Choosing green building certification

Green building certification is gaining traction in many countries as a means of energy management, particularly in the United States and UK where buildings contribute nearly 39 percent and 50 percent of greenhouse gas emissions respectively. But in the absence of international standardisation, green building schemes are mushrooming.

The leading green building rating systems include the UK's Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), the inaugural green building standard. Its US and Australian equivalents, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Green Star are both, to an extent, based on BREEAM .

All three are third-party certification programs, available internationally for measuring the environmental sustainability of new and existing homes and buildings. Until recently they were voluntary, however, Leed certification (in certain US states), is now mandatory for publicly funded projects, while BREEAM certification is mandatory for all new housing projects in the UK.

The good news is that, last month, these organisations agreed to develop common metrics for measuring the CO₂ emissions from buildings. Greater cohesion within the rating methods will make it easier for international property developers and building owners to monitor the energy performance of their global asset portfolio.


BREEAM

Over 100,000 buildings are certified and over half a million are registered with BREEAM. The process requires a building to garner performance credits across nine categories, for an overall score on a scale of Pass, Good, Very Good, Excellent and Outstanding, or in the Gulf, a star rating of 1 to 5 stars.

A top end cost estimation for BREEAM certification comes in at around £4000 (US$5,700) (See box.) BREEAM’s ‘In-Use’ assessment, for existing buildings, can cost from £700 (US $1,000) -£23,100 (US $ 33,840), depending on the number of assets assessed.

According to a BREEAM spokesperson the Assessment Report could be put together in 4-5 days, while certification can take as few as 10 days.

An overhaul of the scheme last year made the post construction review and certain criteria, including energy performance, mandatory. It also aligned its rating system with Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings, raising the bar even higher. For example,
air-conditioned, deep plan office buildings and industrial sheds with gas fired radiant heating will no longer be eligible to achieve a rating of ‘Excellent’. BREEAM has also made it possible for applicants to achieve ‘Outstanding’ rating (see box).

For international certification, BREEAM is working with local Green Building Councils (in the Gulf and in Europe) and has developed BREEAM Bespoke and BREEAM International, which are decoupled from UK and European legislative standards.


USGBC LEED

LEED is a non-profit, community level organisation with well-developed brand. There are currently 19,524 buildings project registered with the LEED Green Building Rating System.

LEED certification has four levels (Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum). Applicants must earn credits across five categories over two review phases (preliminary and final), which take roughly 40 days. LEED v3, due out April 27 makes CO₂ emissions and energy performance criteria mandatory.

LEED demands a registration of $450.00 - $600.00. Additionally, the applicant must purchase a ‘guide’, which costs $150. A combined design and construction review can cost from US$2,250 to US$22,500 (for non-members), with certification fees ranging from US$1,000 - $10,000.

LEED credits are linked to the US Dollar, implying that if the exchange rate is unfavourable, the building's rating could suffer. The standards are also tied to US ASHRAE legislation, making it less ‘exportable’ than the BREEAM rating system. However, local GBCs in Canada and India have already developed their own systems based on LEED.


Green Star

Modeled on BREEAM, Australia’s Green Building Council’s Green Star rating can currently be found on 135 buildings, with a further 494 projects in the pipeline.

To obtain Green Star Rating, a building must achieve a minimum score across nine categories. A percentage score is calculated across the categories and Green Star environmental weighting factors are then applied. The environmental weighting factors vary across states and territories to reflect environmental concerns across Australia.

While the tools are freely available for self-assessment, a project must be verified by the Green Building Council of Australia to qualify for the Green Star label. Certification fees can range between US $3,800- US $19,400. A recent overhaul of guidelines streamlined the process, reducing the overall investment by around 15%, or US $13,700. The certification process entails two assessment rounds, which take 6-18 months


One size doesn’t fit all

Despite the proliferation of schemes, International Hotel Group (IHG) opted to develop its own measuring, tracking and reporting system, ‘Green Engage’. “There are about 150 standards out there, none of which are optimised for hotels,” said David Jerome, IHG’s corporate sustainability specialist.

With 4000 hotels across 100 different countries and increasing consumer demand for stronger environmental performance Jerome said IHG simply couldn’t wait for the right standard to come along.

Given regional differences, it would be difficult for a single scheme to be applied internationally. As it is, BREEAM is using LEED standards within its Gulf certification model. “Ultimately, choices are driven by what is available in any give country,” said Craig Wheatley at architectural software firm, Integrated Environmental Solutions.

The superficial differences between the schemes can be found in the models’ rating systems, while the fundamental differences are geo-political, with schemes tailored to local legislation and bioregions. BREEAM’s energy criteria are linked to European legislation (the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive), while LEED’s is based on a legislative document, ASHRAE 90.1, dating back to the 1970’s US energy crisis.

Recently, the schemes have been modified for international application. At present, LEED rating is the most widely available and can be found in the Americas, China, India and parts of the Middle East. BREEAM is being applied in Europe and the Middle East. Gold Star is being applied in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

LEED is the most expensive in terms of certification, however, the real cost lies in the documentation of the design and construction process. LEED v3, to be launched this month, will bring much of the certification process online, rendering it more time and cost-competitive.

“The cost depends on where you are - whether you are applying BREEAM within the UK, or LEED within the US -and how familiar the team is with the rating system,” said Eszter Gulacsy, a sustainability consultant from MTT/Sustain. In terms of rigour, Gulascy says BREEAM is ahead of LEED, with a more academic approach to the environmental sustainability of buildings. “But with each new upgrade, the schemes are converging in terms of their approaches,” she added.


Benefits for new builds

While the average additional cost of constructing a USGBC LEED certified building is 2-5 percent ($7.50 to $12.50 per square foot) higher than that of a standard building, the financial benefits amount to savings of $52.87 per square foot for LEED’s Certified or Silver buildings and $71.31 per square foot for a Gold or Platinum buildings, according to consulting firm Cap-E. Energy, water and waste savings, increased employee productivity and lower maintenance and running costs generate these benefits. Wheatley also noted that certification has proved to increase rent premiums.


Comparison of the leading green building rating schemes

.	BREEAM	LEED	Gold Star
Performance categories	Management Health Wellbeing Energy Transport Water Material and Waste Land use and Ecology Pollution	Human and environmental health Sustainable site development Water savings Energy efficiency Materials selection Indoor environmental quality	Management Indoor environment quality Energy Transport Water Materials Land Use & ecology Emissions Innovation
Construction Categories (rating tools)	Courts Ecohomes EcohomesXB Healthcare Industrial International Multi-residential Prisons Offices Retail Education Communities In-Use (certifies environmental performance of existing buildings)	Home building Neighbourhood development* Commercial interiors Core and shell construction New construction Schools Healthcare* Retail outlet design and construction* (*pilot mode)	Retail Centre v1 Education v1 Office Design v3 Office As Built v3 Office Design v2 Office As Built v2 Office Interiors v1.1 Industrial* Multi Unit Residential* Mixed Use* Green Star – Healthcare* Office Existing Building* (*pilot mode)
Assessment Types	Design and procurement Post construction Management and operation	Design review Construction Review Combined design and construction review	-
Review process	1 stage	2 stages	2 stages
Membership fee	-	$300-$12,500	AU$577,50-$11,500 (US$416-US$8,300)
Registration fee	£650 (US$956)	US$450 US$600 (non-member)	-
Review fee	Design and procurement: £1500 (US$2,207) Post construction: £1000 (US$1,471)+ VAT	Design review: $1,250-$12,500 $1,500 -$15,000* *non-members Construction review: $500 -$5,000 $750 -$7,500* *non-members Design & Construction: $1,750 -$17,500 $2,250 -$22,500	-
Pre-certification fee	-	Core and shell: $2,500 $3,500 (non-member) + $500/credit	-
Certification fee	£350-£850 (US$515-$1,250)	$1,250-$12,500 $1,500 -$15,000* *non-members (Fee is refunded to projects awarded LEED platinum certification.)	AU$5,200-$26,928 (US$3,754-$19,441) *$5,980- $30,600 *(US$4,317-$22,000) *non-members

What ‘being green’ means

Gazeley’s 35,500m² G.Park Blue Planet in Chatterley Valley, Staffordshire is the first ever building to achieve a BREEAM Outstanding rating.

The environmental design aspects are estimated to generate savings of £300,000 per year in reduced running costs, providing a business case for green building certification.

These savings were generated through:

Energy: The development is powered through an on-site biomass plant. Additionally, photovoltaics are installed on the roof and electro-kinetic road plates are set within internal roads to generate electricity from vehicles entering or leaving the site. Energy efficiency measures are adopted throughout.

Water: In addition to water-efficient fittings, a rainwater harvesting system collects roof water and grey water. Remaining roof surface water is diverted to on-site balancing ponds that act as ecological features.

Materials: The majority of building materials are either A or A+ rated in BRE Global’s Green Guide to Specification. Most are sourced from suppliers with an Environmental Management System in place and all timber is FSC certified. All internal finishes have very low levels of volatile organics.

Waste: A zero waste to landfill policy. Any waste that is generated will be recycled. Most major suppliers are committed to retain their own waste for recycling.

Ecology: The site is brownfield and a significant ecology enhancement plan is in place. A number of native species will to be added to the site.

Local community: Green spaces and habitats will be accessible to the public. The development also creates training and development opportunities in an area that has been abandoned for many years. New bus stops are planned for the road leading to the site, contributing to a greener transport strategy for future building users.

The park totals 70 hectares of land that will be transformed over the next decade, creating a total of around 4,000 jobs