Green Building Rating system(Module 4)

MODULE 04
GREEN BUILDING RATING SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION:

Rating standards – certification for the design, construction and operation of green
buildings.
Rating system provides tools to help building owners and operators to help buildings
performance in seven areas of human and environmental impacts.

Need for rating standards:

• It lowers the operating costs and increases the asset value.
• Conserve energy, water and other resources.
• Safer for occupants.
• Quality for money – saving incentives like tax and zoning allowances.

Features which can make a Green Building:

• Efficient use of energy, water and other resources

• Use of renewable energy, such as solar energy

• Pollution and waste reduction measures, and the enabling of re-use and recycling

• Good indoor environmental air quality

• Use of materials that are non-toxic, ethical and sustainable

• Creating resilient and flexible structures

• Consideration of the environment in design, construction and operation

• Consideration of the quality of life of occupants in design, construction and operation

 A design that enables adaptation to a changing environment.

Requirements of a Green Habitat:
A green habitat strives to:

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• Keep the demand for electricity, water, and other natural resources as minimal as

possible in all phases of construction, operation, and demolition.

• Use renewable energy to generate on-site electricity.

• Meet all of its water requirements using environmentally friendly ways such as

rainwater harvesting.
• Recycle and reuse all of its waste on-site, resulting in a minimal environmental effect

Green Building Rating System: A rating system can be defined as a set of pre-requisites and
requirements that a project team must fulfill in order to receive certification.

3 primary rating systems in INDIA:

1. IGBC: Indian Green Building Council
2. GRIHA: Green Rating Integrated Habitat Assessment
3. BEE: Bureau of Energy Efficiency

Types of rating systems (National and International)

BREEAM- United Kingdom EEWH- Taiwan

LEED- United States GBCS- South Korea

Green globes- Canada CASBEE- Japan

Green star- Australia GRIHA- India

BEAM- Hong Kong

• Green Building Rating Systems (GBRSs) are typically third-party, voluntary, and
market driven standards that measure buildings‟ sustainability level by multi-criteria
assessment, and encourage the adoption of environmentally, socially and
economically sustainable practices in design, construction and operation of buildings
(or neighborhoods).
• GBRSs aim at guiding and assessing the project throughout all its life cycle, thus
limiting the negative impact on the environment, as well as on the building occupants‟
being, and even reducing operational costs.
health and well-

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• Hundreds of GBRSs are now available worldwide, varying in approaches, application

processes, and evaluation metrics. BREEAM, CASBEE, Green Star and LEED are

among the most applied worldwide.

• Despite some differences, they all adhere to the same general evaluation structure:
project performances areas measured using a set of relevant indicators, grouped per

topics such as water management, energy use, materials, and site qualities.
• Each assessed requirement is assigned a score/judgment, the total of which determines

the level of sustainability achieved.

• In addition to this, a current trend is to improve the effectiveness of protocols, making

them more comprehensive and accurate, while keeping them easy to use.

GREEN BUILDING CERTIFICATIONS:

Green building certification systems are a series of evaluation techniques and
instruments used in a sustainable and environmentally sustainable assessment of the buildings
or construction projects performance.

Green building certification for new buildings:

• BREEAM

• LEED

• GREEN STAR

• GRIHA

BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment

Method):
• The world’s longest established and most widely used environmental assessment
method for buildings.

• It was created in 1988 and launched in 1990.

• It Certified buildings in more than 50 countries.

• Over 254,000 buildings certified, over a million registered for assessment since it was
first launched.

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• Network of over 4,000 independent licensed assessors across the world.

• The method originated in the UK, but buildings built outside the UK can also be
assessed. Its Certificate validity is 3 years.

“The leading and most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings and
communities. It sets the standard for best practice in sustainable design and has become the
factor measure used to describe a building’s environmental performance.”

BREEAM assessment categories:

BREEAM assessment categories are as follows:

• Energy
• Health and well-being
• Materials
• Management
• Land use  Pollution
• Transportation
• Waste
• Water
ENERGY: This category encourages specification and design of energy efficient building
solutions that support the sustainable use of energy in the construction and operations of a
building. It includes the assessment of measures to improve the inherent energy efficiency of
the building, encourage the reduction of carbon emissions and support efficient management
in the building’s operational phase.

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HEALTH AND WELL BEING: This category ensures increased comfort, health and
wellbeing of building’s occupants, visitors and others in close vicinity. It aims to enhance the
quality of life in buildings by recognizing factors that encourage a healthy and safe internal
and external environment for a building's occupants.

LAND USE: This category includes sustainable land use, habitat protection and maintenance
of biodiversity at the building’s site and surrounding land. It is related to the reuse of
brownfield sites, enhancement of ecology and long-term biodiversity management.

MATERIALS: This category takes into consideration that materials are sourced in a
responsible way and have a low embodied impact over their life including extraction,
processing, manufacturing and recycling. It aims to reduce the impact of construction
materials through design, construction, maintenance and repair.

MANAGEMENT: This category encourages adoption of sustainable management practices

to ensure that robust sustainability objectives are set and followed throughout the operation of
a building. It focuses on embedding sustainability actions from the beginning to the end of a
building's lifecycle.

POLLUTION: This category addresses the prevention and control of pollution caused by a
building. It aims to reduce a building’s impact on its neighboring communities and
environments in the form of light pollution, noise pollution, flooding and emissions to air,
water and land.

TRANSPORT: This category encourages better access to sustainable means of transport for
the occupants of a building. It focuses on the accessibility of public transport and other
alternative transport solutions like cyclist facilities so that reduction in car journeys can be
achieved thereby eliminating traffic congestion and limiting carbon emissions over the life of
the building
WASTE: This category is about sustainable management and reuse (where possible) of the
construction and operational waste associated with a building. By encouraging good design
and construction practices, it aims to reduce waste and avert it from the landfill as well as
recognize measures to reduce future waste.

WATER: This category is about efficient and sustainable use of water during the
construction and operations of a building. It focuses on identifying means of reducing potable

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water consumption (internal and external) over a building’s lifecycle and minimizing water

loss through leakage

Weightage of BREEAM criteria:

Environmental weightings are fundamental to any building environmental assessment
method as they provide a means of defining, and therefore ranking, the relative impact of
environmental issues. BREEAM uses an explicit weighting system derived from a
combination of consensus based weightings and ranking by a panel of experts. The outputs
from this exercise are then used to determine the relative value of the environmental sections
used in BREEAM and their contribution to the overall BREEAM score.
• Energy: focuses on energy efficient systems and equipment that facilitate sustainable

energy use, decreased carbon emissions, and efficient building management.

• Health and Wellbeing: this category covers comfort, health, and safety for

occupants, visitors, and neighbors of a building.

• Innovation: a way to recognize design or performance that exceeds the current

standards; this helps foster new baseline methods for sustainable design.
• Materials: focuses on harvesting, processing, and other supply chain issues, along

with durability and life cycle considerations.

• Land Use: this category looks at land use through the lens of restoration, habitat
creation or protection, brownfield remediation, and development of sites of low

ecological value.
• Management: this category acts as a stewardship criteria throughout the construction

process, turnover, and subsequent operational activities that promote sustainability.

• Pollution: light pollution, noise, storm water runoff, flooding, and emissions are all

considerations within this broad category.

• Transport: this category looks at access and encouragement of sustainable

transportation options for occupants and visitors.

• Waste: reduction of construction waste, reuse of materials, diversion from landfill,

and lower operational waste are all considerations.

• Water: focuses on reducing potable water consumption and innovative ways to

capture and utilize grey water onsite

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BREEAM Ratings and Scorings

The rating enables comparability between projects and provides assurance on
performance, quality and value of the asset. The BREEAM ratings range from Acceptable to
Pass, Good, Very Good, Excellent to Outstanding and it is reflected in a series of stars on the
BREEAM certificate.
Once the building has been fully assessed, the final performance rating is determined by
the sum of the weighted category scores. The resulting overall score is translated into a rating
on a scale of BREEAM certification levels:
1. UNCLASSIFIED (<30%, non-complaint)

2. PASS ( , >30%)
>45%)
3. GOOD ( ,

4. VERY GOOD ( , >55%)

5. EXCELLENT ( , >70%)
>85%).
6. OUTSTANDING ( ,

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Benefits of BREEAM / Advantages of BREEAM:

• Reduces Environmental Impact of Buildings: One of the main benefits of the

BREEAM certification is that it improves the efficient usage of resources by a
building. BREEAM can reduce energy consumption and CO 2 emissions by at least
25% – 30%, compared to regular buildings, thus having a positive impact on the

environment.

• Increased Demand: BREEAM certified buildings show a high demand by customers

because of the increasing awareness of climate change. Furthermore, the benefits of
sustainable offices or residential housing such as improved living conditions, comfort,

and reduced running costs add additional value.

• Reduced Costs: By adopting smart energy management systems, renewable energy

sources and intelligent architectural design, sustainable buildings that aim for the
highest BREEAM ratings are able to reduce operating costs significantly. This is also

another factor that adds value to the property when selling it.

• Improved Image of the Building/Company: There is an improvement of how

people perceive the building itself or the company that developed it. A better image
can result in more demand for the property and also more support towards the
developer. Also, companies that rent or buy a BREEAM certified office are able to

improve their sustainable image as well, which is an important factor nowadays.

• Improved Health and Comfort: Important factors for the ranking are related to
Health and Wellbeing. With better indoor air quality, visual comfort, acoustic
performance, climate and security, the conditions of living and working can be

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improved. This results in satisfied tenants and even more productive employees in

offices.

• Improved energy efficiency: Certification requires buildings to meet specific energy

efficiency standards, which can help to reduce energy consumption and costs.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
LEED is one of the most popular green building certification programs worldwide
designed by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED got more importance in India from
1st Jan 2007. It stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It works
throughout a building’s life cycle – design and construction, operations and maintenance,
tenant fit out, and significant retrofit.
Through sustainable design, construction and operations, LEED can help new and
existing buildings to reduce carbon emissions, energy and waste, conserve water,
prioritize safer materials, and lower our exposure to toxins.
The more points, the higher the reward. With LEED, there are many rewards, ranging
from healthier spaces to buildings that save money and resources. The number of points a
project earns determines the level of LEED certification it receives. There are four levels

of certification:

• Certified (40–49 points)

• Silver (50–59 points)

• Gold (60–79 points)

• Platinum (80+ points)

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The goal of LEED is to create better buildings that:

• Reduce contribution to global climate change
• Enhance individual human health
• Protect and restore water resources
• Protect and enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services
• Promote sustainable and regenerative material cycles
• Enhance community quality of life

The Functions of LEED are as follows:

• LEED explains green features.
• Rating of the building done by third party.
• All the things are documented.
• LEED helps for the owners, builders, to differentiate their home using recognized
national brand.
• Buyers can readily identify the quality of green house by selecting LEED.

LEED assessment categories

LEED certification can be achieved via a point system based on nine key
classification categories as listed below:
1. Sustainable sites: This category focuses on the environment surrounding the
building, awarding credits for projects that emphasize the vital relationships among
buildings, ecosystems, and ecosystem services. For example, managing storm water
runoff and erosion; safeguarding the permeability of soil; reducing construction
related pollution; and by encouraging non-toxic pest control and regionally
appropriate landscaping that reduces the need for irrigation.
2. Water Efficiency: This category awards points for installing systems that reduce
water consumption and that treat water efficiently and in an environmentally sound
manner. It addresses water holistically, looking at indoor use, outdoor use, specialized

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uses, and metering. The section is based on an “efficiency first” approach to water
conservation.
3. Indoor Environmental Quality: There are many chemicals in various household
products, materials, finishes, and furnishings. The most commonly found
contaminants in homes include formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, radon gas and dust.
These can cause a variety of adverse health effects including allergies, asthma and
respiratory illnesses. In any building structure, good indoor air quality must be
achieved by removing, diminishing, and controlling any source of air pollution within
the building; providing a control device for the thermostat system to guarantee
comfortable temperatures; and implementing connections to the outdoor environment.
4. Material and Resources: The Material and Resources category involves using
building materials that leave less of an environmental impact on the earth, and that
reduce and control waste and decrease the quantity of materials needed. It encourages
the selection of sustainably grown, harvested, produced, and transported products and
materials with documented chain of custody.

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5. Energy and Atmosphere: Under this category, a building can earn points for
maximizing a building’s energy efficiency, for using renewable and alternative energy
sources, and for adhering to ozone protection protocols.
6. Location and Transportation: The Location and Transportation category rewards
thoughtful decisions about building location, with credits that encourage compact
development, alternative transportation, and connection with amenities such as
restaurants and parks.
7. Innovation: Sustainable design strategies and measures are constantly evolving and
improving. New technologies are continually introduced to the marketplace, and upto-
date scientific research influences building design strategies. The purpose of this
LEED category is to recognize projects for innovative building features and
sustainable building practices and strategies.
8. Regional Priority: Some environmental issues are particular to a local places or
depends on the location; volunteers from LEED International Roundtable have
identified distinct environmental priorities within their areas and the credits that
address those issues. These Regional Priority credits encourage project teams to focus
on their local environmental priorities.
9. Education and Awareness: The Education and Awareness category encourages
builders to provide homeowners with the necessary knowledge to run the systems of
their home properly, and publicly promote green building and the LEED rating
system. Builders are required to provide homeowners with a minimum one hour
educational walkthrough to identify and provide instruction of the home’s operational
systems.

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Advantages of LEED:

• Improved Indoor Air Quality

• Promotes Better Health
• Improved Workforce
• Fosters Public Relations
• Money-Saving
• Faster to Obtain Green Goals

Case studies/examples:
1. PLATINUM RATED: CII GODREJ Green Business Center, Hyderabad
The first LEED platinum rated building in INDIA.
2. GOLD RATED: IGP office, Kalburgi, Karnataka
This building is the first naturally ventilated LEED rated building in INDIA.
3. GRIHA: Common Wealth Games village, New Delhi
This structure is also a gold rated building in INDIA.

GREEN STAR:
Green Star is an internationally-recognized Australian sustainability rating and
certification system introduced in 2003. Green Star certification is a formal process managed
by Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), during which a building, fit out, or precinct
is awarded a rating by an independent, third party assessor. It is a document based
assessment, undertaken online. Green Star certification provides verification of the
sustainable design, construction and operation of buildings and community projects.
Green Star is a program that strives to improve the built environment by:
 Reducing climate changes impact
 Preserving and conserving our planet’s natural environment
 Creating sustainable solutions for building, fit outs and societies.
Green Star Assessment Process:
Each category has a number of credits within it that each addresses specific green
building aspects and actions. Each credit has points associated to it and a project team will
target certain credits in each category. The targeted credits are then assessed and a score is
calculated.

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Weighting factors that are specific to each different tool are then applied to the score
card to get the final rating. The weighting differs per tool to reflect the distinct environmental
concerns in the different building sectors.
1. Management: The credits within the management category promote the adoption of
environmental principles from project inception, design and construction phases, to
commissioning and operation of the building and its systems.
2. Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ): Each of the credits in the IEQ category target
the wellbeing of the occupants. The credits address how the heating, cooling, lighting
and indoor air pollutants contribute to a healthier indoor environmental quality.
3. Energy: The credits within the energy category target an overall reduction in energy
consumption and a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy
generation.
4. Transport: The credits within the transport category reward the reduction in
automotive commuting while encouraging use of alternative transport.
5. Water: All the water credits aim to reduce the use of potable water through design of
efficient systems, rainwater collection and water re-use.
6. Materials: All the credits in the materials category target the consumption of
resources through the selection and reuse of materials. The concept is to reduce the
amount of natural resources used and reuse materials that can be reused or recycled.
7. Land Use & Ecology: All the credits in the land use & ecology section promote
initiatives that improve or reduce the buildings impact on ecological systems and
biodiversity.
8. Emissions: All the emissions credits target the environmental impacts of a
developments emissions or substances emitted from the site.
9. Innovation: The innovation category encourages, recognizes and rewards the spread
of innovative technologies, designs and processes that impact on the overall
environmental performance of the building.
10. Additional Category: Socio Economic This additional category can be applied to all
new building tools and rewards projects for developing and improving the
socioeconomic conditions around a project.

Green Star Rating System:

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The rating system starts from one star rising to a maximum six stars, though these
rating vary according to which category is assessed. The Communities, Design & as Built,
Buildings, Interiors and Fit Outs range from a 4-6 Green Star rating, while the Performance
category ranges from 1-6 stars.

RATING SCALE:
Score Rating Category

10-19 One Star Minimum Practice

20-29 Two Star Average Practice

30-44 Three Star Good Practice

45-59 Four Star Best Practice

60-74 Five Star Australian Excellence

75+ Six Star World Leadership

Benefits of Green Star rating system:

 Reduced Operating Costs:

• Provide approximately 26% less energy consumption than typical commercial
buildings.
• Produce approximately 33% less greenhouse gas emissions.

 Healthier Homes:

• Improved ventilation systems, aiding the respiratory health of occupants.

• Low-toxic materials, making a generally healthier and safer living
environment.
• Allowing abundant sources of daylight, making a much more inviting and
hospitable space.

GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment)

GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) is an independent,
nonprofit society established jointly by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in 2007.
GRIHA is a rating tool that helps people assesses the performance of their building
against certain nationally acceptable benchmarks. It evaluates the environmental performance
of a building holistically over its entire life cycle, thereby providing a definitive standard for

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what constitutes a 'green building'. The goal is to minimize waste generation, resource
consumption, and the overall ecological impact of habitats and built environments.
Objective of GRIHA:
• Minimize a building’s resource consumption, waste generation, and overall ecological

impact.
• Evaluates the environmental performance of a building holistically over its entire life

cycle, thereby providing a definitive standard for what constitutes a „green building‟
• Based on accepted energy and environmental principles, seeks to strike a balance

between the established practices and emerging concepts

• Reduced energy consumption without sacrificing the comfort level

• Reduced destruction of natural areas, habitats, and biodiversity, and reduced soil loss

from erosion etc.

.
Evolution of GRIHA:
The rapid increase in Indian population and growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
has given rise to an enormous demand for buildings with a subsequent pressure on
availability of resources. Another key challenge for the builtenvironment of Indian cities is
the diminishing availability of water for urban areas and environmental pressures of increased
demand for resources coupled with a rapidly changing climate. Overall objective to reduce
resource consumption, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance the use of renewable
and recycled resources by the building sector.
This tool has been adopted by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. This tool,
by its qualitative and quantitative assessment criteria, is able to „rate‟ a building on the
degree of its 'greenness'.
.
Weightage of various criteria as per GRIHA
Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) assesses a building on 30
parameters divided into 11 sections. They are:
1. Sustainable site planning

• Green infrastructure (5)

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• Low-impact design (5)

• UHIE-mitigation designs (2)

2. Construction management
• Pollution control- air and soil (1)
• Preserving topsoil (1)
• Adopting best practices for construction management (2)
3. Energy efficiency
• Optimizing energy consumption (12)
• Using renewable energy (5)
• Using materials with low GWP (Global Warming Potential) and ODP (Ozone
Depleting Potential) (1)

4. The comfort of the occupant

• Visual comfort (4)

• Thermal comfort (2)

• Internal air quality (6)

5. Water management
• Reducing water demand (3)
• Treating wastewater (3)
• Managing/ storing rainwater (5)
• Self-sufficiency and water quality analysis (5)
6. Solid waste management
• Waste management methods after the occupation (4)
• The on-site organic waste treatment facility (2)

7. Use of environmentally-friendly building materials

• Using green alternatives for construction (5)

• Life Cycle Assessment and reducing global warming potential (5)

• Using alternate materials for developing the external site (2)

8. Analysis of life cycle costing (5)

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9. Socio-economic parameters
• Sanitation & workplace safety of workers involved in construction works (1)
• Accessibility (2)
• Facilities for service staff (2)
• Favorable social impact (3)
10. Performance Monitoring

• Commissioning for final rating (7)

• Smart metering (0)

• Protocol for operation and maintenance (0)

11. Innovation (extra 5)

Total 100+5=105 points

GRIHA ratings:
GRIHA for Existing buildings rating system is a 100 point system consisting of 12
criteria categorized under seven sections such as Site Parameters, Maintenance &
Housekeeping, Energy, Water, Human Health & Comfort, Social Aspects, and Bonus
points. Six of these 12 criteria are mandatory, while the rest are optional.

Rating Points

5-star 86 above

4-star 71-85

3-star 56-70

2-star 41-55

1-star 25-40

Benefits

• Reduced energy consumption without sacrificing the comfort levels

• Reduced destruction of natural areas, habitats, and biodiversity, and reduced soil loss
from erosion etc.
• Reduced air and water pollution (with direct health benefits)
• Reduced water consumption
• Limited waste generation due to recycling and reuse

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• Reduced pollution loads

• Increased user productivity
• Enhanced image and marketability

Sustainable buildings in green design have many characteristics,

including:
 Energy efficiency: Use efficient lighting fixtures and solar water heating systems
 Renewable energy: Use solar and wind energy
 Sustainable materials: Use environmentally preferable products
 Waste reduction: Reduce waste and manage it on-site
 Water conservation: Protect and conserve water, and install rainwater harvesting
systems
 Indoor air quality: Improve indoor air quality
 Site potential: Optimize the site's potential
 Maintenance practices: Enhance operational and maintenance practices
 Healthy environments: Create healthy and productive environments
 Material selection: Select materials that slow down natural resource depletion
 Location and transport: Consider the building's location and transport
 Design innovation: Incorporate design innovation
 Durability: Make the building durable
Fundamental principles of green building include:
 Energy efficiency
Use natural resources for energy and minimize fossil fuel dependency. Green buildings can
use double-paned windows, building insulation, sun shading, and cool roofs to reduce heating
and cooling costs.
 Water efficiency
Manage water efficiently by using rainwater, groundwater, stormwater runoff, and other
water sources. Green buildings can also recycle water on-site.
 Sustainable materials
Use environmentally friendly materials that are sourced from renewable sources, have low
environmental impact during production, and can be recycled or composted. Some examples
include wood from sustainably managed forests, recycled glass, and natural insulation
materials.
 Indoor environmental quality

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Maximize natural light, improve ventilation, and enhance acoustic performance.
 Waste reduction
Minimize waste in all aspects of the building, including materials, construction processes,
electricity, and water consumption.
Other principles of green building include: Optimizing building space and material use,
Conserving natural resources, and Improving indoor environmental quality

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS:
1. What is green building rating system? List the types of rating system.
2. Write a note on BREEAM.
3. Explain BREEAM assessment categories.
4. Explain the weightage of BREEAM criteria.
5. What are the benefits of BREEAM?
6. Write a note on LEED with its advantages.
7. Explain LEED assessment categories.
8. Explain green star rating system.
9. Explain green star rating tools.
10. Explain Green star assessment categories.
11. What are the benefits of Green star rating system?
12. Write a note on GRIHA.
13. What are the objectives, benefits of GRIHA?
14. Explain the weightage of various criteria as per GRIHA.
[Link] principles of sustainable development in building design
[Link] the characteristics of sustainable buildings in green design
[Link] are purpose of green building rating systems

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