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Green Globes

The Green Globes program was released in 2004 by the Green Building Initiative (GBI). It was originally developed for and made available in the U.K. and Canada in the 1990s, and was later adapted for use in commercial building in the United States. Today, the Canadian version of the program is called BOMA BESt and is administrated by BOMA Canada. (Learn more about Green Globes/GBI or BOMA BESt.)

Green Globes Rating Protocol 4 Globes 850 - 1000 points 3 Globes 700 - 840 points 2 Globes 550 - 690 points 1 Globe 350 - 540 points Assessment Category Available Points per Category Energy 360 Indoor Environment 200 Site 115 Resources 100 Water 100 Emissions & Effluents 75 Project Management 50 TOTAL Possible Points: 1000

Several characteristics of Green Globes set it apart from other rating systems. For one, Green Globes uses a comprehensive online software tool for evaluating commercial buildings. Users input all building data via GBI’s website through a series of simple questionnaires. Each of the questions is weighted with points. The software tallies the points and spits out a report detailing an assessment of each of the seven ratings categories. Green Globes is currently the only nationally-recognized green building program to use this type of software tool.

Additionally, Green Globes is the only rating system to date that incorporates a Life Cycle Assessment calculator. (LCA is a methodology that evaluates building materials’ impact on the environment over their life cycle.) As part of the Green Globes rating system, ATHENA’s EcoCalculator for Assemblies gives design teams the ability to choose from hundreds of building assemblies and compare their environmental impacts. LCA is generally thought to provide fair assessments of building components, so the existence of this calculator in Green Globes is a benefit for our industry.

The chart at right summarizes the framework of the Green Globes rating system. There are seven sections in which builders can earn a minimum of 350 points and a maximum of 1000 points.

One possible disadvantage to Green Globes is that no reference guide exists for the public. So unlike LEED or NAHB, there isn’t one central place to look for point break-downs within the categories above. The reason, as GBI staff puts it, is because Green Globes takes a “holistic” approach to evaluating buildings and assesses each building individually. So there is no way to tally the amount of points available with wood or steel components.

Visit www.thegbi.org for a free trial of Green Globes.

Green Building Home • SBCs – Green Since 1952 • Framing the American Dream
Green Building Programs • FAQ • Resources