(green) building certifications 101

what are they, what are the types, do we need them

what is a building certification

Third party rating verification with systems and tools to assess a building’s sustainability and healthy building performance. These ratings are used to rate the overall condition of the building mainly from the sustainability and healthy standpoint. This could be anywhere from inception to operations to demolition. Buildings that have met certain levels from a performance and quality standpoint will receive a certificate of achievement for meeting these performance requirements.

 
 

the types

Please note, while this is just a start, there are many other building certifications out there especially in other international markets.

  • International WELL Building Institute

  • Leaders in Environmental and Energy Design

  • International Living Future Institute

  • Passive House

  • Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method

  • FitWell

  • Green Globes

  • Energy Star

Their respective logos, as follows:

 
 

how to pick

This all depends entirely on what your goal is as the key stakeholder (building owner, operator, architect, business, developer, etc) is. Once you understand what your goal is, you can better pick the type of certification to meet your goal.

Side note, this is also where we, at GROOTED, help step in and help determine what your goal is, help pick the type of building certification (should you wish to go down this route) and implement the strategies needs to get the type of building certification (and level) you want, along with seeing through until certificate of achievement and beyond (training and O&M).

 
 

do we need them

Not necessarily, however, it is ideal to have a building certification to keep all parties involved (operators, developers, staff ) on the same page for what and how you want your building to continue to perform. Some certifications require annual reporting and some re-certifications every few years with documents of performance enclosed.

Having a building certification not only keeps you and the team honest and on the same page, it also builds brand equity, you get a “stamp of approval” for competitive differentiation and marketing narrative, and trust that from an outside perspective that you care about making this building a overall good building from a sustainability and/or healthy building standpoint.

 

For more Information from our sources, please see:

International WELL Building Institute, Leaders in Environmental and Energy Design, International Living Future Institute, Passive House, Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method, FitWell, Green Globes, Energy Star

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