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

1.0 Purpose:
The purpose of this paper is to examine the literature regarding current green building
practices, strategies, policies, and technologies in Canada, the United States, Japan, the
United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia so that barriers to green building can be
identified and recommendations made to increase the uptake of green building in Canada.
More specifically, this report will conduct a comparison of the green building rating
systems in place in each of the six aforementioned countries, review the state of their
Green Building Councils (GBCs) and environmental labeling programs, and provide
information on major green building initiatives of these countries.
2.0 Background:
Since global warming has become an undeniable fact, attention in the developed world
has focused on reducing resource consumption and the release of greenhouse gases, and
on the increasing conservation efforts and environmental protection. The realization that
the building industry was a huge consumer of energy and resources and a huge producer
of pollution, waste, and greenhouse gases meant that improvements needed to be made in
this area. In Canada, there are presently about 12.5 million residential units and 430,000
commercial and institutional buildings. These structures account for 33% of total energy
use, 50% of natural resource consumption, create 30% of Canadian greenhouse gas
emissions and are the cause of 25% of the nation’s landfill waste.
The green building movement aims to reduce resource and energy consumption, increase
the use of renewable energy, minimize environmental degradation and the production of
waste, and maximize occupant health and comfort. These goals can be achieved through
the use of sustainable building products and practices including modern building site
environmental management techniques, utilization of recycled or locally-sourced
building materials, efficient building designs to maximize daylighting, centrally
controlled smart HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems, installation of
green roofs and photovoltaic rooftop generators, application of non-toxic interior paints
and finishes, use of water-conserving toilets, faucets and showerheads, improved
insulation materials and techniques, building designs that maximize open space and
promote air circulation, and numerous other techniques. Studies have shown that green
buildings have longer lifecycles, lower maintenance and upkeep costs, reduced energy
and water bills, and that they can attract higher rents, experience lower tenant turnover,
and have higher rates of occupant satisfaction when compared to conventional buildings.
The economic, social and environmental benefits of sustainable structures are numerous,
and the increased construction and use of these buildings is a key component in
maintaining the health of this planet.
3.0 Methodology:
The green building rating systems of Canada, the United States, Japan, the United
Kingdom, Germany, and Australia were reviewed to gain a deeper understanding of how
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