Technical Attributes of LEED Rating System: Green Building Innovation in India

Green buildings as an innovation provide with energy-efficient and environment friendly buildings to society. Green buildings have made slow progression in Indian cities. One of the popular rating systems for commercial buildings in India is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) with significant presence in various metro cities. Using a dataset of LEED-certified buildings in Mumbai the paper presents technical attributes of LEED certification. The green certification underwent different version improvements and all through had seven defined categories under which points or credits can be taken for sustainability. The paper consolidates these seven categories into two major categories based on primary motivation for undertaking green certification. Energy-efficiency and environmental benefits are the primary reasons for undertaking green certification. The paper also concludes that energy-efficiency has been the dominant motivation for certification in Mumbai’s office buildings whereas environmental benefits were dominant motivation for certification in Hotel buildings of Mumbai