Sustainability needs standards
The current standards for sustainability are not enough, according to 70% of the respondents to a survey by the STO Building Group. With more than 50 different rating systems in place globally, it also comes as no surprise that over two-thirds stated there are too many third-party rating systems. (https://facilityexecutive.com/2019/12/cost-and-education-challenge-but-green-buildings-are-here-to-stay/)
Three central pillars
The three central pillars of every rating system reflect what is called the “triple bottom line”: social, economic and environmental impact.
Each individual system then seeks to measure and rate the characteristics of a building based on different criteria, for example the design of a building. Most important, of course, is determining the building’s carbon emissions and how resources can be used most efficiently.
Over 50 rating systems with the same goal
The unique requirements and priorities of individual nations has made it difficult for a single Green Building Rating System to dominate the worldwide building industry. In the last few decades, multiple rating systems have emerged around, the world adding up to around 50 such systems globally.
For example, three different systems exist in the US alone, while China has more than five. Among the European rating systems, BREEAM is the leader, as the most frequently implemented standard in 77 countries, followed by LEED.
Real estate needs one standard
It is becoming increasingly clear what the real estate industry needs: a single system that unifies all of the different rating systems and allows every bit of data “trapped in the physics” of a building to be analyzed to the fullest extent.
Vertical integration of global standards and national standards ensures that benchmarking processes are consistent and universally applicable. This is best accomplished through clever deployment of data gathering, big data analysis and integration into a single data platform.
Sustainability requires digitalization
Just recently we held a webinar about “Sustainability and Digitization.” The speakers, Jens Müller, COO of BuildingMinds, and Roger Baumann, COO of Zurich Insurance Company, gave around 80 industry professionals in-depth insights on the topic.
