The Green Building Initiative (GBI) is an international nonprofit organization, and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Accredited Standards Developer, dedicated to improving the built environment’s impact on climate and society. Founded in 2004, the organization is the global provider of the Green Globes^® and federal Guiding Principles Compliance building certification and assessment programs.

What is Green Globes Certification?

Green Globes is a science-based, three-in-one building rating system that evaluates the environmental sustainability, health and wellness, and resilience of commercial buildings and portfolios. Supporting a wide range of new construction and existing building project types, Green Globes certification demonstrates an owner and occupant commitment to sustainability & ESG goals.

How does Green Globes Certification Work?

Green Globes certification is designed to allow building owners and managers to select which sustainability features best fit their building and occupants. Its personalized approach helps data centers to achieve the most sustainable outcomes based on their building’s type, location, budget, and occupancy needs. To become a Green Globes-certified building the facility must meet at least 35% of the 1,000 points that are deemed applicable to the project.

GBI’s Green Globes assessment and certification system can be applied to all commercial building types, regardless of size, budget, or function. It incentivizes building owners to strive toward a vision of sustainable, healthy, and resilient buildings. The program incorporates a range of rigorous criteria that encourage the use of design, construction, and operational practices that enhance performance, improve occupant wellness, and provide community benefit.

How Broadly Supported is GBI?

GBI boasts a large membership of organizations that span the complete range of data center, construction, cooling, power, and materials providers. As well as Upsite Technologies, this includes Mitsubishi Electric, PowerHouse Data Centers, Marriott International, and Fidelity Investments, as well as a great many federal, state, and local government, and military agencies. In addition, the membership base covers just about every conceivable area of materials production. This includes floor coverings, steel, wood, vinyl, chemicals, film, piping and fittings, concrete, and stone. Construction, design, and architectural firms are also well represented. Just about anyone that cares about sustainable design and construction is involved in GBI.

What Does the Government Think About GBI?

The US Air Force, the US Navy, the US Agency for International Development, and the US Army Corps of Engineers are all active members of GBI. The White House and the U.S. Department of Energy are also onboard. Jointly, they recently announced the release of phase one of a National Definition for a Zero Emissions Building for the private sector to serve as a guide for state and local governments and companies setting energy and carbon reduction targets to achieve global climate goals. It focuses on three areas: the determination that a building is highly energy efficient; that the building is fully electrified; and that the building uses only clearly defined clean energy sources.

“As a national certification system, we are pleased to be able to incorporate the National Definition for a Zero Emissions Building into GBI’s Green Globes Journey to Net Zero Carbon Certification,” said Vicki Worden, President & CEO of the Green Building Initiative.

How Does GBI Help Data Centers Transition Toward Net Zero?

GBI worked with subject matter experts, state and local governments, and large corporations to develop and deliver the Green Globes Journey to Net Zero program (JNZ). This assessment program helps facilities track their progress towards net zero energy and carbon and seek customized guidance for improvement. These programs leverage rigorous carbon accounting principles to identify site Energy Usage Intensity (EUI) and CO₂e percent reductions against a baseline. The program encourages all building owners, whether just getting started or having made significant progress, to evaluate and report on their journey, with the goal of guiding projects to a fully certified net zero energy and net zero carbon building or portfolio.

How Does Green Globes Apply to Data Center Design and New Construction?

GBI’s New Construction (NC) Standard provides a method for assessing data centers and commercial buildings relative to the tenets of integrated design and contemporary best practices for high-performance green buildings. This assessment method addresses the design and construction of buildings with respect to reducing life cycle resource consumption, waste, and global/regional/local environmental impacts contributing to human and ecological system health and provides performance feedback to owners and communities on indicators such as energy and water performance. The NC Standard applies to a broad range of commercial building types, including data centers, offices, multifamily, health care, schools, universities, labs, industrial, retail, etc., as well as to major renovations. The Standard includes a points-based assessment rating system that allows users to identify solutions that earn points for actions likely to achieve levels of performance commonly valued as having desirable environmental and related efficiency outcomes. The six assessment areas within the Standard include Project Management, Site, Energy, Water Efficiency, Materials, and Indoor Environment.

How Does Green Globes Apply to Existing Data Centers?

The Existing Buildings (EB) Standard provides a method for assessing existing commercial and multifamily buildings relative to the tenets of integrated design and contemporary best practices for high-performance green buildings. The assessment method addresses the evaluation of buildings with respect to reducing life cycle resource consumption, waste, and global/regional/local environmental impacts contributing to human and ecological system health. In addition, it provides performance feedback to owners and communities on indicators such as energy and water performance. The EB Standard applies to a broad range of existing commercial and multifamily building types, including offices, data centers, multifamily, health care, schools, universities, laboratories, industrial, retail, etc. The Standard includes a points-based assessment and rating system that allows users to identify solutions for actions likely to achieve performance levels commonly accepted for desirable environmental and related efficiency outcomes. The six assessment areas within the Standard include Environmental, Social, & Governance (ESG) Management, Site, Energy, Water, Materials, and Indoor Environmental Quality. ANSI/GBI 02-2023, Green Globes® Assessment Protocol for Existing Buildings, was published in the summer of 2023 and is now in Continuous Maintenance.

To learn about Upsite Technologies joining the Green Building Initiative (GBI), read the official press release here.