core sector communique

ITC to unveil World’s largest LEED® Platinum rated hotel; ITC Grand Chola in Chennai Reaffirming its commitment to the ethos of ‘Responsible Luxury,’ ITC Hotels has secured a LEED® Platinum rating, by India Green Building Council (IGBC), for its soon-to-be unveiled, iconic 600-room premium luxury hotel in Chennai; the ITC Grand Chola. This achievement has made ITC Grand Chola the World’s largest LEED Platinum rated hotel in the New Construction category. ITC Grand Chola, slated to be south India’s largest super-premium integrated luxury hotel complex, will have a transformational impact on the tourism landscape of the city and the State of Tamil Nadu. The LEED Platinum rating is recognition of ITC Grand Chola’s commitment to perform to the highest standards of energy, water and waste efficiency and ITC Hotels’ commitment to continue to provide inspiration to the Green Building movement in India. 100% of the electrical energy demands of the hotel will be met through renewable energy sources. Efficient fixtures will reduce the building water use by 35% compared to internationally benchmarked luxury hotel standards and 100% of the hotel’s waste will be recycled for useful purposes. With this achievement the hotel joins the ranks of the other 9 ITC super premium luxury hotels that have secured LEED Platinum ratings. ITC Hotels’ philosophy is to deliver the best in luxury whilst enabling planet positive experiences through its ‘Responsible Luxury’ credo. An ethos derived from ITC’s commitment to pursue Triple Bottom Line objectives of contributing to building economic, environmental and social capital. The ITC Grand Chola is an embodiment of ITC’s commitment and ITC Hotels’ ethos, further leveraging ITC Hotels’ as the ‘Greenest Luxury hotel chain in the world’. In addition to the wide spectrum of environment friendly measures that ITC Hotels implement, the ITC group’s carbon positive, water positive and solid waste recycling positive status ensures that a guest’s stay at any of its luxury hotels contributes to a lower carbon footprint. At the heart of Responsible Luxury is product design in the form of green buildings that are energy efficient, utilize renewable energy, conserve and recycle water while taking concrete steps to preserve the eco-system around them. ITC Hotels have innovated in the use of materials that utilize renewable sources and are biodegradable or conserve scarce environmental resources. Some hotels have also innovated on their offerings in food and beverages to optimize customer satisfaction while achieving a lower carbon footprint. Today ITC Hotels’ commitment to Responsible Luxury has given it the unique distinction of being the ‘Greenest luxury hospitality chain in the world. All ‘ITC Hotels’- ITC Maurya, New Delhi; ITC Maratha; Mumbai; ITC Grand Central, Mumbai; ITC Sonar, Kolkata; ITC Windsor, Bengaluru; *ITC Gardenia, Bengaluru; ITC Kakatiya, Hyderabad, ITC Mughal, Agra, ITC Rajputana, Jaipur are rated LEED Platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). (*Rated LEED Platinum by Indian Green Building Council-IGBC) Supporting national priorities, ITC’s hotels business will continue to make a meaningful contribution to national economic development as an employment multiplier creating sustainable livelihoods, while enriching the tourism landscape of the country. ITC Grand Chola : Inspired by the architectural splendor and rich culture of the imperial Cholas, ITC Grand Chola is a tribute to the remarkable vision of a memorable era and the state of Tamil Nadu. With a built up area of close to 1.5 million square feet, the ITC Grand Cholas is a 600-room integrated super premium luxury hotel complex, including 78 serviced apartments. ITC’s signature brand of culinary excellence will be reflected in its 10 food and beverage destinations including Peshawri and Pan Asian and introduction of two new brands from ITC; Royal Vega – showcasing the grand vegetarian cuisine from the royal kitchens of India and Ottimo – Italian kitchen, among others. 1,00,000 square feet of banqueting and convention space - including the largest pillarless ballroom in the country at 30,000 square feet. In keeping with ITC’s Triple Bottom Line philosophy, encompassing social, environmental and economic dimensions, the hotel is also intended to be a great employment multiplier, creating sustainable livelihoods through both direct and indirect employment. About the Indian Green Building Council The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), part of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) was formed in the year 2001. The council is actively involved in promoting the Green Building concept in India. The council is represented by all stakeholders of construction industry comprising of Corporate, Government , Architects, Product manufacturers, Institutions, etc. The council operates on a consensus based approach and is member-driven. The vision of the council is to usher green building revolution in India and to make India one of the world leaders in green buildings by 2015. IGBC is facilitating the green building movement through the Certification of Green Buildings in India, the Council's Accredited Professional examination, organising green building workshops, missions & training programs and also creating the Green Building Congress - India's flagship event on green buildings. About LEED® The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™ is a feature-oriented rating system that awards buildings points for satisfying specified green building criteria. The six major environmental categories of review include: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation and Design. Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of LEED green building certification are awarded based on the total number of points earned within each LEED category. LEED can be applied to all building types including new construction, commercial interiors, core & shell developments, existing buildings, homes, neighbourhood developments, schools, retail facilities and healthcare. Incentives for LEED are available at the state and local level and LEED has also been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments, and interested private companies. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org/LEED.