Ashok Leyland’s corporate office in Chennai has been awarded LEED v4.1 Buildings Operations & Maintenance certification at the Platinum level. LEED v4.1 is the newest version of the LEED (or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). With this honor, Ashok Leyland becomes the first office in India and fourth in the world to receive LEED v4.1 Platinum certification.
NV Balachandar, president, HR, communication and CSR, Ashok Leyland, said, “We were awarded LEED Gold certification in 2009 and by striving for continuous improvement we have now been able to receive LEED v4.1 Platinum certification at our corporate office. We are the only corporate office in India to have received this certification. Sustainability is an integral part of all of our objectives, and we are deeply committed to creating cleaner and safer work environments. We have been associated with LEED for a decade and have observed great improvement in our energy and water savings, waste management, carbon footprint and the health of our employees through the use of LEED. We look forward to a long-lasting association with LEED to help us achieve our sustainability goals.”
The Ashok Leyland’s office is located in the heart of the city, with easy access to bus, metro and rail networks. The ease of access created due to the location of the Chennai office leads to a high share of public transport usage. The project achieved 91 points, and continues to monitor, analyse and optimise their performance by using the Arc platform. To ensure occupants health and well-being, the site has enough outdoor air intake as per ASHRAE standards, ensuring low CO2 and TVOC levels.
Gopalakrishnan Padmanabhan, MD, APAC and Middle East, Green Business Certificate Institute (GBCI), said “The LEED v4.1 rating system was introduced last year, and is a collaborative, accessible and effective LEED system to date. Ashok Leyland’s certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership. As the first project in India to receive LEED v4.1 Platinum certification, the firm’s Chennai office serves as an international model for sustainability excellence. Existing buildings have a great potential to improve their efficiency and performance through LEED. Ashok Leyland has set a benchmark in the industry by creating a sustainable workspace in the automobile sector.”
USGBC believes in continuous improvement, and updates to the LEED rating system are made through a continuous improvement process. With each new version of the rating system, USGBC is committed to challenging the building sector to be more resource efficient and sustainable. Every building is unique, and LEED 4.1 offers flexible ways for projects to demonstrate compliance and leadership. It is the most inclusive and transparent LEED rating system to date. It places special emphasis on human health and integrates performance metrics powered by Arc to encourage ongoing tracking.