Bengaluru, January 2026 the sixth edition of Green Blueprint, hosted by Smarter Dharma, moved the conversation on green buildings away from certification as a checkbox exercise and toward design-led, risk-aware sustainability delivery. The session combined a practitioner-level panel discussion with a live demonstration of SD+Certify, a digital platform aimed at simplifying IGBC Green Homes certification through structured workflows and real-time feasibility logic.

Moderated by Sriram Kuchimanchi, Founder and CEO of Smarter Dharma, the discussion featured:

• Selvarasu Maruthachalam, LEED Fellow & IGBC Fellow, Managing Director, LEAD Consultancy & Engineering Services

• Prasanna Venkatesh G, Executive Vice President – Plumbing, Fire & Environment, Sobha Ltd.

Certification as an Outcome, not a Starting Point

A central argument emerging from the panel was that green building certification in India is still too often pursued backwards. Selvarasu Maruthachalam reflected on two decades of practice, noting that many clients continue to begin projects with a fixed target Gold or Platinum without first interrogating climate context, operational risk, or business priorities.

Drawing from large infrastructure and IT campus projects, he emphasised that certification performs best when it follows design optimisation, not when it dictates it. Envelope performance, energy systems, water strategies, and renewables must be evaluated against location, usage intensity, and capital constraints before any rating level is discussed. When this sequence is reversed, certification becomes fragile technically compliant but operationally misaligned.

Water Security as a Strategic Design Driver

Prasanna Venkatesh anchored the discussion in a developer’s reality, positioning water independence as one of the most under-priced risks in Indian real estate. Long before “net zero water” became part of IGBC vocabulary, Sobha projects had already implemented full rainwater capture, decentralised recharge, and wastewater reuse systems.

He highlighted that:

• Uniform water benchmarks fail when rainfall, FSI regulations, and land economics vary widely by city

• Tanker dependency creates long-term operational volatility and reputational risk

• Water-positive projects are not just environmentally sound but commercially defensive assets

Both speakers agreed that context specificity not generic benchmarks must guide sustainability decisions, particularly for water, where geography and infrastructure gaps dominate outcomes.

Demonstrating SD+Certify: Making Certification Work Like a Project System

The second half of the session showcased SD+Certify, positioning it less as a “certification tool” and more as a decision-support and coordination platform.

Rather than replicating static scorecards, the live demo illustrated how certification credits can be broken down into:

• feasibility logic,

• quantitative thresholds,

• document dependencies, and

• team responsibilities.

This reframing was particularly relevant for consultants and developers managing multi-disciplinary inputs across architecture, MEP, landscape, and sustainability teams.

Technical Sidebar

How IGBC Green Homes Certification Is Simplified Using SD+

1. Credit-Level Feasibility Logic (Instead of Point Guesswork)
SD+Certify embeds IGBC Green Homes thresholds directly into the platform. For each credit:

• The system calculates what is required to achieve 1 or 2 points

• Users can test real design inputs against those thresholds

• The dashboard clearly distinguishes between achievable, conditionally achievable, and not feasible credits

This prevents late-stage surprises during submission.

2. Real-Time Scenario Testing During Design
Design teams can adjust inputs landscape area, rainwater storage, window-to-wall ratios, occupancy assumptions and immediately see how certification outcomes shift. This mirrors how consultants already think but removes the friction of spreadsheets and manual cross-checks.

3. Embedded IGBC References and Documentation Flow
Each credit links directly to the relevant IGBC guideline section, reducing interpretation errors. Document uploads (drawings, declarations, calculations, photos) are mapped to credits, creating an auditable trail from concept to construction.

4. Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration
Unlike isolated Excel trackers, SD+Certify allows parallel inputs from architects, MEP consultants, and sustainability teams. Each discipline works within a shared framework, reducing coordination risk and duplicated effort.

5. Integration with the SD+ Marketplace
Through the SD+ Marketplace, project teams can connect certification intent with:

• verified products,

• material data,

• and solution providers aligned with IGBC requirements.

This bridges a critical gap between design intent and procurement reality, especially for credits tied to materials, systems, and performance claims.

A Desapex Perspective: Certification as Risk Management Infrastructure

From a consulting standpoint aligned with Desapex, the significance of platforms like SD+ lies not in automation alone, but in risk reduction and decision clarity.

In practice:

• Certification failures are rarely technical they are procedural and coordination failures

• Late identification of infeasible credits leads to redesign, cost escalation, or diluted outcomes

• Digital feasibility dashboards function as early warning systems for sustainability risk

By treating IGBC certification as capital and operational infrastructure, rather than a branding exercise, tools like SD+Certify enable consultants and developers to align sustainability targets with ROI, constructability, and long-term asset performance.

The Larger Shift

The Green Blueprint session underscored a broader transition underway in India’s built environment sector:
from rating-driven compliance → to performance-led, digitally enabled sustainability delivery.

In that shift, certification platforms are no longer administrative aids they are becoming strategic project intelligence layers.