Lok Bhavan's IGBC Platinum Green Certification: India's First Retrofit Success

Introduction

In the heart of Bhubaneswar, Lok Bhavan, formerly known as Raj Bhavan, has earned a distinction no comparable campus in India holds. In December 2025, it was renamed and became the country's first Lok Bhavan to receive the prestigious IGBC Platinum green certification. This achievement marks the first time any campus in India has reached Platinum under the stricter Green Campus v1 rating system introduced in July 2024. The final score was 88 out of 100, placing it among the highest-rated green campuses in the country.

The Retrofit Journey

Retrofitting a working campus is a monumental task, especially when it involves a functioning government campus with decades of built infrastructure, daily operations, and public engagement. Under Governor Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati, Lok Bhavan underwent a comprehensive transformation. The campus was assessed system by system, with civil works, electrical systems, water management, energy monitoring, landscaping, and waste handling all being upgraded.

Environmental and Operational Categories

Officials, engineers, consultants, and stakeholders worked through a roadmap covering eight environmental and operational categories, with every credit evidenced. The category breakdown was as follows:

• Site planning and management: 23/25
• Sustainable transportation: 7/7
• Water conservation: 13/18
• Energy efficiency: 17/18
• Material and resource management: 8/8
• Health and well-being: 6/7
• Sustainable operation and maintenance: 7/8
• Innovation in design: 7/9

Green Cover and Solar Initiatives

More than 80% of the campus remains under green cover. A biodiversity survey documented 2,374 trees across 72 species, with faunal records spanning 27 species and a Shannon Wiener diversity index of 3.59. A deer park sits within the grounds, alongside Atal Van, the ecological park dedicated to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, where a T-55 battle tank and a Rafale model anchor a collection of defence and naval artefacts.

On energy, the campus has installed 635 kWp of solar photovoltaic capacity, with major consuming systems metered and tracked. The Energy Performance Index stands at 50.57 kWh per square metre per year, positioning the campus as a candidate for net zero.

Water Conservation Efforts

Water saw the sharpest operational gain: more than 35% reduction in consumption. This came from an integrated rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge system built around recharge trenches, filter chambers, ponds, and borewell recharge structures, combined with drip irrigation, controlled sprinklers, and separate monitoring of municipal supply, building systems, kitchen, and irrigation lines.

Waste Management Innovations

Waste is segregated at source. Organic waste from kitchens and landscaping is treated on site through vermicomposting, with 100% treatment and reuse, while the final review recorded 100% diversion of reported dry waste from landfill.

Electric Carcade Adoption

Lok Bhavan has also become the first in the country to adopt an all-electric official carcade, backed by EV charging infrastructure and electric vehicles for internal movement. It is the most visible element of the transformation, and the one most easily replicated elsewhere.

Indoor Air Quality and Accessibility

Indoor air quality is monitored and daylight has been brought deeper into occupied spaces. Universal accessibility is supported through ramps, tactile signage, and audio-assisted facilities. An occupant satisfaction survey recorded over 80% overall satisfaction across key parameters.

Community Outreach

Outreach ran beyond the boundary wall too, through plantation drives, public health initiatives, blood donation camps, and adolescent health and nutrition programmes.

Conclusion

For a state positioning itself around administrative reform, the certification is a useful proof point. More usefully for the rest of the country, it is a documented template for what retrofitting an existing government campus involves, and what it can deliver.

Call-to-Action

Discover more about sustainable campus transformations by visiting blogy.in.