How the different global green rating systems respond to the top eco building trends

The Green Stamps

Getting a building rated ‘green’ means different things under different rating systems. We decided this month to see how a few of the top schemes measured up when compared to the top three eco building trends globally.

We just asked three questions

1. The trend towards building lifecycle assessment and ongoing assessment — to what extent are buildings expected to live up to their ratings 5, 10 and 20 years after they were rated? What are the consequences if they don’t?
2. Big picture thinking — individual buildings have to work that much harder when the surrounding area is not pulling its weight. How does this rating scheme address green communities — does it rate cities, towns or neighbourhoods?
3. Integrated design — while ticking boxes might be straight forward encouraging a fully integrated design approach has proved to be the most commercially viable way to go green. To what extent does this rating scheme encourage multidisciplinary approach to interior design, engineering, commercial arrangements (e.g. green leasing/ financing), architecture, building technology and integration of renewables and the grid?

Abu Dhabi

Pearls, Launched in 2010

1. Includes communities, buildings and villas and is suitable for masterplans.
2. Has a two stage approval process that gives Pearl Construction rating to be used for marketing purposes and a Pearl Occupancy rating that must be completed two years after occupancy or when the building is 80% occupied.
3. 7% of the criteria fall under the heading Integrated Design Process.

Australia

Green Star, Launched in 2003 Comments from Robin Mellon, Executive Director — Advocacy and International, Green Building Council of Australia [Note that operational performance data established by another Australian rating system, NABERS, will complement Green Star ratings: Ed]

1. The GBCA is working closely with member organisations to look at ways of assessing the life cycle impacts of different materials used in the building, as well as the life cycle of the building itself. Many of the GBCA member organisations, such as Davis Langdon, are already developing ways of assessing factors such as Embodied Carbon, and the GBCA looks forward to close collaboration.
2. The GBCA is developing Green Star Communities, which will examine five key priorities to help green the entire built environment.

   These five priorities are:

   • Enhance liveability
   • Create opportunities for economic prosperity
   • Foster environmental responsibility
   • Embrace design excellence
   • Demonstrate visionary leadership and strong governance.

   As the GBCA develops this rating tool, based on a framework established over the past 12 months, we will be working with the key stakeholders around Australia, from private sector to public, and from developers to manufacturers. The Green Star Communities tool will ‘close the loop’, enabling both the buildings AND the space surrounding them to be assessed.

3. The GBCA is confident that the Green Star suite of environmental rating tools are much more than a ‘tick box approach’. By focusing the green building priorities across nine categories — Management, Indoor Environment Quality, Energy, Water, Transport, Land Use & Ecology, Materials, Emissions and Innovation — Green Star aims to encourage a more holistic approach. Within each of these categories can be found numerous credits, each worth different points at assessment, and the effect of achieving the credit benchmarks should be felt throughout the project’s life cycle. Just as buildings seen in isolation miss some of the opportunities which surround them, so considering some building issues, such as energy efficiency, in isolation can result in missed opportunities for IEQ, greenhouse gas emissions, Peak Energy Demand Reduction, distributed energy or even system suitability.

Hong Kong

BEAM, Launched in 1996

1. BEAM Plus has been evolved to meet the higher expectation from the public and communities, in response to the critical global environmental issues.
2. There is discussion to bring in an ongoing performance rating tool.
3. Integrated design is not specifically addressed but criteria such as environmental management plans imply cooperation between teams is assumed at some level.

India

GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) Gaurav Shorey, Area Convenor, GRIHA

1. Has a ‘post occupancy audit’ as a mandatory part of its framework. Proponents are to get the building audited after one year of occupancy and operation, Financial incentives (offered by the Indian government) attached to the rating means the audit acts as a check for the incentives to be released. The rating is valid for five years as of now, after which another audit is required after which the project stands to loose its rating.
2. Is under the process of developing a rating system for Large Developments and attempts to highlight the relevance of India’s national codes and standards that are only ‘guidelines’ thusfar. GRIHA attempts to make them mandatory parts of its point system.
3. GRIHA isn’t a prescriptive system. It is entirely performance based. And in sync with answer 02 also highlights the relevance of the Indian National Building Code, which has a dedicated chapter on Integrated design approach. The chapter considers the Integrated Design Approach as the prerequisite to the application of the entire code (which addresses all issues such as architecture, landscape design, construction management, services, fire-fighting, etc. in its various sections.

Japan

CASBEE, Launched in 2002

1. One of the fundamental CASBEE principals is that it measures the environmental load of the building on its surroundings. There are also CASBEE classifications for Heat Island, Urban development (for groups of buildings) and Urban Area and Buildings (for regional and city planning).
2. CASBEE corresponds to the building lifecycle and has teeth. CASBEE for new buildings is valid for three years only and for existing buildings valid for five years.
3. The new CASBEE for predesign looks at overall planning and impacts of development.

Malaysia

Green Building Index, Launched in 2008

1. Currently building specific — residential and non residential modules.
2. One criteria that they test is innovation however the post occupancy energy efficiency commissioning is only worth one point in the scheme. Monitoring equipment is an important part of the rating. Though no enforcement or requirements to use it are present.
3. One of the stated goals of the tool is to promote integrated design.

Singapore

BCA Green Mark Scheme, Launched in January 2005

1. Performance is assessed on completion.
2. Under the BCA Green Mark New Development Criteria, there is a Green Mark for District.
3. Under the BCA Green Mark New Development Criteria, includes an office interior criteria.

United Kingdom

BREEM, Launched in 1990 Ed Cotter, Manager – BREEAM Communities On behalf of BREEAM

1. The traditional plan, design and construct model for the development industry is no-longer viable, the industry needs to be mindful of how the being is operated and used by its occupants. In the future it is our plan to extend BREEAM Communities to cover not only the masterplaning stages, but also the post contruction and post occpancy stages.
2. BREEAM Communities looks at how the proposed development complements the surrounding area and assists in determining if the site is approriate for the delivery of a sustainable development. In addition it can be used by stakeholders. such as Local Planning Authorities (i.e. Local Government), to track the performance of various policies and determine what issues need to be addressed – for example whether there needs to be an investment in infrastructure, such as transport links or other services.
3. The scheme assists the developer and project team identifying many of the key issues that need to be addressed when applying an integrated approach. This in turn allows the team to determine who needs to be consulted with at an early stage in the process – such as an ecologist, hydrological engineer or even energy modelling experts. Flood Risk Management is a good example as the issue itself not only identifys the need for a flood risk assessment report to be completed on site, but also touches subsequent issues that need to be addressed, such as surface water run-off and water consumption.

USA

LEED, Launched in 1998

1. LEED neighborhoods is launched April 2010.
2. If a building does not perform it retains its certification. A few half-hearted attempts to look lifecycle and ongoing performance were announced in 2009.
3. While it is not a criteria, guide books and tools are available from the UAGBC on how to do things like incorporate LEED into your leasing process.