Green Globes is a building certification program administered by the Green Building Initiative, a company with resources and goals very similar to that of LEED or GreenPoint Rated. This program is designed to lower your annual energy and operating costs, better attract and retain your employees, and generally increase your building’s marketability.
Much like other sustainability programs, this certification uses commonly overlooked factors in a building’s design and awards points to development teams who utilize smarter practices in their projects.
Green Globes Multifamily for New Construction requires a project to meet one of two prerequisites: 15% improved water efficiency, or 15% improved energy efficiency. These improvements sound hefty, but most California multifamily projects already reduce indoor water usage by approximately 20-30% through CALGreen fixture limitations, and Title 24 energy requirements are strict enough to allow nearly any project to meet this requirement with little to no extra cost. Because of this, most multifamily projects in California qualify by default.
But what about the credits? Green Globes requires that a project attain 35% of all applicable credits out of a possible 1,000 points. These credits encompass various sustainable opportunities, such as emission reductions, material and resource savings, and indoor environmental quality improvements. Because there are so many potential points to obtain in this program, it provides flexibility towards certification. By the time you’ve reached your design goals in conjunction with the Green Globes scorecard, you’ll already be cutting back on your design and construction costs.
VCA Green provides Green Globes consultation as well as other green building services. If you’re in need of sustainability experts on your design team, please contact Moe Fakih below for more information.
Moe Fakih, Principal
714-363-4700
mfakih@vca-green.com
Contributing Writer: Burke Boydell, LEED AP Homes