Building certifications may seem tedious, but it’s necessary for ensuring that a project complies with it’s building plans and in a way that won’t cause negative externalities on the community or the environment. The 1987 Brundtland report brought forward the idea of sustainable use of natural resources.
According to the report, sustainability refers to meeting the needs of the current generation without affecting future generations’ ability to meet theirs. The construction industry uses many natural resources as projects are built, renovated, and demolished. Operational buildings, too, require the use of natural resources.
A sustainable building generates net positive impacts on the environment and climate by improving the quality of life of its residents while preserving resources. In this blog post, we will briefly touch upon green building standards and certification systems.
Keep reading to learn more.
The Importance of Building Certification: Why Certify in the First Place?
The main aim of sustainable construction is to reduce the use of raw materials and energy. Certification systems promote sustainable constructions by evaluating the sustainability of the building.
The certification system provides you with a comprehensive overview and helps simplify the planning and implementation of sustainable construction. Certifications also make the building comparable to one another and provide the builders with benchmarks.
The past three decades have seen the creation of several sustainability certifications for buildings. Each of these is focused on certain parts of the world and addresses particular building elements.
However, keep in mind that a building doesn’t need to be certified to be sustainable.
5 Important Building Certifications
This section of the blog will outline our selection of five important building certifications recognised globally:
- Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM)
The certification came into existence in 1990 in the United Kingdom. The applications include urban areas, commercial buildings, interiors, renovations, and existing commercial buildings.
This is the first-ever certification system in the world to classify, assess, and certify sustainability. It is also one of the most popular ones in the world. It focuses on innovation, health, and wellness, energy, materials, etc.
- Active House
The active house building certification is relatively new and came into being in 2017. The certification originated in Denmark and applies to remodeling, existing buildings, and new buildings.
This certification is provided to high-quality, sustainable, yet comfortable buildings. It focuses on elements essential for daily living and residential buildings. The main focus is to reduce the resource consumption during construction and the overall lifespan of the structure.
- Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency (CASBEE)
The CASBEE model is from Japan and has been around since 2001. It is applicable to renovations, existing buildings, and new constructions. The buildings are assessed and classified in terms of built environment and performance.
A quotient named the Built Environment Efficiency is calculated on the basis of which certification is provided.
- Green Globes
Applicable on interiors, new constructions, and renovations, Green Globes, has been around since 2004. The US-based classification system supports various construction projects, including decking builders and decking treatments.
The classification system allows building owners to choose the sustainability features that fit their occupants.
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen (DGNB)
DGNB came into existence in 2004 in Germany. It is applicable to commercial interiors, existing buildings, renovations, new constructions, and urban areas.
The certification is currently used in Germany and neighboring countries. Holistic sustainability and commercial viability underline the philosophy behind DGNB. This building certification is a flexible one, making it easy to adapt to various types of buildings.
If you’re looking for building certifiers in Australia, you have a myriad of options available. Companies like The Certifier in Brisbane have an astounding history of satisfied customers. If you want to learn more about their services, head over to their website at https://www.thecertifier.com.au/ for more information.
Tips for Building Green Decks
Building green is not as big a challenge as you might think. When it comes to decks, building green often makes a lot of sense. Here’s how you can build sustainable decks:
- Minimize the material used and waste generated. You should look for decking builders that can meet your needs and share the same philosophy.
- Build them with longevity and continued structural integrity in mind. Several decking builders build them to last about five to ten years before they need replacing. Go for decking treatments and decking oils that can help improve longevity, and therefore, the environmental impact.
- Use sustainable and recycled material when possible.
Do you have any questions or concerns? If so, feel free to leave them in the comments, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
