The Green Globes™ system is an online building assessment tool that evaluates and rates the environmental performance of new buildings. The program is a trademark of the Green Building Initiative (GBI), which operates and maintains the assessment tool. The objectives of Green Globes™ are to:

• Evaluate energy and environmental performance of buildings
• Enable comparison of buildings and encourage peer reviews of design and management practices
• Increase awareness of environmental issues among building owners, designers, and managers
• Provide action plans for improvement at varying stages of project delivery
• Provide certification and awards of green building design and management

The Green Globes™ system is both a guide to integrating green design principles and an assessment tool. The program is questionnaire-based and consists of approximately 150 questions that take 2-3 hours to answer. Once the questionnaire has been completed, an online report is automatically generated that provides:

• Percentage eco-ratings for:
  • Project Management,
  • Site, Energy,
  • Water,
  • Resources,
  • Emissions,
  • Effluents & Other Impacts, and
  • Indoor Environment
• Highlights of design
• Suggestions for further improvement to the design
• Hyper-links to information on building systems and management

Once the building project has been registered, users can choose from eight project stages including:

1. Project Initiation
2. Site Analysis
3. Programming
4. Schematic Design
5. Design Development
6. Construction Documents
7. Contracting & Construction
8. Commissioning

Percentage eco-ratings are given for two of the eight stages: 1) Schematic Design (a preliminary rating) and 2) Construction Documents (the final rating).

Third party verification of the certification is optional. The verification process takes place during a meeting between the verifier and the design team and consists of a review of the design and construction documentation for the project. A verifier is either a licensed architect or building engineer with proven experience and knowledge of green building technologies and integrated design. Once the verification is complete, the project is awarded a Green Globes certificate.

Point System

There are a total of 1,000 available points. The system will generate an overall score, as well as show a score for each assessment area and each sub-assessment area. Areas of assessment and their associated points include:

• A - Project Management Process (50 points – 5% of Overall Point Value)
• B - Site (115 points – 11.5% of Overall Point Value)
• C - Energy (380 points – 38% of Overall Point Value)
• D - Water (85 points – 8.5% of Overall Point Value)
• E - Resources (100 points – 10% of Overall Point Value)
• F - Emissions, Effluents & Other Impacts (70 points – 7% of Overall Point Value)
• G - Indoor Environment (200 points – 20% of Overall Point Value)

Points Window and Door Industry Can Contribute To:

• A.2 – Environmental purchasing (10 points)
• C.1 – Energy performance (100 points)
• C.2 – Reduced energy demand (114 points)
• E.1 – Low Impact Systems and Materials (40 points)
• E.2 – Minimal Consumption of Resources (15 points)
• E.4 – Building Durability, Adaptability, and Disassembly (15 points)
• F.4 – Pollution Minimization (25 points)
• G.2 – Control of Indoor Pollutants (45 points)
• G.4 – Thermal Comfort (20 points)
• G.5 – Acoustic Comfort (30 points)

Green Globes™ Ratings

There are four levels of Green Globes™ Ratings as follows:

• 4 Globes – 850 – 1000 Project Points
• 3 Globes – 700 – 849 Project Points
• 2 Globes – 550 – 699 Project Points
• 1 Globe – 350 – 549 Project Points