Green Globes System
The Green Globes System is a guidance and assessment program which is owned and operated by the Green Building Initiative (GBI) based in Portland, Oregon. The GBI acquired the rights from the Building Owners and Managers Association-Canada(BOMA) in 2004 in order to distribute the program in the United States. The Canadian equivalent of Green Globes is “Go Green” (Visez Vert) which is used for existing buildings. The roots of both programs come from the Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method, BREEAM, created in 1990 in the United Kingdom.
The Green Globes System is comprised of assessment tools for the following facility needs:
- Design of New Buildings or Significant Renovation
- Management and Operation of Existing Buildings
- Building Emergency Management
- Building Intelligence
- Fit-Up
Green Globes is a points-based system which awards between one and four “Globes” after a project has achieved a percentage of the points following a third party review and walk-through by an approved assessor.
The Green Globes New Construction Program includes seven environmental assessment areas:
- Energy (Performance, Efficiency, Demand Reduction, Renewable Energy, Transportation)
- Indoor Environment (Ventilation, Lighting, Thermal & Acoustic Comfort)
- Site (Ecological Impact, Development Area, Watershed Features, Enhancement)
- Resources (Low-Impact Materials, Reuse, Demolition, Durability, Recycling)
- Water (Performance, Conservation, Treatment)
- Emissions and Effluence (Air Emissions, Ozone Depletion, Water and Sewer Protection, Pollution Controls)
- Project Management (Design Process, Environmental Purchasing, Commissioning)
The Green Globes Continual Improvement for Existing Buildings (CIEB) Program includes six assessment areas:
- Energy (Performance, Efficiency, Management, Carbon Dioxide, Transportation)
- Indoor Environment (Air Quality, Lighting, Noise)
- Emissions and Effluence (Boilers, Water Effluents, Hazardous Materials)
- Resources (Waste Reduction, Recycling)
- Environmental Management (Documentation, Purchasing, Environmental Awareness)
- Performance (Performance, Conservation, Management)
RATIONALE
Building owners and developers may look for an alternative to the LEED Green Building Program in which to measure the sustainability metrics of a building project; Green Globes offers an alternative. The pricing structure of the Green Globes third party reviews is somewhat comparable to the LEED reviews, but the consultant costs may be lower for Green Globes. The program utilizes easily-accessible online tools for the project team such as ENERGY STAR and Athena’s Life Cycle Analysis tool. Also, the Green Globes program offers project teams the opportunity to self-analyze performance based on the program before moving to the rating and certification process, which requires hiring a third party Green Globes reviewer.
EFFORT REQUIRED
The project team must purchase a subscription to the Green Globes for New Construction (NC) or Continual Improvement for Existing Buildings (CIEB) in order to self-analyze the percentage of points that the project can attain within the program. Several hours are required on the part of the project team to answer the Green Globes-NC or Green Globes-CIEB questionaire about the building efficiencies and sustainability attributes. Additional research may be needed from team members to gather the required data. The rating system (the Green Globes Program Manual) is embedded in the online questionaire.
Once the questionaire has been completed and a projected rating of at least 35% pf the 1000 available points is attained, a third party evaluation can be ordered. The third party assessor will review the project data and will travel to the project site for validation.
The owner and project team will work to implement sustainability measures throughout the bulding design and operation. Additional consultants may be required, such as an independent building commissioning agent, an Energy Modeler, or similar consultant.
BENEFITS
The Green Globes System offers an alternative method to assessing a building’s sustainability metrics. More work is done by the building owner and project team, and less work is needed by project consultants. There is an entry level self-assessment phase of the project to determine eligibility prior to investing in third party assessment and certification. Tools are available for conducting life cycle analysis for equipment and building assemblies.
RISKS
- The Green Globes Program is not as recognized in the buidling industry as the LEED Program. The publicity value and name recognition of Green Globes is not as high in the Southeast as it is in the Pacific Northwest, where the Green Building Initiative is based.
- There are additional services that may be required by building professionals such as commissioning agents and energy modelers, which can increase project budgets.
- Green Globes third party assessors review the project data after the design documents have been completed as well as at the close of construction. The team may decide to make design and/or construction changes upon review comments – which can impact the project’s overall budget or schedule.
- When the program was initially marketed in the United States, there was some controversy regarding the companies that offered financial backing to the Green Globes program. A conflict of interest stigma about the program may be present among some circles of the buidling industry.
ACTION AGENTS
Building Owners, Developers, Project Managers, Facility Managers, Architects, Civil Engineers, Landscape Architects, MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) Engineers, Interior Designers, General Contractors.
COSTS
- Green Globes Software Subscription (New Construction): $500 per building
- Green Globes Software Subscription (Existing Buildings): $1000 per building
- USGBC Project Certification Fees (< 200,000 sf): $7,000 (NC) / $4,000 (CIEB)
- USGBC Project Certification Fees ( 200,000 sf – 300,000 sf): $8,000 (NC) / $5,000 (CIEB)
- USGBC Project Certification Fees (300,000 sf – 400,000 sf): $10,000 (NC) / $7,000 (CIEB)
- USGBC Project Certification Fees (400,000 sf – 500,000 sf): $12,000 (NC) / $9,000 (CIEB)
- USGBC Project Certification Fees (> 500,000 sf): $14,000 (NC) / $10,000 (CIEB)
Other Costs:
- Assessor Travel Expenses: $1,000 minimum
- Custom Assessment Services / Energy Analysis: $1,500 - $3,500
- Green Globes Recognition Items (Plaque, Case Study): $785 - $2,000
Commissioning Agent and Energy Modeling fees to be determined by external service providers.
An area of land which contributes overland flow of rainfall to a particular body of water. For example the Mississippi watershed stretches from the Rocky to the Appalachian Mountains.A measure of a building's or product's energy performance compared with that of similar buildings or products, as determined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency / U.S. Department of Energy's ENERGY STARŪ Portfolio Manager. Mechanisms that allow occupants to direct power to devices or adjust devices or systems so that they function within in a pre-determined range (e.g., brightness, temperature).The collection, reprocessing, marketing, and use of materials that were diverted or recovered from the solid waste stream.Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a building rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to measure energy efficiency. It provides a standard for environmentally sustainable construction.The process of verifying and documenting that a building and all of its systems and assemblies are planned, designed, installed, tested, operated, and maintained to meet predetermined energy requirements.The ability or potential of a physical body to do work. The most common forms of energy are heat, light, mechanical (moving parts), and electrical.
