After three years, Green Building Initiative (GBI) is nearing the end of a process that will result in an update to its American National Standard, which was finalized in 2010 and informed the creation of the 2013 version of Green Globes.
ANSI/GBI 01-2010: Green Building Assessment Protocol for Commercial Buildings is undergoing final revisions using American National Standard Institute (ANSI) approved procedures and participation from approximately 100 experts in green building and sustainable practices.
In an effort to maintain transparency, meetings are open to the public, which has led to over 800 comments generated over three rounds of public consultation. The process will conclude this year, resulting in a completely revised American National Standard, which will be titled Green Globes Assessment Protocol for Commercial Buildings.
“We’ve been really impressed by the level of participation as we watched the industry update this Standard for green building certification,” said Vicki Worden, president and CEO of GBI, in a press release. “We’re excited to work collaboratively with other organizations on education to advance new concepts and best practices that are included in the revision.”
Green Globes is a sustainability rating system for commercial and multi-family buildings. Recognized for its ease of use, flexibility and customization, Green Globes can be applied to nearly every building type and use.
To ensure diversity among building types and geographic locations participating in the pilot program, GBI offered to subsidize involvement for a select number of participants. Current pilot projects include a federal government warehouse in West Virginia, an elementary school in Florida, a mixed-use property in New York, a federal government office in Texas, and a multi-family residential property in Georgia.
Each participating project is assigned a Green Globes Assessor to provide a customized report on achievements and opportunities for improvement. During the pilot program, Assessors are involved to guide and interpret the new criteria.
Revisions to the Standard include the introduction of new sections and criteria, including sections dedicated to site and building resilience, resource conservation, and building risk assessment criteria; the use of a Resource Management Plan and verification of actual performance are encouraged, including with incentives for incorporating renewable energy sources; and projects must attain a minimum score of 20 per cent in each Assessment Area to receive certification, but applicants are able to choose the criteria within the assessment areas that are most relevant to their projects.
“One thing GBI has consistently done well is collect input from users and put that to work in the certification process,” said Eric Truelove, pilot project Assessor and licensed engineer, in a press release. “Green Globes offers a superior delivery mechanism with a user-friendly system that doesn’t simply tell people what to do, it shows them how to do it. This is something users highly value, as it helps them put their green building aspirations into practice.”
One subsidized spot is still available in the pilot project. The pilot project is open to all new construction and major renovation projects. The GBI encourages interested building owners and design teams to contact info@thegbi.org for questions about pilot program participation and certification under the new Standard.
