Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
Nirit Cohen – WorkFutures
Angela Howard – Culture Expert
Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
India’s commercial real estate sector is undergoing a major transformation as global occupiers prioritize sustainability. New data from ANAROCK Research shows that green-certified Grade A office space in the country’s seven largest office markets has surged by 65% since 2019, reaching approximately 530 million square feet in the first half of 2025—up from 322 million square feet six years ago.
Today, certified sustainable offices make up 61% of the total 865 million square feet of Grade A office stock across key cities including Bengaluru, the National Capital Region (NCR), Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, and Kolkata. Certification programs such as LEED, IGBC, and GRIHA are now a dominant feature of top-tier workspaces, scoring to the Times of India.Â
Bengaluru leads with nearly three-quarters of its 223 million square feet of office space now green-certified. NCR and Hyderabad follow closely behind, both reporting 62% of their total stock as certified sustainable. MMR lags slightly with 47% green-certified space, while Kolkata remains an outlier with just 3% of its office stock certified.
In H1 2025, over 74% of the 26.85 million square feet of net office leasing across these cities took place in green-certified buildings. Bengaluru saw 80% of leasing volume go to green offices, with similar trends in Chennai, NCR, and Pune. In stark contrast, just 7% of office leasing in Kolkata occurred in green-certified buildings.
Not only are green offices leasing faster—they’re also commanding higher rents and showing stronger occupancy. On average, certified buildings earn up to 24% more in rent than their non-certified counterparts. In MMR, green office rents average ₹177 per square foot per month compared to ₹143 for regular offices. Chennai sees a 16% rent premium for green buildings, while Kolkata reports a modest 4% gap. Vacancy rates also favor green offices: 14% on average, compared to 16.3% in non-green spaces. In some markets like MMR, that gap is even wider.
This surge in sustainable office adoption shows a change in priorities for both domestic and international tenants. With India targeting net-zero emissions by 2070 and a significant boost in renewable energy by 2030, demand for green-certified workspaces is accelerating. Government policies play a role, but much of the momentum is coming from multinational companies and global capability centers, which increasingly require eco-certified environments.
While green-certified housing is still relatively uncommon, the commercial sector is setting a strong precedent. As India continues to position itself as a destination for global business, sustainable office infrastructure is emerging as a key asset in attracting top-tier occupiers and meeting international environmental standards.
