Green and Healthy Buildings
Green and healthy buildings
MARY CHAN, Sounding Board, Mar 2007
Green buildings can help to improve both the indoor and outdoor environments in which we live and work, and are vital in providing the basis for healthy living.
The main issues addressed by green buildings are best described by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System (LEED), which gives credits to six categories of considerations in the construction of new buildings, major renovations and commercial interiors. These include sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation and design process.
Built Green™ is another green building rating system, offered by the Built Green™ Society of Canada for new home construction. For existing commercial buildings, the Go Green certification system is offered by the Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada (BOMA).
Generally, certification and rating systems are based on a point system that is the overall assessment of a variety of factors. It may be possible that a certified green building may have the highest score for being energy-efficient, but not achieving equal score in the indoor environmental quality category.
Certification under the Cradle to Cradle protocol for green building products and materials is also gaining popularity. This certification is offered by McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), founded by William McDonough and Michael Braungart.
It's important everyone gains more knowledge about green buildings in order to understand what provides the most benefits for healthy living. Internet resources, seminars and speaker events about green buildings are readily available. For more information, visit the following web sites:
- LEED rating system: www.cagbc.org
- Built Green™ rating system: www.builtgreencanada.ca
- BOMA Go Green: www.bomagogreen.com
- Cradle to Cradle protocol: Free speaker event on May 1, 2007 at the University of British Columbia's Chan Centre, where William McDonough will speak on Cradle to Cradle. See www.buildingtradeshow.com for details.
- Sustainable Building Centre: Seminars are available at the Light House Sustainable Building Centre on Granville Island. See www.sustainablebuildingcentre.com for details.
