GMR Fulfilment Centre utilises the latest technologies to drive energy and water efficiencies and achieve EDGE certification.
| Project Name | GMR Hyderabad Fulfillment Center |
| Location | Telangana, India |
| Building Type | Warehouse |
| Buildings Certified | 1 building |
| Total Floor Area Certified | 92903 m² |
| Certification Date | September 2021 |
| Duration of Certification | 3 months from registration to completion |
Project Overview
GMR Group is a leading Indian infrastructure company, engaged in developing projects across Airports, Energy, Transportation and Urban infrastructure. It is managing and operating Delhi and Hyderabad International Airports and developing Goa and Vizag International Airports.
GMR AeroCity Hyderabad is India’s largest Airport based integrated City Ecosystem covering an area of over 1,500 acres. The AeroCity covers a full mix of services such as Rental accommodation, Educational institutions, Healthcare, Offices, Retail, Industrial and Logistics. AeroCity Hyderabad is designed by world-class Architects to truly integrate all the needs of a modern community into one location. GMR AeroCity Hyderabad is about Innovation, Excellence and Sustainability.
GMR believes certification is very important as a best practice as well as to attract major international businesses who all have their own sustainability practices. As such, GMR took its first step to certify the GMR Fulfilment Centre with a world-renowned Certification agency. The Fulfilment Centre is a warehouse facility located at the Hyderabad International Airport in Shamshabad, Telangana, India in an area of 51,154 square meters.
The warehouse utilises the latest technologies to drive energy and water efficiencies across the property, including energy-efficient HVAC systems, LED lighting for internal and external spaces, black water treatment, as well as a solar photovoltaics system that accounts for over 60 percent of the facility’s annual electricity use.
On the materials side, GMR used modern construction materials such as AAC (Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Blocks) for internal and external walls, concrete and timber for flooring and slabs, steel sheets on steel rafters and steel profile cladding for external walls the project was further able to achieve a substantial reduction in the energy embodied in materials, resulting in a lower carbon footprint and a more sustainable building design.
This combination of these measures has led to an impressive 77% energy savings over the local baseline as calculated by EDGE, 84% in water savings and a 70% reduction in the embodied energy in materials, making the warehouse an exemplar of sustainability for the region.
Why EDGE?
For this warehouse, GMR chose EDGE as it stood out among the international green building standards for several reasons. All major international green-finance institutions recognize EDGE as a standard for green buildings which is an important consideration for GMR Group as it reviews sources of financing for future developments.
The free EDGE App represents a robust technological platform and a web-based tool that streamlines the whole process, thus saving significant time, effort and costs for the company as compared to other globally recognized systems.
Finally, the quantification of the impact was also an attractive draw for using EDGE. The data pulled from the EDGE App could feed into the sustainability report and ESG reporting. The data on the resource efficiency attained was also very understandable and could be communicated to stakeholders internally and externally, which helped really illustrate the value of the green building measures implemented in a clear way.
Since achieving the certification, GMR has been able to harness significant value from the certification. The EDGE certification delivered very well on its promise of reduced processing time as well as cost while ensuring the certification stringency. The project was able to achieve certification in fraction of cost and time compared to other global certification. This was paired with strong collaboration with IFC and the Sintali-SGS team, as well as the support of a local EDGE Expert, who worked closely with the project team to meet stringent deadlines.
Since achieving the certification, GMR has been able to communicate and showcase the energy savings through this certification, making it a benchmark in the Region for others to follow.
Mr. Aman Kapoor, CEO – Airport Land Development, GMR Group, said, “We are honoured to be awarded the EDGE certification for recognizing our commitment towards sustainability and furthering green construction practices. GMR Fulfillment Center Warehouse was built as an example of resource-efficiency in the warehouse sector. This acknowledgement will give us a further boost to explore innovative ways to optimize our resources and reduce carbon footprints in warehouse operations.”
What’s Next?
GMR is committed on ESG and sustainability. As the Hyderabad AeroCity develops, the company will be reviewing how EDGE certification can be applied to additional projects. The certification will be taken up based on project merit criteria but the positive experience paired with GMR Group’s broader sustainability commitment has laid the foundation for strong alignment between EDGE and future developments.
