LEED Earth Participant ITC Sankhya Data Center First LEED v4 Platinum Building in India

USGBC’s LEED Earth campaign designed to spur growth of green building in countries across the globe; ITC Sankhya is also the world’s first LEED v4 Platinum data center

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced today that ITC Sankhya Data Center in Bengaluru, India is the very first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) v4 Platinum building in India, as represented in USGBC’s ongoing LEED Earth campaign which was launched in June 2013. ITC Sankhya Data Center is also the first LEED v4 Platinum data center in the world. ITC is a $ 40 billion market cap multi-business conglomerate in India and a global exemplar in sustainability with LEED certification for all its premium luxury hotels, factories and even employee residences.

Designed to accelerate the uptake of green building and LEED in new and existing markets, LEED Earth is a USGBC campaign that offers free certification to the first LEED Platinum project in any country to certify using the newest version of LEED.  It also offers free certification to the first project to LEED certify in the more than 100 countries where LEED has yet to take root.

“Every story about LEED is a story of leadership,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, chief operating officer of USGBC and president of Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). “LEED is the premier global rating system for making sure that buildings are designed, constructed and operated so that they save energy, water and precious resources, reduce waste and carbon emissions and provide healthier environments for the people who use these buildings every day.”

Data centers are unique projects as they have very few occupants, and they are huge energy users: a data center can use as much energy as a small town. Whereas a typical building is designed to meet heating and cooling needs for occupant comfort, a data center must provide massive cooling power for its servers. Water use is also a key target area for data centers, if the facility utilizes water for cooling. These specific building needs are built in to the data center adaption for LEED. With the Indian data center infrastructure market expected to total $2 billion in 2016—a 5.2 percent increase from 2015—sustainably built data centers will be critical.

Commenting on this singular achievement, Mr Chitranjan Dar, Group Head of ITC’s Central Project Organisation, R & D and EHS said “This is a proud moment for ITC and this LEED certification will be a cherished achievement in the company’s sustainability journey. As a carbon, water and solid waste recycling positive company, we have endeavoured to contribute to a better tomorrow. Our leadership to the green building movement in India through LEED certification is an important manifestation of our commitment to shape a sustainable future for the generations to come.”

To date, four countries have their first LEED v4 Platinum buildings: India, China, Mexico and Canada. The countries to have their first LEED certified building are: Burundi, Croatia, Ecuador, Honduras, Kuwait, Latvia, Luxembourg, Pakistan, Serbia, South Sudan, Ukraine, Tanzania, Bolivia, Lithuania, Dominican Republic, Kenya, Ghana, Myanmar and Venezuela —  and were among LEED Earth participants.

“There are 160 countries and territories currently using LEED,” added Ramanujam. “LEED Earth has become a catalyst for other countries where green building is not as prevalent and is an important first step in changing the course of building practice to one that is more sustainable and for markets that are more advanced in this space, we congratulate you on your continued leadership. LEED ON!”