GBCI launches EDGE Green Building certification system

Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), in conjunction with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), has launched the EDGE green building certification system in India to jumpstart the mainstreaming of resource-efficient buildings across the country in a fast, simple and affordable way.

An innovation of IFC, EDGE is a certification system for new residential and commercial buildings that enables design teams and project owners to assess the most 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 the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
 
"Further strategies applied in EDGE can later be leveraged and upgraded to more comprehensive green building practices," he added. "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 premiere green building credentialing body, also certifies project and accredits professionals under USGBC's fifteen year-old Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building program, 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 was selected by IFC to administer and certify EDGE projects in India because of the traction GBCI has gained globally in the certification and credentialing for sustainability standards. Daily, GBCI certifies 1.8 million square feet of construction space.

"As the leader in the green building certification space, GBCI has the greatest potential to convince the Indian market to build resource-efficient buildings at scale through EDGE," said Prashant Kapoor, IFC's Principal Green Building Specialist. "GBCI's willingness to take on this enormous challenge is a breakthrough in IFC's ambition to promote green building growth in emerging markets in order to help tackle climate change."

"GBCI's overarching mission is to transform the built environment," added Ramanujam. "EDGE allows us to broaden our scope and affect market transformation on an even greater scale. By also certifying EDGE buildings at the entry level spectrum, we are furthering the education of the market when it comes to sustainable and efficient construction practices."

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 percent reduction in energy and water consumption, as well as the energy used to make the construction materials.

About Green Business Certification Inc.
Established in 2008, Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), certifies green business industry performance and practice globally. The agency exclusively administers project certifications and professional credentials and certificates within the framework of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating systems as well as the PEER standard for power systems, the WELL building standard, the SITES standard for sustainable landscapes and the GRESB benchmark, which is used by institutional investors to improve the sustainability performance of the global property sector.

IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector. Working with private enterprises in about 100 countries, IFC provided more than US $22 billion in financing to improve lives in developing countries in FY14 and tackle the urgent challenges of development.

EDGE
EDGE which stands for "Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies, is a green building certification system for nearly 100 emerging market countries that is an innovation of IFC, a member of the World Bank Group. Fast, easy to use and affordable, 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.