IGBC, LEED and WELL credits for plants, green walls and landscapes
In short
Living plants can support credits in the main green-building ratings used in India. IGBC Green Interiors gives up to 2 points for indoor plants: one potted plant, taller than 1 ft, per 100 sq ft, across 50% of the regularly occupied area for 1 point and 95% for 2. IGBC Green New Buildings counts vegetation on the ground, over roofs and podiums and on external walls towards its landscape credit. WELL v2 makes a connection to nature a precondition, and gives credit when plants, water or nature views are in sight of, or within 10 m of, at least 75% of workstations. LEED v5 rewards vegetated roofs, biodiverse planting and low-water irrigation. Artificial greenery does not count, and potted plants do not count as landscape.
Credits that greenery can support
| Rating | Credit | What it asks for | What we supply |
|---|---|---|---|
| IGBC Green Interiors v2 | Indoor Plants (2 points) | At least one potted plant, taller than 1 ft, per 100 sq ft: across 50% of the regularly occupied area for 1 point, 95% for 2 | Plants and planters, the plant list and calculation, invoices and a maintenance contract |
| IGBC Green New Buildings v4 | Landscape: vegetation (2 points) | Native or adaptive vegetation on the ground and over roofs, basements and podiums; planted external walls can count. More than 20% of site area for 1 point, 30% for 2 | Podium and roof gardens, living walls, plant schedules and area calculations |
| IGBC Green New Buildings v4 | Heat island, roof (1 point) | Vegetation on more than 75% of the exposed roof, or a high-reflectance finish on more than 95% | The green roof build-up and planting |
| IGBC Green New Buildings v4 | Irrigation water (2 points) | Landscape water use 20% below a flood-irrigated lawn baseline for 1 point, 30% for 2 | Native planting, drip irrigation and the water calculation |
| WELL v2 | M02 Nature and Place (precondition) | Nature brought into the project: natural materials and patterns, plus plants, water or nature views | Plants, green walls, moss and planters across the floor |
| WELL v2 | M09 Enhanced Access to Nature | Plants, water or nature views in direct sight of at least 75% of workstations and seats, or within 10 m of them | A plant layout drawn against the seating plan |
| LEED v5 (BD+C) | Heat Island Reduction; Biodiverse Habitat | Vegetated roofs count towards heat-island reduction; native and adapted planting in more than one layer supports habitat | Green roofs and native plant palettes |
| LEED v5 (BD+C) | Water efficiency, outdoors | Irrigation demand 30% below the baseline as a prerequisite; 50% earns 1 point, and no permanent irrigation earns 2 | Low-water planting, drip irrigation and the irrigation calculation |
What counts, and what does not
Living plants count; artificial greenery does not. The IGBC landscape and heat-island credits say so directly, and the indoor plant credits are written around living plants.
Potted plants count for the IGBC Green Interiors indoor plants credit, but not as vegetation in the IGBC Green New Buildings landscape credit. A scheme that relies on pots alone can score indoors and still miss the landscape points.
Climbers and planted wall systems can be treated differently. Before you count on a climber facade for landscape area, ask your green-building consultant how the rating you are using treats it.
Indoors: plants per square foot
For a regularly occupied floor of 10,000 sq ft, the IGBC Green Interiors credit works out to 50 qualifying plants for 1 point and 95 for 2. Each must be a potted plant taller than 1 ft, measured from the soil; small desk plants do not count.
The evidence includes the plant list, the calculation, purchase invoices, geotagged photographs, a maintenance contract and the owner’s declaration to keep the plants for at least three years.
For WELL, draw the plants on the seating plan. The test is what people can see from where they sit, so a few large plants in a corner score less than the same greenery spread across the floor.
Outdoors: area, species and water
The IGBC landscape credit measures vegetated area against site area, so podium gardens, green roofs and planted external walls all help on a tight urban plot.
Species matter. The credit asks for native, adaptive or drought-tolerant planting and does not accept a single-species scheme.
Water is calculated, not estimated: the plant type, the landscape area and the irrigation efficiency go into a formula. Native shrubs on drip irrigation need far less water in that calculation than lawn on flood irrigation, which is the baseline.
Evidence is half the credit
Reviewers award points on documents: drawings, area and plant calculations, species lists, invoices, photographs and maintenance contracts. Collect them during the job; they are hard to rebuild afterwards.
A maintenance contract is part of the evidence for the indoor plants credit, so plan the care with the design.
What we do, and what we do not
For the credits in our scope we supply the plant schedules, the area and water calculations, drawings, invoices, photographs and the maintenance contract, in the format your consultant asks for.
We do not promise a rating level; that depends on the whole building. Your green-building consultant and the rating body have the final word, and where this page and the official reference guide differ, the reference guide governs.
Questions
Do artificial plants or artificial green walls earn green building credits?
No. IGBC’s landscape and heat-island credits exclude artificial vegetation, and the indoor plant credits are written for living plants. Use artificial greenery where living plants cannot grow, not for points.
How many plants does the IGBC Green Interiors credit need?
One potted plant taller than 1 ft per 100 sq ft, across 50% of the regularly occupied area for 1 point or 95% for 2. A 10,000 sq ft floor needs 50 plants for 1 point and 95 for 2.
Does a living green wall count towards IGBC landscape area?
Planted external walls can count towards the vegetation area in IGBC Green New Buildings v4. Indoor green walls support the interiors and WELL credits instead. Confirm the measurement method with your consultant.
Do plants help with WELL certification?
Yes. A connection to nature is a WELL v2 precondition (M02), and M09 gives credit when plants, water or nature views are in direct sight of, or within 10 m of, at least 75% of workstations and seats.
Do preserved moss walls count?
Preserved moss is real moss that is no longer growing, so do not count on it for vegetation credits. It may support WELL’s call for natural materials; confirm with your consultant.
Can Vertvista prepare the credit documents?
For the credits in our scope, yes: plant schedules, calculations, drawings, invoices, photographs and the maintenance contract.
Sources
- IGBC Green Interiors rating system, Version 2: IE Credit 6, Indoor Plants
- IGBC Green New Buildings rating system, Version 4: landscape, heat island and irrigation credits
- WELL Building Standard v2: M02 Nature and Place, M09 Enhanced Access to Nature
- LEED v5: Sustainable Sites and Water Efficiency credits
Checked against the published rating documents in November 2026. Rating systems are revised; use the current reference guide for your project.