Existing multifamily and commercial buildings account for approximately 29 percent of total U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. There is tremendous opportunity to retrofit and renovate our existing building stock to improve energy, water, waste, and health and wellness key performance indicators while working toward global carbon emissions reduction goals.
Even if a building was designed and constructed with a low-impact intention, continuous monitoring and periodic updates are essential for establishing a baseline and improving performance. The Green Building Initiative’s (GBI’s) Green Globes for Existing Buildings (EB) 2021 certification program exists to guide portfolio owners and facility engineers to improve the operational performance of their existing building stock.
Green Globes EB 2021
In April, GBI released Green Globes EB 2021, a three-in-one benchmarking and certification program that evaluates the environmental sustainability, health and wellness, and resilience preparedness of an individual building or of an entire portfolio. Green Globes EB 2021 combines advances in standards and technology with lessons learned from decades of improving buildings and reducing climate impacts.
As an added bonus, Green Globes is a Tier 1 certification under GRESB, meaning Green Globes-certified buildings receive full credit under GRESB. GRESB is the global benchmarking system used by portfolio owners for measuring and ranking themselves versus peers on environmental, social and governance key performance indicators.
GBI’s Green Globes EB 2021 program uses applicable content from ANSI/GBI 01-2019, as well as dozens of other ASHRAE, ANSI and other consensus standards, to set benchmarks and baselines for measuring and improving building performance. GBI started working on its update to this important rating and certification system three years ago with a materiality analysis conducted by a European sustainability firm. It built the updates around that analysis and then benchmarked the beta version, Green Globes 2019, against the U.S. federal government’s Guiding Principles and leading green building and health and wellness certification systems in North America.
Finally, a team of contributing consultants that included some of the leading sustainability consulting firms for existing portfolios, including RE Tech Advisors, weighed in with final recommendations to form the final version of Green Globes EB 2021.
RE Tech Advisors noted: “In doing a deep dive into Green Globes for Existing Buildings … the RE Tech Advisors team is very impressed with how the certification maintains a level of rigor while remaining practical and user-friendly. We feel it covers all the important aspects needed for a credible green building certification, including health and wellness and resilience, while having the added bonus of support and guidance from the assigned Green Globes Assessors to help ensure success. We will be happy to recommend Green Globes for Existing Buildings to our clients, particularly those who are large portfolio owners who can use this as a one-stop-shop for benchmarking portfolio performance in addition to certification.”
For those seeking added validation of health and wellness benefits through Green Globes certification, GBI has a cross-walk of technical criteria that correlates to the objectives identified within Fitwel, which is an emerging health and wellness certification. Additionally, Green Globes was recently recognized as a pre-approved certification through the WELL Building Standard. For those that may be interested in dual certifying their buildings, this crosswalk and recognition creates a more streamlined opportunity.