Green Building Certification

Green Building Certification is a designation or rating system that assesses and verifies the environmental performance and sustainability of a building or construction project. The purpose of green building certification is to promote and recognize buildings that have been designed, constructed, and operated with a focus on minimizing their environmental impact, improving energy efficiency, conserving resources, and creating healthier and more comfortable living or working environments. These certifications are typically awarded by independent organizations or governmental bodies and are based on a set of established sustainability criteria and standards.
Buildings have extensive direct and indirect impacts on the environment. During their construction, occupancy, renovation, repurposing, and demolition, buildings use energy, water, and raw materials, generate waste, and emit potentially harmful atmospheric emissions. These facts have prompted the creation of green building certifications, and rating systems aimed at mitigating the impact of buildings on the natural environment through sustainable design. A green building is one which uses less water, optimizes energy efficiency, conserves natural resources, generates less waste, and provides healthier spaces for occupants, as compared to a conventional building. Green building certification is a set of rating systems and tools that are used to assess a building or a construction project's performance from a sustainability and environmental perspective. Such ratings aim to improve the overall quality of buildings and infrastructures, integrate a life cycle approach in its design and construction, and promote the fulfillment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by the construction industry. Buildings that have been assessed and are deemed to meet a certain level of performance and quality, receive a certificate proving this achievement.

  • LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design): Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED is one of the most widely recognized green building certification programs. It evaluates buildings on various criteria, including energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality, materials selection, and sustainable site development.
  • BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method): BREEAM is a certification system commonly used in the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe. It assesses buildings on factors like energy and water usage, materials, ecology, pollution, and health and well-being.
  • Green Star: Green Star is an Australian certification system administered by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA). It evaluates the sustainability of buildings and communities across categories like energy, water, materials, indoor environmental quality, and innovation.
  • EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies): EDGE is a certification system developed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a part of the World Bank Group. It focuses on resource-efficient design and is used in emerging markets to promote sustainable construction.
  • WELL Building Standard: The WELL Building Standard, administered by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), focuses on the health and well-being of building occupants. It evaluates factors like air quality, water quality, lighting, fitness, and comfort.
  • Green Building Index (GBI): GBI is a certification system used in Malaysia to assess and promote environmentally friendly building practices and technologies.
  • Living Building Challenge: The Living Building Challenge, developed by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), sets stringent sustainability goals for buildings and requires projects to achieve net-zero energy, water, and waste.

  • Science-based — Results and decisions must be reproducible by others using the same standard.
  • Transparent — Standards and processes for awarding the certification should be transparent and open for examination.
  • Objective — The certification body should be free of conflict.
  • Progressive — Standards should advance industry practices, not simply reward business as usual.
Green building certification systems exist to address every project type from single-family houses and commercial buildings to entire neighborhoods. There are rating systems available for new construction, which focus on decisions made in the planning and design process and actions taken through construction, as well as for existing buildings, which focus on operations and maintenance throughout the life of the building. A primary reason for the creation of certification systems is the need to more clearly define, implement, and measure green strategies and their outcomes and impacts.