Sciknow Publications Ltd.

JECR 2014, 2(1): 11-26

DOI: 10.12966/jecr.02.02.2014

Journal of Environmental Conservation Research

Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)

Analysis of the International Sustainable Building Rating Systems

(SBRSs) for Sustainable Development with Special Focused on
Green Building Index (GBI) Malaysia
Wan Zahari Wan Yusoff*, Wong Ru Wen
Faculty of Technology Management and Business University, Tun Hussein Onn, Malaysia
*Corresponding author (zahari@uthm.edu.my)

Abstract - Sustainability has moved from a trend to a goal, and now, it has become a necessity in the urban environment. The
term sustainability or green has been widely used as a vernacular to express the meaning of environmental friendly. There is a lot
of Sustainable Building Rating System (SBRS) available globally. The nature and characteristics of the various SBRS in
different countries make it difficult to understand especially for companies operating overseas. This makes quite difficult to
choose to serve as a benchmark as responds to sustainable development. This study aims to examine and analyze the most
popular international SBRS by country with a focus on the comparison and analysis of the various characteristics. This study also
discusses and analyzes the justification for the selection of GBI as SBRS model in implementation in Malaysia built environment.
The research methodology is through content analysis of materials in the form of articles, procedures or guidelines of SBRS
worldwide. The result revealed and focused on 11 most prominent SBRS around the world in terms of names and the countries
involved as well as, the regulating body, climate suitability, the applicable assessment criteria, building types covered, and rating
awarded. This study will help the investors for a better decision making to invest in international property development. With the
benchmark available, the firms will have a clearer route in guiding them to build green in different countries.
Keywords - Sustainability, Green Development, Sustainable Building Rating Systems (SBRSs), Green Building Index (GBI)
Malaysia

1. Introduction
Sustainability has moved from a trend to a goal, and now, it
has become a necessity in the urban environment. As society
moves forwards in the 21st Century, sustainable development
will be increasingly seen to be a resilient issue of protecting
and enhancing our quality of life within ever decreasing
environmental limits. The term sustainability or green has
been widely used as a vernacular to express the meaning of
environmental friendly. Thus, as mentioned by Spiegel &
Meadows (1999) green building is not a comment on the
shade of paint, but on the impact that the building has on the
environment.
Buildings are typically designed to meet building code
requirements. As for green building design, it challenges
architectures or building designers to go beyond the codes to
improve the overall building performance meanwhile
minimizing life-cycle environmental impact and cost. As we
are aware of, building green is the current vogue and thereby
the emerge of green building rating systems to transform this
design goal into specific performance objectives and provide
a framework to assess the overall design. The green building

rating systems are specifically generated to objectively

evaluate energy and environmental performance that spans
the broad spectrum of sustainability.
There are various types of green building rating system
available globally. Among the well-known rating systems are
LEED, Energy Star, Green Globes, Earth Craft House,
BREEAM, CASBEE, Green Star, NABERS, GBI and so on.
Simply put, all of the rating systems appear to satisfy their
stated audience in purpose and practice. The nature and
characteristics of the various SBRS in different countries
make it difficult to understand especially for companies
operating overseas (Ting, 2009).

2. The Issues
The phenomenon of global warming is no longer the
peripheral discussion topic in conjunction with developments.
It has become the amidships of all issues especially issues
related to the occurrence of extreme weather conditions and
catastrophes. Professionals have thought of all kinds of
alternatives to cope with the above issue such as introducing
Sustainable Building Rating Systems (SBRSs) to urge

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Journal of Environmental Conservation Research (2014) 11-26

sustainable constructions by giving recognitions to those who

have practiced green building concepts. Notwithstanding, the
problematic considerations will be on what we can do to
promote green development and what will be the most
effective alternative to elevate the implementation of green
development
In brief, although the trend is towards implementing
sustainable principles in buildings there is an apparent lack of

mechanisms to align environmental and social issues with

economic return (Myers et al., 2007). This situation can be
best justified by The Circle of Blame in Figure 1. SBRSs
serve as the frame that manages to frame these scattered
puzzle pieces together as they provide a benchmark that is
capable of gaining confidence from the investors as well as
dwellers.

Figure 1. The Circle of Blame (Cadman, 2007)

Too many international SBRS towards sustainable
development that exists at present makes it difficult to follow,
partly involves high commitment because it is cost-oriented.
This makes quite difficult to choose to serve as a benchmark
as responds to sustainable development. This study aims to
examine and analyze the 11 most popular international SBRS
by Country with a focus on the comparison and analysis of the
characteristics of climate suitability, regulating body,
assessment criteria, building types covers, and rating rank
system. This study will also be discussed and analyzed the
justification for the selection of GBI as SBRS model in
implementation in Malaysia built environment.

3. Methodology
The research methodology is through content analysis of
materials in the form of articles, procedures or guidelines of
SBRS worldwide. Analysis and discussion is to compare 11
most prominent SBRS around the world in terms of names
and the countries involved as well as the regulating body, the
applicable assessment criteria, building types covered, and
rating awarded. In the second part of the study focused on the
GBI Malaysia with emphasis on the justification for the
selection of GBI Malaysia adopted in the built environment.

4. Related Works
4.1. Overview of the Movement of Sustainability
Awareness towards the significance of green development has
been urged by the resilience of people due to several
detrimental environmental issues occurred. One of the
highlights will be the climate change of the globe. Concern for
the environment is relatively a minor part of most property
development previously. However, driven by the swift wave
of awareness on environmental protection due to the depletion
of non-renewable resources, global warming and extremity of
destruction to ecology and biodiversity impact as mentioned
earlier, this issue have gained wider attention of the real estate
practitioners worldwide. Efforts are being poured in the
determination of attaining sustainability. As a result, the
direction of the industry is now shifting from developing with
environmental concern as a small part of the process into
having the development process being integrated within the
wider context of the environmental agenda. This shift of
ideology is illustrated in Figure 2.

Journal of Environmental Conservation Research (2014) 11-26

13

Figure 2. The movement for greener construction (Das Gandhi et. al., 2006)
4.2. Sustainable Building Rating System (SBRS) in the
Context of Malaysia
In accordance to Shari et al. (2007), the adoption of
sustainable approaches in the Malaysian building industry is
rather crucial with the alarming increase of environmental
issues pertaining to development activities. For this reason, in
a developing country like Malaysia, the adoption of
sustainable building rating system (SBRS) is becoming
necessary to encourage the building sector to get onto the
sustainable bandwagon. A State government also
implemented the Project on Strategies for Sustainable
Development and Agenda 21 (Selangor) in 2003 (Hezri &
Hasan, 2006).
Given the fact that there are several assessment methods
and rating systems already in use in the developed world, it is
tempting to import one of them for use in Malaysia. However,
it is important to note that an adoption of existing SBRS in
Malaysia is rather inappropriate (Shari et. al., 2007).
4.3. Green Building Index (GBI)
The Green Building Index (GBI) is an environmental rating
system for buildings developed by PAM (Pertubuhan Arkitek
Malaysia / Malaysian Institute of Architects) and ACEM (the
Association of Consulting Engineers Malaysia). The Green
Building Index is Malaysias first comprehensive rating

system for evaluating the environmental design and

performance of Malaysian buildings based on the six (6) main
criterion of Energy Efficiency, Indoor Environment Quality,
Sustainable Site Planning & Management, Materials &
Resources, Water Efficiency, and Innovation (GBI, 2010).
The Green Building Index is developed specifically for the
Malaysian
tropical
weather,
environmental
and
developmental context, cultural and social needs. It covers
two major types of buildings in its assessment which is the
residential and non-residential buildings (GBI, 2010).
The GBI environmental rating system is created to:
Define green buildings by establishing a common
language and standard of measurement;
Promote integrated, whole-building design;
Recognize and reward environmental leadership;
Transform the built environment to reduce its
environmental impact;
Ensure new buildings will remain relevant in the future
and existing buildings are refurbished and upgraded
properly to remain relevant.
The assessment of commercial and residential properties
under the GBI rating tool is based on six main criteria as
stated in Figure 3.

Figure 3. GBI assessment criteria (Adopted from GBI assessment criteria, 2010)

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Journal of Environmental Conservation Research (2014) 11-26

The certification process is shown in the Figure 4 below.

Figure 4. GBI certification process flowchart (Adopted from GBI Assessment Process, 2010)
Rating ranks awarded depending on the scores achieved,
that are Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Further
discussion on GBI will be stated in part 2 (two) of this article.
4.4. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED)
LEED is an internationally recognized green building
certification system, providing third-party verification that a
building or community was designed and built using
strategies aimed at improving performance across all the
metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency,

CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental

quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their
impacts. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council
(USGBC), LEED provides building owners and operators a
concise framework for identifying and implementing practical
and measurable green building design, construction,
operations and maintenance solutions. There are several
rating systems in LEED like rating system for new
constructions, schools, retail, existing buildings and so on.
The assessment involved 6 criteria as shown in figure 5 and
rating ranks will be awarded as silver, gold and platinum.

Figure 5. LEED assessment criteria (U. S. Green Building Council, 2010)

4.5. Building Research Establishment Environmental
Assessment Method (BREEAM)
BREEAM is a registered trademark of the Building Research
Establishment Ltd. It is the leading and most widely used
environmental assessment method for buildings and
certification scheme pioneered by BRE to enable developers
to minimize the environmental impact of buildings. It sets the

standard for best practice in sustainable design and has

become the de facto measure used to describe a building's
environmental performance. It emphasizes on assessment
criteria of waste management, ecology, energy use, health and
well being, pollution, transport, land use, material, and water
which covers a variety of building types. The assessment
involved 8 criteria as shown in Figure 6 and rating ranks will
be awarded as a pass, good, very good and excellent.

Journal of Environmental Conservation Research (2014) 11-26

15

Figure 6. BREEAM assessment criteria (Adopted from BREEAM Building Assessment Criteria, 2010)
4.6. Comprehensive Assessment System for Building
Environmental Efficiency (CASBEE)
CASBEE is a relatively new system developed for the
Japanese market that is available in English, but has not been
tested in the U.S. However, CASBEE is potentially applicable
in the U.S. market and offers the unique BEE approach to
representing the performance evaluation data. CASBEE
evaluates the environmental efficiency of the building by
considering two spaces divided by the virtual boundary of
premises borders etc. of the building, and designates Q for

Quality to indicate environmental quality and efficiency of

inside of the boundary, i.e. inside the building and within the
premises, and L for Loading for environmental burdens
outside the boundary. Even so, CASBEE is also acting based
on assessment criterion viz. Indoor environment, quality of
services, outdoor environment on site, energy, resources and
materials, reuse and reusability, and avoidance of CFCs and
halons Off-site environment and it can be applied to a wide
range of buildings. The assessment involved 6 criteria as
shown in Figure 7 and rating ranks will be awarded as S, A,
B+, B-, C.

Figure 7. CASBEE assessment criteria (Adopted from CASBEE Rating System, 2009)
4.7. National Australian Built Environment Rating System
(NABERS)
National Australian Built Environment Rating System,
NABERS is a government performance-based rating system
for existing buildings. NABERS rates a building on the basis
of its measured operational impacts on the environment, and
provides a simple indication of how well you are managing

these environmental impacts compared with your peers and

neighbors. It stresses on energy use and greenhouse emissions,
water use, waste and indoor environment. The main types of
building cover by this system are office buildings, hotels,
shopping centers, and homes. The assessment involved 8
criteria as shown in Figure 8 and rating ranks will be awarded
as five star, 4 star, 3 star, 2star, 1 star.

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Journal of Environmental Conservation Research (2014) 11-26

Figure 8. NABERS assessment criteria (NABERS Rating, 2009)

4.8. Green Globes
The Green Globes building assessment and rating system that
evaluates and rates the environmental performance of new
and existing buildings, and interior fit-ups. It is also a
revolutionary building
environmental
design
and
management tool. It delivers an online assessment protocol,
rating system and guidance for green building design,
operation and management. It is interactive, flexible and
affordable, and provides market recognition of a buildings

environmental attributes through third-party verification. It is

used by the federal government and private sector, and the
Existing Building module is at the heart of BOMA Canadas
national environmental program. Criterions assessed are site,
energy, water, resources, emissions, effluent and other
impacts and indoor environment as shown in Figure 9. And
the certificate awarded as 1 Globe, 2 Globes, 3 Globes, 4
Globes and 5 Globes.

Figure 9. Green Globes assessment criteria (Adopted from Green Globes, 2010)
4.9. High Quality Environmental Standard (HQE)
HQE is an approach that leads to a certification that approves
the consideration of environmental issues in the construction
of a building. It is a systematic approach, taking into account
both the complexity and lifespan of a construction, and
creating a synergy among the actors. This approach is divided
into 14 targets distributed in 4 families and each target
decomposes itself into a number of sub-targets. Frances HQE
(High Environmental Quality) focuses on reducing

consumption of natural resources and the discharge of

pollutants, as well as for enhancing the comfort and the health
conditions of buildings. It is concerned with the design and
the construction of both refurbishment and new building
projects. In terms of urban planning, it is the strictest standard
for sustainable and environmentally friendly construction.
The assessment process involved 4 criteria as shown in Figure
10 and rating ranks will be awarded as very good, good and
basic.

Journal of Environmental Conservation Research (2014) 11-26

17

Figure 10. HQE assessment criteria (Adopted from The HQE, 2006)

5. HK-BEAM
HK- BEAM is Hong Kong's leading management tool to
measure, improve and label the environmental sustainability
of buildings. It is a comprehensive standard and supporting
process covering all building types, including mixed use
complexes, both new and existing. BEAM is the means by

which to benchmark and improve performance and to do this

there are a set of assessment rigid criterion say material usage,
energy aspects, water consumption, indoor environment,
innovation and site considerations. The assessment process
involved 6 criteria as shown in Figure 11 and rating ranks will
be awarded as platinum, gold, silver and bronze.

Figure 11. HK-BEAM assessment criteria (Adopted from BEAM Society, 2003)
5.1. Green Mark Scheme
The BCA Green Mark Scheme was launched by the Building
and Construction Authority (BCA) in January 2005 as a green
building rating system to evaluate buildings for its
environmental impact and performance and also to promote
environmental awareness in the construction and real estate
sectors. It is a benchmarking scheme which aims to achieve a
sustainable built environment by incorporating best practices
in environmental design and construction, and the adoption of
green building technologies. It is now a mandatory

requirement in the Building Code. This means that all new

buildings in Singapore must now be designed and built to
achieve the minimum Green Mark ratings score at the very
least. Criteria assess are energy efficiency, water efficiency,
project development & management, indoor environmental
quality & environmental protection and innovation. The
assessment process involved 5 criteria as shown in Figure 12
and rating ranks will be awarded as platinum, gold plus, gold,
and certified.

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Journal of Environmental Conservation Research (2014) 11-26

Figure 12. Green Mark Scheme assessment criteria (Adopted from Building & Construction Authority, 2006)
5.2. GBTool
Green Building Tool (GBTool) was initially developed as an
assessment tool within the international green building
challenge. It is now also used as a design checklist, for
teaching and research purposes. GBTool adopts a life cycle
approach in the assessment of the use of primary energy,
emission of Green House Gases from initial production and
operations as well as Lifecycle cost. It takes site selection,
project planning and development, environmental loadings,
energy and resource consumption, indoor environmental

quality, functionality, long-term performance, social and

economic aspects into assessment consideration which cover
a broad range of building types. GBTool is not a standalone
tool. It gives a very comprehensive estimation of potential
sustainability performance of a building but recommends the
additional use e.g. of tools to calculate embodied energy and
operating energy, air temperature in primary occupancies,
provision of day lighting. The assessment process involved 7
criteria as shown in Figure 13 and rating ranks will be
awarded as 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1.

Figure 13. GBTool assessment criteria (Adopted from GBTool, 2005)

5.3. Green Star
The Green Building Council of Australia operates another
system the Green Star Rating Scheme. The Green Star
Scheme is a comprehensive, national, voluntary
environmental rating system that evaluates the environmental
design of buildings at a conceptual stage, during the
construction and 'as built' stages. It assesses a building's
potential to reduce its environmental impact but not the

building's operation. Meaning to say, one rates the design of a

building - the Green Star -and other rates the performance
-NABERS -so the numbers of stars in each do not indicate the
same thing. Its assessment is also based on a criterion
assessment scheme. The assessment process involved 9
criteria as shown in Figure 14 and rating ranks will be
awarded as 6 star, 5 star, 4 star, 3 star, 2 star, and 1 star.

Journal of Environmental Conservation Research (2014) 11-26

19

Figure 14. Green Star assessment criteria (Adopted from Green Building Council Australia, 2010)
5.4. Results and Discussions
It is generally accepted that the current era of rating tools
commenced in 1990 with the introduction of the BREEAM
rating tool which was then followed by the French system

HQE and then by the U.S. LEED in 2000. For better

comprehension, the evolution of the SBRBs has been
illustrated in the evolution timeline below in Figure 15.

Figure 15. Evolution timeline of the Sustainable Building Rating Systems-SBRSs

6.

Analysis and Discussion on International

Prominent Sbrs

As stated by the World Green Building Council (2009), there

are a total of forty (40) rating systems based on five (5)
distinct geographical regions videlicet the continent of
America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. In America,
there are a total of nine (9) Sustainable Building Rating
Systems (SBRSs) stretches from the United States to
Argentina. Then, in the continent of Europe, there is a total of
fifteen (15) SBRSs. As for the continents of Asia, Africa and
Australia, there are a total of eleven (11), one (1) and three (3)

SBRSs respectively. All of these details are tabulated in

Appendix 1.
The selection of 11 international SBRS is based on its
widely adopted in developed countries and internationally
accepted. The analysis focused on the comparison of the
characteristics of climate suitability, regulating body,
assessment criteria, building types covers, and rating rank
system. The details discussions were summarized in
Appendix 2.
The second part of the study is to discuss and analyzed the
justification for the selection of GBI as SBRS model in
implementation in Malaysia built environment.

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Journal of Environmental Conservation Research (2014) 11-26

7. Rationale of the Establishment of

Green Building Index (GBI) in the
Context of Malaysia Built
Environment
In Malaysia, the establishment of Green Building Index is the
morale support injection to the people as to urge Malaysian in
marching towards sustainable development. Rationales of the
formulation of our own SBRS as given by Minister of Works
Malaysia, Shaziman Abu Mansor (2009) during the launching
of Green Building Malaysia on the 21 May 2009 and related
resources among other things are:
Important benchmark of the property and construction
sector against internationally recognized best practices and
standards
The Green Building Index or GBI is an important green
rating tool to assist all those involved in the property and
construction sector to become more environmentally-friendly.
Although there are already many green rating tools developed
like the LEED, BREEAM, CASBEE, Green Star etc, the GBI
is created and customized for the Malaysian culture and
climate
GBI is truly Malaysian, whilst at the same time
benchmarked against internationally recognized best
practices and standards. In addition, it is also one of the first
green rating tools developed by professionals for the tropical
climate and this has attracted a lot of international interest.
7.1. Raise Awareness of the Effects of Global Warming and
Carbon Emissions on Climate Change.
The reality and effects of global warming and carbon
emissions on climate change is obvious. It can no longer be
ignored. GBI manages to drive Malaysian to be more green
than just a marketing trend, but more so a wake- up call for all
to take the necessary action and decisions to change the way
we live to ensure a better tomorrow.
Buildings last a long time, often more than 30 years. They
use a lot of energy and emit a lot of carbon during that life
cycle. According to the World Building Council, the building
sector consumes as much as 40 per cent of the worlds energy,
12 per cent of its water and contributes 40 per cent of the
waste sent to landfill. Thus buildings can be said to have a
very large carbon footprint. GBI in this sense is capable of
making this carbon footprint smaller.
In Malaysia, the level of awareness towards it is gradually
increasing. More Malaysians will choose options towards a
healthier and more cost effective lifestyle. Owners of existing
buildings will then have to face the challenge to turn their
properties into green buildings.
7.2. Energy Conservation and Reduce Operating Costs
Currently a lot of the electrical energy is used to air condition
and cool buildings. The GBI rating will require all buildings
and homes to have proper insulation in the roof and also walls
to keep the heat from the sun out. By keeping most of the solar

heat out, less energy will need to be consumed for cooling.

Reports show that the primary 2 reasons developers are
asking for green buildings are because of the potential for
reduced operating costs which is by about 60 per cent and the
property developers want something different to add a
marketing edge to their new projects
7.3. Effective Energy and Resources
Malaysia is blessed with an abundance of sunlight and rain.
Sunlight can be harnessed as solar energy while rainwater and
wastewater from sources such as dishwashing or washing
machines, can be recycled and used for watering plants, flush
toilets and wash cars. Effective window placement can
provide more natural light and lessen the dependence on
electrical lighting during the day. Solar water heating also
further reduces energy loads for those who want to enjoy a hot
bath. GBI provides a way for these precious resources to be in
highest and best use.
7.4. Step in Attaining Sustainable Development.
The increase in construction and use of sustainable buildings
is indeed a key component in maintaining the health of this
planet. Therefore, in a developing country like Malaysia, the
adoption of sustainable building rating system (SBRS) is
becoming necessary. GBI urges us to start building better and
greener to ensure a more sustainable future.
Preserving the forests, green lungs and greenery will help
keep temperatures lower. Using plants and trees for shading
along roads, parking bays and housing areas will greatly
reduce the surrounding ambient temperatures. GBI gives
credit to this sort of approach thus encourages people to do the
same. With GBI as a benchmark in structural designs,
surrounding ventilation will be at a more comfortable level,
hence creating a better ambient temperature within the city.
7.5. Alleviate the Heat Island Effect and Minimizes
Pollution and Carbon Emissions.
Proper and strategic planting can also help alleviate the heat
island effect that most cities suffer from as a result of the
large areas of tarred roads and concrete. Roof gardens and
green walls should also be encouraged to further reduce these
hot surfaces.
GBI rating puts emphasis on the need to promote other
forms of transportation and connectivity other than the carbon
fueled automobile. GBI rating also requires new housing
areas to plan and design for alternative means of
transportation.
7.6. Create A New Maintenance Mentally for Malaysian
GBI will conduct a final rating check after the completion of
the building to make sure that what was designed and
promised was actually delivered. The rating will also be
reviewed every three years to ensure that the building is well
maintained and operated in accordance with the way that it
was designed. This will help create a new maintenance
mentality in Malaysia and also keep our valuable assets in

Journal of Environmental Conservation Research (2014) 11-26

good working order.

7.7. Provides A Systematic Checklist and Performance
Rating
Green Building Index provides a systematic checklist for all
who want to design, build or buy a building. The rating will
then act like the report card for the building to confirm the
level of sustainability that has been designed and built into it.
GBI serves as the performance rating tool, a maintenance
manual that ensures buildings, which are more expensive and
have long Lifecycle then motor vehicles are regularly serviced
to ensure that it is always in tip-top condition.
7.8. Government Policy
New ministry has formed to look into reviewing and
formulating policies on green technology in order to enhance
the quality of life and to ensure a better future for all
Malaysians. GBI acts as the motor neuron of this ministry in
the effort of catalyzing the people to build green
7.9. Change in Lifestyle
Malaysian can look forward to a brand new lifestyle where we
can choose to live and work in green rated buildings and
homes. These will provide energy and water savings, a
healthier indoor environment, better connectivity with
alternative transport modes and the adoption of recycling and
more greenery in their communities.
7.10. Voluntary and Motivational in Its Application
Through the design and implementation of suitable SBRS,
professionals, contractors and building owners can be
motivated to pursue set targets for achievements and
recognitions. By doing so it fulfills national and global
objectives towards sustainable development. The adoption of
sustainable building rating system (SBRS) is becoming
necessary to encourage the building industry to get onto the
sustainable bandwagon.
7.11. Environmental Impacts of the Building Industry in
Malaysia
Malaysia has undergone a fast pace of urbanization largely
attributed to rapid economic growth and industrialization
Activities concerning construction industry are one of the
major causes of environmental problems in Malaysia. GBI
acts as a measure in preventing the side effects of urbanization
from continuation.

8. Conclusion
This study provides a better understanding on 11 international
prominent SBRS model. It facilitates stakeholder to review
and understand the SBRS model to be implemented in
different countries. The second part of this study was to give
justification on selection of GBI to apply in Malaysia.
The research outcomes will increase the level of
awareness towards the importance of maintaining the balance

21

of the ecosystem catalysing the effort to save the environment.

Research outcome highlighted the Malaysia-Branded
environmental rating system revealing the efforts towards
saving the earth thus setting an essential role towards the
people. Besides, the nation will also gain a specific tailored
benchmark in assessing buildings in tropical climate.
While in international level it will contribute to the better
understanding and exposed to criterion of green buildings in
different countries with different perspectives. This will help
the investor while making the decision to invest in
international property development. Firms especially in the
real estate sectors will be pumped with anxiety as the nation is
giving extra credits towards green building hence
encouraging them to build on green. With the benchmark
available, the firms will have a clearer route in guiding them
to build green in different countries.

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http://www.greenbuildingindex.org/how-GBI-works2.html#Classifica
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ng-tools

Journal of Environmental Conservation Research (2014) 11-26

Appendix 1
Existing Sustainable Building Rating Systems

(Source: Adapted from World Green Building Council, 2009)

23

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Journal of Environmental Conservation Research (2014) 11-26

Appendix 2
The Comparison of 11 Prominent International SBRS towards Green Development

SBRSs & ITS

NATIONS

GBI
MALAYSIA

LEED
UNITED
STATES

BREEAM
UNITED
KINGDOM

CASBEE
JAPAN

REGULATING
BODY

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Tropical
without
GBI Accreditation
extremely high
Panel (GBIAP)
temperatures.

i. Energy Efficiency (EE)

ii. Indoor Environment Quality
(EQ)
iii. Sustainable Site Planning
Management (SM)
iv. Materials & Resources (MR)
v. Water Efficiency (WE)
vi. Innovation (IN)

CLIMATES

BUILDING TYPES
COVERED

RATING
RANKS

i. Residential
ii. Non-Residential

Certified
Silver
Gold
Platinum

i. Homes (currently in pilot

stage)
ii. New Commercial
Construction and Major
i. Sustainable site development.
Renovations
ii. Water savings
iii. Existing Building
Temperate;
iii. Energy efficiency
U.S. Green Building
iv. Commercial Interiors
Tropical; Arctic;
iv. Materials Selection
Council (USGBC)
v. Core and Shell development
Arid & Semiarid
v. Indoor environmental quality
vi. Neighborhood
vi. Innovation in Design
Development
vii. Schools
viii. Retail
ix. Health Care is currently
under development

Variable
climate
changing from
day to day.
Overall climate
is Temperate
Maritime.

Temperate;
Subarctic &
Subtropical

The BRE Group

(BRE and BRE
Global)

i. Management
ii. Ecology
iii. Energy use
iv. Health and well-being
v. Pollution
vi. Transport
vii. Land use
viii. Materials
ix. Water

i. Indoor environment
Industry-academicii. Quality of services
government
iii. Outdoor environment on site
collaboration with
iv. Energy
the support of the
v. Resources and materials
Ministry of Land,
vi. Reuse and reusability, and
Infrastructure,
avoidance of CFCs and halons
Transport and
vii. Off-site environment
Tourism

Certified
Silver
Gold
Platinum

i. Courts
ii. Homes
iii. Industrial
iv. Multi-Residential
v. Prisons
Pass
vi. Offices
Good
vii. Retail
Very Good
viii. Schools
Excellent
ix. Bespoke system for
buildings that fall outside the
standard BREEAM categories

i. Office
ii. School
iii. Retail shop
iv. Restaurant
v. Assembly place
vi. Hospital
vii. Hotel
viii. Housing complex
ix. Factory

S
A
B+
BC

Journal of Environmental Conservation Research (2014) 11-26

SBRSs & ITS

NATIONS

NABERS
AUSTRALIA

GREEN
GLOBES
CANADA

CLIMATES

REGULATING
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
BODY

i. Energy use and greenhouse

New South Wales
Emissions
Temperate;
(NSW) Department
ii. Water use
Tropical; Arctic;
of Environment,
iii. Waste
Arid & Semiarid
Climate Change
iv. Indoor environment
and Water

Tundra;
Subarctic;
Humidcontinental &

Green Building
Initiative (GBI)

Impacts
vi. Indoor Environment

Semiarid

HQE
FRANCE

HK - BEAM
HONG KONG

Temperate
Maritime;
Continental;
Mountain
climate where
temperatures
are influenced
mainly by
altitude &
Mediterranean

Humid
Subtropical

i. Site
ii. Energy
iii. Water
iv. Resources
v. Emissions, Effluent and other

HQE Association

BEAM Society

i. Eco-construction
ii. Eco-management
iii. Comfort
iv. Health

i. Site considerations
ii. Material usage
iii. Energy aspects
iv. Water consumption
v. Indoor environmental quality
vi. Innovations

BUILDING TYPES
COVERED
i. Office buildings
ii. Hotels
iii. Shopping centres
iv. homes

25

RATING
RANKS
1Star
2Star
3Star
4Star
5Star

i. Attraction
ii. Business (Whole Sale /
Retail)
III. Congress Center
iv. Meeting Venue
v. Events
vi. Golf Course
vii. Hotel & Resort
viii. Transportation (Mass
1Globe
Transportation, Bus Company, 2Globes
Limousine Service, Car Rental) 3Globes
4Globes
ix. Organization
5Globes
x. Restaurant
xi. Spa
xii. Health Center
xiii. Travel Industry (Tour

Covers all building types

i. Residential
ii. Commercial institutional
buildings
iii. Mixed use complexes
iv. Both new and existing

Very Good
Good
Basic

Bronze
Silver
Gold
Platinum

26

Journal of Environmental Conservation Research (2014) 11-26

SBRSs & ITS

NATIONS

GREEN MARK
SINGAPORE

GBTOOL
INTERNATIONAL

CLIMATES

Tropical Wet

Tropical; Dry;
Moderate;
Continental &
Polar

Temperate;

REGULATING
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
BODY

Building and
Construction
Authority (BCA) of
Singapore

i. Site Selection
ii. Project Planning and
Development
International
iii. Environmental Loadings
Framework
iv. Energy and Resource
Committee for the
Consumption
Green Building
v. Indoor Environmental Quality
Challenge
vi. Functionality
vii. Long-Term Performance
viii. Social and Economic Aspects

Green Building
GREEN STAR
Tropical; Arctic;
Council of Australia
AUSTRALIA
Arid & Semiarid

i. Energy Efficiency
ii. Water Efficiency
iii. Site/Project Development &
Management (Building
Management & Operation for
existing buildings)
iv. Good Indoor Environmental
Quality & Environmental
Protection
v. Innovation

i. Environmental management
ii. Indoor environment quality
iii. Energy use
iv. Transport access
v. Water use
vi. Use of materials
vii. Land use & ecology
viii. Emissions
ix. Innovation

BUILDING TYPES
COVERED

RATING
RANKS

i. Residential Buildings
ii. Non-residential Buildings
iii. Existing Buildings, Overseas
Projects
Certified
iv. Office Interior
Gold
v. Landed House
Gold Plus
vi. Infrastructure
Platinum
vii. New and existing parks and
district

Broad range of building types

i. Commercial offices
ii. Retail centres
iii. Education facilities
iv. Other buildings ( health
care, multi-unit residential
etc.)

1
2
3
4
5

1Star
2Star
3Star
4Star
5Star
6Star