Building rating systems are becoming more popular tools to confirm green credentials as office and retail tenants demand sustainable space to fit into their global environmental policies. This is commendable but before signing up to any old building that passed a 10 point plan, understand how the rating systems actually work in that particular environment and whether the building would still pass the test today.
Lack of information about green building rating systems cannot possibly be the reason that commercial and government buildings across the Asia Pacific region are not rated. All main markets have a rating system that is both easily understood and fairly simple to implement. Most rating systems are applicable across a range of building types and can be applied to both new building projects and existing buildings. Fewer systems apply to interiors of spaces, however, causing problems for many of the companies wanting to benefit from them.
Australia for example is the only one addressing the specific requirements arising for owners and occupiers of tenanted space (see p20 for more information on how this has affected real estate markets). This is a pity as most commercial space in Asia is tenant occupied. In addition most of the systems completely ignore ongoing operational realities. While they might specify that the design of the building must meet certain requirements, it is by no means guaranteed that the building will operate as the drawings indicate.
It is rare however that the designs are flawed or falsified. That said, in China new regulations had to be created to allow local authorities to issue a stop work and demolition order where contractors were not installing systems incompliance with the local energy codes, even if they indicated that they would during the approvals process. With voluntary rating systems generally the designer and owner want the building to be green. They just don’t bother to tell the later to be incumbent facilities managers, the systems maintenance staff or the tenant’s interior designers. So just because a building has a particular rating does not mean that it is actually operated in a green way.
Different rating systems apply differently in different climates and geographical conditions. Soil conservation and erosion are concerns in Taiwan so that is specifically addressed in this scheme. Other systems take into account factors that are not relevant in all environments. For example North American LEED is designed for climates with cool winters and rates buildings with energy efficient heating systems this is not relevant in most Asian markets. If a building scored particularly low, or high in one area it is worth looking to see exactly why.
Green building rating is a practice that we hope will continue, and become standard and understood by owners, architects, building managers, and occupiers. The potential marketing and benchmarking payoffs should be huge. Done with less foresight or with only short term goals in mind it might be an expensive, environmentally questionable PR mistake.
1) Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED-United States)
- Green Building Council (GBC)
- New Construction & Existing Building
- 16-24 months after occupancy & best used on large building over 50,000 sqft
New Construction:
a) Sustainable sites: 1 prerequisite + 14 credits, b) Water efficiency: 5 credits, c) Energy & atmosphere: 3 prerequisite + 6 credits, d) Materials & resources: 1 prerequisite + 14 credits, e) Indoor environment quality: 2 prerequisite + 15 credits, f) Innovation & design process: 5 credits
*Certified: 26-32 points; Silver: 33-38 points; Gold: 39-51 points; Platinum: 52-69
Existing Building:
a) Sustainable sites: 2 prerequisite + 14 credits, b) Water efficiency: 2 prerequisite + 5 credits, c) Energy & atmosphere: 3 prerequisite + 14 credits
2) Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design — Canada (LEEDS-Canada)
a) Sustainable sites: 1 prerequisite + 14 credits, b) Water efficiency: 5 credits, c) Energy & atmosphere: 3 prerequisite + 17 credits , d) Materials & resources: 1 prerequisite + 14 credits, e) Indoor environment quality: 2 prerequisite + 15 credits, f) Innovation & design process: 5 credits
*Certified: 26-32 points; Silver: 33-38 points; Gold: 39-51 points; Platinum: 52-70
3) Green Star (Australia)
- Green Building Council Australia (GBC)
- Office Design/ Office as Built & Office Interiors
Office Design/ Office as Built
a) Management: 7 clarifications, b) Indoor environment quality: 16 clarifications, c) Energy: 7 clarifications, d) Transport: 4 clarifications, e) Water: 5 clarifications, f) Materials: 8 clarifications, g) Land use and ecology: 5 clarifications, h) Emission: 9 clarifications,i) Innovation: 3 clarifications
*4-star Green star (score 45-59) [Best practice]; 5-star Green star (score 60-74) [Australian excellence]; 6-star Green star (score 75-100) [World leadership]
Office Interior
a) Management: 6 clarifications, b) Indoor environment quality: 15 clarifications, c) Energy: 4 clarifications, d) Transport: 3 clarifications, e) Water: 1 clarification, f) Materials: 11 clarifications, g) Land use and ecology: 6 clarifications, h) Emission: 2 clarifications, i) Innovation: 3 clarifications
*4-star Green star (score 45-59) [Best practice]; 5-star Green star (score 60-74) [Australian excellence]; 6-star Green star (score 75-100) [World leadership]
4) Building Research Environment Assessment Method Consultancy (BREEAM) (United Kingdom)
- Applicable to different situation: industrial; multi-residential; office and retail etc
- Two pre-assessment estimators: Design Stage & Management and Operation
- Points system
- Design Stage checklist calculates (i) Core section and (ii) Design & Procurement section and Design Stage assessment can be applied 12-month occupancy
- Management and Operation checklist calculates (i) Core Building Performance and (ii) Management and Operation
Design Stage checklist
a) Management: 4 criteria, b) Health: 13 criteria, c) Energy: 4 criteria, d) Transport: 4 criteria, e) Water: 4 criteria, f) Materials: 7 criteria, g) Land use: 6 criteria, h) Pollution: 8 criteria
* Pass (Points 25); Good (Points 40); Very Good (Points 55); Excellent (Points 70)
Management and Operation checklist
a) Management: 4 criteria, b) Health wellbeing: 15 criteria, c) Energy: 8 criteria, d) Transport: 5 criteria, e) Water: 6 criteria, f) Materials: 3 criteria, g) Pollution: 7 criteria
* Pass (Points 20); Good (Points 35); Very Good (Points 50); Excellent (Points 65)
5) Building Environment Assessment Method- Hong Kong (HK-BEAM)
- Two BEAM standards: (1) New Buildings and (2) Existing Buildings
- Scale measurement points system
New Buildings
a) Site aspects: 26 credits, b) Materials aspects: 23 credits, c) Energy use: 68 credits, d) Water use: 14 credits, e) Indoor environment quality: 49 credits, f) Innovation and performance enhancement: 5 credits
*Overall 40% – Bronze (above average); 55% – Silver (good); 65% – Gold 9very good); 75% – Platinum (excellent)
Existing Buildings
a) Site aspects: 26 credits, b) Materials aspects: 14 credits, c) Energy use: 106 credits, d) Water use: 12 credits, e) Indoor environment quality: 45 credits, f) Innovation and performance enhancement: 5 credits
6) Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environment Efficiency (CASBEE) (Japan)
- Two assessment area: Internal and External
- Internal: improving living amenity for the building users
- External: negative aspects of environmental impact which go beyond the hypothetical enclosed space to the outside (the public property)
- Assessment by two factors: Quality (Q) and Loading (L)
- Quality: evaluates ‘improvement in living amenity for the building users, within the private property’
- Loading: evaluates ‘negative aspects of environmental impact which go beyond to outside or the public property’
- Four assessment aspects: (1) Energy Efficiency; (2) Resource Efficiency; (3) Loading Environment and (4) Indoor Environment
- Building Environment Efficiency (BEE) = Q (building environmental quality and performance) / L (building environmental loadings)
- BEE ranges from 0.5 (Class B-); 1.0 (Class B+); 1.5 (Class A) and 3.0 (Class S)
7) The Green Globe Rating System (United States)
- Green Building Initiative
Green Building System
a) Project Management (Policies and Practices): 50 points, b) Site: 115 points, c) Energy: 360 points, d) Water: 100 points, e) Resource, building materials and solid wastes: 100 points, f) Emission and other impacts: 75 points, g) Indoor environment: 200 points
*Verification: 1-globe (35%-54%); 2-globe (55%-69%); 3-globe (70%- 84%) and 4-globe (85%-100%);
8) Ecology, Energy Saving, Waste Reduction and Health (EEWH) (Taiwan)
- Taiwan Green Building Council
- Nine aspects is assessed and approved for ‘Green Building’
EEWH
a) Biodiversity , b) Greenery, c) Soil water content, d) Daily energy saving, e) Carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reduction , f) Waste reduction, g) Indoor environment, h) Water resource, i) Sewage and garbage improvement
9) BCA Green Mark (Singapore)
- Two main categories: New Building and Existing Building
BCA Green Mark (New Buildings)
a) Energy efficiency: 14 prerequisite & 21 additional points, b) Water efficiency: 6 prerequisite & 9 additional points, c) Site & project management: 5 prerequisite & 15 additional points, d) Indoor environment quality and environment protection: 5 prerequisite & 10 additional points, e) Innovation: 15 additional points
* Points 50-70 (Green Mark Certified); Points 70-80 (Green Mark Gold); Points 80-85 (Green Mark Gold-plus) and Points 85-100 (Green Mark platinum)
BCA Green Mark (Existing Buildings)
a) Energy efficiency: 14 points, b) Water efficiency: 15 points, c) Site & project management: 25 additional points, d) Indoor environment quality and environment protection: 15 additional points, e) Innovation: 20 additional points
* Points 50-70 (Green Mark Certified); Points 70-80 (Green Mark Gold); Points 80-85 (Green Mark Gold-plus) and Points 85-100 (Green Mark platinum)
10) Energy Star (United States Environment Protection Agency)
11) Philippine Green Building Council
12) European Environment Agency
13) Green Building Council (Korea)
- Two categories: Multi-unit residential building and Office Building
Multi-unit residential building
a) Land development and commuting transportation: 27 points, b) Energy and resource consumption and environment loads: 41 points, c) Ecological environment: 18 points, d) Indoor environment quality: 14 points, e) Supplement articles: 20 points
*65 points (excellent); 85 points (best)
Office Building
a) Land development: 7 points, b) Commuting transportation: 5 points, c) Energy: 23 points, d) Materials and resource: 21 points, e) Water resource: 14 points, f) Atmosphere pollution: 6 points, g) Management: 10 points, h) Ecological environment: 19 points, i) Indoor environment quality: 31 points
*65 points (excellent); 85 points (best)
14) India Green Building Council
- LEED India
- Measurement is five areas: (1) Sustainability site development; (2) Water savings; (3) Energy efficiency; (4) Materials selection and (5) Indoor environment quality
15) Australia Greenhouse Building Rating (AGBR)
- Energy Efficiency Design Review
- Program-based and energy-calculation assessment system
- Divided into three areas: Tenancies; Base Buildings and Whole Building
- Tenancies: Light and power requirements for tenants occupying space in buildings where central services are supplied by the building
- Base Buildings: Building central services including air conditioning, common area lighting and lifts etc.
- Whole Building: a combination of base building and tenancy energy consumption
- Rating systems: 4-stars, 4.5-stars and 5-stars
Energy efficiency design review
- Envelope
- Energy sources
- Central plant
- HVAC
- Miscellaneous plant
- Metering and monitoring
- Tenancy lighting
- Tenant activities
- Process issues