You’re considering a green building certification. What are the key things you need to know?

A green building certification is a verification of the sustainability efforts applied to a building project. Certificied green buildings have met certain conditions (cutting across environmental, social and economic factors) and have been validated by a third party. These building often have plagues on display and some projects get more than one certification.

First, Educate yourself about the various green building certification programs available, such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), and EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies). Each program has its own criteria and rating system for evaluating a building's environmental performance. Second, Evaluate whether your project is suitable for green building certification based on factors such as project type, scale, budget, and timeline. Consider the specific goals and objectives of your project and assess how green building certification aligns with your overall vision.

Clients/ projects that pursue Green building certification do that for several reasons. First on the list is to show commitment to mitigating climate change. Building processes (from material extraction, construction and operations) are one of the major contributors to GHG which is responsible for climate change. Secondly pursuing green building certification sets a project apart from the rest and makes it attractive to investors. Green building certification grants projects access to Green finance and other financial instruments that come with very low interest rates and risks. Finally, green building certification sets the property apart by making it more marketable to prospective tenants and it is a great marketing tool for developers.

The first step to getting a Green building certification is to define your goal. There are numerous certification systems out there and it is important to go for a certification that is relevant to the region you operate in. The next step is to set up a design and technical team that can help the client make the best decisions and recommend the relevant strategies that will ensure the projects goal is met. It is important to start early and have an integrated approach to ensure synergy between the numerous building professionals. Once the design is ready and the team is certain that they have met the relevant criteria/points, they can now proceed to register the project and have it audited to verify compliance.

The major challenge for getting a Green building certification is a client that doesn't see the value of Certification. Some see certification as additional cost. Others are not aware of the benefits to the planet and their bottom line. Another challenge is that not many building professionals are skilled to design green buildings. There is also the perceived misconception that Green buildings are more expensive but research has shown that when the whole life cycle cost is considered, Green buildings turn out not so expensive as initially thought.

Some ways to get started are; 1. Choosing the certification type that is most relevant to the region and aligns with projects goals. 2. For new construction, get everyone on board at the planning stage and take all critical decisions from the beginning. 3. For retrofits, it may require a complete overhaul of HVAC, electrical and mechanical systems as they all have great impact on the building performance and energy demand and so it is important to specify efficient systems. 4. Consider the timeline and communicating with project owner is also important as some clients may not be aware of the duration it takes to attain certification and this could be an issue down the line.

Deciding on green building certification? Here's the checklist : understand the project's goals (energy efficiency, water use etc.), research applicable certifications (LEED, Green Star, IGBC etc.) considering factors like location and budget, and Analyse the benefits (enhanced marketability, cost savings) against the certification's requirements and ongoing costs.