by Shane Henson — December 11, 2013—The Green Building Initiative (GBI), a nonprofit working to accelerate the adoption of building practices, announced this week that the Building Technologies Division of Siemens Industry Inc. has received four Green Globes for their most recently certified building.
Green Globes is a Web-based program for green building guidance and certification that includes an on-site assessment by a third party. The program is administered in the United States by the GBI. The sustainable building certification program awards qualified buildings one through four Green Globes based on environmental achievements. For existing buildings the assessment includes the following six areas: management, energy, water, materials and resources, emissions, and indoor environment. New construction includes a seventh area: site.
The certification received by Siemens’ Building Technologies Division is for an existing building in Plymouth, Michigan, containing offices, a training center and warehouse space. In working toward the goal of a sustainable facility, Siemens implemented comprehensive policies and adopted environmental conservation targets that ultimately helped them achieve four Green Globes, the company says.
Accomplishments included the implementation of CO2 sensors in all of the conference rooms and outside airflow measurement stations on all of the air handlers. Additionally, Siemens’ efforts are displayed on an interactive kiosk in the main lobby, which shows the building’s consumption of electricity, natural gas and water. This transparent usage is a daily reminder for employees to conserve resources.
Siemens Industry previously certified another property using Green Globes. Feedback from the prior certification contributed to the expansion of green building programs and practices, helping them achieve the highest Green Globes certification possible on their second building, Siemens says. According to the GBI, less than 4 percent of all buildings assessed under Green Globes have achieved this top certification.
