CASE STUDY:

GBCI INDIA CORPORATE HEAD OFFICE

BEYOND PLATINUM
A continued commitment to environmental and human health

GBCI India© 2020


ABOUT GBCI
Established in 2008, GBCI is the only certification and credentialing
body within the green business and sustainability industry to
exclusively administer project certifications and credentials of
LEED, EDGE, GRESB, Parksmart, PEER, SITES, TRUE, WELL
and ICP. With locations in several countries, GBCI currently
supports project teams and professionals all over the world.
GBCI & USGBC
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a nonprofit organization
that supports the development of prosperous, healthy and resilient
communities through the transformation of the built environment.
Through its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
green building program, USGBC is committed to transforming how
our buildings and communities are designed, constructed and
operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible,
healthy, and prosperous environment that improves quality of life.
As the standard-making body itself, USGBC could not administer its
certification process. Green business Certification Inc. (GBCI)
extends support to USGBC for certification and professional
credentialing. GBCI also extends support to other organizations like
IWBI, GRESB, IFC World Bank, etc. for execution of programs like
WELL, GRESB and EDGE, among others. Certain other programs
like PEER are developed and administered by GBCI itself.
GBCI at a Glance
Founded in 2008, 140+ staff experts and 600
consultants in 160 countries
Headquartered in Washington D.C.
Mission: Green Business Certification
Inc. (GBCI) is the premier organization
for independently recognizing excellence
in sustainability performance and practice
globally. Through rigorous certification
and credentialing standards, GBCI drives
adoption of green business practices,
which fosters global competitiveness and
enhances environmental performance
and human health benefits.
Vision: Businesses and communities will
regenerate and sustain the health and
vitality of all life within a generation
https://gbci.org/

GBCI IN INDIA

The GBCI India Corporate head office in Noida provides

on-the-ground customer support for regional green
building and business project teams in the Middle East
and Asia Pacific regions. A staff of close to 40 people
operating from multiple cities across India provides
support in technical development, certification, market
development, marketing and technical customer solutions.

THE NEED FOR A HEAD OFFICE

India ranks third globally for countries outside of the U.S.

with the most LEED-certified space, having over 15 million
gross square meters. It was thus essential for GBCI to set
up an office space in India to administer support locally to
the project teams.

In 2014, USGBC announced its expanded support of

LEED in India. GBCI India started with an office in
Gurgaon to facilitate the expansion of LEED and other
GBCI programs while offering on-the-ground support to
our customers.

USGBC launched v4 of its LEED rating system in 2016. It

became imperative for GBCI India to demonstrate though
its space the achievability of the credits and the positive
impact they have on environment and human health.

CASE STUDY: GBCI India© 2020

GBCI INDIA CORPORATE HEAD OFFICE
 2018: Highest scoring LEED v4 ID+C
project in India

• Location: World Trade Tower, Sector 16,

Noida, Uttar Pradesh- 201301
• Headquarters offices completed 2017
• 4,265 gross square feet
• Private and open office workspaces, reception
area, cafeteria, pantry, two conference rooms,
server room
• Full Time Employees: 17

PROJECT TEAM PROJECT GOALS

GBCI INDIA Owner DEMONSTRATE Demonstrate how the insights from
ANAGRAM Architect the project could help other projects
CBRE PMC from the region seeking similar
certification
EDIFICE MEP Consultant
IDI Contractor
EN3 Sustainability Consultant LEAD Lead by example and constantly
strive to improve performance
beyond the established
benchmarks and thresholds
BEYOND MISSION

As one of the organizations that developed and
nurtured the standard, it was essential to demonstrate
the achievability of the highest level certification in the
region. GBCI India thus set out to create a state-of-
the-art space conducive to occupant health and
wellbeing and a space that enhances the living
standard.
When charting out the vision for the space, the project
team wanted it to be an embodiment of the
organization’s vision: “Businesses and communities
will regenerate and sustain the health and vitality of all
life within a generation”. The space aspires to
demonstrate a commitment to sustainability beyond
certification by priming the visitors to take inspired
action towards a sustainable future.
DEVELOP Develop a work space that utilizes
technologies and flexible design to
foster a healthy and collaborative
work environment with an emphasis
on well-being for occupants
PROMOTE Promote collaboration by creating a
state-of-the-art space. Also using
surveys and the integrative process
to ensure that stakeholders’
feedback is constantly integrated
RAISE Raise awareness on the impact of
the built environment on human
health and productivity

In order to maximize the positive environmental, social

and health benefits, the project team decided to INFORM Inform the public and share
pursue the highest certification levels under both learnings through Green building
LEED v4 rating system and the WELL v2, and to also tours, Material wall and messaging,
etc.
monitor their performance through the Arc Skoru
platform.

CASE STUDY: GBCI India© 2020

GBCI INDIA CORPORATE HEAD OFFICE
PROJECT TIMELINE

Project kick Construction WELL v1

off closure Registration
Aug’2016 Aug’2017 Aug’2017

Space lease LEED v4 WELL v2

Occupancy
approval Registration Certification
Sep’2017
Sep’2016 May’2017 Dec’2019

Project Construction Arc monitoring WELL PV

execution plan commencement
May’2017 Feb’2018 Sep’2019
Feb’2017

Design phase Design phase LEED v4 WELL v2

commencement closure Certification Migration
Mar’2017 Apr’2017 Sep’2018 Sep’2018

PROJECT SCORECARD

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is one of the most robust green building rating systems
available globally. LEED v4 launched in 2016 is has 21 adaptations covering literally all building typologies. The
rating system sets out a framework and shares guidance to be followed by the teams during building design,
construction and operation to create more environmentally preferable, healthy and cost-efficient buildings.
www.usgbc.org/leed

CASE STUDY: GBCI India© 2020

GBCI INDIA CORPORATE HEAD OFFICE
SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES
The first step towards creating this space was to identify a centrally located commercial space in Delhi NCR,
well-serviced by public transportation. The project team identified a 25 storey building in Noida next to the
Delhi-Noida Direct Flyover and the Noida sector 16 metro station. With a convention center, fitness center,
access to multiple modes of transportation, food courts, and an upcoming hotel, the 10th story of this office
building became ideal for GBCI India to locate its new corporate head office.

LOCATION: The office stands in a very prime location in LOCATION

Noida sector 16. It is central to many regions of Delhi NCR
and is well-serviced by various modes of public
transportation. The project leverages site design and
amenities within the immediate vicinity like a fountain / water
feature, artistic installations and landscaped elements to
further to encourage physical activity.
DENSITY: The project site has a surrounding density of
about 35,000 square feet per acre of buildable land and a
presence of diverse facilities like banks, post offices,
restaurants, fitness centers etc. within a one-quarter mile
walking distance from the building. The strategic location of
the office thus encourages walkability.
PARKING: A location well-served by transit also helps
reduce the office's parking requirement by 81.25%. The
office encourages carpooling by dedicating 1/3 of available
parking capacity for carpool vehicles.
GBCI India’s office space has been designed to
LIGHTING & VIEWS
optimize both natural and artificial light to ensure
energy savings as well as keep occupants’ circadian
rhythms in sync.
DAYLIGHT: The project site is oriented so that it
enjoys a favorable north orientation for daylight. A
clear envelope, open office layout and transparent
interior partitions (cabins and conference rooms)
ensure daylight penetrates deep into the floor plate.
Daylight simulations carried out for the space
demonstrate that 76.04% of the regularly occupied
floor area complies with sDA thresholds of 300 lux for
at least 50% of the occupied hours in a year. The
occupants in the space also enjoy good quality views.
GLARE: The space faces north and enjoys good
daylight exposure, however, to prevent any discomfort
due to glare, the provision of manually controlled
blinds allows occupants to customize the space as
per their preference.
LIGHTING: Through efficient spatial design and appropriate lighting fixture selection, the space commits to
providing an indoor environment in sync with circadian rhythm of occupants. LED lighting coupled with
occupancy sensors and daylight sensors improve lighting efficiency. While selecting the lighting fixture, the focus
has not been on lux levels alone but also on CCT of the fixture to ensure the least disturbance to the human
circadian rhythm. Lighting controls are provided for all shared and individual occupied spaces. Additionally, there
is also a provision of task light, available upon request. The office does not use mercury-containing lamps and
the light used is largely flicker free.

CASE STUDY: GBCI India© 2020

GBCI INDIA CORPORATE HEAD OFFICE
VIEWS: Quality views to the outdoors including sky, flora, and fauna have been known to reinforce a connection
with nature and impact occupant’s mental health in a positive manner. The spatial layout of the GBCI Noida
office is such that the project has provided a direct line of sight to vision glazing with at least two kinds of views
to 87.6% of the regularly occupied area
VISUAL BALANCE: Finishes and furnishings chosen for the space have mostly followed a light colour palette
and higher light reflectance coupled with accents in green and blue. The lighter colour finishes enhance the
brightness within the space and maintain a visual balance.
BIOPHILIA: The space demonstrates incorporation of biophilic elements like plants, which have been known to
influence occupant’s mental health and productivity in a positive manner.

The energy consumed by buildings during construction

and the operational phase results in fossil fuel burning ENERGY
which contributes to the ambient air pollution. LEED
provides a structured approach to energy efficiency,
which starts with a focus on design that reduces overall
energy needs.
GREEN POWER: The space is engaged in a 5-year
renewable contract to offset 100% of electricity
consumption and CO2 emissions through the purchase
of RECs and Green Power. CSG CleanBuild (REC) helps
offset an annual electricity consumption of 50,000
kWh/year. Green-e Climate’s certificate indicates that the
project invests in green power to the tune of total energy
usage of 439,036 kBtu of district cooling energy use for a
total of 30 Metric Tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
EFFICIENT SYSTEM DESIGN: The project realized an
energy cost savings of 35.85 % due to efficient lighting
and adaptable lighting controls, daylight harvesting, plug
load monitoring, smart appliances, efficient mechanical
systems, and thermal comfort controls for 100% of
occupants.
Proper commissioning ensured systems were operating
per the basis of design and owner’s project requirements
and that no energy was wasted through operational
errors.
SENORS: The project space is integrated with daylight
sensors and occupancy sensors which regulate the light
levels in the space and minimize energy wastage. Energy
wastage is further reduced by following demand-
controlled ventilation, wherein the carbon dioxide sensors
continuously monitor the CO2 levels in the space and
accordingly regulate the treated fresh air.

CASE STUDY: GBCI India© 2020

GBCI INDIA CORPORATE HEAD OFFICE
 MATERIALS
90.4% of products by cost are low-emitting materials.
This reduces the concentration of chemical
contaminants that can damage air quality, human
health, productivity, and the environment.
83% of all materials installed in the space were
transparent in terms of composition and origin. Twenty
(20) materials had Environmental Product Declarations
reports and 21 materials demonstrated compliance
with BPDO’s Material ingredient credit. Of these, 5
materials had Cradle-to-Cradle certifications, 8
materials had Health Product Declarations and 8
materials demonstrated compliance with ANSI/BIFMA
regulations for material ingredients

INDOOR AIR QUALITY

Flush-out and air testing were performed to
ensure exceptional indoor air quality.
Formaldehyde, particulates, ozone, TVOC,
chemicals from CDPH standard method v1.1 and
CO were within LEED limits.
FILTERS: Despite being located in a place where
the ambient air quality can be challenging around
the year, the space manages to provide healthy
indoor air to occupants through incorporation of
MERV 13 filters and carbon filters, which arrest
particulate matter and organic gases.
CO2 SENSORS: The space has been designed
for demand-controlled ventilation. The sensors
located in the space constantly monitor the
carbon dioxide levels and the set point has
currently been kept at 750 ppm. Whenever the
CO2 levels exceed the set point, the TFA gets
switched on automatically to regulate the air
quality.
AIR QUALITY MONITORS: A huge display
located at the entrance of the space constantly
displays the critical air quality parameters like the
PM 2.5 , PM 10, CO2 and TVOC levels. This has
helped generate greater responsiveness amongst
the occupants towards their environment.
EXHAUST: All the washroom doors have a self-
closing mechanism and are separately
exhausted. Placement of printers and cleaning
chemicals has been done in a thoughtful manner
to avoid contamination of indoor air.

CASE STUDY: U.S. Green Building Council© 2020

GBCI INDIA CORPORATE HEAD OFFICE
 WA S T E
Waste segregation is the first step to waste
management. All operational waste falling under the
categories of “Plastic”, “Food”, “Paper” and “E-Waste”
is gathered separately on-site. Additionally, to reduce
construction and demolition waste disposed of in
landfills, the project demonstrated 83% construction
waste diversion across 11 material streams.

The manner in which buildings and the spaces

PHYSICAL COMFORT
around the buildings are planned and designed
can encourage active living and inculcate healthy
habits amongst people.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: Throughout its space, GBCI
India encourages occupants to follow an active
lifestyle by organizing weekly fitness sessions.
The sessions organized in the space include
varying fitness forms like Zumba, Yoga and
Aerobics, led by both internal and external
instructors.

THERMAL COMFORT: Efficient system design ensures the occupants

are provided with an indoor atmosphere which is thermally comfortable.
An occupant survey is used to monitor the occupant satisfaction levels.
Additionally, provision of portable fans and thin blankets/shawls is made
so occupants can customize the environment based on their preference.

ACOUSTICAL COMFORT: With a double-glazed façade on the outside,

the layout of spaces is done in a manner to ensure acoustical comfort
for the occupants. The space zoning is done in a manner to cater to all
kinds of work scenarios like focused work, group discussions or
workshops while ensuring speech privacy, minimum reverberation, and
minimum intrusion of outdoor noise.

ERGONOMIC COMFORT: Furniture or equipment over time can cause

discomfort and strain the body, especially in occupational environments
that require repetitive tasks. Accordingly, all furniture installed in the
space ensures compliance with HFES 100 standard or BIFMA G1
guidelines.
STANDING DESKS
Sitting is recognized to be the “new smoking”. In its space, GBCI India
allows for varied working environments to encourage occupants to
follow an active lifestyle. Provision to alternate between sitting and
standing work conditions has been given through adjustable height
laptop arms, height-adjustable additional screens and fixed height
standing desks.

CASE STUDY: GBCI India© 2020

GBCI INDIA CORPORATE HEAD OFFICE
STORIES BEYOND CERTIFICATION
Every project pursuing the sustainability path comes across its own challenges, some region-specific, some
specific to the vision for the space, some specific to the time when the project was pursuing certification. The
way a project team navigates through these challenges creates a learning experience which can inspire many
other projects, but this learning is not necessarily documented in a certification process. In order to avoid this
learning being lost, it is essential to celebrate the journey towards sustainability and not just the destination.

BEYOND SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS

This project has been one of the most ambitious of its time in terms of the vision that it set for itself. When the
market was still trying to understand the stir created by the launch of LEED v4, the project set out a target for
platinum level certification under both LEED v4 and WELL v2. As the body administering these certifications
itself, it became essential for the project to demonstrate the highest level achievability of these rating systems
in India. Being one of the first in the region to attempt this came with many unique challenges that the project
team had anticipated.
One of the biggest challenge was the unpreparedness and unawareness of the market in terms of these
material requirements. The project team followed a two-pronged approach here.
They team worked internally on overlap of requirements across credits within LEED v4 and between LEED v4
and WELL. The idea was to choose minimum number of products with multiple sustainability attributes which
would meet requirements across all rating systems.
While the material shortlisting criteria was being prepared on the basis of internal research, the team also
reached out to the manufacturers to know about the availability of the shortlisted materials in the market. One
of the most interesting observations was that in many cases the manufacturer’s local representatives were
unaware of these attributes of a material. The team conducted many awareness building sessions with the
manufacturers and with the project teams to help raise awareness. The project team ended up speaking to
more than 50 manufacturers to shortlist 30 products from 13 manufacturers which met the requirements of
credits across both LEED v4 and WELL v2.
There are certain overlaps in the material requirements across LEED v4 and WELL v2. The building product
disclosure and optimization (BPDO) suite of credits in LEED v4 encourages adoption of products that disclose
and ultimately optimize full life-cycle impacts, impacts of raw material sourcing and effects on human health.
WELL building standard on the other hand is focused around health and encourages transparency and
optimization of material composition for health.
When the project team initiated the material search there was a significant number of options available for the
products in compliance with the material ingredients credit, but limited selection palette of materials with
Environmental Product Declarations. The diagram below explains the process of material search followed.

SELECTING MATERIALS
The material selection process adopted by the GBCI India team toward achieving LEED V4 MR BPDO credits.

CASE STUDY: GBCI India© 2020

GBCI INDIA CORPORATE HEAD OFFICE
1. The project team brought in the contractor early in the process. The contractor was imparted necessary
training so that due diligence is followed through in the material sourcing process, and in order to avoid
any unnecessary delays and confusion.
2. The project team reached out to the manufacturers and coordinated with them directly to seek information
on the availability of products with relevant documentation sourced from the precise manufacturing
locations.
3. Based on an internal review of overlap of material requirements and feedback from manufacturers on
availability of materials, a palette was prepared. As there were many products with material health
compliance certifications available and a rather smaller selection set available for materials with
Environmental Product Decelerations, the project team narrowed down their palette by looking at materials
with EPDs available in the region. This was also critical from the perspective that these documents are
specific to the manufacturing location.
4. The project team simultaneously searched for these shortlisted products across different material health
certification databases to refine their list to include products with multiple sustainability attributes.
5. The architects, consultants, and contractors participated in the material selection process. This ensured
close coordination and timely resolution of challenges.
6. The project team always kept a buffer in case the shortlisted products would not be available.
7. Documentation was procured in certain cases from the different databases and in some cases by closely
following up with the manufacturers.

The image below lists the databases the project

BEYOND THRESHOLDS team referred to for material selection:
GBCI India committed to going beyond the
minimum requirements and pushing the
LEED credit thresholds wherever possible.
In terms of indoor water use reduction, the
project has demonstrated an exemplary
performance. While LEED places limits the
threshold at 55% for exemplary
performance, the project has gone on to
demonstrate a reduction of indoor water use
by 85.95%.
Even for the Optimize Energy Performance
credit, the project when ahead to
demonstrate a 35.85% reduction in energy
use, while LEED placed the threshold for
exemplary performance at 32%.

BEYOND EDUCATION & OUTREACH

As the GBCI India office hosts workshops, educational sessions and green building tours in its space multiple
times a year, it was essential that the space itself generates further awareness towards sustainability. A digital
display screen in the lobby shares sustainable design information, real-time building performance metrics,
current comfort conditions, and energy consumption data to inform and inspire occupants and visitors to make
conscious decisions towards a sustainable future. A material wall created on-site is a physical library of all
materials installed on the site and their sustainability attributes.

CASE STUDY: GBCI India© 2020

GBCI INDIA CORPORATE HEAD OFFICE
BEYOND POLICIES
Health is defined as a state of physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. LEED ensures occupants of a
building are provided with a high quality comfortable indoor environment that can have a positive impact on
an occupant’s psychological state and improve their productivity. However, at a workplace, the factors
impacting occupant health and productivity could be diverse.
GBCI India recognizes that stress in the workplace could have a deep impact on occupants’ health. It has
introduced policies in the space for employee fitness and mental health screening. To help with stress
management, it organizes interactive sessions in the form of team lunches, offsites, reviews with
management, and training for managers throughout the year to help employees better manage any stressful
situation that may arise the at workplace or otherwise. Additionally, optimal amount of time off in the form of
privilege leave, sick leave and casual leave is granted to the employees to ensure a work – life balance.
There can also be a lot of stress induced due to travel, so the business travel policy introduced at GBCI India
ensures employees have the flexibility to choose non-red-eye flights.

BEYOND PERSPECTIVES “The laptop arm has

“Friday fitness
sessions have acted
as a push factor for
me to make sure that
I have at least 10-15
minutes of fitness
sessions in my daily
routine.”
- SHELLY VAISH
An occupant’s perception of the space is been a really helpful
an effective tool to monitor that the space while working. Now I
is performing in accordance with the vision can sit straight up and
that was laid out for it. work which means I
stopped having lower
At GBCI India, occupant perception back pain.
surveys are carried out twice in a year and Additionally, other
remedial actions, if required, are elements like plants
accordingly taken. The occupants of the on desk are helpful in
space find the layout spacious, and the
creating an exciting

” space well-lit and cheerful.

work environment.”
- APOORV VIJ

”
WAY FORWARD
“Sustainability” is not a one-time celebration, but a continued engagement. LEED certification recognizes
integration of sustainability principles during design, and construction stages. The space aspires to embody the
principles in its operations as well. As a result the space continually monitors its performance parameters
through the Arc platform. This allows visibility to how the space performs beyond certification and a continuous
benchmarking against its peers drives an inspired action.
A space is truly brought to life by the people inhabiting it. Within every built space there exists a unique
community, one where people live, age, work, socialize, play and learn. Several initiatives are taken up around
the year to foster and celebrate this sense of community. Additionally, the health leadership committee
comprised of the organization’s leadership annually review policies critical for occupant health & wellbeing.

CASE STUDY: GBCI India© 2020

GBCI INDIA CORPORATE HEAD OFFICE
A SUSTAINABLE HEADQUARTER SNAPSHOT
GBCI India Corporate head office is a beautiful, inviting, and
productive space with high-end materials and bountiful natural
light. However, the roots of this design uncover so much more
than just an aesthetically-pleasing office. The space is a living
embodiment of the vision of the organization and inspires
collective action towards its realization. The project resolves to
demonstrate a continued commitment towards sustainability
and occupant wellbeing.

The project is one of the first projects in the region to aim for platinum level under both LEED & WELL rating
systems. With the market still trying to grasp the requirements of LEED v4 and WELL Building Standard, the
project set itself up for a rather ambitious goal. In order to realize this, it was essential that all the stakeholders
of the space shared the same vision. This would ensure coordinated action towards its realization and was
facilitated by an integrative process.

With the award of LEED Platinum certification in September 2018, the efforts taken by GBCI Noida Corporate
in terms of energy consumption reduction, water consumption reduction, waste reduction, and installation of
materials with disclosed environmental and health impacts were formally recognized. Consequentially, the
systematic process ensured creation of a space that encourages the highest level of occupant comfort, health,
and productivity. Being one of the first of its kind, the project experience brought along with it great learning
which enriched the experience of the project team, stakeholders, visitors and even the market. It wouldn’t be
far fetched to say that besides providing qualitative spaces and quantifiable benefits in terms of reduced
operations cost, the project goes beyond to achieve the organization’s vision of transforming the way buildings
are designed, built and operated. The space continues to share the vision to inspire collective effort towards
raising the living standard.

Learn more: GBCI India: https://www.gbci.org/india

CASE STUDY: GBCI India© 2020

GBCI INDIA CORPORATE HEAD OFFICE