Green Building Assessment Tools Research Articles

A practical approach to promoting sustainable development in the construction industry through the use of the LOTUS-Vietnamese green-building assessment tool

In the context of global climate change mitigation, building design optimization is crucial for effective and efficient resource management throughout a project’s life cycle. This study addresses the challenge of assessing green building levels using a Vietnamese perspective. A survey of over 220 participants, including investors, consultants, contractors, and other stakeholders, was conducted to identify factors influencing green building assessments. Data analysis, employing SPSS software, explored 57 factors encompassing life-cycle economic optimization, energy and water conservation, material selection, project management, and strategic market benefits. The findings highlight effective energy management as a key determinant shaping sustainable building approaches and assessments. These results offer valuable insights for life cycle cost assessments and environmental impact evaluations during project implementation. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the importance of project developers prioritizing factors that influence the achievement of green building goals based on LOTUS green building rating standards in Vietnam. The predicted results demonstrate that governments should enforce legislation and establish clear green construction regulations to promote environmentally friendly growth, and that construction companies should use environmentally friendly materials and practices in their projects. This research contributes to the knowledge base for scholars, designers, and sustainability experts by systematically identifying factors that influence green building assessments under LOTUS standards.

Building sustainability assessment: A comparison between ITACA, DGNB, HQE and SBTool alignment with the European Green Deal

The environmental impact of the construction industry is very heavy. Therefore, the global community is further developing green building assessment tools in order to enhance their efficiency in matching sustainability goals and being more environmentally friendly. An analysis approach by means of Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) was carried out to examine the degree of response of different green building tools utilized in Europe, namely (Innovazione e Trasparenza degli Appalti e la Compatibilità Ambientale ITACA, Deutsches Guetsiegel Nachhaltiges Bauen (DGNB), Haute Qualité Environnementale (HQE) and Sustainable Building Tool (SBTool), to the eight criteria of the European Green Deal (EGD), a roadmap elaborated by the European Commission to enhance sustainability deployment in the region. The first phase of the analysis consisted of a Boolean MCDM aiming to define to which criterion of the EGD each indicator in the tools checklists is linked. These data obtained were later examined by means of Fuzzy Logic to obtain comparable results showing how much each tool helps more following the European roadmap towards sustainability. This work intends to compare the efficiency of the most used tools in Europe for building sustainability evaluation while being based on a particular specified reference and not only the sustainable goals in general. This work also shows the efficiency of combining two MCDCM techniques to obtain better analyzing output. The result of this study shows that the DGNB is the most effective method for connecting all EGD criteria in a balanced manner. The HQE tool demonstrated a strong ability to effectively integrate the objectives of the EGD, except for the energy evaluation aspect. For the ITACA tool, it closely aligned DGNB in its response to the EGD, although it had an absent focus on the smart and sustainable shift of mobility. SBTool demonstrated average performance when compared to other protocols. This was expected since SBTool was the basis on which ITACA, DGNB, and HQE were constructed.

The Development of BIM-MyCREST Process Model for Concept Design of Green Buildings

The synergies of the Building Information Modelling (BIM) process and green building assessment tools (GBATs) like the Malaysian Carbon Reduction and Environmental Sustainability Tool (MyCREST) known as green BIM, ensure that information is accurately exchanged during the green building design (GBD) practices. However, the issue of poor Information Exchange synthesis persists due to the lack of a standard model for green BIM implementation. Therefore, this study aims to develop the BIM-MyCREST Process Model (BMPM) for the concept design of green buildings. To actualize the research aim, an in-depth interview was conducted with 10 construction experts. Using the narrative analysis technique, the interview data were analyzed to identify the incidents that take place during the BIM process execution in GBD practices. With reference to MyCREST Guide, BIM standards; and the use of Integrated DEFinition (IDEF) language (IDEF0 and IDEF3), the BMPM was explicitly coordinated following the narratives of the interviewees. The developed BMPM will enable the multi-disciplinary GBD team to use the diverse domain BIM software to exchange accurate information and make critical decisions during the design of green buildings; thereby developing a building with high sustainability performance and accomplishing the business and commercial objectives of the MyCREST rating.

Customisation of green buildings assessment tools based on climatic zoning and experts judgement using K-means clustering and fuzzy AHP

Utilising green building regulations and classifications by using well-known assessment tools such as LEED can be challenging in a country with various climates due mainly to specific sustainability priorities for each climate. This paper presents a new framework to customise assessment tools of green buildings for regions or countries with various climates. The framework comprises K -means method to cluster various climates of the region combined with the silhouette value (SV) for clustering verification and local experts' judgement for local customisation of green building assessment tools. The Fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is used to adjust the regulations for each climatic zone. The proposed methodology is demonstrated by its application to the real-world case study of Iran. The K -means clustering with SV divides the country into four distinct climatic zones each representing with four meteorological parameters (MP, DTR, CDD, and HDD). Results show each climatic zone can take weights for sustainability categories and criteria based on its climate e.g. higher weight for “Water Efficiency” in zones with low rainfall and higher weight for “Energy and Atmosphere” in zones with heating or cooling needs. Results also show the two categories of “Energy and Atmosphere” and “Water Efficiency” take the largest weights in all zones by an average of almost 27 and 26%. These two categories, alongside with “Sustainable Site”, had the most changes in their weights for each climatic zone. The findings of this research reveal the effects of local climates on sustainability priorities of a green building assessment tool. • A new climate-based customisation of green building assessment tool is developed. • Sustainability categories and criteria are identified based on Delphi methodology. • K-means clustering technique and silhouette value are used to specify climatic zones. • Relevant experts are participated for climate assessment using Fuzzy AHP technique. • Findings reveal effects of climatic clustering on green building assessment tools.

Developing a Green Building Assessment Tool for Ethiopia

Sustainable/green building rating systems are utilized by both developed and developing countries based on their local context. This paper aims to develop an assessment tool that considers the triple bottom line sustainability of buildings. In Ethiopia, buildings of various types and purposes are constructed at an alarming rate with inadequate resources and wasteful uses, so this tool is in urgent need. Developing such a tool is highly appreciated due to the diversified and complicated ecological and socio-economic issues in the building construction sector. This research has developed new green building assessment categories and criteria depending upon consensus reached with 93 experienced experts working on the construction sectors. This research reviewed a total of 10 widely and repeatedly used tools that were critically studied, for instance, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method, Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental Efficiency, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen, Sustainable Building Tool, and so on. The Analytic Hierarchy Process technique was applied for weighting and prioritizing after selecting these assessment categories and criteria. The outcomes of the research with the relative priority values were materials and resources (18.66%), sustainable sites and ecology (16.92%), energy efficiency (16.78%), indoor environmental quality (12.60%), economic aspects (10.41%), management (10.30%), water efficiency (8.06%) and location and transportation (6.27%). Thus the proposed sustainable building assessment tool that best suits Ethiopian settings was developed.

Analysis of BIM-Based Digitising of Green Building Index (GBI): Assessment Method

There is currently an increasing demand for Building Information Modelling (BIM) to be integrated into green projects. BIM is able to evaluate green building assessment tools by digitising and assessing buildings during their development stage. In Malaysia, the Green Building Index (GBI) promotes sustainability in the built environment. Six categories of criteria will be assessed in three of the certification stages. This study focuses on how BIM applications can digitise the GBI criteria for GBI processes. It examines BIM uses and tools of each GBI credit and defines the responsibility and role of construction stakeholders in using BIM to examine the assessment methods used for new non-residential building construction based on GBI. The primary method for data collection is the focus group interview which involves the groups of stakeholders involved in a BIM and GBI project. The result of the BIM–GBI assessment method showed that BIM could digitise and assess 25 credits in Design Assessment (DA), which can achieve 55 points of the total 100 points. This study helps stakeholders define the design team and facility manager’s roles to obtain GBI certification and maintain the certification during the building’s operation stage.

Interior Design Students' Perception on Interior Health and Comfort in Shop House Design for New Normal Era

Objective – The 2020 Covid-19 outbreak has deeply redefined our relationship to public spaces. Public preference has shifted from indoor to outdoor areas which provide open-air spaces to reduce the possibility of Covid-19 transmission. Therefore, shop house foodservice retailers that operated in big cities may find it challenging to meet the new expectation. The Greenship (green building assessment tools in Indonesia) however, has made a checklist on how to achieve better indoor environment quality (IEQ) under the IHC (indoor health and comfort) category. Methodology – The method used for this research was the systematic literature review and typology studies with a proposed conceptual design made by students in Design Interior and Styling for Commercial and Retail Space studio academic year 2020/2021 as samples. Findings – The result shows that almost all students only took care of 5 categories out of 11 categories provided in the IHC category. The highest categories to get attention are indoor pollutant source control and outside view and daylight. The research shows attempts of students to achieve better IEQ but they are unaware that a guide and reference can as well be found in Greenship Interior Space. Novelty - This paper examines young interior designers' perceptions of healthy interior elements that need to be implemented for the purpose of adapting to the new normal. Type of Paper: Review JEL Classification: I23, I29.

GREEN BUILDING RATING SYSTEM (GBRS) AS A TOOL TO IMPOROVE BUILDING SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCE IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT OF NIGERIA

In the worldwide, the impacts associated with the use of technological innovations and developmental processes in the built environment through the construction of buildings are phenomenal. This is noticeable in the literature on the role of green building practices in building construction, building operation and optimization, and building management; respectively. This has led stakeholders and policy drivers to adopt principles of sustainability by producing green building rating systems to assess building stock at different stages of their life cycle. Dealing with the issue, this paper aimed to review various attempts made by selected nations and other stakeholders to produce green building rating tools and focused on the need to develop a green building rating system for Nigeria to enhance the sustainability performance of the country’s building stock. Given the various efforts by countries around the world to develop green building assessment tools, the paper found and maintained that Nigeria as a geographical entity cannot decide to be left out of the global trend to achieve sustainability through the need to have its own Green Building Rating System. The paper, therefore, recommended that there is a need to consider various assessments of the existing green building in either tropical or temperate region around the world and have a domestic green building rating assessment for the country to ensure that sustainability of her building stock can be promoted.

An Integrated Green Building Assessment Tool for Low-Cost Housing Development in Zambia

Green building rating tools developed to assess the impact of buildings on the environment may not have all the appropriate methods and criteria for different environmental, economic, social and cultural conditions in the world. Assessment tools should be developed to meet minimum green building standards and aspirations. The challenge in developing countries like Zambia is that there is limited access to green building rating tools and a lack of technology and resources to have local tools. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to select methods and criteria for assessing green low-cost housing in Zambia from literature review and interviews with building practitioners. The 11th Sustainable Development Goal was part of literature review and some strategies were adopted as part of the criteria for green building assessment. A sequential mixed-method design was used to collect and analyze data through interviews and an online AHP evaluation of preferred criteria and methods. The results from the study suggest that the most preferred method of green building assessment is a Local Based Assessment, with local strategies and materials. Energy, water, health and wellbeing were determined to be the most preferred criteria for green building assessment. The proposed criteria could be used for guiding designers and planners in housing projects and for reviewing current building bye-laws.

Holistic green BIM: a scientometrics and mixed review

PurposeDespite the construction industry's significant impact on high energy use and a growing carbon footprint, technologies like Green BIM help to optimize natural resources, reduce pollution, use sustainable space and work on human comfort and health. But the trend in a holistic approach is minimal. Thus, the paper aimed to systematically investigate Green BIM research and implementation trends using a mixed-method and also show the prospects of holistic Green BIM implementation.Design/methodology/approachFirst, we conducted a Scientometrics analysis on the topic using the Scopus database for the time interval of (2013–present). Secondly, the Qualitative Content Review method asserted the Scientometrics analysis result. Lastly, exploratory research was done on secondary data to compare the AEC industry trend for a comprehensive view.FindingsThe merged findings confirmed the partial implementation of Green BIM and of which 43% of research focused only on energy analysis. Despite the potential of BIM and the interrelationship among green building parameters, the result showed other aspects of green building and sustainable design parameters as green material selection, sustainable site, waste management and water-use efficiency not comprised.Originality/valueThe authors propose a new conceptual framework for integrating green building parameters, BIM tools and green building assessment tools in a life cycle of a project that adds into the sustainability of the Architectural, Engineering and Construction sector. The study would help to provoke researchers, software developers and practitioners for further innovative effort in holistic Green BIM implementation.

A BIM-Based Automated Assessment Tool for Green Building Index

In Malaysia, Green Building Index (GBI) is one of the sustainability rating tools for the construction industry, focusing on six main categories including Energy Efficiency (EE), Materials and Resources (MR), Water Efficiency (WE), Indoor Environment Quality (EQ), Sustainable Site Planning & Management (SM) and Innovation (IN). Currently, the process for GBI assessment and certification is carried out manually, which requires additional time and effort for preparation of supporting documents. Since Building Information Modelling (BIM) is perceived as a holistic solution for digital integration of various construction project attributes, it is anticipated that sustainability aspects can be addressed through BIM if an appropriate approach is implemented. Therefore, GBI assessment process can potentially benefit from BIM application to transition from conventional manual approach to an automated approach. This research is aimed at developing an Automated Green Building Assessment tool (AGBIA) using visual programming (Dynamo) to run as a supplementary application to the existing BIM authoring software (Revit). The AGBIA system consists of 6 modules that automatically analyses digital BIM models in accordance to GBI requirements, and ultimately produces the necessary documentation as a final output. AGBIA is an efficient supporting BIM tool as compared to assessment and documentation of green building data manually.

Assessing the Social Sustainability Indicators in Vernacular Architecture—Application of a Green Building Assessment Approach

Although a growing body of research has debated the array of sustainability lessons of vernacular architecture, social sustainability discussions remain less advanced in comparison to the other pillars of sustainability. This has narrowed the plural lessons of vernacular architecture and limited the broad concept of sustainability to a partial one. Against this research gap, this study aims to conduct an assessment of the social sustainability of residential vernacular architecture through the application of a proposed Social Criteria of Green Building Assessment Tool (SCGBAT) assessment method. The SCGBAT proposes eight sets of social criteria categories namely; health and safety; participation and control; education; equity, accessibility and satisfaction; social cohesion; cultural values; physical resilience and also, 37 indicators for the evaluation of social sustainability. To empirically operationalize the proposed SCGBAT, this study utilizes the vernacular architecture typologies in the vernacular landscape of Louroujina village in Cyprus as a case study. Methods for data collection are desk review for secondary data while 135 close-ended questionnaires were used for primary data. The data are statistically presented based on Linkert scale and interpreted using both quantitative and descriptive analysis. The results demonstrated that the investigated vernacular architecture ranked lowly in Physical Resilience Indicator (PRI), Environmental Education Indicator (EEI), Accessibility and Satisfaction Indicator (ASI) but demonstrated sufficient lessons in the context of Health and Safety Indicator (HSI); Participation and Control Indicator (PCI); Social Equity Indicator (SEI); Social Cohesion Indicator (SCI); and Cultural Value Indicator (CVI). To this end, this paper contribute to the advancement of knowledge on the assessment of the social sustainability of vernacular architecture by innovatively applying a green building assessment approach and identifying the strengths and weaknesses of such approach in a vernacular setting.

Recognizing of Building Components to Achieve Green Performance for Renovation and Retrofitting Works

Renovation and retrofitting have differing meanings. The term renovation refers to the process of returning something to a good state of repair. In the construction industry, improvement relates to the method of improving or modernizing an old, damaged, or defective building. The opposed to a term of retrofitting which is providing something with a component or feature not fitted initially. Retrofitting means giving something with a part or not installed during manufacture or adding something that it did not have when first constructed. Otherwise, it used as improving the health of occupants or increasing the building adaptability, durability, and resiliency. The strategy of green achievement is the purpose of the research. This state of the art is providing how researchers to understand the achievement strategy from building components. To provide a clear overview for the reader, which are building components in Green Building. Then Green building is one of the measures forward to mitigate significant impacts of the building stock on the environment, society, and economy. Professional for respondents taken from three which has differed on AMSL and climate, exploring for knowledge and practices profiles. However, this paper consists of a critical review of the existing body of knowledge of researches related to the strategies of green building achievement. The research themes and findings identified. These universal themes are the definition and scope of renovation and retrofitting on green building, and discussions approach to achieve green buildings by researchers how recognizing the building comIponents. It found that the emphasis played predominately focus on knowledge of professional role as the aspects which are affecting green building achievement. Future research opportunities were identified, such as climatic of all countries to consider green building assessment tools and future-proofing on preconstruction. We suggest developing an awareness of managing and controlling preconstruction work for achieving green achievement. Moreover, it could develop to the next research on developing a strategy on green construction for construction management and project management.

MyCREST embedded framework for enhancing the adoption of green office building development in Sarawak

PurposeGreen building development practices reduce carbon footprint and promote sustainability in the built environment. To foster green building construction in Malaysia, several strategies and sustainability metrics like the Malaysian Carbon Reduction and Environmental Sustainability Tool (MyCREST) have been established. Yet, the implementation of green office building development in Sarawak still remains low. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop MyCREST Embedded Framework (MEF) for enhancing the adoption of green office building construction in Sarawak.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the research aim, document analysis of the overarching MyCREST Reference Guide was conducted. Then, questionnaire was used to survey 120 green construction professionals in Kuching, the capital of Sarawak. Afterwards, data from the questionnaire was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science software version 22. As a result, the significant strategies for enhancing the adoption of green office building construction in Sarawak were identified, and ranked hierarchically using the Relative Importance Index.FindingsThe established significant strategies include: government policies and incentives, sustainable technological practices, defined process for executing green building projects and adequate information for the public. Moreover, this study recommends MyCREST as the suitable Green Building Assessment Tool for developing green office buildings in Sarawak due to its integration of carbon reduction strategies with sustainability indicators.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is limited to Kuching; hence future study should be extended to other cities in Sarawak.Originality/valueBased on the findings, the MEF is developed to enlighten the industry practitioners on the approaches that will elevate green office building development in Sarawak.

Green building standards: Opportunities for Nigeria

A large continuing body of works has highlighted the pivotal role of Green Building Assessment Tools (GBAT) in achieving sustainable development. As such, different countries have developed different contextual building assessment tools such as – but not limited to – the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREAM), and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen (DGNB) to ensure sustainable development on the different countries. However, in spite of the robustness of awareness in the role of GBATs, Nigeria remains a country without a significant building assessment tool. In spite of its exponentially growing population and the imperative need to house this population, the Nigeria construction section remains without any viable tool to ensure sustainable development. As such, this present study is driven on the implicit assumption that the assessment criteria of LEED holds potential to guide the improvement of the Nigeria National Building Code. Thus, this paper aims to adopt LEED as a contextual reference to assess the advantages and disadvantages of the Nation Building Code in the context of sustainable development compliance. To achieve this aim, the following rating categories were considered; material/waste control; water efficiency; indoor environmental quality; energy efficiency; sustainable site; innovation in design. Methodologically, the collection of data and interpretation are based on a qualitative research approach. Methods used include critical reviews and content analysis among others. To this end, this paper suggests a framework which demonstrates how the suggested criteria can be synthesized into the National building code to improve its sustainability criteria for ensuring the construction sector is in line with the global ethos of sustainable development.

Comparative Study on the Malaysian Sustainable Building Assessment Tools

Green Building Index (GBI) and Green Real Estate (GreenRE) are the two existing green building assessment tools specifically design and developed for Malaysian tropical weather, environmental and development context, cultural and social needs. GBI developed 15 assessment tools and GreenRE have 4 assessment tools therefore, only four assessment tools were compared. The total credits allocation are 100/154Cr, 100/183Cr and 100/184Cr and total parameters of 39Pr/24Pr, 51Pr/29Pr and 44Pr/30Pr for RNB, NRNB, NREB assessment tools for GBI/GreenRE respectively. Among the criteria, energy, water, indoor and outdoor environmental qualities were given high priority with high credit and parameters allocation. GreenRE give more priority in EEF and WEF category as compared to GBI with putting more priority over GreenRE in the remaining as it consider more categories of buildings, parameters in the remaining criteria and higher rating grade. It is easier to score credits and attain high ratings in the GreenRE assessment tools than GBI assessment tools even though in both the sustainability issues considered are similar. The results from GBI and GreenRE assessment exercise are solely dependent on the personality, quality and experience of the assessor. All the tools developed by GreenRE and GBI are pointing to a single similar objective that is the implementing the principle of sustainability in the Malaysian build environment and hence they are both suitable for assessing Malaysian building.

Cultural Values in Green Rating Framework

This paper presents a review on holistic approaches of green building assessment tools (GBAT) for sustainable development (SD) showing the trends and conceptual framework. The method of the study is through literature review which highlighted the socio-cultural inadequacy of most GBAT. The paper proposes several hypotheses. Firstly, to use a holistic universal method to assess sustainability within the community's cultural context. Secondly, the assessment criteria for sustainability from the socio-cultural viewpoint would differ from the conventional tools. Thirdly, the study proposes that the community would prefer to shape their future environment with specific preferred values in their home environment.

Social criteria of sustainable development in relation to green building assessment tools

The social criteria of sustainable development, with a focus on green building assessment tool, have remained underexplored. Moreover, a large number of green building assessment tools and social sustainability documentations have been developed and have had a direct impact on social criteria issues, but there seems to be a substantial gap in the study of social criteria in green building assessment tools. The present study aimed at introducing the subject area supported by categories to monitor social criteria in building assessment tool. In light of this argument, this paper, through analysis of frequency data and results of studies, aims to identify some potential factors that will impact building practitioners toward making the right decision for selecting and implementing social criteria in green building assessment tools. In order to organize this paper, it adopts an analytic approach where social criteria would be interpreted in a new position. The aim is to identify social criteria of sustainable development to assist building practitioners in order to assess the building project and embed them toward building assessment tool to achieve sustainable development goal.

The comparative analysis of neighborhood sustainability assessment tool

From Ebenezer Howard’s concept of garden cities to visions of the sustainable development of ecocities, people have engaged in numerous attempts to curb hazards of residential environments and excessive capitalized development resulting from mass industrialization. However, many countries have adopted widely used green building assessment tools to conduct neighborhood sustainability assessment of ecocities. An ecocommunity assessment tool of Taiwan was established according to current green building policies, the content of which focuses on technological aspects rather than on the closely correlated social and economic aspects within ecocities. To thoroughly review neighborhood sustainability assessment tools, this study conducted a qualitative and quantitative analysis of internationally renowned assessment tools and tools used in developed Asian countries. This study concluded that (a) a number of countries have proposed neighborhood sustainability assessment tools that strongly emphasize resource and energy categories but neglect economic development; (b) the neighborhood sustainability assessment tools in Asia possess special characteristics; and (c) indicators of neighborhood sustainability assessment tools must enable mutual links and public participation.

Benchmarking green building attributes to achieve cost effectiveness using a data envelopment analysis

Green building construction has been considered to be an essential practice for achieving sustainability. To achieve sustainable development, greater attention has been paid to environmental, social and economic impacts associated with the construction and operation of buildings. Hence, the importance of a more integrated approach to green building design with cost effectiveness has gained momentum. The present study focuses on developing appropriate constructs to benchmark green building attributes in construction such that, with limited funds, the sustainable performance of the building is improved. In this study, Indian green building assessment tools, such as Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA), Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), eco-housing, and a newly developed rating system, are reviewed. A Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) has been employed to benchmark the green building attributes. Buildings in different climatic conditions, such as hot and dry, warm and humid, and composite climates, were chosen for benchmarking purposes. Efficiency was calculated using a constant return to scale with an input-oriented Charnes-Cooper-Rhodes (CCR) formulation method. The following attributes were observed: (1) utilization of the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) recommended waste materials in the building, (2) increase in environmental awareness, (3) dedicated facilities for service staff, (4) design for universal accessibility, (5), low-impact design (6) construction management practices and (7) use of low-volatile organic compounds (VOC) paints that contribute to more green points at a lower cost.