Green Globes™ New Construction Tool

Improve the Environmental Performance & Sustainability of New Buildings The Green Globes™ New Construction is an online tool (web application) that enables architects, engineers, and construction professionals to incorporate environmental and sustainability best practices into the design, specification, and construction of new commercial buildings and major renovations. Delivering a comprehensive assessment and report of environmentally friendly and sustainable building features, as well as customized enhancement suggestions, Green Globes New Construction enables project teams to focus on sustainability, enables them to consider environmental improvements during the design and development process, and to evaluate and rate the benefits of different design scenarios. Green Globes New Construction is easy to learn and use, convenient, and readily integrates into modern AEC workflows for use by distributed project teams. Interaction with GBI trained environmental professionals is a part of the process, with construction document review and a third party walk-through providing additional opportunities to track progress, consider alternative, and benchmark the achievements of new buildings. Users complete a questionnaire via an intuitive online (web) interface then can view and download the summary overall score, rating in each of the 7 categories, a detailed report of the environmentally beneficial design features and construction, and customized improvement suggestions. More detail information regarding the Green Globes New Construction environmental assessment can be found at: Green Globes New Construction Overview The New Construction tool is based on the recognized and proven Green Globes assessment protocol and rating system, thus environmental impact is comprehensively assessed on a 1,000 point scale in 7 different categories: Energy, Indoor Environment, Site Impact, Water, Resources, Emissions, and Project Management. Those projects that incorporate the Green Globes sustainability enhancement suggestions and score high on the rating scale are projected to consume fewer fossil fuels, reduce green house emissions, conserve water, reduce other forms of pollution, minimize impact on the land surrounding the buildings, and offer a better environment for occupants. More information regarding how use of the new construction tool integrates with the design-construction-commissioning process can be found at: Green Globes System Overview Because the Green Globes system is focused on reducing the environmental impacts of buildings, it features customized improvement suggestions that span the full range of relevant environmental impacts in each category. By implementing the suggested design improvements, utilizing sustainable building materials and supplies, and by minimizing site ecological impacts, it is intended that property owners will save energy, minimize greenhouse emissions, conserve water resources, and reduce other forms of pollution. Not just limited to the altruistic goals regarding helping the environment, Green Globes provides a structured means for AEC project teams and building owners to reduce operating costs for heat, power, lighting, and solid waste disposal, while simultaneously enhancing and improving the living or working environment for occupants. To learn more about the history and development of the Green Globes system, click here. The History of the Green Globes System

Use Green Globes Account & Registration FAQ's Login to New Construction and/or Continual Improvement for Existing Buildings Register for another subscription Username/Password Help Try Green Globes Sign Up for a New Construction 30-day Free Trial Sign Up for an Existing Building 30-day Free Trial Learn about New Construction Learn about Continual Improvement for Existing Buildings History of Green Globes

Comprehensive Environmental Assessment and Rating Protocol

The Green Globes™ Continual Improvement Tool for New Construction delivers a comprehensive, thorough, and proven means for evaluating, improving, and rating the environmental impact of new commercial buildings and major renovations. The assessment protocol covers 7 different areas, with each area having an assigned number of points that are utilized to quantify overall building performance.

Assessment Category	Points	Description
Energy	360	Performance, efficiency, demand reduction, energy efficient features, use of renewable energy, transportation
Indoor Environment	200	Ventilation, lighting, thermal & acoustical comfort, ventilation system
Site	115	Ecological impact, development area, watershed features, enhancement
Resources	100	Low impact materials (LCA), re-use, demolition, durability, recycling
Water	100	Performance, conservation, treatment
Emissions& Effluents	75	Air emissions (boilers), ozone depletion, water & sewer protection, pollution controls
Project Management	50	Design process, environmental purchasing, commissioning
Total	1000

The scoring for these seven categories are based on questions completed via the intuitive, online questionnaire within the Green Globes Tool. While completing the survey, there are pop-up “tool tips” embedded within the questionnaire to address frequently asked questions and add clarifications regarding the input data requirements.

Using Green Globes™ New Construction

After registration, users can securely login to Green Globes™. Navigation through the assessment is accomplished by an intuitive menu bar that enables quick access to the different parts of the tool. After login,the first step is for users to add a building and enter basic building demographic data. Separate buildings can likewise be added or separately started from this point. Next, user proceed to complete the questionnaire, clicking submit after entering each page of data. If an answer to a question is unknown, or research is required, or erroneously entered, it’s no problem, with the web interface users can return at a later time and edit, update, or complete the answers. Embedded within the questionnaire are readily accessible Tooltips that address frequently asked questions regarding using the tool or answering specific technical environmental questions. A section selector enables quick and easy updates, or returning to a section to check the data there at any time. Feedback, in terms of the progress toward completing the survey, as well as the performance score achieved thus far is available via a “one click” building dashboard display. After the questionnaire has been completed, the building report is available and can be printed. The report delivers the overall self-assessed rating score, the individual score for each of the 7 environmental categories assessed, customized improvement suggestions to facilitate environmental improvement, and web links to quickly learn more about relevant “green” products & services.

Green Globes™ Features and Benefits

The Green Globes™ New Construction tool is simple, easy to use, and is intended to be the most expedient means to completely assess and improve the overall environmental performance of new buildings. As a web application, users can access reports, edit data, or complete the questionnaire in their own time without concerns for data management or file storage. The entire assessment and reporting process is managed through an intuitive and easy to use navigation bar. Teams or groups of individuals can likewise separately access data or complete their assigned sections of the tool. One or multiple building projects can be readily managed, editing, and evaluated via a single user account.

Green Globes Feature & Benefit Summary

Features	User Benefits
Intuitive Navigation Bar	Simplifies the overall process of building assessment and reporting.
Select/Add Building Display	Enables users to coordinate assessment of one or multiple buildings.
Project Dashboard	As the design & construction process progresses, the progress toward completing the environmental sustainability assessment is evident.
Online questionnaire	Data is stored in a secure, private, and accessible location for convenient completion, edit, or update at any point in the project life. Eliminates complicated paper forms, submission packets, and data files to manage.
Section Selector	Users can easily navigate to a particular questionnaire section to complete, edit, or update information without having to browse the entire questionnaire.
Tool tips	Provide users with assistance in understanding and answering FAQ's.
Green Globes Assessment Protocol	Comprehensively assesses building sustainability and environmental features/performance on a 1000 point score in 7 different categories.
Energy Performance Comparison	Relative energy performance of the building can be benchmarked with Energy Star target finder.
Scoring Graphical Report	Delivers a graphical view of summary performance in each environmental assessment category, clarifies building strengths and weaknesses.
Self-Assessed Rating	Delivers an overall performance score for the building, allows accurate best practices comparison, enables users to predict formal Green Globes rating prior to scheduling a third party document review and/or walk-through.
Building Report	Provides a structured, detailed, and accurate summary of building environmentally sustainable features.
Tailored Improvement Suggestions	Customized improvement recommendations in each of the assessment categories are provided to provide a clear path toward improving the overall performance of new buildings.
Web Links	Speeds research for users interested in enhancing environmental performance.

The Green Globes NC system for environmental improvement of new construction is differentiated by its flexibility , convenience, and ease of use. By virtue of the customized, tailored improvement suggestions that are provided in each of the 7 assessment categories, it is a system focused on facilitating improvement through best practices education. Many of the undesirable aspects of a thorough building environmental assessment and rating are eliminated within the Green Globes online tools. With Green Globes, the choice of whether to certify a building or pursue formal rating comes later in the process. As an online web application, it serves well busy architectural, engineering, and/or construction staff that want to complete the assessment in stages as their time allows. Piles of completed paper forms, or the assembly of complicated submission packets/applications, and the management of multiple files containing completed input forms are likewise minimized, streamlined and simplified within the Green Globes system. By simplifying the process associated with a thorough environmental assessment, building owners and managers can apply their energy and budget resources to invest in building enhancements rather than costly assessment and certification activities.

A Recognized, Proven, and Better Way to Go Green

The Green Globes™ New Construction delivers a comprehensive, thorough, and proven means for benchmarking and improving the environmental footprint and/or sustainability of new buildings. The Green Globes system is a revolutionary “green” management tool that includes an online questionnaire, an assessment protocol & rating system and a guide for implementing environmentally friendly building design, engineering, and construction materials and features into new construction projects. Once Green Globes self-assessment is complete, it also facilitates recognition through optional third-party assessment and ratings/certification. By integrating reviews with experienced & trained GBI personnel along the way, design and construction projects are more likely to minimize their potentially adverse impact on the environment, to become an enjoyable place to work or visit, and to minimize future operating costs for energy, water, and waste disposal.

Property owners who wish to demonstrate their commitment to environmentally responsible building management may elect to have their self-assessments verified by a third party, and apply for prestigious Green Globe certification. By displaying a Green Globes award certification, Design & construction project teams and property owners gain public recognition for their commitment to environmentally friendly building management practices. This enables organizations to differentiate themselves from their competitors and offers marketing advantages with the public, investors, and tenants alike.