Benchmark Study on Green Buildings - Royal Architectural Institute ...

product approval (CE mark on a product declares that it meets relevant European health,
safety, and environmental protection standards). BRE’s expertise and services are
applicable to a wide range of industry sectors including: hospitals and healthcare
buildings, homes, schools, retail and leisure properties, offices and transport &
infrastructure. It also offers comprehensive research-based consultancy for each stage of
the construction process, including materials testing. BRE offers numerous training
programs in addition to its extensive information resources.
The Association for Environmentally Conscious Building (AECB) (www.aecb.net) is
another major sustainable building association operating in the UK. It was established in
1989 to increase awareness within the construction industry of the need to respect, protect,
preserve and enhance the environment: principles that have become known collectively
as “sustainability.” The AECB is a network of individuals and companies with a common
aim of promoting sustainable building. It is not an accrediting body and membership does
not imply any level of either a trade, professional or environmental competence.
The Association includes local authorities, housing associations, builders, architects,
designers, consultants and manufacturers, and is proud to have Professor Chris Baines,
one of the UK’s leading independent environmentalists, as its Honourary President. This
member list includes some of the leading authorities and activists within the
environmental construction movement. The AECB is represented at the national
governmental level and is routinely consulted on crucial industry matters such as changes
to statutory building regulations and government green building strategies and initiatives.
Collaboration with other environmental organizations currently includes work with Green
Peace and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The Association’s website has a variety of
green building resources including a public discussion forum as well as a private forum
for AECB members, general information about green building practices and initiatives, a
building energy standards guideline, and information concerning various training courses
(with emphasis on AECB’s own SussEd Training Program). This program was
established to inform the construction workforce, both in the office and on-site, about the
importance of sustainability and how it can be applied in design and construction
processes. Other training programs offered through the Association include how to make
buildings more energy efficient, the use of renewable energy, and waste management
techniques.
A-7 World Green Building Council:
The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) (www.worldgbc.org/) was announced
in 1998 by David Gottfried, founder of both the WorldGBC and the USGBC, at the
kickoff meeting of the Japan Green Building Council. The WorldGBC held its founding
meeting in November 1999 in San Francisco, USA, with the green building councils from
seven countries in attendance, including: the United States, Australia, Spain, Canada,
Japan, India, and Mexico.
The WorldGBC is a network of green building councils from around the world who are
committed to making the property industry more sustainable. According to the
WorldGBC, the property industry is defined as all those who produce, develop, plan,
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