Green Building Rating Systems Comparison – Green Globes

Starting three weeks ago, I’ve been profiling three of the most well-known green building rating systems that can be used in school construction, both new and renovations. Green Globes is a green building rating system developed by the Green Building Institute. A rating system is available for new and existing buildings, and commercial and residential, Green Globes utilizes a scoring system of 1,000 points.

Green Globes relies on a web-based, interactive scoring system that GBI says allows users to know how many points their building will obtain throughout the certification process. The threshold for certification is reached when 35% of the 1,000 points needed are obtained; and at that point an assessor is assigned and the certification will continue. Unlike LEED and CHPS, there are no prerequisites other than the 35%.

At the culmination of scoring, a building audit is done by an assessor to confirm green strategies.

Green Globes buildings are rated on a scale of one to four, with one being the lowest level of certification and four the highest level of certification. To obtain a Green Globe rating, the project must be third-party verified.

Buildings are rated in seven areas, with the maximum number of points possible as follows:

1. Project Management, worth a maximum of 50 points
2. Site, 115 points
3. Energy, 380 points
4. Water, 100 points
5. Resources,100 points
6. Emissions, Effluents, and other Impacts, 75 points
7. Indoor Environment, 200 points

The project questionnaire is simple, with many yes/no questions, with minimal documentation needed.

One interesting aspect of Green Globes is you can sign up for a free thirty-day trial period.

Similar to the other two rating systems profiled, LEED and CHPS, the website is a good resource with a lot of other information.

www.greenglobes.com