Home Green Design Green Globes for New Construction 2021 Achieves Approval as American National Standard

Green Globes for New Construction 2021 Achieves Approval as American National Standard

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PORTLAND, ORE.—The Green Building Initiative (GBI) announced the approval of ANSI/GBI 01-2021: Green Globes Assessment Protocol for Design, New Construction, and Major Renovations by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Following ANSI approval, GBI’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve and publish ANSI-GBI 01-2021, also known as Green Globes for New Construction 2021.

“With the completion of this updated Standard, GBI is standing true to its vision and commitment to support sustainable, healthy, and resilient buildings for all,” says Brenda Steinhauer, Chair of the GBI Standards Committee and quality manager of W.A. Richardson Builders, LLC. The standard references hundreds of technical and consensus standards while delivering the latest science, research, and best practices for evaluating sustainability, health and wellness, and resilience factors in new buildings, additions, and renovations of all building types, including multifamily, office, industrial/warehouse, mixed-use, hospitals and medical office buildings, data centers, laboratories, higher education and K-12, public buildings, and lodging as examples.

Green Globes for New Construction 2021 underwent four open public comment periods, generating 219 public comments that were reviewed and processed in over 100 public subcommittee, task group, and Consensus Body meetings during the two-year continuous maintenance cycle. In all, over 500 stakeholder organizations from a variety of disciplines participated in the development process. Once completed, the Standard is translated into the “question & answer” format familiar to Green Globes users and made available through GBI’s Green Globes interactive software platform, allowing projects to complete Green Globes certification in compliance with the Standard seamlessly.

‘Tools That Reflect the Best Thinking’

“As an organization, transparency is a key principle for executing against our mission. We are committed to providing our members with tools that reflect the best thinking and approaches in the industry and delivering a robust, user-friendly certification system that is accessible to all building projects,” stated Vicki Worden, President & CEO of GBI.

Among the updates and advances in the Standard are revisions and new content on:

• Commissioning;
• Product sustainable attributes;
• Alternative non-potable water sources;
• Cooling towers;
• VOC paints and coatings;
• Acoustic comfort criteria;
• Bird strikes;
• Occupant exposure screening; and
• Leak detection.

Criteria have also been updated to align with new references and standards, including the ICC 2018 International Mechanical Code, ANSI/ASA S12.2-2019: Criteria for Evaluating Room Noise, ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2019 Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality, 2020 IAPMO WEStand, and Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals (2018), to name a few.

Standard to Be Revised Again in 2022

With the 2021 version completed, GBI will pivot in early 2022 to revising the standard yet again, following a two-year continuous maintenance cycle. “Our continuous maintenance cycle on Green Globes allows us to stay in stride with new technology available in the market and constantly advancing baselines,” Worden continued.

Registration is now open for projects interested in applying Green Globes for New Construction 2021 to evaluate the environmental sustainability, health and wellness features, and resilience approaches of their new construction and major renovation projects. Projects can also explore Green Globes for New Construction 21 through a free trial at www.thegbi.org.

The Standard is available on GBI’s website, along with links to submit proposed changes. The website will also include applications and information on how to apply for the Consensus Body, subcommittees, and task groups that will form again early in 2022 for the next round of revisions to ANSI/GBI 01-2021: Green Globes Assessment Protocol for Design, New Construction, and Major Renovations. Visit https://www.thegbi.org/ansi to learn more about the Standard or the schedule for review of proposed changes.

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