As the field of sustainable design grows and matures, more practitioners are turning away from a field that is based only on clear-cut metrics and realizing that the fuzzier areas of human comfort and productivity are very important as well. Consequently, space acoustics are garnering growing attention in sustainable projects.
SAINT PAUL, Minn. —The Saint Paul RiverCentre and Xcel Energy Center have been certified to three international sustainability standards: LEED, Green Globes and APEX/ASTM. The complex is the first in the world to receive those three designations.
NEW YORK — In two years, interest in alternative green building rating systems, such as Green Globes and Energy Star, has surged 250 percent, according to a new report. Additionally, for the first time in the report’s history, more than half of building executives surveyed reported that sustainability practices impacted their decisions about choosing a supplier or service provider.
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Green Building Initiative (GBI) has put together a group of experts to revise and update a standard for green commercial building.
Developed in 2010 and officially titled “ANSI/GBI 01-2010: Green Building Assessment Protocol for Commercial Buildings,” the standard helps building project leaders find materials that quality for sustainable credits. The standard was derived from derived from the Green Globes environmental design and assessment rating system for new construction.
PORTLAND, Ore. — The nonprofit Green Building Initiative (GBI) launched on June 9 a new certification program that focuses on the sustainable design and construction of interior spaces in commercial and institutional buildings.
The new Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors, allows both building owners and individual lessees of commercial spaces to pursue the certification and to focus on designing or improving their interior space to Green Globes standards without having to certify the entire building.
PHILADELPHIA — A new study from Drexel University has found that the Green Globes green building certification is more cost efficient and more quickly completed than LEED certification.
Entitled “A Study of Comparative Sustainability Costs/Green Rating Systems Cost Comparison Study: LEED and Green Globes”, the study was headed by Jeffrey Beard, an associate professor of construction management at Drexel’s College of Engineering.
WASHINGTON — The U.S General Services Administration (GSA) has issued a recommendation to the Department of Energy (DOE) to expand the use of third-party green building certification systems.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs contracted with the Green Building Initiative to help the department meet the government’s sustainability mandate for federally owned or leased buildings. It will develop an assessment system and apply it to the 180 VA buildings currently undergoing Green Globes certification.
The Green Building Initiative, a nonprofit ANSI Accredited Standards Developer, has previously been contracted to develop building sustainability assessment and certification services within the federal sector.
