Different Green Building Rating Systems
Most people think that LEED is the only Green Building Rating System, but in fact it is only the most famous. There are a lot of rating systems all over the world. Some of them are developed locally or regionally and others are based on the USGC's LEED and inspired by its concepts. The following are some of them in brief:
LEED
LEED
The U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program is the most widely used international standard for green buildings. When a project uses LEED, it guarantees the environmental quality of the building. LEED serves as the basis and inspiration for many of the other international standards featured on this page. LEED is the number one standard of choice for the majority of our clients in the US and abroad because it has a certain brand name recognition among real estate investors and business-minded building occupants.
More Information
For more & detailed information, please check out Applying LEED Principles to Design (A lecture delivered by Eman Farag at Concepts Middle East 2010 - Doha - Qatar) in our e-learning section ( you must be a registered user)
To learn more about LEED visit http://www.usgbc.org.
To register for any of our LEED Courses, please follow these simple steps:
1. Click Here to go to our event registration page.
2. Select an event (Course or Seminar).
3. Fill in your details to book your seat!
You will receive a confirmation email of your booking instantly.The Pearls
The Pearls
The Pearls system is a brand new and widely used system for new projects in the United Arab Emirates. It was developed by the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council. It is now overseen by an organization called Estidama. Estidama means "sustainability" in Arabic. The Pearls system is unique in that it explicitly considers: the cumulative impacts that the carbon footprint and life cycle of buildings have upon the environment. Other considerations include: lighting glare reduction, humidity control, cark park air quality measurement, low emitting ceiling systems and cleaning materials, and preference of obtaining materials from developing economies. The Pearls is one of our favorite systems because it is among the most well-thought out and comprehensive systems.
To learn more about The Pearls visit http://www.estidama.org
BREEAM
BREEAM
BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) is the first green building rating system. It was developed in 1990 in the UK. In a sense, BREEAM (UK) and LEED (US) are complimentary systems. Where LEED focuses more on occupant health, BREEAM focuses more on environmental impact. Simultaneous use of both of these systems, along with a local system (if you have a local standard) is the way to cover all the bases. Like other systems, BREEAM is applicable to a number of building types including commercial offices, residences, hospitals, schools, courts, and industrial buildings.
More Information
To learn more about BREEAM visit: http://www.breeam.org.
Green Mark
Green Mark
Green Mark was developed by the Singapore Government Building and Construction Authority. The hallmark of the Green Mark system is that it focuses in fine detail upon the energy efficiency of new construction and major renovation projects. This system makes very specific recommendations about energy performance as regards building envelopes, air conditioning systems, lifts and elevators, ventilation of parking garages, and artificial lighting. It is recommended that projects located in areas that are warm year-round utilize this system to guide energy performance design.
More Information
To learn more about Green Mark visit: http://www.bca.gov.sg/GreenMark.
Green Star
Green Star
Green Star is the environmental design system most widely used by projects located in Australia and South Africa. It is a relatively new system (pilot phase completed in late 2008). The unique elements of this system include general recommendations about: Mold Prevention, Tenant Exhaust Risers, Reducing Peak Energy Demand, Fire System Water Consumption, and Designing Buildings for Eventual Disassembly (Life Cycle Design). Green Star also includes specific recommendations about use of building materials such as Concrete, Steel, and PVC.
More Information
To learn more about Green Star visit http://www.gbcsa.org.za.
HKBEAM
HKBEAM
Hong Kong Building Environmental Assessment Method (HKBEAM) is predominately used in the East Asia marketplace (i.e. Hong Kong and China). Some of the unique "credits" in this system include recommendations concerning: cultural heritage, microclimate around buildings, noise, air pollution, water discharge during construction, modular building design, building security, and electromagnetic field effects. Overall, HKBEAM is a very intelligent green building system.
More Information
To learn more about HKBEAM visit http://www.hk-beam.org.hk
