TIRUCHY: Tamil Nadu has over 640 buildings certified by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), spanning a cumulative green footprint of 177.5 million sq ft. But a majority of these are concentrated in Chennai, and tier-2 cities trail far behind, data from IGBC for 2023-25 shows.
According to IGBC, Chennai houses 351 green projects covering 129.5 million sq ft, followed by Coimbatore with 54 projects (6.96 million sq ft), Madurai 23 projects (0.85 million sq ft), and Tiruchy just five projects with a negligible 0.03 million sq ft. Highlighting the widening gap between Tamil Nadu's metropolitan centre and its tier-2 cities, developers said stronger and sustained incentives were crucial to scaling up adoption. Yogesh Thirukonda, green building developer and secretary of the CREDAI Madurai chapter, said the green concept is largely confined to public and commercial buildings.
"Green certification is often driven by export-linked compliance or global business requirements, particularly in the US and Europe. Individual home buyers still do not actively demand green homes," he said.
D Abhishek, green building developer and former vice-president of the CREDAI Coimbatore chapter, said green material costs had declined significantly over the past decade, but land selection was a major hurdle. "Land parcels that meet green criteria have become expensive. Excluding land cost, meeting green building parameters adds only about 10%-15% to the cost of a conventional building," he said.
R Manoharan, president of the CREDAI Tiruchy chapter, said awareness remains low. "Most green buildings in Tiruchy are government institutions and colleges. The concept of a green home has not yet entered the public imagination," he said.
Developers said despite government push in the form of fast-track approvals, additional FAR in select local bodies and property tax rebates, these were often short-term or inconsistently implemented. Long-term incentives such as sustained property tax concessions, stamp duty rebates and utility-linked benefits are needed, particularly in tier-2 cities.
According to M Anand Muthukrishnan, Deputy Executive Director, IGBC, commercial developments dominate Tamil Nadu's green building landscape. "Office spaces, IT parks, retail and mixed-use projects are prioritising operational efficiency, occupant well-being and ESG-aligned asset performance," he said.
"With growing awareness, reduced material costs and policy nudges, tier-2 cities can gradually catch up. The challenge is to take green buildings beyond compliance and make them aspirational for home buyers," he added.