GRIHA Council, is mandated to promote development of buildings and habitats in India through GRIHA. GRIHA Council an independent platform for the interaction on scientific and administrative issues related to sustainable habitats in the Indian subcontinent. It was founded by TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi) with support from MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India) along with a handful of experts in the sustainability of built environment from across the country.

Activities

All activities related to issuance of GRIHA Rating are carried out by GRIHA Council.

• TERI-GRIHA framework was initially developed by TERI for new commercial, institutional and residential buildings. The rating was further modified when it was adopted by MNRE as GRIHA. Over 330 projects across India of varying scale and function are being built based on GRIHA guidelines. The Centre for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, IIT Kanpur (2009) and Suzlon 'One Earth' Office Complex (2010), Pune have been certified at GRIHA 5 Stars. Furthermore, ITC Grand Chola and several projects of Infosys are 5 Star GRIHA rated.
• With rising costs of fuel and energy and increasing awareness of connections between climate change and our life-styles there is a growing interest in the small residential development sector to adopt green measures. An easy to use and expedient way of designing green residences, resorts, motels and small offices is underway. With a Simple, Affordable and Versatile approach to green rating for small residences, SVA-GRIHA would be web enabled by giving universal access to information and guidelines on green buildings. This shall be made available by mid 2011.
• There are also a number of educational campuses and mixed use township developments seeking GRIHA certification for the projects. GRIHA Council has launched GRIHA LD (Large Developments) for design and evaluation tool for large developments including campuses, townships, SEZs etc.
• Promoting Energy Efficiency within the existing building stock especially in urban areas offers the most cost-effective means of reducing peak demand, growth in electricity demand and carbon emissions associated with the production of electricity. Water supply and wastewater treatment are increasingly becoming critical issues in urban areas. Waste generation and management also count amongst the key Urban Sustainability Issues. GRIHA Council shall eventually develop a rating system for retrofitting existing buildings.

Capacity Building

• GRIHA Council conducts awareness workshops on Green Buildings and GRIHA rating system to all the registered project teams. The online certification tool at www.grihaindia.org further helps the project team to educate themselves on their specific roles in developing project specific documentation.
• Training of trainers and evaluators: Design and development of Green Infrastructure necessitates large pool of qualified professionals in all parts of the country. To enable the active dissemination of knowledge and skills necessary for designing new green buildings, GRIHA Council organizes a series of open registration workshops across the country. These workshops are aimed at practicing professionals who are working on Green Building projects and are interested in GRIHA certification. Exams are held at the conclusion of the workshops to certify trainers who could further take up similar programmes in their region. Professionals with considerable experience in Green Buildings are also encouraged to become GRIHA evaluators. The pool of evaluators spread across the country is engaged in the review process of GRIHA projects. They are also a valuable resource for updating the rating system in-line with transformation of the building industry. The training programmes are actively supported by MNRE.
• GRIHA Council also conducts need-based in-house awareness / training sessions for Government and Private Organizations. GRIHA Council has already started a nation-wide capacity building exercise with C.P.W.D. to equip the professionals in building GRIHA compliant projects. With the support of MNRE, GRIHA Council is now pursuing various other Government departments for conducting similar sessions. Various private organizations from the construction sector are also engaging with GRIHA Council to help build internal capacity on Green Buildings.

Advocacy

• National Conference: An annual event is organized by GRIHA Council in association with key stakeholders in construction industry to discuss and deliberate on furtherance of green habitat development in India. The first conference, held in January 2010, had 400 participants representing all the key stakeholders in the construction industry. The Second conference held for 2 days in January 2011 attracted over 280 participants. The fourth National Conference on Green Design hosted in February 2013 was a stellar example of a platform that facilitates interaction and deliberation between all stakeholders associated with the building and construction industry.
• Media Outreach: Professionals from GRIHA Council, TERI, MNRE are frequently requested by the print and electronic media for expert articles and updates on the Green Building front. These engagements ensure that GRIHA Council is in continuous touch with the end users either directly through its own efforts or through the media.