GRIHA NEWSLETTER


January 2022

Message from the CEO

Mr. Sanjay Seth, CEO GRIHA Council

As we step into 2022, let me convey my good wishes for the New Year, with the hope that the year witnesses renewed commitments towards ensuring sustainability in development.

We concluded the last year on a good note as we successfully hosted “The GRIHA Event” with the theme – “Restoring Green Economy”. The event was graced by Shri Bhupender Yadav, Hon'ble Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India; H.E. Mr. Hans Jacob Frydenlund, Ambassador, Royal Norwegian Embassy in India; H.E. Mr. Freddy Svane, Ambassador, Royal Danish Embassy in India; Dr. Divya Datt, Programme Management Officer, UN Environment Country Office, India and Mr. Anand Santhanam, National Head – Sales and Marketing, Saint-Gobain India Private Limited. The event included GRIHA ratings awarded to eligible projects together with exemplary performance awards being presented to the winners under various categories by the dignitaries. The occasion also marked the release of new GRIHA publications including the latest version of the SVAGRIHA rating; Shashwat magazine and the GRIHA product catalogue dashboard.

A significant juncture in the event was the signing of a MoU between Govardhan Ecovillage and GRIHA Council that focuses on the promotion of green buildings worldwide along with the co-development of training and capacity building programmes for the youth globally. With this MoU, we look forward to further advance our comprehensive partnership for strategic engagements and research in the upcoming years. I also take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the esteemed dignitaries; GRIHA awardees; participants; partners of the GRIHA Event and the TERI and GRIHA Team for the success of the GRIHA Event 2021.

Friends as we are now witnessing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the third wave, we again need to take preventive and protective actions for our safety and wellbeing. On this note, GRIHA Council has once again transitioned to conducting all site visits and workshops virtually. We will ensure a flexible approach in working which will help us continue the momentum that we have together achieved so far and enable us to meet our sustainability targets. I urge everyone to maintain the protocols in place and wish you a safe and healthy year ahead.

Launch of the GRIHA Product Catalogue Dashboard

GRIHA Product Catalogue is an online portal which has been developed to provide green building designers and clients with all necessary information on green building materials. To facilitate and streamline the process of registration, the Council has developed this Product Catalogue Dashboard for product manufacturers to get their green products enlisted smoothly and swiftly.

Click here to view- https://www.grihaindia.org/register-product

GRIHA Certified Professional Examination on V.2019 in the upcoming months

Month	Date
January	21.01.2022
February	18.02.2022

More details such eligibility, examination format; validity and calendar for the year 2021-22 can be referred on https://www.grihaindia.org/griha-community.

GRIHA 5 Star Provisional Rating awarded to Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation, Central Research Block, Andhra Pradesh

The project has demonstrated 35.44% reduction in energy consumption compared to GRIHA benchmark. 52.58% of building water demand has been reduced by installing low flow plumbing fixtures and 44.3% of landscape water demand is reduced by using efficient irrigation system and native vegetation. Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) type STP of 300 kLD capacity has been installed in the project.

Click here to view- https://www.grihaindia.org/sites/default/files/sites/default/files/pdf/case-studies/Koneru-Lakshmaiah.pdf

SVAGRIHA 3 Star Rating awarded to International Hostel at Jipmer Campus, Puducherry

The project demonstrates an LPD of 3.7 W/m² which is lower than ECBC specified limit of 10.80 W/m². Thermal efficiency of the building envelope is 407.87 ft² / TR. 65.73% of building water demand has been reduced from SVAGRIHA base case by installing low flow plumbing fixtures and 71.47% of landscape water demand is reduced by using efficient irrigation system and native vegetation.

Click here to view- https://www.grihaindia.org/sites/default/files/sites/default/files/pdf/case-studies/hostel-jipmer-campus.pdf

New Products have been enlisted in the GRIHA Product Catalogue

Company name: Wienerberger India Pvt. Ltd Product name: Porotherm HP 200 - 1.0 W/m²K, Porotherm HP 150 - 1.2 W/m²K, Thermobrick TB 200 - 0.6 W/m²K, Thermobrick TB 150 - 0.7 W/m²K, Porotherm VP 200 - 1.2 W/m²K & Porotherm VP 150 - 1.4 W/m²K. Product typology: Acoustic Insulation and Walling Blocks
Company name: HSIL Limited Product name: Element (F360011GRCP, F360012GRCP, F360001GRCP, F360002GRCP, F360013GRCP, F360019GRCP, F360018GRCP, F360005GRCP); Contessa Plus (F330002GRCP, F330020GRCP, F330004GRCP); Flora (F280010GRCP, F280001GRCP, F280018GRCP, F280016GRCP, F280003GRCP) Product typology: Low Flow Fixtures
Company name: Ecorain Water Harvesting Product name: Ecorain water harvesting & Ecorain Grass Paver. Product typology: Rain Water Harvesting Filtration Systems

Editor’s Choice

NASA-supported Study Confirms Importance of Southern Ocean in Absorbing Carbon Dioxide

When human emissions of CO2 enter the atmosphere, some of that gas is absorbed by the ocean. Cold water from the deep ocean rises to the surface through a process called upwelling. Once at the surface, that colder water absorbs CO2 in the atmosphere – often with the help of photosynthesizing organisms called phytoplankton – before sinking again.

Measurements of CO2 and other ocean properties suggest that 40% of the human-produced CO2 in the ocean, worldwide, was originally absorbed from the atmosphere into the Southern Ocean, making it one of the most important carbon sinks on our planet. But measuring the flux, or exchange, of CO2 where the air meets the sea has been challenging.

In this study, the team used airborne measurements from three field experiments: ATom, HIPPO and ORCAS. Collectively, these projects captured a critical piece of information: the vertical gradient of CO2 in the atmosphere.

Agripreneur Uses Power of social media To Replace 16.5 Lakh Kg Plastic Waste with Bamboo

While speaking to the farmers in rural Maharashtra, he came across concepts such as zero-budget farming, non-pesticide farming, and the idea of products made from bamboo.

“India is the second-largest bamboo grower in the world and one of the biggest bamboo importers. This didn’t make sense. It made me think about how we are underutilising our bamboo resources,” he says.

He then dipped into his savings to invest up to INR 15 lakh in his startup. One of his first products was a bamboo acoustic sound amplifier for which he needed a bamboo cross-cutting machine that cost INR 8,500. Today, he says, he has a machine worth INR 2.5 crore.

It is because of their social media fame that Yogesh was also invited to conduct a TED talk on bamboo products and has subsequently signed an “MoU with the world’s largest bamboo products manufacturer” who found them on social media.

From World Braille Day to Kisan Diwas... 12 individuals speak about the special days of 2022 while revealing their wish list

“Our heritage construction has endorsed and implemented sustainable local solutions since the beginning. However, the built environment has seen a significant shift by rampant copying Western solutions without incorporating our local ancestral knowledge. The current climate crisis has pushed everyone to relook at sustainable local solutions. The last decade has seen a significant shift in policies for adopting green building practices in the built environment. However, the adoption and implementation of such policies is still a challenge. It presents an opportunity for all the stakeholders in the built environment by incorporating Indian ethos and local solutions to achieve sustainability in the built environment. We need to implement low-cost workable local, sustainable solutions at the individual level and make this a mass movement. Sustainable is affordable, and affordable can be sustainable, and at GRIHA, our efforts will be aligned in this direction in 2022.”

5 Day Training Programme for MES Bareilly

A Five day intensive “GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment)” training programme on version 2019 was organized for the officials of MES by GRIHA Council from 22nd- 26th November, 2021 at Bareilly to give a detailed understanding of GRIHA for their upcoming project in Ranikhet, registered under GRIHA.

The programme focused on various sections of the version 2019 rating such as Site Planning & Construction Management, Occupant Comfort & Well-Being-Daylighting only, Artificial Lighting, Thermal & Acoustic Comfort, Energy Management, Performance Metering and Monitoring, Water Management, Solid Waste Management, Socio-Economic Strategies, Sustainable Building Materials and Life Cycle Cost Analysis.

The 5-day programme was divided into eleven sessions. Each session was carried out with the presentation of the respective criteria followed by individual exercises for the participants. The programme was very well received by the officials of MES and received excellent feedback.

Testimonials:

Overall experience of the training program was very good. It contains norms of GRIHA and would be strongly recommended to register our project with GRIHA.

- Sachin Kumar Suman, JE, GE (MES) Raniket

Excellent deliberation of training by excellent professionals. High detailed analysis of topics covered, must be appreciated.

- Istikhar Ahamad, JE (Civ), MES, Bareilly Zone

It was quite a comprehensive programme which highlighted with detail every criteria of GRIHA version 2019.

- Dhan Singh Meena, EE(SG), JTDIR(PIG), MES, Bareilly Zone

Signing of MoU

An MoU was signed between GRIHA Council and International Copper Association India in a common pursuit of promoting Sustainable Habitat in India through GRIHA Rating and its variants, research, technical development, and capacity building.

GRIHA Learning Centre

Our own team of professionals is hosting the course on GRIHA v.2019 and is sharing their first-hand experiences while disseminating the knowledge on complex concepts of sustainability. The course will be elaborating on criteria requirements of the GRIHA v.2019 through interactive sessions and thought-provoking quizzes.

Click here for more details: https://www.grihaindia.org/learning-centre

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