Green Building Certification System Research Articles

Land management criteria for green building certification systems in Turkey.

The issue of energy holds significant implications for nations heavily reliant on it, such as Turkey. In recent times, legislative measures, including the Energy Efficiency Law and the Energy Performance Regulation of Buildings, have been enacted in Turkey. Despite the implementation of the Energy Performance Certificate for buildings, the absence of a national green building certification system remains conspicuous. To address this gap, an examination of globally recognized certification systems and relevant components concerning land management, pertinent to Turkey's context, was undertaken. This involved a comprehensive literature review to establish the foundation for survey inquiries. Subsequently, interviews were conducted with subject matter experts in Turkey to glean valuable insights and perspectives. Utilizing the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology, the responses from these experts were collated and analyzed to delineate the criteria and sub-criteria germane to land management. This study delves into the discourse surrounding the establishment of a green building certification system within Turkey, specifically within the domain of land management, a sector of paramount importance, particularly within the purview of survey engineering. Through a structured survey, the criteria pertinent to land management were identified and subjected to rigorous analysis. Furthermore, the sub-criteria within the land management category were delineated, and their respective weights were computed, thereby providing a comprehensive framework for the envisioned green building certification system in Turkey.

BIM to BREEAM: A workflow for automated daylighting assessment of existing buildings

By conducting an assessment of the existing building stock from the perspective of the Green Building Certification System (GBCS), it is possible to contribute to the improvement of energy utilization and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as promoted through the Renovation Wave strategy by the European Union. These aspirations will simultaneously contribute to enhancing human well-being, indoor environmental quality, and comfort. This paper describes a novel methodology for enhancing the renovation of existing buildings at the design stage using automation within the Building Information Modeling (BIM) environment. By parameterizing the requirements of GBCS using a visual programming tool, real-time insight into the number of achieved certain issue credits in the certification process is enabled. It was also created to enable designers in the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operations (AECO) sector to continuously monitor the development of design and make modifications as early as possible in the design process. Thus, cost overruns in design projects, as well as later renovations and building maintenance, are prevented. This research has utilized the capability of BIM to perform rapid compliance simulations with Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) requirements without the need for manual calculations and/or computer simulations in other software, which would increase the time required for analysis due to additional modeling requirements. The methodology is demonstrated using the automation of the Daylighting section of the issue Hea01 Visual Comfort from the Technical Manual SD225 1.4 − BREEAM International Non-Domestic Refurbishment 2015, and the validation was performed on a BIM model of an existing building belonging to the educational sector. The application of the described methodology in the case study reduced the time required for assessing the number of achieved daylighting credits by 40%, with potential savings extending up to 80% depending on the chosen criteria for analysis. The tool is designed to be applicable to other GBCS, building types, and newly designed buildings as well.

Towards net zero carbon buildings: Accounting the building embodied carbon and life cycle-based policy design for Greater Bay Area, China

Carbon mitigation of buildings is critical to promote a net-zero society. The international society has vigorously promoted “Net Zero Carbon Buildings” across the globe, and accounting for building carbon emissions is critical to support this initiative. Embodied carbon, which represents carbon emissions from the entire lifecycle of the buildings, is fundamental for realizing the idea of zero carbon. However, only limited studies have been conducted so far that take into account the city scale. This paper aimed to act as a first try to account for the embodied carbon emissions in buildings in 2020 for the Guangdong-Hong Kong Macau Greater Bay Area in China (GBA). We integrated remote sensing techniques such as night-time light data (NLT) and building material flows analysis to calculate and spatialize the newly generated building material stocks (MS). Based on the MS data, we further applied life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess the embodied carbon in the buildings. The results highlighted that over 163 million tons of embodied carbon in buildings of GBA are expected to be generated, from 497 million tons of newly generated building MS in 2020. The embodied carbon in each life cycle stage is valuable for further lifecycle-based policy designs for: (i) supporting the updating of the green building certification system with consideration of the embodied carbon; (ii) promoting the green building material application and certification; and (iii) reducing the embodied carbon intensity from compact urban planning policy, such as the urban agglomeration policies in GBA. The goal of this paper was to shed a light on reducing carbon emissions from the perspective of the entire lifecycle and promote the development of net zero carbon buildings in China and Asia-Pacific.

Zero Carbon Ready Metrics for a Single-Family Home in the Sultanate of Oman Based on EDGE Certification System for Green Buildings

A single-family house was designed as a new middle-income green residential building in the Sultanate of Oman, according to criteria defined by the green building certification system EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies), developed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is a member of the World Bank Group (WBG). The design was accomplished through the free cloud-based tool of EDGE. With respect to a base design for the Sultanate of Oman, the green home design achieved savings of 40.86%, 20.22%, and 26.39% in energy, water, and materials (Embodied Energy), respectively. In addition, a saving of 35.48% in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions was estimated. Based on the completed green building design, four green building-normalized metrics were used to quantify the efficiency of the base case and the design case in terms of the consumption of resources and polluting emissions. These efficiency metrics are: Carbon Emission Index (CEI), Energy Performance Index (EPI), Water Consumption Index (WCI), and Embodied Energy Index (EEI). Out of these green building performance metrics, the EPI is directly provided by EDGE, while the other three are introduced here as additional useful indicators that allow fair evaluations and comparison with other buildings, due to their less stringent dependence on the floor area or the number of occupants.

업무용 건축물 LCA 분석을 통한 녹색건축 인증제도 개선방안 연구

In this study, a study was conducted to identify problems with the "building LCA" evaluation items in a domestic green building certification system(G-SEED), and to prepare improvement plans. To this end, domestic and foreign green building certification systems were compared, and the evaluation items of G-SEED were analyzed and LCA case studies were conducted for Business facilities buildings, and the results were analyzed. As a result of the case analysis, it was analyzed that each environmental load impact category affects the environment in the order of 48.5% global warming, 37.3% resource depletion, 5.8% photochemical oxide production, 4.7% human toxicity, 2.0% acidification, 1.1% eutrophication, 0.4% ecotoxicity, and 0.3% ozone layer destruction. In addition, improvement plans were presented through the results of case analysis.

고온다습기후 지역 건축물의 외피 계획에서 드러나는 친환경성 분석 : 대만 지역의 EEWH 인증 녹색도서관을 중심으로

Purpose: This study aims to analyze the eco-friendly elements of the building skin in a hot and humid region and to propose feasible eco-friendly planning elements (in Korea). Method: Categorizing external environmental factors that can affect interior space. Identifying the elements of eco-friendly architectural planning from building life cycle perspective. Visiting for field observation about 5 public libraries certificated by Taiwanese Green Building Certification System (EEWH). Characterization planning features by external environmental factors of hot and humid region’s green buildings. Result: Above all, it is extremely important to actively utilize and develope passive air conditioning design skill that can replace mechanical facility-oriented air conditioning systems in modern architecture. Because controlling daytime solar radiation and outside air access at the building skins are directly related to indoor temperature and eventually determines air conditioning system operation. Additionally, when the building can be the part of site and eco-system, it can create a greater synergistic effect by harmonizing with passive air conditioning systems. The vitality of soil and plants ultimately enhances air conditioning by improving air quality and circulation. Lastly, it was empirically confirmed that finding contribution at every stage of building life cycle can be a practicable means of defining the environmental impact of buildings.

Indonesia MICE green building project with value engineering and its influential factors: an SEM-PLS approach

The MICE industry is considered one with high economic attractiveness for investors. Regulations and user requests for a new building are required to meet green building standards. The Green Building Council Indonesia issues Greenship's green building certification system. A minimum of 56 points is required for additional investment costs but will result in savings in operations to get a platinum rating. This paper aims to determine what factors are influential in optimising construction costs through the value engineering method to achieve a green building rating tool with life cycle costs using Structural Equation Modelling. The finding is that energy is the most influential factor in obtaining platinum rating certification, which requires value engineering and lifecycle cost analysis to achieve optimal investment costs with additional costs from 7,494% to 4,689%. The novelty of this research is that the selection of materials/machines and working methods of the green concept that saves energy needs to be carried out from the beginning of the design to achieve a feasible payback period for new investments, which will be the commitment of the owner to build a green MICE.

The Analysis of the EDGE Certification System on Residential Complexes to Improve Sustainability and Affordability

In this paper, the characteristics of the Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE) green building certification system in terms of the scope of certification, and environmental and social strategies focused on 6024 units in the 17 EDGE-certified residential buildings in South Africa was investigated. This research analyzed the efficiency of energy, water, embodied energy in materials, and annual CO2 emissions and their contribution to solving housing issues in the given context. This research revealed that the design of EDGE-certified buildings focuses on the “efficiency first” approach and reduced energy and water demand more than on-site energy production. In energy-saving strategies, energy-saving solutions are three times (69.2%) higher than energy-generating solutions (23.1%). The results on resource savings showed that, on average, embodied energy in materials (54%) is the most reduced resource, followed by water (31%) and energy (29.7%). The statistical analysis indicated that there is no statistically significant correlation between energy, water, embodied energy in materials, and CO2 savings with floor areas of the buildings. In addition, this research highlighted how EDGE certification has positively contributed to solving South Africa’s resource shortage and affordable housing scarcity problems.

Assessment of the Yalova University Engineering Faculty Building using the B.E.S.T. green building certification system

ABSTRACT Currently, there is no official green or sustainable built environment evaluation system in Turkey. When a certification is required for a building or a site, various certification systems are employed. To meet the demand, the Turkish Green Building Council released an evaluation system called B.E.S.T. in 2013. In this paper, the B.E.S.T. evaluation system is introduced as well as a sample application. The evaluation of the Yalova University Engineering Faculty Building using the B.E.S.T. evaluation system is presented. Field research was conducted and evidentiary documents were gathered in preparation. The study employed both analytical and field research methodologies in this regard. As a result of the study, Yalova University Engineering Faculty Building was assessed to be eligible for the lowest level certificate, the ‘Approved’ degree of the B.E.S.T. evaluation system. Furthermore, the results achieved with the B.E.S.T. were compared to those acquired previously with other green or sustainable building evaluation systems. HIGHLIGHTS - An exemplary set of the evaluation was performed for university campus buildings with the B.E.S.T. certification system. - The conducted case study is one of the earliest samples of B.E.S.T. evaluations. - A comparison of B.E.S.T. with LEED and BREAM is provided. - The importance of establishing a local certification system has been discussed.

The overlooked criteria in green building certification system: Embodied energy and thermal insulation on non-residential building with a case study in Malaysia

A green building certification system (GBCS) is essential for sustainable city development. However, the building's embodied energy (EE) and thermal insulation have often been overlooked in GBCSs. The correlation of thermal insulation envelopes to EE and operational energy (OE) has also yet to be extensively investigated. This study adopts life cycle energy assessment methodology to evaluate the EE and OE of non-green and green-rated non-residential buildings with hotspot analysis and analyse the trade-offs between EE production and OE saving for five types of insulation envelopes. Taking Malaysia as a reference, results show EE holds 16–19% of total energy in non-green and green-rated non-residential buildings; hence EE should not be neglected in GBCS. The material consumption phase incurs half a quarter of the total EE, indicating that major recycled and low-embodied building materials (e.g., recycled steel and green cement) should be rewarded with higher points in GBCS. Insulated building envelopes save 84–87% of cooling demand than non-insulated walls, with cellulose fibre insulators consuming the least EE. It is hoped that this study can provide evidence-based outcomes to policymakers when formulating the proportion of EE and OE, and integrating insulation envelopes in GBCS to enhance energy savings further.

Assessing contextual factors for sustainable development: a case study of LEED-certified projects in Jordan

PurposeThe researchers analyzed factors affecting the adoption of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green-building certification system in Jordan, including financial performance of certified projects along with broader barriers that may impact developers’ interest in LEED.Design/methodology/approachThe authors first reviewed online data for all LEED registered and certified projects in Jordan, recruited LEED-certified project stakeholders, collected documents related to LEED projects and conducted LEED category credit summaries, financial cost-benefit analyses and spot-checking reported values in local markets. The authors then visited projects sites and interviewed various project stakeholders to understand better stakeholders' decision-making processes concerning LEED and relevant factors (financial, branding, cultural, political, etc.).FindingsObtaining LEED certification in Jordan was financially feasible as evinced in both the quantitative analysis and interviews. However, the authors found that there was very limited interest in LEED among Jordanian developers. Barriers included widespread cynicism toward green building concepts as well as a lack of local expertise in installing and maintaining green technologies. To overcome these barriers, the authors recommend that green building initiatives place a greater emphasis on education and public-promotion activities.Research limitations/implicationsThe research data were limited to projects that had successfully achieved LEED certification. Broader qualitative research conducted across the Jordanian building community could provide additional insights, but such an investigation is beyond the scope of the current study.Originality/valueThe complexity of adapting a Western green building standard (LEED) to a non-Western context is discussed in detail. The findings suggest that understanding regional development challenges, local markets and cultural differences is vital for successfully implementing green building certification systems.

Strengthening Taiwan’s Green Building Certification System from Aspects of Productivity and Energy Costs to Provide a Healthier Workplace

This study estimates the relationship between poor indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and the increasing labor costs in green buildings in Taiwan. Specifically, poor performance of IEQ including HVAC, lighting, and indoor air quality, influences the health and well-being of occupants and leads to worse productivity, ultimately causing increased personnel cost. In Taiwan’s green building certification (GBC) system, the energy-savings category is mandatory while the IEQ category is only optional. It means that certified building cases may not reach the expected level in IEQ. Thus, this study reviews the thermal environment, indoor air quality (IAQ), and illumination performances of IEQ-certified and non-IEQ-certified buildings in 20 green buildings. Building energy and IEQ simulations were conducted to analyze the relationships between indoor comfort, energy cost, and personnel cost in green buildings. The results show that IEQ-certified green buildings averagely perform better than non-IEQ-certified ones in the aspects of IEQ and building costs. Besides, 3 of 13 non-IEQ-certified green buildings undertake extremely high additional expenditure for the poor IEQ. The results correspond to some previous findings that green-certified buildings do not necessarily guarantee good building performance. This study further inspects the pros and cons of Taiwan’s GBC system and proposes recommendations against its insufficient IEQ evaluation category. As the trade-off of energy-saving benefits with health and well-being in green buildings has always been a concern, this study aims to stimulate more quantitative research and promote a more comprehensive green building certification system in Taiwan.

The Impact of Certification Systems for Architectural Solutions in Green Office Buildings in the Perspective of Occupant Well-Being

The green building certification system has long-lasting benefits by improving building efficiency and sustainability. The ultimate goal of such classification is to promote the preservation of the global environment as well as the occupants’ well-being and their health. In this paper, we present examples of buildings that have been designed and built in Poland and have been certified with BREEAM, LEED and WELL. Our study investigates human factors in certification systems and examines the WELL Building Standard as a supplement to other green systems, which will probably be the most popular in the future. The green building movement should prioritize pro-human factors and the associated environmental beliefs to improve indoor environment quality for users’ needs. We present this matter on the example of the Polish office space market, providing statistics and analyzing the architecture of six certified office buildings from Warsaw, Poznań and Wrocław. They are a representative sample of buildings designed following the certification regime. It was demonstrated how this aids in improving work comfort, enhances the program of office spaces and the organization of service spaces within buildings, which increases the rank of this architecture and positively affects the urban environment.

Versatility in sustainable building design (SBD) practices: an empirical study

PurposeThrough an empirical study, this research proposes a multi-dimensional assessment method for Sustainable Building Design (SBD). This approach is adopted to investigate and evaluate the current practices of SBD and to provide a basis for refining such processes while reducing existing shortfalls. In doing so, a holistic sustainable framework for rating the sustainable performance of buildings is proposed.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the aforementioned purpose, this research (1) investigates the most current trends in SBD including the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM); (2) examines the practical issues of SBD; (3) proposes a multi-dimensional assessment method; and (4) compares 18 separate case studies in the three countries of Australia, United Kingdom and USA, as part of the SBD implementation. To compare these case studies, an additional SBD tool, Green Building Rating and Certification System (GBELS) was carefully selected and applied. Five core values of SBD were identified based on functionality, accessibility and productivity, which align with the GBELS outcomes.FindingsThis research found that, for the 18 examined buildings, the main issues in SBD in the three countries concerned environmental and ecological issues. These included the impacts of buildings on the environment, as well as issues concerning the buildings' life cycle analysis and assessment. It was also determined that energy usage, pollution reduction and climate change concerns were important inclusions in establishing these buildings, particularly in the USA.Originality/valueTo support the research aim, this paper explores the most innovative trends in SBD assessments including their Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), grade (stars) classification, Relative Weight (RW) and particularly GBELS. GBELS was selected for this research, since it is relatively new and there is little available literature discussing its adaptation. Accordingly, this research further evaluates the application of GBELS as a part of versatility in SBD multi-dimensional assessment method. As the basis of these tests, a total of 18 separate case studies are closely evaluated.

Embodied emissions of buildings - A forgotten factor in green building certificates

The construction and use of buildings consume a significant proportion of global energy and natural resources. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is arguably the most international green building certification system and attempts to take actions to limit energy use of buildings and construct them sustainably. While there has been a wide range of research mainly focused on energy use and emission production during the operation phase of LEED-certified buildings, research on embodied emissions is rare. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficiency of LEED regarding initial (pre-use) embodied emissions using life cycle assessment (LCA). The study comprised several steps using a designed model. In the first step, three optional building material scenarios were defined (optimized concrete, hybrid concrete-wood, and wooden buildings) in addition to the base case concrete building located in Iceland. Second, an LCA was conducted for each scenario. Finally, the number of LEED points and the level of LEED certification was assessed for all studied scenarios. In addition, a comparison regarding embodied emissions consideration between LEED and Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) as mostly used green certificate was conducted in the discussion section. The LCA showed the lowest environmental impact for the wooden building followed by the hybrid concrete-wood building. In the LEED framework, wooden and hybrid scenarios obtained 14 and 8 points that were related to material selection. Among these points, only 3 (out of a total of 110 available points) were directly accredited to embodied emissions. The study recommends that the green building certificates increase the weight of sustainable construction materials since the significance of embodied emissions is substantially growing along with the current carbon neutrality goals. As most of the materials for building construction are imported into Iceland, this study is useful for locations similar to Iceland, while overall it is beneficial for the whole world regarding climate change mitigation.

Intergrating Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Tools with Green Building Certification System in Designing and Evaluating Water Efficiency of Green Building for Sustainable Buildings

Designing green buildings has become a common trend in many developed countries as a way to promote energy savings and environmental protection. In Viet Nam, the number of certified green buildings remains few, mainly applied LOTUS – the green building rating system introduced by the Vietnam Green Building Council in 2009. It is mainly due to the length of time it takes to design and evaluate green buildings. Applying the Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the design and evaluation of green buildings will address this shortcoming. The integrated BIM-Green Buildings solution kit efficiently provides the architects and engineers with a tool to make preliminary estimation of the green building scoring in term of water efficiency in their design phase; thus they can actively evaluate their performance against key green building criteria and accordingly adjust their designs to meet the criteria at the desired level. This software therefore saves designing time and facilitates the selection of suitable designs.

공동주택성능등급표시제도의 합리적 제도 운영 방안 모색을 위한 기초 연구 : 녹색건축물 인증제도와 비교ㆍ분석을 중심으로

Purpose: The performance rating system of multi-family housings allows future tenants to identify the performance level of the multi-family housing to purchase by displaying the housing performance and quality in tenant recruitment notices when such housings are supplied. The evaluation part of this system is a comprehensive performance indicator related to the overall performance of multi-family housings. The performance evaluation items include noise, structure, living environment, and fire safety, and this part is closely related to the individual certification system related to the current multi-family housings. However, this certification system was abolished after 2012 in accordance with the government policy due to the integrated management and reduction of similar certification systems. While it was eventually re-established in December 2013 due to its importance, its grade determination system depends on the green building certification system in compliance with the Green Building Construction Support Act. In this way, there is an issue that the system itself and its operation are separated. In addition, the performance rating system of multi-family housings is regarded as a supplementary system that can be additionally acquired when receiving the Green Building Certification in the construction market. Therefore, this study derived problems through comparative analysis with the green building certification system so that the performance rating system of multi-family housings, which is a comprehensive performance concept regarding multi-family housings, can be operated according to its original objectives. This study also proposed short-term and long-term improvement plans. Methods: The overall contents of the certification system were investigated through a review of the legal system and literature, and an analysis table was prepared according to the analysis method of the certification system in previous studies. Results: First, as a short-term improvement plan, this study proposed to maintain the current dual system. However, only the certification agencies are used together and operation and management are separately established in the Housing Act. Second, as a long-term improvement plan, this study proposed to separate into housing and non-housing and to operate the performance rating system of multi-family housings together with each individual certification system only for housings.

국내 주택관련 인증제도 문제점 종합 분석 및 개선방안 연구

Purpose: This study is to derive problems through comparative analysis of domestic housing-related certification systems, and to draw realistic problems and establish improvement plans through expert interviews. Method: For this purpose, comparative analysis of each certification system and expert interview were performed. Eight of the domestic housing related certification systems were selected, and the contents of the comparative analysis were related laws and certification obligations, certification system operating agency/evaluation agency, certification time and procedure, certification evaluation items, and incentives. Results: As a result of the analysis, each problem was derived, but overall, the fact that there are various housing-related certification systems operated by multiple ministries individually and that hierarchies and operating methods are presented as separate standards was derived as a comprehensive problem. Accordingly, it was discussed that it was necessary to prepare a step-by-step plan for hierarchical arrangement and rationalization of the entire certification system. Although the housing-related certification system has various problems due to similarity and duplication, the biggest problem among them is the incomplete integration of the green building certification system and the housing performance rating system. First, as a short-term solution, it was proposed to solve the practical problems of two systems, the green building certification system and the housing performance rating system. Second, from a long-term perspective, it was suggested that, from a comprehensive perspective, each certification integration and rationalization plan should be prepared according to the level of duplication of multiple certification systems.

녹색건축인증제도에서 음환경분야의 등급 획득현황 분석 및 개선방안 고찰

This study analyzed the effect of the green building certification system, which affects the performance level of buildings, on the sound environment performance field of buildings. To this end, we analyzed the status of certified grades by evaluation items in the sound environment field for some of the buildings that were recently certified (2016~2019). In addition, the transition process of green building certification standards in the field of sound environment performance from 2002 to the present is summarized. Along with analyzing the certification grade, it is necessary to explain the method so that the boundary wall sound insulation performance and indoor/outdoor noise level set at the minimum standard in the relevant laws and regulations can be obtained even at the lowest grade. In terms of improving residents’ satisfaction, the evaluation items requiring system improvement are floor impact noise and toilet noise in apartments, and performance is determined through field measurements. The problem should be to prepare measures to resolve measurement deviations. In addition, since schools and lodging facilities need to be quiet, it is necessary to revise the green building certification standards after establishing minimum standards in the relevant laws.

An Investigation of the Selection of LEED Version 4 Credits for Sustainable Building Projects

The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification program supports sustainable construction as part of the effort to address climate change and resource depletion. It is the world’s most popular green building certification system, with more than 146,400 projects. Satisfying the LEED requirements brings many benefits to a project’s design performance and adds community value, but it does incur additional costs and challenges. This study examined the choices made by those working on the 222 LEED New Construction version 4 (LEED-NC-V4) projects that were certified between September 2014 and March 2020 to determine how the LEED project teams selected appropriate LEED goals. The results reveal interesting insights into the way project LEED goals and the credits corresponding to the target certification level were chosen, as well as the links and trade-offs between the various credit options. Based on these findings, useful suggestions are made for ways to help LEED project teams achieve their target certification levels and encourage authorities to continue to improve their local green regulations. The analysis of actual certified projects’ data makes it possible to re-evaluate the effects of newly updated requests in LEED v4 in the light of the stated goals of the USGBC.