In today’s world, where climate change effects are showing up all over the globe, and public and private sectors are trying to adopt eco-friendly lifestyles, the term “green building” is becoming more and more familiar. Sustainable living has transcended the realm of being an occupational concept for architects, engineers, builders and realtors, and has become a part of everyday life for all citizens.
While Georgia has only outdated or minimal requirements for buildings (the coefficient of “green” area to the total area, SNiP standards), the world has long established what it means for a building to be “green”, by means of rating systems that evaluate buildings based on their efficient use of resources and impact on human health and the environment. The three most popular rating systems are as follows:
Created by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is one of the most popular green building certifications programmes. It is an internationally recognised certificate that can be obtained for various project types, from new and existing buildings to cities, communities and neighbourhoods. The certification takes the following parameters into consideration:
The rating systems consists of four types of certificates: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. According to LEED its goal is to create better buildings that:
LEED is a holistic system that doesn’t simply focus on one element of a building such as energy, water or health; it looks at the big picture, factoring in all of the critical elements that work together to create the best building possible.
Another internationally recognised and popular certification is BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method). It was created in the UK by the Building Research Establishment (BRE). Using standards developed by BRE, the certification evaluates an asset’s environmental, social and economic sustainability performance, and can be obtained by various projects, from new construction to refurbishments.
BREEAM has technical standards and certification schemes that measure and certify sustainable values in a building and its environment. Achieving a standard means meeting very detailed criteria that vary from country to country. The ten core categories and benchmark criteria that BREEAM looks at are:
EDGE, or Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies, is one of the most widely used green certifications in the world. Created by the IFC, it has the goal of reducing the environmental impact of buildings in three areas: energy consumption, water consumption, and the energy footprint of construction materials. EDGE has three levels of certification for buildings: (1) EDGE Certified, which denotes a 20% reduction in energy consumption, water consumption, and energy embodied in materials; (2) EDGE Advanced – the same as EDGE Certified, with at least 40% reduction in energy consumption, and (3) Zero Carbon, which is the same as EDGE advanced, with the building becoming carbon-neutral by using 100% renewable energy and carbon offsets.
EDGE has simpler requirements than for instance LEED, even though it still achieves measurable results. It is the most attractive option for developing countries, where more complex certifications can be difficult to manage.
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