Grundfos India, a global leader in advanced pump solutions and a trendsetter in water technology, announced that its India facility in Chennai, comprising its country headquarters and the factory building, has been accredited with LEED Platinum Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). This is the highest level of rating offered by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for green buildings and is a global benchmark for environmentally-responsible designs and sustainable construction practices.
Sustainability is becoming even more critical in the current scenario with natural resources such as water and energy rapidly depleting. The company has been one of the early adopters in implementing measurable green strategies and exhibiting highest standards of water and energy conservation, waste management, CO2 emissions, environmental quality and occupant satisfaction. The renewal of LEED certification for the entire facility reinforces its commitment to champion sustainable initiatives. The company received an overall score of 84 points for its facility, which spreads across 1,48,758 square feet.
“Achieving the LEED Platinum certification for our factory underscores our efforts to meet effective corporate green strategies. This now means that our entire facility, both the office and factory are Platinum rated. Sustainability is an integral part of our ethos and business model, and we believe our buildings should embody the values that we believe in” said Saravanan Panneer Selvam, General Manager, Grundfos India.
The facility has underground water tanks with the capacity of 3,50,000 liters to harvest rainwater that helps collect 53% (approx.) of precipitation. In addition to this, all of waste water from the factory is being recycled and is made available for landscaping and gardening purposes, making it a zero liquid discharge (ZLD) facility. The building also has provision to collect and condense water from Air Conditioners for reuse.
With its sustainable green building design, the facility optimizes the natural day light and also has efficient lighting and air conditioning systems to reduce its energy consumption. It also has a solar photo-voltaic installation in the roof-top that generates about 208 Mwh per annum that is used within its facility, further contributing towards reducing its CO2 emissions.
Grundfos India’s headquarters in Chennai (office building) was the first commercial building in the country to be ‘LEED Gold’ certified in 2005. Persistent efforts to achieve highest levels of sustainability, encouraged the company to apply for voluntary recertification of this building in 2013, when it was elevated to a Platinum rating. Now with its factory also receiving this rated, the entire premises is LEED Platinum rated.