See the Instructions Below

Initial Post

For this discussion, complete the following:

• Explore the User Resources available on the Green Globe Initiative (GBI) website. https://thegbi.org/training/user-resources/downloads/
• Find a pre-assessment checklist that is used for rating purposes (in the form of an Excel file).
• Identify the type of assessment (general, new constriction, existing building, sustainable interiors, and the like), and the main classes of checklist criteria (sets of criteria that are listed in each workbook).
• Based on your review of the entire checklist, identify three criteria that you think best represent the degree to which a building performs well from a green building perspective.

Your initial posting should be 150-250 words.

As an example: For Existing Buildings, the GGI website offers six different checklists.

• Existing Buildings Pre-Assessment Checklist – Large
• Existing Buildings Pre-Assessment Checklist – Small
• Existing Buildings Healthcare Pre-Assessment Checklist
• Existing Buildings Project Checklist – Large
• Existing Buildings Project Checklist – Small
• Existing Healthcare Buildings Project Checklist

Each of the checklists contain six major criterial classes and scoring limits on each of the sub-criteria. The maximum scores for each criteria appear to provide an inherent weighting system for the assessments. Energy contributes over one-third of the total possible score indicating that Energy is a highly weighted criteria in the assessment. The total maximum number of points is 1000.

The six major criteria are:

• Energy (Maximum 350 Points)
• Water(Maximum 80 Points)
• Resources (Maximum 110 Points)
• Emissions, Effluents and Pollution Controls (Maximum 175 Points)
• Indoor Environment (Maximum 185 Points)
• Environmental Management System (Maximum 100 Points)

In addition, the website provides an Existing Buildings Technical Reference Manual and an Existing Buildings Healthcare Technical Reference Manual.

Green Globes for Existing Buildings. Green Building Initiative. Retrieved from https://thegbi.org/training/user-resources/downloads/?topic=Green+Globes+EB

Other Helpful Resources:

• Varma, C. S., & Palaniappan, S. (2019). Comparision of green building rating schemes used in North America, Europe and Asia. Habitat International, 89, 101989.
• Tang, K. H. D., Foo, C. Y. H., & Tan, I. S. (2020, October). A review of the green building rating systems (PDF). IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 943(1), 012060. IOP Publishing.
• Visit The Green Buildings Initiative and explore Green Resource Library and other resources available on the website
• Visit the U.S. Green Building Council website and the LEED resources available on the USGBC website

Responses

Provide a response to two of your classmates.

Each response should be a minimum of 100 words and should fulfill ONE of the following:

• Build on something your classmate said.
• Explain why and how you see things differently.
• Ask a probing or clarifying question.
• Share an insight from having read your classmate’s posting.
• Offer and support an opinion or personal experience.
• Provide additional resources concerning the discussion topic.
• Expand on your classmate’s posting.

Classmate 1 – Michael

The Green Building Initiative (GBI) pre-assessment checklist that I identified is titled New Construction 2013 Pre-Assessment Checklist. This checklist is used for the Green Globes for New Construction program and encompasses project management, the building site, energy performance, water consumption, construction materials, hazardous materials emissions, and indoor air quality (Global Building Initiative [GBI], 2022).

While this checklist encompasses the entire scope of a construction project, there are three key criteria that represent how well a building performs from a green building perspective: commissioning, energy performance, and resource conservation. Commissioning is an important criteria because it ensures that an independent third-party is verifying that the building is being built to the green design throughout the construction process and that shortcuts that would otherwise affect green building criteria are not taken. For example, GBI (2022) mentions that the commissioning area encompasses criteria such as the HVAC system, building envelope, structural systems, MEP, and more. The author also states that this whole building commissioning process takes place in the field, which adds a layer of accountability to the builder and their trade partners.

Energy performance is an important criteria for green building performance since reducing energy demand is a key requirement in having a positive affect on greenhouse gas emissions and climate control. Accordingly, this section offers four different paths, such as obtaining a target Energy Star percentile score, and is worth up to 100 points (GBI, 2022). This section also provides for benchmarking, which ensures that actual performance is within 10% of the target goal.

Finally, my opinion is that resource conservation is the third key criteria to determine the performance of a green building. This area includes the use of prefabricated or preassembled products, which are easier to store on site and generate less waste; multi-functional assemblies, such as curtain walls that serve the purposes of day lighting, insulation, and vapor barrier, eliminating the need for those additional resources; and designs that facilitate deconstruction, so that materials can be maintained or repaired without additional damage to their surroundings (GBI, 2022).

Green Building Initiative. (2022). New construction 2013 pre-assessment checklist. The GBI. https://www.thegbi.org/files/training_resources/Pr…

Classmate 2 – Alvaro

The checklist that I chose to write about was for existing buildings. The checklist provides the areas evaluated under Green Globes. The checklist focuses on energy, water, resources, emission and other impacts, indoor environment, and environmental management systems (Green Building Initiative, 2022). The three criteria that best present the parameters for a successful green building are water, resources, and energy consumption.

Water conservation and water management are vital to a green building; there are many areas in the world and the US that have a supply of water. Looking after water comes in different ways; for example, if a plant or landscaping is installed, planting flora that does not require excessive water to stay alive. For instance, in an area like Arizona, it is not advised for a facility to have lots of grass since it will require to be watered daily, and it is a desert meaning there is not a lot of water available. Using local flora as landscaping is advised since the plants grow naturally and do not typically require an irrigation system.

Resource management has excellent effects on a green building because this incorporates waste reduction, site pollution, and enhancement (Green Building Initiative, 2022). These aspects all affect a facility’s carbon footprint; if the facility creates too much pollution, regardless of what the equipment installed is rated for, it will affect its effects on the environment. Likewise, site enhancements are essential if areas can be improved upon.

Finally, energy consumption plays a significant role in having a green building. Some of the things that are evaluated within the checklist are energy water heaters, lighting, and HVAC, to name a few (Green Building Initiative, 2022). Heating water is vital because if the water heater does not contain the water temperature for a prolonged period, it will have to run constantly. Lighting is essential, and as LED technology has evolved, this may be a simple solution, although it may not be cheap. Finally, HVAC is critical to a green building because if the HVAC system is not adequate, it will lead to excess energy consumption.

References

Green Building Initiative. (2022). Existing Building Project Checklist.xlsx. The GBI. https://thegbi.org/training/user-resources/downloads/