CB BureauGreen Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), in conjunction
with International Finance Corporation (IFC), has launched the EDGE green
building certification system in India. The certification is expected to start
the mainstreaming of resource-efficient buildings in a fast, simple and
affordable way.
An innovation of IFC, EDGE is a certification system for new
residential and commercial buildings that enable design teams and project
owners to assess cost-effective ways to incorporate energy and water saving options
in their buildings.
‘By helping project teams implement financially attractive
measures, EDGE will help push the new construction market in India forward,’
said Mahesh Ramanujam, president of GBCI and chief operating officer of US
Green Building Council (USGBC). ‘What’s more, strategies applied in EDGE can
later be leveraged and upgraded to more comprehensive green building practices.
The market transformation of the global built environment will require
widespread participation and cooperation. Certification programs such as EDGE
are critical in order to achieve this success.’
GBCI, the world’s premier green building credentialing
body, also certifies projects and accredits professionals under USGBC’s 15-year-old
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building programme,
along with several other standards all within the sustainability and built
environment arena including the WELL Building Standard, the PEER standard for
power systems and SITES for sustainable landscapes.
GBCI has been selected by IFC to administer and certify EDGE
projects in India because of the traction GBCI has gained globally in
certification and credentialing for sustainability standards. Daily, GBCI
certifies 1.8 million square feet of construction space.
EDGE
empowers builders to choose technical solutions while capturing costs and
projected operational savings. The drivers behind EDGE are financial but the
results are environmental – EDGE helps mitigate climate change by encouraging
resource-efficient development. To reach the EDGE minimum standard, a building
must achieve a 20 per cent reduction in energy and water consumption, as well
as the energy used to make the construction materials.