Green Building Certification Research Articles

The Potential Contribution of Wood in Green Building Certifications

The building sector has a significant impact on the environment, accounting for 36% of CO2 emissions and about half of material consumption in Europe. Residential buildings dominate the European building stock. In Finland, residential buildings account for up to 80% of the existing buildings and the rate of construction is higher compared to other building types. Therefore, residential buildings play an important role in the transition to a sustainable built environment. A number of studies show that increasing the use of wood can lower the life cycle environmental impacts of buildings. In Scandinavia, the use of wood in small houses is well established, used in 90% of cases. Furthermore, the increasing number of high-rise wooden buildings suggests a growing interest in the potential of wood in large-scale buildings. Green building certification provides criteria to assess the sustainability level of buildings and is expected to influence the building sector in the near future, by promoting the use of sustainable technologies. The aim of this study was to investigate how green building certification schemes assess wood materials and how wood materials can help fulfil sustainability criteria for green buildings. We analyse the sustainability criteria adopted by the most common certification schemes in Finland, BREEAM, LEED and the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, as well as the upcoming Level(s) certification promoted by the European Commission. The analysis shows that the contribution of wood materials to the overall score of green building certifications accounts for between 10 and 36%. Wood is advantageous as a renewable and low-carbon material. Furthermore, wood can offer indirect benefits due to its recycling potential and to water saving in the construction stage. However, wood materials have to comply with some requirements, such as sustainable forest management and low volatile organic compound content. The new European certification suggests a comprehensive assessment including circular material life cycles.

BIM-BASED ENERGY ANALYSIS AND DESIGN TOOLS FOR LEED CERTIFICATION

Green building rating systems (GBRSs) are developed to assist Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) professionals to measure building performance and fulfill the requirements of sustainable design and construction. Designing high-performance buildings according to GBRSs with the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM)-based energy analysis and design tools promotes sustainable construction, helps reduction of carbon footprint, and overall eases the green building certification process. Although previous studies addressed the use of BIM in LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) certification; limited number of studies focused on using BIM-based tools for examining credits and requirements of LEED v4. The objective of this study is to demonstrate in what ways BIM-based energy analysis and design tools can support project teams in pursuit of LEED certification for residential projects. A literature review and case study were conducted, and Autodesk Revit Green Building Studio, eQUEST, EnergyPlus, and IES-VE tools were examined in terms of achieving LEED v4 Building Design and Construction for Multifamily Midrise rating system credits. Results demonstrate that these tools can perform 17 LEED credits. This study determines the pros and cons of these four BIM-based tools in terms of the LEED v4 BD+C MM rating system. This study also contributes to the AEC industry and literature with four decision-making flowcharts that are developed as guidelines for AEC professionals to conduct BIM-based LEED certification processes more effectively.

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.

How can green building certification systems cope with the era of climate emergency and pandemics?

According to the second law of thermodynamics, all human activities cause exergy destructions, adding to additional root causes for carbon dioxide emissions responsibility. It means that current carbon dioxide concentrations are accurately observed, but the root causes and their potential solutions against global warming fall short of achieving the goals of the Paris agreement by almost 45% in terms of decarbonization efforts, as shown in this paper. This result applies to all activities, including the green facility concept. In this respect, the primary aim of this paper is to raise awareness about the essence of the Second Law of Thermodynamics in expanding the green facility concept to reach more effective and sustainable rating methodologies concerning the climate crisis. A new evaluating and rating model with a set of exergy-based green building metrics that relate additional carbon dioxide emissions to irreversible exergy destructions has been developed. Examples about apparently green buildings according to the First Law of Thermodynamics are given by showing that these buildings are not green due to additional carbon dioxide emissions responsibility due to exergy destructions. An airport terminal building case is elaborated. It has been shown that although part of the electricity comes from a third-party wind energy provider, it ends up with carbon dioxide emissions responsibility because it is not entirely used in exergy-rational demand points and compares less favorably with an on-site cogeneration system using natural gas by about 30% more emissions responsibility. The results and derivations of new metrics are discussed, which shed light on adding new criteria to existing green building certification programs.

The future of IEQ in green building certifications

Although indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and human health have been on the agenda of the green building industry, a new emphasis is being placed on building features that explicitly promote the experience of occupants. However, evidence of the performance of green-certified buildings from the occupant perspective remains inconsistent, with numerous questions on how to effectively design, assess and promote ‘healthy buildings’. Focusing on the key IEQ categories of indoor air quality, thermal comfort, lighting and acoustics, this paper synthesises emerging knowledge related to IEQ and health; identifies research and practical challenges that may impede the performance of green-rated buildings; sets the foundations for researchers and green rating system developers to capture immediate and long-term opportunities; and proposes a new framework for green-certified buildings. The envisioned future of green buildings will need to be based on a thorough knowledge of the building and its users, their inter- and intra-individual variability, their spatiotemporal localisation, their activities, their history of exposures, together with a capacity of anticipation of the likelihood of future events and preparedness for them. A balanced, integrated, consideration of these factors can provide the basis for more effective green building certification systems. <em><strong>Practice relevance</strong></em> The Covid-19 pandemic has focused attention on the importance of IEQ and highlighted the limitations of prevailing practice for promoting human experience, health and wellbeing. Most critically, the good intentions of project planning are often not reflected in real-world conditions, and establishedbest practiceshave not kept pace with advances in research. This paper provides a critical synthesis of the literature on the effectiveness of green building ratings systems for human experience. It identifies limitations and practical opportunities for improvement in the design and application of rating tools. These observations present specific, actionable, opportunities to improve the design and operation of green building rating systems. Rating system developers and practitioners can use this information to better align design intentions with outcomes. Explicit consideration is needed for differences in individual preferences, spatial and temporal variabilities of IEQ factors, occupant exposure history, and other factors impacting IEQ.

Optimizing the energy saving potential of public hospital through a systematic approach for green building certification in Malaysia

Hospital buildings are the main energy users among government facilities which require substantial energy reduction to save its annual operational costs. At the same time, the Ministry of Health Malaysia has set a policy for all hospitals to achieve green building certification, which in line with its global commitment to conserve the environment. Energy efficiency is an important component in every green building rating tool because of its high potential on point scoring. Thus, there is a need to find the most appropriate method to explore energy saving opportunities as much as possible. The overall aim of this article is to evaluate the potential for energy saving in public hospital using a systematic approach. Three methods are applied in this approach which involved energy audit, empirical evidence and simulation works. Energy audit predicts that the chiller system provides the highest energy saving amount of 1,535,175.40 kWh/year (45.54 %) with discounted payback period of 7.15 years. A chiller retrofit measure was implemented as pilot project and the predicted energy savings were validated by empirical evidence. The actual energy saving of 1,688,347.02 kWh/year (50.08 %) was obtained from the chiller system retrofit and slightly higher than what was predicted with discounted payback period of 6.29 years. Apart from active measures, many more energy saving potentials can still be explored through passive strategies. Simulation method is used to establish energy baseline as the basis for predicting energy saving potential for passive strategies that cannot not be measured through energy audit. The combination of these methods is essential to optimize the potential of energy saving through active and passive strategies that have so far has never been implemented in any public hospital in Malaysia.

Green Building Certification as a Policy to Promote Green-Building - A Study of Singapore, Taiwan, Australia, UK, US and Lessons for Vietnam

To cope with global environmental crisis and warming, Green Bbuilding(GB) has become a world-wide common trend in construction industries andeach countryhas adopted different policies, programs, strategies to promote GBsin accordance to its owned conditions and context.This paper looks at GB certification from the len of a GB promotion policy, therefore, it concerns about the governmennts’ points of view and actions related to GB cerfitication. The paper summarizes a study of GB certification policies in five countries: Singapore, Taiwan, Australia, UK and US; then overviews current state of GB development in Vietnam, reviews current policy context and analyzes roles of different stakeholders in the market. Through the understanding of the local context, the lesson learnt from the internationally experiences, this paper suggests a policy orientation for excelarating GB development in Vietnam.

Model for promoting green certification of buildings in developing nations: a case study of Nigeria

PurposeSeveral studies have shown that climate change is a threat to sustainable human living and high consumption of energy by buildings is a contributory factor. However, green practices in buildings have been proved as one of the successful technologies to mitigate global warming. Previous studies have shown lax green practices in developing countries’ buildings, but how far concerning green certification of buildings in Nigeria is yet to be explored. Therefore, this paper investigated the barriers to green certification of buildings (GCB). Also, the paper proposed a model for promoting GCB in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachEighteen experts with green building certification knowledge were engaged across three of Nigeria’s cities (Benin City, Abuja and Lagos) via scheduled WhatsApp video and teams calls. Collated interview data were analysed and presented in themes.FindingsFindings show that there is an absence of a framework to promote GCB in Nigeria. Hence, GCB is low across the states. Twelve main sub-themes emerged as the barriers to GCB in Nigeria. Also, eight key sub-themes emerged as the possible concepts that can be used to improve GCB in Nigeria and formulated into a proposed framework to promote GCB in Nigeria.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is limited to GCB in Nigeria and only 18 participants were engaged. Thus, this paper suggests that a mixed-methods approach should be conducted in future studies with wider coverage. This may assist to validate the paper’s findings.Practical implicationsFindings from this paper will stir up practitioners in green building and influence the promotion of GCB in the sector. As part of this study’s implications, suggestions through the paper’s proposed framework will benefit Nigeria’s policymakers to make decisions towards achieving GCB. This can be achieved via the proposed framework to promote the concept across Nigeria.Originality/valueThis paper is probably the first that attempted to investigate the barriers and proffer policy solutions via a framework to promote GCB in Nigeria and by extension in other developing countries.

Competing or complementary labels? Estimating spillovers in Chinese green building certification

AbstractResearch summaryMany markets have multiple voluntary certification programs that sellers use to signal product or organizational quality. We argue that there can be positive spillovers in adoption of “competing” certifications and propose a framework for understanding how such spillovers arise through three channels: suppliers, adopters, and users of various labels. Our empirical analysis demonstrates these effects in the context of Chinese green‐building certification. Specifically, we measure spillovers from adoption of the Chinese Green Building Evaluation Label (GBEL) to adoption of the alternative LEED standard within the same city. To isolate the causal impact of GBEL on LEED adoption, we use local government subsidies as an instrumental variable. We find evidence of market‐level spillovers through the supplier and user channels, but little evidence of building‐level scope economies.Managerial summaryMany markets have several voluntary certification programs that sellers can use to signal product or organizational quality. Although many scholars emphasize the potential for competition between labels, we argue that there can be positive spillovers in adoption of “competing” certification schemes and propose a framework for understanding how those spillovers arise through three channels: suppliers, adopters, and audience. Managers of nascent certification programs can use this framework as a roadmap for attracting various stakeholder groups. We use our framework to analyze the diffusion of Chinese green‐building labels and find evidence of large positive spillovers through the supplier and audience channels. These results suggest that the risks of tipping toward a single standard may be small in practice.

Occupant satisfaction with indoor environmental quality, sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms and self-reported productivity before and after relocation into WELL-certified office buildings

Recent green building certification programs have put a strong emphasis on occupant health and well-being. For recently emerged WELL certification, we lack evidence about its effectiveness in relation to occupant satisfaction, productivity and health. Here, we compared the results of occupant satisfaction with the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) obtained from the same cohort of employees who transitioned from three non-WELL (two BREEAM and one conventional) to three WELL-certified office buildings. For two out of three building pairs, we found a statistically significant increase in building and workspace satisfaction after relocation to WELL buildings. However, for 55 % of compared cases, there was insignificant difference as the result of relocation. The positive effect of WELL certification was evident for parameters such as building cleanliness and furniture, but there was no difference in satisfaction with noise and visual comfort. Relocation from BREEAM to WELL buildings had insignificant effect on satisfaction with IEQ, except for air quality in one case. Regardless of the certification label, buildings usually did not attain the 80 % standard satisfaction threshold. The satisfaction scores did not alter during the first year of working in WELL buildings. We also observed that the level of certification did not scale with the overall building satisfaction scores. Comparisons between the occurrence of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) symptoms and self-reported productivity scores revealed insignificant differences between WELL and non-WELL buildings, except for symptom of tiredness that was lower in WELL buildings. The effect of Covid-19 measures interfered with the self-reported work abilities of 78 % of occupants.

Indoor air quality investigation before and after relocation to WELL-certified office buildings

Air pollutant exposure in workplace environments has been associated with health and cognitive outcomes of workers. While green building certification programs have been instrumental in promoting indoor air quality (IAQ), the present literature indicates inconsistent evidence. Recent emergence and proliferation of WELL certification program that prioritizes human health has evoked new questions about its effectiveness in relation to IAQ. To investigate the effectiveness of the WELL certification, we have quantitatively compared IAQ results before and after relocation to two WELL-certified office buildings using the same cohort of occupants. Physical measures included integrated samples of TVOC, individual VOC, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, NO2, SO2, O3 and longitudinal records of CO2 and size-resolved particles. Complementary survey responses about satisfaction with IAQ and thermal comfort were collected from ~250 employees. For the majority of air pollutants, there was no significant concentration difference between non-WELL and WELL buildings, but not always. The WELL-certified buildings had substantially higher levels of TVOC and individual VOC associated with paints, especially shortly after the relocation. However, there was statistically significant improvement in IAQ satisfaction after relocation into WELL buildings regardless of the air pollution levels, possibly confounded by thermal environment, awareness of the WELL certification or other non-measurable factors.

User Experience of Green Building Certification Resources: EarthCraft Multifamily

To improve the construction industry’s capacity to deliver sustainable infrastructure, guidance on delivering green building systems needs to be more usable. Green buildings have certifications and ratings in place that ensure that projects are environmentally responsible and meet standards in resource efficiency. EarthCraft Multifamily (ECMF), an evolving green building certification, has been successful in increasing the delivery of energy-efficient affordable housing, and this study leverages user experience (UX) methodologies to understand how to further improve ECMF and replicate its success. This study identifies the impact ECMF tools and resources, such as the program manual, worksheet, and technical guidelines, have on enhancing project delivery for architects. This study conducted data analysis on project specifications, heuristic evaluation data, and stakeholder interview data. As the strengths and weaknesses of ECMF were identified, knowledge on the usability of the green building certification program was unveiled. Heuristic evaluations data show that accessibility and usability issues are present in ECMF resources. Interview data show that architects’ experiences with ECMF resources were affected by some of the usability issues identified in the heuristic evaluation data. Coded interview transcripts show the most prominent participant-identified improvements represented within the data. Resources need appropriate visual representation such as readability and hierarchy to improve their usability. Understanding how ECMF resources are utilized during project delivery allows for the appropriate content and options to be strategically framed to improve accessibility and enhance user decision making. ECMF resources can allow for the inclusion of a broader set of stakeholders by lowering the level of expertise required for sustainable infrastructure delivery.

Daylight in Buildings and Visual Comfort Evaluation: the Advantages and Limitations

Exposure to daylight significantly affects the psychological well-being of occupants by diminishing headaches, eye tensions, or stress. Daylight penetration is a matter of collaboration between building façade and perimeter zones that can be controlled through façade design features. This study reviews available daylighting systems to block or redirect natural light inside the space and their overall performance. Adaptation found to be the main key feature of daylighting systems to improve their effectiveness in indoor environments. As the main implication of such systems on the visual comfort performance of occupants, a list of quantitative indices is studied based on their mathematical equation to outline their advantages and limitations. Findings revealed a lack of agreement on acceptable indoor illuminance thresholds for most of the indices and the absence of a reliable glare index in presence of sun within the view field of the occupant. Similarly, many green building certifications propose a specific criterion to assess view out but remained a challenge for future studies.

The situation and solutions to develop Green Building in Vietnam

Housing in Vietnames megacities is quite expensive due to limited land availability. Besides, green housing investment requires higher implementation costs than non-green housing investments, plus a Green Building certification fee implemented by international organizations. Despite specific difficulties and problems, green real estate projects bring economic benefits to both investors and users in the long run.&#x0D; Green building development is a trend that is particularly interested in by governments and real estate developers.&#x0D; Through analyzing the current status of Green Building development in Vietnam, the authors have discovered barriers, limitations, and proposed solutions.&#x0D; To develop green buildings effectively, investors need to operate a 5-step process throughout the project life cycle, including Green planning — Green design — Green construction — Green operation — Green lifestyle. Using environmentally friendly materials, energy-saving efficiency in green housing is no longer an unattainable dream for urban residents in Vietnam.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of green building design and assessment: New Zealand case

Green building design and assessment have drawn significant attention from researchers over the past few decades. Despite the advancements in this research area, multiple stakeholders' perspectives, as a social and non-technical research area, has been vastly underestimated in green buildings and sustainable development literature. This research aims to (1) examine the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of multiple stakeholders (e.g., architects, engineers, sustainability consultants, developers, contractors and suppliers) towards green building design and assessment process in the New Zealand Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, (2) explore motivations and barriers to green buildings on the national level and (3) identify and contrast each stakeholder group's motivations and barriers to adopting green building design standards and certifications. Data were collected from 215 multiple stakeholders in New Zealand using a KAP questionnaire survey. Statistical analysis using Kruskal-Wallis H test and Correlation tests (Pearson, Kendall and Spearman) were conducted to explore the relationships and differences in the KAP levels of the stakeholders. The results indicate adequate knowledge and positive attitude of the multiple stakeholders towards green building design and certifications. However, practices of green building design and assessment are still limited in New Zealand. The stakeholders' knowledge level is significantly and positively correlated with their attitude and practice. The results, moreover, reveal an attitude-practice gap among the multiple stakeholders which needs to be bridged. Practical implications are proposed to enhance the KAP levels of the multiple stakeholders and facilitate the adoption of green building design standards and certifications in New Zealand.

Energy efficiency through façade design model of Nobel house building

One of the triggers to global warming is the increase of CO2 trace caused by fossil energy consumption. The escalation of fossil energy consumption in urban area comes from industrial sector, housing sector, and commercial sector. Commercial buildings in urban area play a major contribution in CO2 production level. That is why, electricity efficiency efforts are needed. The high energy consumption in commercial buildings are commonly caused by less precise façade construction, either on its design, material, and orientation. The objective of this research is to evaluate the effect of façade design on energy efficiency level at Nobel House Building. The participation of Nobel House to lower CO2 is actually an effort to improve GBCI green building certification valuation result, from Gold to Platinum. Energy aspect is a priority in certification valuation to improve their rank. The research method utilized in this research is a descriptive qualitative method with OTTV analysis on 15 Nobel House Building façade models. The research is further narrating the initial 15 models with gold certifications. The result of this research is used to determine 4 façade model with energy efficiency below the base line. (SNI 6389-2011, GBCI,2013) with two main considerations which are easy in construction and maintenance work.

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.

Housing market segmentation and the price effect of certified green residential properties

One important yet overlooked theme in the literature regarding green building certifications (GBC) is the latent differences in pricing behaviors among property buyers in different housing market segments. Specifically, are buyers in the mass housing market willing to pay larger premiums (in terms of the % above average prices) for properties in certified buildings than buyers in the luxury market? This question is particularly crucial for high-rise environments in which properties belonging to different housing sub-markets are within the same building. This, in turn, could have profound implications for the availability of housing flats of varying sizes in certified green residential buildings. This study, therefore, explores this issue by comparing price premiums, if any, for living space in buildings certified with several green building certifications in the two housing sub-markets in Hong Kong. Utilizing a sample of over 220,000 transactions, the main finding is that buyers in the mass housing market were generally willing to pay larger price premiums for properties in certified buildings than buyers in the luxury housing market, unless the certification represented noticeable and actual (not simulated) improvements in the overall environmental performance or energy performance. Implications for different stakeholders are then discussed based on the findings.

Establishing a Green Building Certification Scheme and Standards for Multifamily Residential Buildings: Case of Jordan

Abstract Jordan's built environment is considered a major contributor to local environmental concerns. The construction industry faces pressures to increase the sustainability of its practices thro...

Is green certification the solution to substandard indoor air quality (humidity)? A case study of old, new and green-certified dwellings

ABSTRACT New Zealand is hamstrung by a housing crisis. Although the discourse primarily focuses on housing affordability and homelessness, there is a more pervasive problem afflicting New Zealanders: that New Zealand homes are substandard, being cold, damp and difficult to heat. This article reviews the moisture levels of three categories of housing (older vintage, newly constructed and newly constructed green certified) in Auckland, New Zealand, to determine whether the pervasive issue of high internal humidity in housing can be successfully rectified through using a green building certification. The results show that newly constructed 6-Homestar dwellings are in the optimal relative humidity range mean 14 per cent of time in contrast to 17 per cent for new code-compliant dwellings (and six per cent for older vintage dwellings) in the damp winter months of June through August. This research documents that a particular green certification – 6-Homestar – may not deliver suitable humidity control, and that alternative certifications that stipulate airtightness levels and require active ventilation – such as Passive House – could be considered by policy makers interested in delivering low-carbon, warm, dry houses in New Zealand.