Coimbatore should emerge as one of the finest greener and smarter cities in the country and in the process set new global benchmarks in green buildings and green built-environment, the Corporation Commissioner, Dr. K. Vijayakarthikeyan, said today.

Addressing the delegates at the CII-Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) Green Conclave here, Vijayakarthikeyan underlined the need and importance of adopting and promoting energy management practices in Corporation and other Government buildings.

“This, in turn, should showcase some of the finest and best practices in energy management worth emulating by others in the country,” he said adding that in days to come, all the Corporation buildings here should be energy surplus and cater their own energy requirements.

“Not a single rupee should be spend on energy bills,” he said.

Appreciating the initiatives of IGBC in spearheading the green building movement in the country, he called upon it to partner with Coimbatore Municipal Corporation in taking forward the Smart City mission and the Corporation will explore the possibilities of offering incentives to IGBC rated green building projects.

Chairman, IGBC Policy and Advocacy Committee, V. Suresh, while sharing on the theme of the Conclave – “Smart Built Environment” said that IGBC rated green buildings save about 30 to 40 per cent of energy costs vis-à-vis a conventional building.

CII-IGBC Coimbatore Chairman Rajesh B Lund, said that the Council has facilitated over 4.48 billion sq.ft of built-up area adopted IGBC green building rating systems.

“This has enabled India become the 2nd Country in the world in terms of largest green building footprint, with projects spread across the Country,” he said.

IGBC aspires to facilitate 10 billion sq.ft by 2022 (75th year of India’s Independence), Lund said.