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Architecture represents one sector where energy-efficient design techniques are becoming of paramount importance; it touches upon the critical issues, renewable energy sources, water conservation, occupant comfort, and natural illumination. This paper compares the development and application of energy-efficient design strategies between India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan over the last two decades. The work sections also analyze respective policy frameworks to find best practices and areas for knowledge sharing between countries across the South Asian region. Although tremendous strides have been made in sustainable architecture and the mitigation of environmental impact, there remains a notable absence of comparative studies that would fill in the gaps in this current literature. This research critically examines these issues about the role of green building certification standards in India, particularly GRIHA, the Pakistan Green Building Council (PGBC), LEED in Bangladesh, and Pakistan. The study reveals significant progress in green building developments, such as installing solar panels, rainwater harvesting systems, and water-efficient fixtures. It strongly needs continuous efforts with the help of tighter regulations and increased collaboration toward sustainable development to be made in this direction. Promotion of regional cooperation and examination of environmental issues that will enhance knowledge toward sustainable architecture and a resilient firm in South Asia are the emphases of this study. Thus, this study seeks to inform and guide architects, policymakers, and construction industry stakeholders toward much-needed sustainable improvements in South Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the pressing demand for sustainable building practices within the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector, this study investigates the integration of building information modeling (BIM) processes with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification system, with a primary focus on enhancing sustainable design strategies. The objectives are twofold: firstly, to comprehensively understand the existing synergies between BIM and LEED, and secondly, to develop innovative methods that facilitate a seamless integration of these two crucial components. The study is structured into four distinct phases, each contributing to a comprehensive understanding of the synergistic relationship between BIM and LEED. In Phase 1, the "LEED-BIM Worksheets" is introduced, versatile tools designed to facilitate sustainable strategy formulation. These worksheets transparently identify roles, assess competencies, estimate certification levels, and enhance communication among stakeholders. Phase 2 highlights the "BIM Uses for Project Phase" diagram, emphasizing interdependencies between BIM uses and processes. This diagram provides insights into collaborative synergies among BIM uses and streamlines process mapping. Phase 3 introduces the "Liv1 Process Map", a transformative visual representation of the building process. Integrated within building execution plans (BEPs), this map intricately weaves together responsible parties and BIM uses, fostering cohesive collaboration. Phase 4 extends the research with the introduction of the "Liv.2 Process Map". This extension integrates selected BIM uses from the LEED Pilot Credits Library, emphasizing alignment between BIM processes and LEED credit criteria. Collectively, this research illuminates the potential for streamlining sustainable practices within the AEC sector. The findings offer valuable insights for both practitioners and researchers, empowering them to navigate the integration of BIM technology with LEED certification. By harmonizing digital transformation with ecological consciousness, this research significantly contributes to advancing sustainable building practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health of urban citizens is largely defined by how their living environments are planned, built, and operated, but scientific and policy discourse about sustainable building has often ignored this. Furthermore, while the complex relations between health and the characteristics of built environments require system-orientated thinking and interdisciplinary interventions, they have—until recently—mainly been addressed with conventionally narrow sector-based (mostly technocratic) approaches (e.g., in regard to energy efficiency or carbon reduction). This paper, however, investigates how health co-benefits are perceived by stakeholders in the field of sustainable building in Vietnam. It examines empirical insights collected from a large-scale household survey—with a focus on a green building-certified project case study—conducted in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, six thematic webinars, and eleven expert interviews. Among other things, the paper points out a challenging mismatch between the high importance homebuyers place on green building health benefits, and the focus of stakeholders on energy-saving benefits, which are not necessarily the homebuyers' most pressing concerns. Therefore, the paper concludes that improved health and well-being should be more strongly considered as co-benefits of green buildings. Equally important is that this paper also brings attention to the essential systemic approach in both academic and practical efforts toward the implementation of the SDG3, to "ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all ages", and SDG 11, "to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green building is vital for reducing the environmental impact of building construction. However, owners and developers are hesitant to implement this building concept into their projects due to its numerous challenges. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the stakeholders' barriers to the green building project at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) from2018 to 2022. Data were collected from a questionnaire survey to assess stakeholders' perceptions using benchmarks from previous related studies. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS to identify the five most significant barriers. The findings included high costs for green products, materials, and technology (mean = 3.76), an additional cost of obtaining green certification (mean = 3.74), different occupants' perceptions of quality of life and consumption habits (mean = 3.69), a lack of green building technology training for project staff (mean = 3.60), and the cost of operating and maintaining green building is high (mean = 3.45). These results are evaluations for the authorities to optimize the development of green building in Indonesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, six certificates have proposed and three of them used by airport terminal building to analyze, measure, and score environmental damage were compared. Certifications handled in the study are LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), CASBEE (Comprehensive Assessment for Building Environmental Efficiency), SBTool (Sustainable Building Tool), ACA (Airport Carbon Accreditation) and Green Airport and Green Company certificates. As a result, this research gathered the most widely used certificates in the literature. In addition, the Green Airport and Green Company certificate, the first green airport certificate in Turkiye, was added to the study for comparison, which has been offered just for airports. Hong Kong International Airport's sustainability report was examined to determine how many points it would have received if it had applied for the most widely used LEED, BREEAM, and Green Airport and Green Company Certificates regarding the reported activities. The results have shown that the energy and atmosphere category is vital for all certification systems. Also, the study reveals that LEED gets 89.09 over 100 points, BREEAM 93.1 over 100 points, and Green Airport 75 over 100 points which display BREEAM to get a higher environmental response. This study aims to guide green building practices to decision-makers, which has become necessary in many countries. Employees and managers want to know the quality and quantity of sustainable tasks or planning at airports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to our increasing dependence on resources and energy, climate change is among the most tangible issues we are facing today. The construction industry has been identified as a key sector to intervene in, but mitigation strategies must focus on more than just operational energy. As current climate policies recommend, designers should consider the broader framework of environmental impacts characterizing the entire building lifecycle. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) considers the mentioned aspects. Nevertheless, the complexity of LCA and the criticalities of related tools prevent the application of the approach during decisive early stages. Additionally, LCA allows the estimation of environmental issues, but fails to describe other dimensions of sustainability. The article proposes an evaluation method to support decision-making during the design of sustainable buildings. The method exploits the LCA tool and the assessment framework provided by a Green Sustainable Building Certification (Active House) integrated with BIM. The approach was applied and proven through a case study: a residential single-family building in northern Italy, comparing two technological options. The study confirmed the effectiveness of the multicriteria evaluation framework that, from the early design stage, can be used to measure the environmental impact of buildings alongside implications for the final users' comfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green building practices are on the rise, as is research into the drivers of green building adoption and the impacts of green building on occupants. Stakeholder knowledge, organizational culture, and cost have been shown to drive decisions about green building adoption, and occupant outcomes have been studied in terms of behavior and satisfaction. However, there is little consensus about how to communicate green building features to the public--that is, how the drivers for adoption can be communicated to potential building occupants. In science museums, sustainable architecture can support organizational values and initiatives surrounding environmental sustainability, but few studies identify how those values can best be communicated to museum visitors in a green building. To begin to address this question, this research engaged eight LEED-certified museums across the U.S. to examine how the museums leveraged their buildings to educate visitors about green building technologies. Site visit documentation revealed a disparity in interpretation strategies across the museums. Interviews with museum staff illuminated both challenges and opportunities for green building education, where staff decision-making was based on their own understanding of green technologies and perceptions of audience interest, age, and politics. This work highlights the importance of institutional actors in green building messaging, with implications for how public buildings such as museums could operate as sites for green building education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the characteristics of the Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE) green building certification system in terms of the scope of certification, and environmental and social strategies focused on 6024 units in the 17 EDGE-certified residential buildings in South Africa was investigated. This research analyzed the efficiency of energy, water, embodied energy in materials, and annual CO2 emissions and their contribution to solving housing issues in the given context. This research revealed that the design of EDGE-certified buildings focuses on the "efficiency first" approach and reduced energy and water demand more than on-site energy production. In energy-saving strategies, energy-saving solutions are three times (69.2%) higher than energy-generating solutions (23.1%). The results on resource savings showed that, on average, embodied energy in materials (54%) is the most reduced resource, followed by water (31%) and energy (29.7%). The statistical analysis indicated that there is no statistically significant correlation between energy, water, embodied energy in materials, and CO2 savings with floor areas of the buildings. In addition, this research highlighted how EDGE certification has positively contributed to solving South Africa's resource shortage and affordable housing scarcity problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A green building is believed to promote green behaviors from energy-saving to waste recycling. Green building certifications have attracted wide interest, and some were made mandatory for publicly funded developments in cities such as Hong Kong. Policymakers debate whether the city's expanding public housing stock should be exempted from the green certification mandate for reasons of cost, while evidence of behavioral benefits in green residential buildings is thin, or non-existent for public housing estates. This paper describes a post-occupancy evaluation study on self-reported green behaviors in Hong Kong's public housing estates. The study subjects are 400 occupants from two pairs of public rental housing estates with or without green certifications. A natural experiment was conducted, in which surveyed occupants were allocated to certified and uncertified estates via a random lottery, without significant differences in socioeconomic characteristics and propensity to green behaviors a priori. The results show that green-certified housing estates partially induced energy-saving behaviors, but not water saving or waste recycling, nor does it enhance satisfaction or green awareness. A certification alone is insufficient to induce behavioral changes, rather, efforts should be invested in conveying the green message, public education, and appropriate fiscal incentives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability is no longer a new concept. However, applying, measuring and reporting on the sustainability initiative is still a somewhat confused and subjective issue. There is a huge variety of sustainability guidelines and green building schemes of differing natures, meanings and wordings. Despite this, there is no one guideline providing a crossreference between corporate social responsibility and green building performance to help the commercial property market completely incorporate sustainability into their activities. Therefore, this paper intends to link sustainability, real estate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and sustainable building in order to help companies internalise this concept in all areas of their operations aligning it with their strategic planning. From desk-based research, this proposal examines and compares key aspects of the main schemes in existence, which are currently evolving in the definition, assessment and report of sustainability at the corporate and built environment level. This approach provides key information to help professionals get a better understanding of the specific changes which sustainability brings about in their corporate process, strategies, investment decisions, daily business operations as well as their property management. The insights presented here can support real estate companies to develop comprehensive communication flows and tools for the measurement and disclosure of sustainability data.

Due to our increasing dependence on resources and energy, climate change is among the most tangible issues we are facing today. The construction industry has been identified as a key sector to intervene in, but mitigation strategies must focus on more than just operational energy. As current climate policies recommend, designers should consider the broader framework of environmental impacts characterizing the entire building lifecycle. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) considers the mentioned aspects. Nevertheless, the complexity of LCA and the criticalities of related tools prevent the application of the approach during decisive early stages. Additionally, LCA allows the estimation of environmental issues, but fails to describe other dimensions of sustainability. The article proposes an evaluation method to support decision-making during the design of sustainable buildings. The method exploits the LCA tool and the assessment framework provided by a Green Sustainable Building Certification (Active House) integrated with BIM. The approach was applied and proven through a case study: a residential single-family building in northern Italy, comparing two technological options. The study confirmed the effectiveness of the multicriteria evaluation framework that, from the early design stage, can be used to measure the environmental impact of buildings alongside implications for the final users’ comfort.

In this paper, the characteristics of the Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE) green building certification system in terms of the scope of certification, and environmental and social strategies focused on 6024 units in the 17 EDGE-certified residential buildings in South Africa was investigated. This research analyzed the efficiency of energy, water, embodied energy in materials, and annual CO2 emissions and their contribution to solving housing issues in the given context. This research revealed that the design of EDGE-certified buildings focuses on the “efficiency first” approach and reduced energy and water demand more than on-site energy production. In energy-saving strategies, energy-saving solutions are three times (69.2%) higher than energy-generating solutions (23.1%). The results on resource savings showed that, on average, embodied energy in materials (54%) is the most reduced resource, followed by water (31%) and energy (29.7%). The statistical analysis indicated that there is no statistically significant correlation between energy, water, embodied energy in materials, and CO2 savings with floor areas of the buildings. In addition, this research highlighted how EDGE certification has positively contributed to solving South Africa’s resource shortage and affordable housing scarcity problems.

Concrete Usage Index (CUI) is one of the very used sustainability criteria related to building materials available in the Malaysian and Singaporean building standards. Often, CUI assessment is achieved either by manual calculation or semi-automated methods based on Material Take-off functionalities provided by the BIM tools. Both of these methods are relatively time-consuming, error-prone, and require much human intervention. The purpose of this paper is to develop a computational BIM-based tool for the automation of Concrete Usage Index (CUI) assessment and rating. This developed tool takes advantage of the data embedded in the BIM model and the automated CUI compliance-checking which is developed using a Visual Programing Language (Dynamo for Revit). For validation purpose, this tool has been tested on a BIM model of an existing building and the results were compared with Revit Material Take-off method. Thus, Auto-CUI tool automates the process of data collection, calculation and the generation of the CUI report. In addition to that, the generated results are as accurate as the material take-off method. Auto-CUI will support design decision-making during the design stage by providing an interactive feedback of CUI actual score and rating. Thus, the project team will be able to compare different design options according to concrete usage. Furthermore, it will allow designers to avoid CUI’s cumbersome calculations and inaccurate outputs. Even though, the usage of this tool does not require programming skills, developing this tool further as a plug-in for Revit would be helpful in reducing computation time as well as enhancing the generation of CUI report.

Sustainability is no longer a new concept. However, applying, measuring and reporting on the sustainability initiative is still a somewhat confused and subjective issue. There is a huge variety of sustainability guidelines and green building schemes of differing natures, meanings and wordings. Despite this, there is no one guideline providing a crossreference between corporate social responsibility and green building performance to help the commercial property market completely incorporate sustainability into their activities. Therefore, this paper intends to link sustainability, real estate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and sustainable building in order to help companies internalise this concept in all areas of their operations aligning it with their strategic planning. From desk-based research, this proposal examines and compares key aspects of the main schemes in existence, which are currently evolving in the definition, assessment and report of sustainability at the corporate and built environment level. This approach provides key information to help professionals get a better understanding of the specific changes which sustainability brings about in their corporate process, strategies, investment decisions, daily business operations as well as their property management. The insights presented here can support real estate companies to develop comprehensive communication flows and tools for the measurement and disclosure of sustainability data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustainable building design movement has gained momentum within the United States in recent years. This has led to a proliferation of green building certification programs like Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and the development of engineered wood products (EWP) like cross laminated timber (CLT). Often, architects serve as the conduit between green building construction material and their use in construction. There is need to investigate the perceptions and practices of architects on the topic of green building certification and EWPs. In partnership with the American Institute of Architects (AIA), this study surveyed registered architects practicing in Arkansas to a) examine interest in and application of LEED certification and b) beliefs related to sustainability, affordability, and availability of EWPs. Results suggest a majority of architects surveyed have interest in the LEED program and have previously earned LEEDcertification for a building design. Respondents rated the importance of improving human health and wellbeing as especially high but appear to doubt the ability of EWP to contribute to sustainable design. Analysis revealed that CLT use is significantly lower than that of more typical EWPs such as plywood panels and glue laminated timber. Architects also indicated that the affordability and availability of modern EWP represent significant barriers to their utilization within the state. To increase the rate of sustainable development, it will be necessary to highlight benefits to human and environmental health and generate interest amongst architectural clientele. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy and environmental standards, like ISO 50001 and ISO 14001, have a significant influence on the sustainable performance of companies worldwide, while international sustainable building rating systems are often the chosen method to quantify and benchmark performance. This research aims to comprehensively evaluate and assess the performance of these standards in relation to both the LEED and BREEAM assessments. Based on a clearly defined methodology, each standard topic and assessment criteria are comprehensively evaluated and discussed in detail. The main outcome of this research is that through a combination of these standards, a minimum of a LEED Gold or a very good, four-star BREEAM certification is achievable. Furthermore, the highest potential areas for improvement in companies with mature standards are highlighted as well as recommendations for companies with less mature standards and projects in the design and planning phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imposing minimum green building (GB) standards is a regulatory tool for governments to engage the private sector in building green, but there is little evidence on policy outcomes. This paper looks at the details of minimum GB standards mandated in Singapore in 2008 and critically investigates whether, and to what extent, they affect GB adoption in the private housing market during 2005–2019 using data for 1078 projects and associated transactions. After the mandate, a new type of entry-level, low-performing GB that simply meets the minimum GB standards but is not Green Mark certified prevails in the private housing market. High-performing, certified GBs only slightly increase from 15 % of the market to 23 % in the years after the mandate. Further empirical analysis using logistic and hedonic regression methods shows that small and medium developers tend to build entry-level GBs for tradeoff between GB performance level and cost, while large developers are 7.8 times more likely to build and certify high-performing GBs. These results suggest that mandating minimum GB standards rather than GB certification can stimulate widespread adoption of GB practices in the private sector, but inadequately promotes high-performing GB development and offset the adverse effect of cost on developers' building green. • We examine the policy effects of a mandate of minimum green building (GB) standards during 2005–2019. • Mandating minimum GB standards differs from mandating GB certification. • A new type of entry-level, low-performing, non-certified GBs prevail after mandate. • Small and medium developers lack incentives to build high-performing, certified GBs. • Mandates barely offset the adverse effect of cost on developers' building green. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eco-certification schemes are usually launched with various incentives provided by local governments to facilitate green building development and building energy retrofits. A number of barriers to building energy retrofitting have been identified in previous literature, while the barriers to the eco-certification of existing buildings are under-researched. Drawing on a set of building data retrievable from the BEAM Society and other sources, we carried out an analysis and found the building energy retrofitting, as well as the certification process, were unwelcomed in multi-owned residential buildings. The identified shortfall is put forward from the perspectives of transaction cost theory and agency theory. The findings reveal that high transaction costs incurred during negotiations and coordination among a large number of co-owners within a typical apartment building can outweigh the benefits of retrofitting and eco-certification. Besides, the remuneration structure of third-party property management agents discourages agents from facilitating co-owners to initiate retrofitting. This study provides significant implications for policymakers to understand the concerns of building owners and managers over the decisions and the processes of both the building energy retrofits and eco-certification. The problems and barriers unveiled in this study will facilitate the refining of current energy efficiency policies and related incentives designs.

The importance of environmental aspects in construction is growing during the time. The aim of the research is to analyze environmental aspects of construction industry development and related regulations in Latvia, including the last green building certification development tendencies. The analysis, historical, document review and logical access methods have been used in the research. The article also includes overview of the international experience. The results of research show growing importance of environmental aspects in construction process and the necessity for market participants and industry development to consider them.

The rapidly growing construction sector in India has a large resource foot print but can offer a vast potential to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Greening the building sector is feasible through various policy measures and incentives to deal with recycling and waste treatment, reduction in energy use, emissions and the use of other hazardous substances, which have several public and private benefits. The objective of this study is to understand whether or not and by how much would the consumers be willing to pay for green buildings if the information asymmetry is reduced by information provisions of benefits from green buildings. This paper uses a choice experiment to evaluate the firms' willingness to pay for green-certified office spaces in the Indian city of Bengaluru. The study relied on primary survey data drawn from around 115 firms working in rented office spaces in Bengaluru, who were asked to choose between status quo and different levels of green certification. The Tobit model was used for estimation, and the results show that firms value private benefits like reduction in electricity and water bills, water and waste recycling significantly. The willingness to pay of firms is negatively related to rent of the office space and positively related to annual turnover of the firm and prior knowledge on the green building certification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green building has received increased attention over the years from both environmental economist and policy makers. The number of buildings put up every year produces a huge impact on the consumption of natural resources. However, only a small number of these buildings can be identified as green buildings. There are several policies implemented in various countries that aim at reducing the environmental impact of buildings on human health and the environment. Some of these policies are voluntary and mandatory programs that affect the entire lives of buildings. This paper aimed at examining the literature regarding current green building strategies and polices in Australia, United States, United Kingdom and South Africa to enable recommendations to be made for its uptake in Ghana. The key finding from the review revealed that governments in these countries play a pivotal role in the promotion and implementation of green building policies and strategies in their various countries. The survey further assisted in identifying the policies and strategies that can be adopted by the government of Ghana to promote green buildings. The government of Ghana is therefore being called upon to wake up and join the call by governments of various countries in building green to help save the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investment tendencies in a country and particular region in general have a crucial role in the creation of the sustainable environment of the city, spatial planning and land use management. Green construction has great potential for investing and can provide variety of benefits for sustainable longterm development of the country. The aim of the research is to analyse the environmental and economical substantiation of investments in green buildings, with particular focus on the experience of Germany. The researchers used logical, inductive, quantitative and statistical analysis logical methods, analysis of scientific literature as well as comparative analysis. Lack of information is a peculiarity of real estate market, and especially affects the activities in green building construction, that also shows the necessity of developing economic and environmental criteria for substantiation of the decision-making process. Future research directions have been identified as well.

Geçmişte HVAC sistemlerinin altyapı ve teknik yeterliliklerinin konfigürasyonu sorundu. Gelişen mekanik, elektrik-elektronik ve bilgisayar teknolojisiyle bu sorunların yerini daha verimli nasıl kullanılabileceği sorusu yer almıştır. Bu tür sistemleri verimli kullanabilmemiz için de mutlaka somut ölçümler yapılmalıdır. Çünkü ölçemediğimiz durumları verimli yönetmemiz söz konusu olamaz. Bina enerji hesaplama yazılımları tasarım aşamasında fikir vermesi için oldukça büyük öneme sahiptir. Fakat geri besleme olarak herhangi bir somut ölçümsel denetim mekanizmaları bulunmamaktadır. Bina otomasyonu, özellikle de HVAC sistemlerinin verimlilik düzeylerinin denetlenmesi için mutlaka geri beslemesi bulunan sistemlerden bilgi alınması gerekmektedir. Bu çalışmada mevcut HVAC otomasyon sistemlerinin enerji verimlilikleri güvenilirlik düzeyleri ve denetim mekanizmalarının güçlendirilmesi için yapılması gereken geri besleme sistemleri hakkında çalışmalar yapılmıştır.

In response to the public’s increasing awareness of sustainable development, the construction industry has introduced “green” buildings which emphasize better environmental performance. However, as a building’s environmental performance is difficult to discern for laymen, different green building certifications have been established for evaluations in this regard. This study evaluates whether there exists a price premium for living space in buildings certified with BEAM Plus. The findings show that the prices of flats in BEAM Plus-certified buildings are 4.4% higher than those in nonregistered buildings, and that housing units in buildings with an “unclassified” rating are transacted at a discount of 5.9%. Nevertheless, if homebuyers mistake an “unclassified” building for a non-registered building, due to the non-disclosure of the “unclassified” result by developers, the price premium of BEAM Plus certification becomes higher (6.2%). Regardless, the price premium is much lower than those on the office sector. The reasons behind such differences can be attributed to the disparities in the tangible and intangible benefits associated with green living space and green office space. Policy implications with reference to Hong Kong’s GFA concession policy are then discussed.

Although interest in and the importance of green building certification have increased, it is difficult to determine how much less energy the buildings actually consume after obtaining sustainability related certification, such as LEED in the USA, and G-SEED in Korea. Focusing on building energy evaluation, we compared and analyzed the energy evaluation items of LEED and G-SEED. In addition, from the Korean public data portal site, this study investigated the annual site energy consumption (electricity and gas) per floor area of non-residential buildings that obtained G-SEED certification in Korea. The energy consumption of non-certified general buildings was compared with the energy consumption of certified buildings. As a result of examining 84 samples of this study, non-residential buildings with G-SEED certification showed energy use intensity that was at least (35.5 to 48.9)% lower than that of uncertified buildings.

The Green Building (GB) certification process embodies detailed requirements and specifications that lead to additional tasks for project teams, which increases complexity levels of the entire project delivery process. Previous studies show that if the GB certification credits to be fulfilled are selected without considering project team attributes, then elevated levels of time, money, and labor could get wasted while attempting to meet the additional requirements of GB certification. The aim of this study is to develop a multi-attribute decision making (MADM) support tool to be used by GB experts to select the appropriate GB certification credits based on the project team attributes. The developed framework with relative weights assigned via the Delphi method was used to perform the MADM analysis, which employs the hybrid use of the Multi Attribute Utility Technique (MAUT) and the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). This paper presents the developed MADM tool (i.e., GB-CS tool) and the relative weights of the attributes that were determined following expert opinions. To validate the tool, a case study was conducted at a LEED-registered residential project. The results show that the GB-CS Tool was successful in ranking the GB certification credits to be selected. This hybrid MADM tool can be used for preventing disruptions and bottlenecks in GB project delivery processes by assisting the owners/GB consultants in effectively selecting suitable GB certification credits based on the project team attributes. Thus, with the assistance of the GB-CS tool, root causes of waste can be mitigated in the GB project delivery process, decreasing associated hidden costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the public’s increasing awareness of sustainable development, the construction industry has introduced “green” buildings which emphasize better environmental performance. However, as a building’s environmental performance is difficult to discern for laymen, different green building certifications have been established for evaluations in this regard. This study evaluates whether there exists a price premium for living space in buildings certified with BEAM Plus. The findings show that the prices of flats in BEAM Plus-certified buildings are 4.4% higher than those in nonregistered buildings, and that housing units in buildings with an “unclassified” rating are transacted at a discount of 5.9%. Nevertheless, if homebuyers mistake an “unclassified” building for a non-registered building, due to the non-disclosure of the “unclassified” result by developers, the price premium of BEAM Plus certification becomes higher (6.2%). Regardless, the price premium is much lower than those on the office sector. The reasons behind such differences can be attributed to the disparities in the tangible and intangible benefits associated with green living space and green office space. Policy implications with reference to Hong Kong’s GFA concession policy are then discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is one of the most popular and globally recognized green building standards. In LEED, evaluating the sustainable effects of site location and transportation to the ecosystem and human life is a critical and difficult task. Credits regarding these matters require experience, time, labor, and manual calculations. In recent years, many studies have been conducted to enhance the application of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the LEED certification. However, the application of BIM to LEED's site location and transportation analysis is usually considered impractical due to the lack of a powerful map application in present BIM products. The aim of this research is to develop a framework for the integration of BIM and Web Map Service (WMS) technologies for LEED's location and transportation analysis. Using Autodesk Revit API and Google Maps API as the development tools, this research converts the integration model into a LEED-BIM plugin in Autodesk Revit to streamline the certification process of site location and transportation analysis in LEED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to develop an evaluation process for comparing the energy performances of Green and non-Green buildings. The information on the building attributes and energy consumption of 455 multi-family housing complexes (MFHCs) in 2014, including 321 non-certified MFHCs and 126 MFHCs that accredited Green Standard for Energy and Environmental Design (G-SEED) certification (an official Green Building certification in South Korea) and 8 MFHCs that accredited Leadership in Energy and Environmental Development (LEED) certification, were applied to the empirical study. Data-mining techniques are applied to develop the comparison groups considering various building attributes, and the database was classified into four groups based on the average enclosed area per household (AEA). It was shown that the large-AEA groups (i.e., Group 4, over 143.47 m 2 ) had less energy use intensity (EUI) than the small-AEA groups (i.e., Group 1, under 97.04 m 2 ). The mean of site EUI for Groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 were significantly different (125.29, 116.35, 110.89, and 101.00 kWh/m 2 ∙y, respectively). While the G-SEED- and LEED-certified MFHCs were considered to have up to 10 and 15% energy savings, respectively, compared to all non-certified MFHCs, the comparative analysis by the developed Groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 revealed that the G-SEED-certified MFHCs and the non-certified MFHCs had no significant differences in energy performance. Therefore, the energy performance rating system of G-SEED should be revised. The proposed energy performance evaluation process can also be useful in identifying the energy performance of other buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to apply life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology for green building certification in South Korea. The method of environmental assessment in the field of building materials was examined using United States’ LEED, and the United Kingdom's BREEAM building certification systems. Life cycle data and assessment methods were established on major categories of materials thorough theoretical consideration on life cycle assessment. Building materials, assembly methods, and building use considerations were used to develop an assessment model to evaluate the environmental performance of a building. Numeric values for use in the developed model were established for concrete, rebar, gypsum board, steel, cement brick, glass, and insulation materials to potentially reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 95% or more. An assessment method and LCA database were established. The model will be used to show that the choice of building materials can affect the GHG emissions during the construction phase of a building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ever-changing needs in the built environment create new incentives for enhancements in the process of building design. Increasing prices of building operations and utilities have a profound impact on the conceptual design and implementation of sustainable architecture. Green building certifications have been initially implemented as a tool for creating more sustainable buildings. However, the real impact of green certification systems on building operations remains unclear. This article focuses mainly on water and energy consumption assessment of LEED certified buildings and to what degree certification systems achieve cost savings in building operations when implemented during the design and construction process. The method of estimating these effects is based on hard costs and soft costs linked not only to the certification cost itself but also on the economic impact of the construction costs designated for achieving the required certification level. Furthermore, the building projects investigated, have been selected according to a specific paradigm in order to include buildings with a different type of operation. Each selected building has been holistically differentiated and assessed according to its performance in the following categories: water usage and energy efficiency. The aim of this paper is to objectively assess buildings that were certified under the LEED certification system and to determine the financial effectiveness of the invested resources in the construction process in relation to the operational and environmental benefits. Moreover, the research is focused on determining the operational costs at a point in time. Because of this, a relevant discount factor has been determined and applied for the life cycle assessment of each researched project. The outcome of this paper is an objective assessment of six LEED certified buildings based on water and energy consumption compared to a reference buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1990s, national green building certification indices have emerged around the globe as promising measurement tools for environmental-friendly housing. Since 2008, tools for countries in the Northern "colder" hemisphere have been adapted to tropical countries. In contrast, the Tropically Adapted Energy Performance Certificate (TEPC), established in 2012, translates the United Nations' triple bottom line principle into green building sustainability (planet), thermal comfort (people) and affordability (profit). The tool has been especially developed and revamped for affordable green building assessment helping to reduce global warming. Hence, by the comparably simple and transparent energy audit it provides, the TEPC examines buildings for their: (1) contribution to reduce CO2; (2) transmission rate in shielding a building's envelope against the effects of the tropical heat; (3) generation of thermal comfort and (4) referring total cost of ownership to green the building further. All four dimensions are measured in the rainbow colour scale in compliance with national energy regulations. Accordingly, this research examines the tool's implementation in tropical countries. Exemplified tropical case studies in residential areas seek to demonstrate the practicability of the approach and to derive a holistic certification by an internationally accredited certification board. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adoption of green building certifications can help mitigate climate change in several ways. The most evident impact is introduction and implementation of higher environmental standards designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We document a less obvious effect of green building certifications on corruption: an increase in certification adoption is associated with a decrease in corruption at the country level. This suggests that improvements in country-level control of corruption, particularly in the construction industry, may also be correlated with more efficient use of existing resources and attract climate-conscious investments, thus helping to reduce the gap in financing necessary to achieve carbon neutrality goals. • Green building certification associated with reduction in country level corruption. • Internationally recognized green building certifications impact corruption the most. • Improvements in corruption may play role in attracting climate-conscious investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Integrated daylighting design for Preschool environments should be mandatory in their initial design phase using Climate Based Daylight Modeling as to avoid malpractices and visual discomfort. • The proposed strategies for optimal daylighting performance were evaluated in accordance to the criteria set by green building certification concerning lighting. • All educational activities were placed in the most appropriate subarea in a preschool classroom combining daylight distribution and selected management strategy. • Dynamic artificial lighting should be used in preschool classrooms embodying four scenarios using direct and indirect light distributions and white tuning between warm and cool correlated color temperatures. The objective of the present research is to determine those daylighting design strategies that may optimize the visual environment in preschool classrooms in the context of the climatic data of Greece, as well as to evaluate Climate Based Daylight Modeling metrics as an assessment tool during the daylighting design process. The research models a selected case study kindergarten, in which all six classrooms were evaluated via in situ inspections, as well as a set of Climate Based Daylight Modeling simulations, focusing on spatial Daylight Autonomy and Annual Sunlight Exposure metrics. Simulation results of the classrooms, revealed severe glare problems in five out of six classrooms with an Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE) range from 17,5% to 64,1%. The proposed strategies associated with the positioning and dimensions of openings and the usage of external and internal shading devices showed a positive effect on glare reduction ranging from 64,1% to 6,7% (ASE). In order to provide a complete lighting design upgrading result, these simulations were then combined with dynamic artificial lighting installations, using Human Centric Lighting (HCL) techniques. The proposed strategies achieved compliance with green building certifications concerning lighting and good practices are presented based on a series of factors, which may be included in future norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eco-certification schemes are usually launched with various incentives provided by local governments to facilitate green building development and building energy retrofits. A number of barriers to building energy retrofitting have been identified in previous literature, while the barriers to the eco-certification of existing buildings are under-researched. Drawing on a set of building data retrievable from the BEAM Society and other sources, we carried out an analysis and found the building energy retrofitting, as well as the certification process, were unwelcomed in multi-owned residential buildings. The identified shortfall is put forward from the perspectives of transaction cost theory and agency theory. The findings reveal that high transaction costs incurred during negotiations and coordination among a large number of co-owners within a typical apartment building can outweigh the benefits of retrofitting and eco-certification. Besides, the remuneration structure of third-party property management agents discourages agents from facilitating co-owners to initiate retrofitting. This study provides significant implications for policymakers to understand the concerns of building owners and managers over the decisions and the processes of both the building energy retrofits and eco-certification. The problems and barriers unveiled in this study will facilitate the refining of current energy efficiency policies and related incentives designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]