SVAGRIHA


Introduction

SVAGRIHA, an abbreviation for Simple Versatile Affordable GRIHA, was conceived to spread out the concept of green buildings and sustainability to small-scale stakeholders, that is, owners of projects such as bungalows and small offices. It was developed as a simple guidance-cum-rating tool to ramp up its adoption by general masses and further minimize the GHG emissions caused by small-scale constructions.

The new version of SVAGRIHA furthers the dimension of this tool by appending an impact evaluation calculator. This online tool will guide the users towards selecting appropriate design strategies for their projects, based on the site and climatic conditions. It will also help them to perform qualitative and/or quantitative impact assessment of their projects. Informed decisions during the initial stage of construction can help in minimizing the deleterious effects of the development on the environment.

Eligibility

All new construction projects with built up area 100 m2 ≤ x ≤ 2500 m2 are eligible for certification under SVAGRIHA V. 3.

Rating Framework

The rating system has seven environmental sections based on which a project will be evaluated. The total points that a project can achieve from these sections are 50. The eighth section is 'Innovation', which acts as a bonus section. A project team can achieve a maximum of 2 points from this section.

S.No. Section Name Maximum Points
1 Sustainable Site Planning 12
2 Sustainable Building Materials 7
3 Energy Optimization 8
4 Occupant Comfort and Wellbeing 7
5 Water Management 8
6 Solid Waste Management 3
7 Sustainable Lifestyle 5
  Total 50
8 Innovation 2
  Grand Total 52

These sections are further divided into 14 criteria that act as both design guidelines and point scoring parameters for the project.

Rating Threshold

SVAGRIHA is a 50-point percentile-based rating system. Based on the percentile obtained, star rating is awarded as listed below:

Points required to be achieved for star rating:

Points SVAGRIHA Rating
25-29
30-34
35-39
40-44
45-50

Rating Process

  • Online Registration:
    The project team can initiate the registration process by filling the EOI Form available on the GRIHA website. The process of registration is completed after the successful payment of registration fees by the project team. Once the project is registered, the project team is provided with a username and password for submitting the documentation on the GRIHA online panel.
  • Orientation Workshop (Optional)
    The orientation workshop, conducted by GRIHA officials/field experts who are assigned by GRIHA Council, is a rigorous training session of 1 day for the whole project team. The team comprises owners, architects, green consultants, contractors, and team members from civil, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical departments. The workshop is advised to be conducted before commencement of the construction activities on-site and after all the team members are on board.

    The workshop is an important step towards making a green building as it gives the project team a platform to understand the rating system while getting familiarized with on-site challenges and possible solutions available for their scope of work.

    NOTE: Orientation workshop is optional in SVAGRIHA rating and it is conducted only on request from the project proponent along with a payment of additional fee.
  • Intermittent Site Visit (Optional)
    A visit will be conducted to assess the development of the project and to facilitate the project team to achieve the desired rating. Any shortcomings observed during this visit will be communicated to the project team. NOTE: Intermittent site visit is optional in SVAGRIHA rating and it is conducted only on request from the project proponent along with a payment of additional fee.
  • Submission of Documents and Online Calculators
    As the project nears completion, the project proponent should upload the documents for all the criteria on the online panel. A list of the documents is provided under each criterion on the panel.

    Further, online calculators provided on the panel need to be duly filled and submitted. Once online submission of the documents for all the criteria is completed, the evaluation process for rating would commence.
  • Preliminary Evaluation
    After the online submission, a preliminary evaluation is carried out by a team of professionals that includes GRIHA Council officials and external evaluators. External evaluators are experts in their respective fields recognized by GRIHA Council. The project team will be made aware of all the missing or incomplete documentation so that the same can be submitted to achieve the desired rating.
  • Site Visit (Mandatory)
    The mandatory site visit under SVAGRIHA rating is conducted upon completion of the project. This shall be conducted to verify the submitted documentation with respect to on-site implementation. The visit is done once the project is complete and all equipment and systems are installed and commissioned.
  • Final Evaluation and Award of Rating
    The GRIHA Council officials along with external evaluators shall evaluate the final round of submitted documentation (including the documents submitted as a response to the preliminary evaluation and the site visit). On the basis of this evaluation, GRIHA Council shall prepare a final score card after the project team furnishes all requisite information sought by the evaluators. In the end, the rating will be awarded based on the final evaluation, which will be valid up to 5 years.

SVAGRIHA (Simple Versatile Affordable GRIHA) was jointly developed by GRIHA Council and TERI. SVAGRIHA is a significantly simplified, faster, easier and more affordable rating system and will eventually function as a design-cum-rating tool. It was required that attention be paid to smaller buildings in India which although have small individual environmental footprints but their cumulative effect is far bigger.

SVAGRIHA has been designed as an extension of GRIHA and has been specifically developed for projects with built-up area less than 2500 sq. mtr. SVAGRIHA can help in design and evaluation of individual residences, small offices, schools, motels, commercial buildings etc. The rating comprises only 14 criteria and the interface comprises of simplified calculators. These calculators can be filled using information from construction drawings like areas; and quantities and specifications of materials. This can be done easily by the architect of the project. Once completed, the tool will tell the architect the number of points that they are able to achieve in that particular criterion and provide recommendations for any improvements in order to improve the environmental performance of the building.

  • The rating system has 14 criteria.
  • Beyond the pilot-phase, the tool will be converted into a web-tool.
  • The criteria are divided into 5 broad sub-groups-namely: energy, water and waste, materials, landscape and others.
  • It will be mandatory to attempt certain points under each sub-group. This has been detailed in further sections.
  • The total points that a project can achieve are 50
  • The rating will be done on a 1-5 star scale.
Eligibility

SVA GRIHA is applicable only for projects which are less than 2500 sq m built-up area. Any building, except for a factory building, are is accepted under the SVAGRIHA rating system.

Process
  • Registration
  • Submission of drawings and other documents as required (quantity estimates) to GRIHA Council
  • Assessment/review as per SVAGRIHA
  • Feedback to project team
  • Site visit and due diligence check post construction
  • Evaluation by a GRIHA Evaluator: In order to get a rating, it is mandatory for each project to achieve a certain number of minimum points in each category as mentioned below.
  • Award of rating
Points achieved SVAGRIHA Rating
25-30
31-35
36-40
41-45
45-50

Note:The site audit to check compliance will be done once the project is complete and all equipment to be verified are installed.

Certification fee

For registration -.click here

SVAGRIHA Precertification Fees – Rs 30,000

Built-up Area (sqm) Fees Fee USD
≤299 Rs 30,000 500
300 - 799 Rs 60,000 1000
800 -1499 Rs 80,000 1200
1500 - 2499 Rs 1,00,000 1500

Exclusive of government taxes
Note: All travel and accommodation of GRIHA Council professionals, for outside Delhi projects, is not included in the above cost and shall be arranged by the client or reimbursed as per actuals.

Criteria and their weightage
Criterion number Criterion name Points
1 Reduce exposed, hard paved surface on site and maintain native vegetation cover on site 6
2 Passive architectural design and systems 4
3 Good fenestration design for reducing direct heat gain and glare while maximising daylight penetration 6
4 Efficient artificial lighting system 2
5 Thermal efficiency of building envelope 2
6 Use of energy efficient appliances 3
7 Use of renewable energy on site 4
8 Reduction in building and landscape water demand 5
9 Rainwater harvesting 4
10 Generate resource from waste 2
11 Reduce embodied energy of building 4
12 Use of low-energy materials in interiors 4
13 Adoption of green lifestyle 4
14 Innovation 2

Click here to register your project Register