Other Regional and International Green Building Certifications

This chunk discusses various international green building certifications that focus on different aspects of sustainability.

1. WELL: This certification emphasizes human health and wellbeing. It considers factors like air quality, water quality, proper nourishment, sufficient light, fitness opportunities, comfort in spaces, and mental wellbeing. This means that in addition to being environmentally friendly, buildings must also support the health of their occupants.
2. Green Globes: This certification offers a flexible, web-based assessment tool that focuses on sustainability and performance metrics of buildings. It allows for varied assessments depending on the type of building and the specific sustainability goals being pursued.
3. DGNB: The German certification emphasizes a life-cycle analysis, which means that it evaluates the environmental impact of a building from its initial design and construction through its operational life and even its eventual demolition.
4. CASBEE: In Japan, this certification tailors its criteria to local environmental conditions, assessing factors like building enclosure (how well a building contains its internal environment), energy efficiency, and integration with the local environment.

This chunk highlights five regional green building certifications that cater to specific local needs and conditions:

1. GRIHA: This certification is unique to India and is designed considering local climate and socio-economic conditions. It aims to promote energy and water efficiency while also addressing the social impacts of building practices.
2. IGBC: Similar to GRIHA, the Indian Green Building Council certification is tailored to various building types in India while aligning closely with standards set by LEED, making it relevant to Indian constructors and developers.
3. Green Star: This certification focuses on Australia’s environmental priorities and adapts its requirements to fit the local context, ensuring that buildings are sustainable in an Australian setting.
4. Estidama: This certification, which means 'sustainability' in Arabic, promotes sustainable urban developments that are specifically designed for the unique climatic challenges faced in arid regions like Abu Dhabi.
5. MINERGIE: This Swiss certification focuses on energy efficiency, ensuring buildings consume as little energy as possible while still maintaining comfort and usability.

This chunk presents a comparative table that summarizes various green building certification systems by their key attributes. The table indicates the region where each certification is recognized, its main focus areas, and how scoring is structured.
- LEED: Recognized globally, it evaluates buildings based on multiple criteria, including energy and indoor environmental quality, with four different levels of certification based on points attained.
- BREEAM: Focused on the UK and Europe, offers customizable certifications with varying grades of performance based on assessments from 'Pass' to 'Outstanding'.
- WELL: Acknowledged worldwide, it highlights health and wellbeing. Its certification levels focus on promoting occupant health while achieving 'Silver', 'Gold', or 'Platinum' status based on performance.
- GRIHA: Exclusive to India, this rating system assesses key local issues such as water and energy management, with scoring from one to five stars.
- Green Star: An Australian system that encourages innovation and emphasizes ecological impacts, using a star rating from 1 to 6.

This chunk outlines important factors to consider when selecting a green building certification:
1. Climate and Context: Depending on where a building is located, certain certifications may be more suitable. For instance, a certification designed for arid regions would be more applicable in a hot desert climate than a tropical one.
2. Building Type and Function: Different types of buildings (like schools, homes, or offices) may have unique requirements that one certification might address better than another. It’s important to choose based on the specific needs of the building type.
3. Performance Emphasis: Some certifications prioritize how well a building operates in practice, while others focus on the design intentions or how healthy the occupants feel inside. Understanding the difference is key to selecting the right one.
4. Market Recognition: Certifications like LEED, BREEAM, and WELL have strong recognition in the market, which can enhance attractiveness to investors and clients. Choosing a well-recognized certification can provide additional benefits beyond environmental performance alone.