, industrial and city categories. For an operating building the advisory focuses the design work on a retrofit: efficient systems, daylighting, rooftop solar and water reuse that lift the building to the rating.
EDGE fits a resource efficiency target
EDGE, the IFC green building system, targets a minimum 20 percent reduction in energy, water and the embodied energy of materials at the design phase, which makes it a cost effective route when the aim is measurable resource efficiency decided early. The ECBC floor still applies to a commercial building with a connected load of 100 kW or more.
A short review sets the route
The right rating route cannot be fixed from the answers alone, since it depends on the project, its stage and its market. A consultancy review identifies the codes and programmes in play and routes the project across IGBC, GRIHA, LEED, EDGE and the ECBC floor, as one accountable engagement.
At the planning or design stage the advisory has the most leverage, since the rating route can be set and the carbon, water and daylight decisions designed in before build.
For an operating building the advisory focuses on an existing building rating and a retrofit, with efficient systems, solar and water reuse lifting the performance to the rating.
Ready to certify, the advisory focuses on the documentation and the submission, so the rating goes through cleanly at the level the design earns.
Answers stay in this browser. Nothing is sent until a contact channel is opened.
A project runs from diagnosis through a rating route and a low carbon design to certification and an operating, performing building, and a consultancy review turns that path into a certified outcome.
WhatsAppRequest a consultancy review →06
Benefits of green building consultancy
What a certified, well designed building earns a client.
B·01
Certification achieved
The right rating route chosen and the documentation carried, so a building reaches its IGBC, GRIHA, LEED or EDGE level cleanly.
B·02
Energy and water saved
A building designed to cut operational carbon and to harvest and reuse water, so the running cost and the footprint both fall.
B·03
Code and rating aligned
The mandatory ECBC floor and the voluntary rating handled together, so compliance and certification move as one design.
B·04
Net-zero aligned
Embodied and operational carbon reduced and the residual addressed, against the national net-zero-by-2070 pathway.
07
Why GreenSutra leads green building consultancy
The reasons behind the reputation.
R·01
Rating fluency
Specialists fluent across IGBC, GRIHA, LEED, EDGE and the ECBC, so the rating route is chosen for the project rather than the habit.
R·02
Design and certification together
The route chosen and the building designed to meet it by one team, so the certificate reflects the design rather than paperwork bolted on.
R·03
Carbon discipline
A working carbon, energy and solar practice behind the advisory, so a building operational carbon is actually reduced, not just rated.
R·04
End to end delivery
Diagnosis, rating route, design guidance, documentation and the certified outcome handled as one engagement, or any stage standalone.
R·05
Mumbai based, pan India
Green building and design consultancy delivered for developers and businesses across India from a Mumbai base.
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Built for every kind of building
The same diagnose, route and design discipline, tuned to the project.
01
Developers and owners
Certifying new and existing buildings to IGBC, GRIHA, LEED or EDGE, with low-carbon design and the ECBC floor.
02
Corporates and occupiers
Certifying workplaces and interiors, with the ECBC floor confirmed for larger commercial buildings.
03
Government and institutions
Central government building projects, which route through the national GRIHA system and its 34 criteria.
04
Campuses and housing
Residential buildings and campuses designed to the Eco Niwas Samhita, with rainwater harvesting under the bye-laws.
Every client meets the advisory at a different point, and the route shifts to match, from a developer certifying a new asset to an occupier lifting an existing building to a rating.
WhatsAppRequest a consultancy review →09
Green building consultancy questions, answered
Q·01What is green building and design consultancy?
Green building and design consultancy is the advisory work of taking a building to a green rating: choosing the rating route across IGBC, GRIHA, LEED and EDGE, shaping the design to cut embodied and operational carbon and to harvest and reuse water, and carrying the certification documentation through to the awarded level. The work is advisory toward certification; the rating itself is awarded by the body behind each programme.
Q·02Which green building rating systems are used in India?
India uses several: IGBC under the CII, with rating programmes across residential, commercial, industrial and city categories; GRIHA, the national system from TERI and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, scoring a building against 34 criteria; the global LEED; and the design-phase EDGE from the IFC. The Energy Conservation Building Code sits underneath them as the mandatory energy floor for larger commercial buildings.
Q·03How to choose between IGBC, GRIHA, LEED and EDGE?
There is no single best system; the right one depends on the project, its stage and its market. GRIHA is the national route and is required for central government projects, IGBC is widely used across building types in India, LEED carries global recognition, and EDGE offers a cost-effective design-phase route focused on resource efficiency. Choosing the route, then designing to meet it, is the heart of green-building advisory.
Q·04What is the ECBC?
The Energy Conservation Building Code, framed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency in 2017, sets energy-performance requirements for commercial buildings with a connected load of 100 kW or more. The Eco Niwas Samhita is the corresponding code for residential buildings. The ECBC is the mandatory energy floor that sits beneath the voluntary rating systems.
Q·05Is green building certification mandatory in India?
The ratings themselves, IGBC, GRIHA, LEED and EDGE, are voluntary choices a project makes, with two mandatory layers underneath: the Energy Conservation Building Code applies to commercial buildings with a connected load of 100 kW or more, and the Model Building Bye-Laws, 2016, make rainwater harvesting mandatory for plots of 100 square metres and above. GRIHA is the exception, required for central government building projects.
Q·06What is the difference between embodied and operational carbon?
A building lifecycle carbon splits in two. Embodied carbon comes from the extraction, manufacture and transport of the materials that build it, and operational carbon comes from the energy it uses in operation. Green-building advisory reduces both, through low-carbon material choices and an efficient, solar-supported design, and addresses the residual against a net-zero pathway.
Q·07Can an existing building be certified green?
Yes. LEED certifies existing-building operations alongside new construction and interiors, and the IGBC programmes span residential, commercial, industrial and city categories. For an operating building the advisory shapes a retrofit, with efficient systems, daylighting, rooftop solar and water reuse, that lifts the building to the rating.
Q·08What does EDGE certification involve?
EDGE, an IFC green-building system, targets a minimum 20 percent reduction in energy, water and the embodied energy of materials at the design phase. It suits early, cost-conscious certification decisions, since the savings are designed in from the start rather than retrofitted later.
Q·09How does rainwater harvesting fit into a green building?
The Model Building Bye-Laws, 2016, make rainwater harvesting mandatory for plots of 100 square metres and above, and IS 15797 gives the Bureau of Indian Standards guidance for roof-top systems. In a green building the harvesting design sits inside the wider water strategy, with water audits and reuse, and the water performance counts toward the rating the building pursues.
Q·10How does a green building support net zero?
A green building reduces both the embodied carbon of its materials and the operational carbon of its energy use, through low-carbon design, efficient systems, daylighting and on-site renewables such as rooftop solar. Across an estate, certified buildings are a concrete step toward the national targets: a 45 percent reduction in the emissions intensity of the economy by 2030 against 2005, and net zero by 2070.
Q·11Does GreenSutra issue the certification?
No. The rating is awarded by the body behind each programme: the IGBC, GRIHA, the USGBC and GBCI for LEED, and the IFC for EDGE. The advisory work runs the route choice, the design guidance and the documentation that carry a building to that award.
Q·12Where does GreenSutra deliver green building consultancy?
GreenSutra is based in Mumbai and delivers green building and design consultancy for developers, owners and occupiers across India, from a single certification to a portfolio. Related GreenSutra services, BRSR and ESG reporting, carbon footprint, energy audits and rooftop solar, run alongside where a business needs them.
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Primary sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of these references.
IGBCIndian Green Building CouncilOpen ↗GRIHAGRIHA · Green Rating for Integrated Habitat AssessmentOpen ↗USGBCUS Green Building Council · LEEDOpen ↗EDGEEDGE · IFC green building systemOpen ↗BEEBureau of Energy Efficiency · ECBCOpen ↗MoHUAMinistry of Housing and Urban Affairs · Model Building Bye-LawsOpen ↗
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Field notes and stories
Reading on building systems, water and energy from the GreenSutra journal.
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