Amogh N P
✦ In loving memory of Amogh N P — Architect · Designer · Visionary ✦
A climate-responsive Indian institutional building with deep shaded verandahs, jaali screens, a rainwater-harvesting tank and a rooftop solar array — a GRIHA-style whole-habitat green design.
Unit IVGreen Buildings & Code Compliance

GRIHA Ratings & Compliance

India's national rating — criteria, stars and compliance.

≈ 45 min + studio task

GRIHA is India's national green-building rating system — by TERI and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, administered by the GRIHA Council. Learn its sections and roughly thirty criteria, its 100 points, and its distinctive 1-to-5 star rating awarded by percentile (25/41/56/71/86 in v2019); its variants for different project types; and how a project is evaluated and certified. Use the certification-level explorer to see points become stars.

Learning objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to — mapped to the course outcomes for Green Buildings & Code Compliance:

1
CO4 · Understand

Explain GRIHA's origin, body and what its criteria assess.

2
CO4 · Apply

Map a GRIHA percentile to a 1–5 star rating.

3
CO4 · Understand

Identify the GRIHA variants for different project types.

4
CO4 · Apply

Sequence the GRIHA evaluation and compliance process.

The whole habitat

GRIHA — criteria and stars

GRIHA scores the whole habitat — site, energy, water, waste, materials and comfort — for 100 points, and awards 1–5 stars by percentile in v2019, not the older raw-points scheme.[1]

GRIHA — the whole habitat Site planning Energy Occupant comfort Water Solid waste Materials & life-cycle Socio-economic Performance metering About thirty criteria across a dozen sections — 100 points, plus bonus innovation points. GRIHA rates the whole habitat, not just energy — water, waste and the construction process too.
DiagramGRIHA scores the whole habitat — site, energy, water, materials, waste, comfort and innovation — across about thirty criteria

India's national system

GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) is India's NATIONAL rating system, developed by TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and administered by the independent GRIHA COUNCIL. It is PERFORMANCE- and CLIMATE-based — built for Indian conditions rather than imported — and is the system the government most often requires for public buildings. MISCONCEPTION→correct: 'GRIHA and IGBC are interchangeable' — GRIHA is national/TERI-MNRE with stars; IGBC is CII's LEED-derived family.[1]

GRIHA stars — by percentile (v2019) 1★25 2★41 3★56 4★71 5★86 v2019 awards stars by PERCENTILE of 100 points: 25 / 41 / 56 / 71 / 86. The older pre-2019 scheme used raw points 50/60/70/80/90 — know both for old question banks.
DiagramGRIHA v2019 awards 1 to 5 stars by percentile of 100 points — 25, 41, 56, 71 and 86
The GRIHA family

Variants & compliance

A family of variants — SVAGRIHA, existing buildings, affordable housing, cities, interiors — fits different projects, each registered, documented and third-party evaluated with performance metering.[1, 3]

The GRIHA family GRIHAmain · large buildings SVAGRIHAsmall buildings Existing Buildings Affordable Housing Cities Large Developments Interiors Choosing the right variant for the project size and type is the first compliance decision. SVAGRIHA (Simple Versatile Affordable GRIHA) rates buildings of roughly 100–2,500 m².
DiagramThe GRIHA family of variants — SVAGRIHA for small buildings, existing buildings, affordable housing, cities and interiors

The GRIHA family

GRIHA has grown into a FAMILY for different project sizes and types: SVAGRIHA (Simple Versatile Affordable GRIHA) for small buildings (roughly 100–2,500 m²); the main GRIHA for larger buildings; GRIHA for LARGE DEVELOPMENTS (big sites); GRIHA for EXISTING BUILDINGS (and existing schools); GRIHA for AFFORDABLE HOUSING (aligned to PMAY); GRIHA for CITIES; and GRIHA for INTERIORS. Choosing the right variant for the project is the first compliance decision.[1]

Interactive

Points to stars

Select GRIHA in the explorer and slide the score to see the percentile bands turn points into a 1-to-5 star rating — and compare with the LEED and IGBC point bands.

Certification level · set the score

Certified ≥40Silver ≥50Gold ≥60Platinum ≥80

110 points across 7 impact categories + Innovation + Regional Priority.

Awarded levelGoldLEED (USGBC)

LEED & IGBC use point bands; GRIHA v2019 awards stars by percentile of 100 points (25/41/56/71/86).

GRIHA vs IGBC

At a glance

AspectGRIHAIGBC
OwnerGRIHA: TERI + MNRE (national)IGBC: CII (LEED-derived)
ResultGRIHA: 1–5 starsIGBC: Certified to Platinum
v2019 stars byPercentile: 25/41/56/71/86(older scheme: 50/60/70/80/90 points)
Small-building variantSVAGRIHA100–2,500 m²
ScopeThe whole habitatSite, energy, water, waste, materials
Vocabulary

Key terms

GRIHA

India's national rating system (TERI + MNRE), administered by the GRIHA Council.

GRIHA criteria

~30 criteria across ~12 sections — site, energy, water, waste, materials, comfort.

GRIHA stars

1–5 stars by percentile of 100 points (25/41/56/71/86 in v2019).

SVAGRIHA

Simple Versatile Affordable GRIHA — the variant for small buildings.

GRIHA variants

Schemes for existing buildings, affordable housing, cities, interiors and more.

Performance metering

Measured-performance checks that inform GRIHA's final evaluation.

Apply it

Studio task

A project achieves 73 points on GRIHA v2019. Use the explorer to find its star rating, and state the percentile band it falls in. Then pick the right GRIHA variant for (a) a 1,500 m² office, (b) an existing school, and (c) an affordable-housing scheme — and explain why GRIHA rates “the whole habitat”, not just energy.

Check your understanding

Self-assessment

1. GRIHA was developed by —

2. In GRIHA v2019, the star rating is awarded by —

3. SVAGRIHA is the GRIHA variant for —

In a nutshell

Recap

GRIHA is India's national rating system (TERI + MNRE; GRIHA Council) — performance- and climate-based.
It scores ~30 criteria across ~12 sections (the whole habitat) for 100 points plus innovation.
Stars are awarded by percentile in v2019 — 25/41/56/71/86 — not the older 50/60/70/80/90 points.
A family of variants (SVAGRIHA, existing buildings, affordable housing, cities, interiors) fits different projects.
Projects register, document against criteria and are third-party evaluated, often with performance metering.
The evidence

References & further reading

  1. [1]GRIHA Council, GRIHA v2019 Manual (Vol. 1) and rating-process documentation — criteria, stars, variants, compliance.
  2. [2]TERI / MNRE — GRIHA's development and national role.
  3. [3]GRIHA Council — SVAGRIHA, GRIHA for Existing Buildings / Affordable Housing / Cities.
  4. [4]BEE — ECBC/ECO-NIWAS, the mandatory floor beneath voluntary ratings.

Further reading

  • GRIHA Council — GRIHA v2019 Manual.
  • TERI — GRIHA training and reference material.
  • Nayak & Prajapati — Handbook on Energy Conscious Buildings.

Sources gathered and fact-checked June 2026. Published values vary by source, sample and method — treat as indicative and confirm against the cited standard before structural use.