From BREEAM to Nordic Swan: a glossary of green building certifications

This month, we’re going to be exploring what environmental sustainability looks like in today’s workplace. The built environment contributes around 40% of global carbon emissions, so it’s important for flexible workspace operators everywhere to understand what they need to do to combat climate change and, ultimately, reach net zero.

We’ve created this useful glossary to help you identify and understand some of the green building certifications out there in the world today. Even if you’re not in the position to sign up anytime soon, they could still provide you with useful strategies for your coworking space. 

BREEAM 

The Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) is an international certification for green buildings and projects. 

Its rating system ranges from “pass” to “outstanding”, and in-use, refurbishments and completely new buildings can take part. Buildings and projects are judged on their environmental, social and economic sustainability performance. 

LEED 

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is one of the most famous sustainability building certifications because it's the most widely used. A variety of building types can apply for accreditation, including offices and retail properties.  

To gain certification, projects and buildings earn points by addressing carbon, energy, water, waste, transportation, materials, health and indoor environmental quality prerequisites. 

ENERGY STAR 

Energy Star is facilitated by the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency in the US. Qualifying buildings must be at least 15% more energy efficient than traditional ones, and certification lasts for a year. ENERGY STAR helps commercial building owners – including offices – pinpoint cost-effective approaches to managing energy use.

Living Building Challenge

Run by the International Living Future Institute, the Living Building Challenge invites buildings to obtain certification based on their sustainability performance over a 12-month period. Buildings that take part must generate more energy than they consume, be constructed from sustainable materials and capture/treat some of its water on-site. 

The International Living Institute describes the challenge as a “philosophy, certification, and advocacy tool for projects to move beyond merely being less bad and to become truly regenerative,” which is why it’s one of the most ambitious schemes on our list.

CASBEE 

Founded in Japan in 2001, CASBEE assesses and classifies the sustainability credentials of renovations, existing buildings and new construction projects. It’s the product of a collaboration between academia, industry and national and local governments. Since 2004, over 300 buildings throughout Japan have been CASBEE certified. 

DGNB  

DGNB is the German abbreviation for the German Sustainable Building Council. Based in Stuttgart, its ultimate aim is to “promote change in the building and property market, engendering an appropriate understanding of quality as a foundation for responsible and sustainable action”. 

The entire built environment can seek accreditation, from workspaces and hospitals to hotels and sports facilities – even multi-storey car parks can apply! As well as environmental credentials, accreditation takes into consideration economic and sociocultural factors.

WELL Building Standard

The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is dedicated to making spaces and the people who inhabit them healthier, happier and more productive. Its WELL Certification is supported by scientific research and has evolved over the course of a decade. The primary focus is health (both physical and mental), which itself encompasses environmental factors.  

Spaces seeking accreditation are judged on the following: air, water, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind, community and innovations. 

NABERS & Green Star

Both NABERS and Green Star are programmes designed for buildings in Australia. NABERS stands for the National Australian Built Environment Rating System. 

It provides a rating from one to six stars for efficiency across energy, water, waste and the indoor environment. Like others on the list, NABERS ratings are valid for a year to ensure that a building’s rating represents its current performance. 

Green Star was founded by Australia’s Green Building Council. It certifies fitouts, buildings, homes and even whole communities. 55.5 million sqm of building space in Australia is Green Star certified, including 44% of CBD (Central Building District) office space.

Green Globes

The US and Canadian construction classification system, Green Globes, is an online self-assessment system for green buildings. It’s affordable and supports a variety of different building types. Certification is awarded to those who meet 35% of the standard’s 1,000 criteria. It’s one of the longest-running certifications on our list, having been developed in 2000 by ECD Energy and Environmental Canada.

HQE

HQE is a certification for construction, urban planning and building management projects in France and worldwide. According to its website, HQE “pursues sustainable performance objectives while giving substantial importance to the life cycle analysis on a building scale and to the impacts of a project on health, personal comfort and the indoor environment”.

Nordic Swan

Designed, unsurprisingly, for the Nordic countries, Nordic Swan certifies buildings, products and services. Its aim is to reduce the consumption of resources and eliminate toxic materials and compounds. Recycling, energy and resource usage (throughout the lifecycle of the building, not just in the construction phase) are also assessed.

Climate change has risen to the top of the global agenda over the last couple of years. Now more than ever, coworking members are voting with their feet – and many want to work in a space that aligns with social and environmental values.

If you don’t have the funding or resources to become accredited, you can still tell the world what you’re doing. Be transparent about what you’re doing well and what you’re working towards, whether it's better recycling or a move to renewable energy. 

If we’ve missed any accreditations here, let us know on Twitter!