15 widely recognized and utilized green building standards

The RESET report titled Comparing Building Standards from Around the World’ compares 15 of some of the most widely recognized and used green building standards in current markets. Each standard is compared and summarized across multiple aspects, including sustainability & health， criteria, modularization, cloud service, data requirements, scoring system, etc.

Notably, RESET and LBC are the only standards offering modular options; except CASBEE and China CABR, all major international standards provide cloud services. In terms of rating systems, each standard possesses distinct certification levels and scoring methodologies, catering to different types of projects.

Let’s start with a brief introduction of each building standard:

RESET: the world’s leading performance-driven building certification program, founded in Canada in 2013, globally certified projects;

LEED: the most popular green building standard, founded in the US in 1998, globally certified projects;

BREEAM: the earliest green building standard, founded in the UK in 1990, globally certified projects;

WELL: the world’s leading standard for healthy buildings, founded in the US in 2014, collaborated with LEED and AUS NABERS, globally certified projects;

LBC: the most difficult to achieve green building standard, founded in the US in 2006, globally certified projects;

Fitwel: the world’s leading standard for healthy buildings, founded in the US in 2016, globally certified projects;

Green Globes: a Canadian green building standard, founded in Canada in 2000, mainly leveraged in North America;

Energy Star: one of the most famous energy standards, founded in the US in 1995, globally certified projects and products;

BOMA BEST: the world’s leading standard for sustainable buildings and building management, founded in 2005 in Canada, globally certified projects;

DGNB: the world’s leading green building standard, founded in 2007 in Germany, globally certified projects;

SmartScore: a new-style standard for smart buildings by WiredScore, founded in the US in 2013, mainly leveraged in the US, EU, and APAC;

SG Green Marks: a Singaporean green building standard, founded in Singapore in 2005, mainly leveraged in Asia Pacific;

AUS NABERS: an Australian green building standard, founded in Australia in 1998, mainly leveraged in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK;

CASBEE: a Japanese green building standard, founded in Japan in 2001, mainly leveraged in Japan;

China CABR: the first Chinese green building standard, founded in China in 2006, mainly leveraged in China.