by AF 1209 i3 — December 16, 2009—Air Quality Sciences, an indoor air quality (IAQ) certifier, has released a white paper titled “Building Rating Systems (Certification Programs): A Comparison of Key Programs,” which looks at how key green building programs adopted by various countries differ from one another.
The popularity and prevalence of green building is not expected to slow any time soon. Results from a 2008 McGraw-Hill Construction (MHC) and World Green Building Council survey of international construction firms projects that nearly all survey respondents (94 percent) will be building green on at least 16 percent of their projects (by 2013).
The results go on to say that more than half of respondents (53 percent) will be building green on more than 60 percent of projects.
The new white paper explains what guidelines different nations have for indoor air quality and includes helpful summaries of each program. It discusses the following green building programs and certifications:
- The BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) launched in the UK
- The Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS), U.S.
- Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental Efficiency (CASBEE) Japan
- Germany Sustainable Building Certificate (DGNB) Germany
- Green Building Evaluation Standard (aka Three Star System) China
- Green Globes System Canada
- Green Star Australia
- Hong Kong Building Environmental Assessment Method (HK-BEAM)
- Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) United States National Green Building Standard United States
While each program impacts building practices differently, they all include standards for controlling IAQ. This is an important program attribute since poor IAQ can lead to occupant health problems including allergies; skin and eye irritation; difficulty breathing and persistent cough; reoccurring headaches; and asthma.
The full report “Green Building Rating Systems (Certification Programs): A Comparison” is available free of charge from the Aerias-AQS Indoor Air Quality Resource Center under “Premium Content,” then “White Papers.”
For more information, see the Web site of Air Quality Sciences.
