Readiness Assessment of Green Building Certification Systems for Residential Buildings during Pandemics

Abstract

One of the consequences of COVID-19 pandemic is the momentum it has created for global changes affecting various aspects of daily lives. Among these, green building certification systems (GBCSs) should not be left behind as significant potential modifications may be required to ensure their versatility for residential buildings due to the new pandemic reality. The present study aims to evaluate the readiness of chosen GBCSs for a proper assessment of existing residential housing sustainability in a post-pandemic world. Based on a literature review of the state-of-the-art data sources and round table discussions, the present study proposes a particular set of sustainability indicators covering special sustainability requirements under pandemic conditions. Then, those indicators are used to evaluate the readiness of selected GBCSs (BREEAM, LEED, WELL, CASBEE) to meet new pandemic-resilient requirements based on their responses to the indicators. The assessment shows that none of the reviewed GBCSs are fully ready to cover all the proposed indicators. GBCSs have differing focuses on particular sustainability pillars, which also affected their responses to pandemic-resilient categories. For instance, WELL rating system successfully responded to the health and safety category, whereas LEED showed better preparedness in terms of environmental efficiency. BREEAM and CASBEE systems have a more evenly distributed attention to all three pandemic-resilient categories (Health & Safety, Environmental Resources Consumption, and Comfort) with an accent on the Comfort category. On a specific note, all GBCSs are insufficiently prepared for waste and wastewater management. In the future, GBCSs should be modified to better adapt to pandemic conditions, for which the current work may provide a basis. As an alternative, brand new standards can be created to face newly arising and evolving post-pandemic requirements.

COVID-19 and Green Housing: A Review of Relevant Literature

“…It is, therefore, important to ensure sustainability in residential buildings with an aim to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and improve the quality of life and health outcomes. The drive towards sustainability in construction and buildings creates new jobs and business opportunities, boosts energy security, and productivity, and has also resulted in the promotion of assessment systems to increase sustainability, declarations to preserve the environment, and the development of various international policies [41].…”

“…The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency (CASBEE), the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), and the Wellness (WELL) Building Standard are already established and recognized green building certification systems (GBCSs) that assist the construction industry in mitigating the environmental impact of buildings and achieving better performance throughout their lifetime [43]. Most of these certification systems, however, have been designed with a specific region in mind and different climate conditions, geographical features, and government policies may lead to sustainability differences across regions [41]. To address this issue, many researchers are already trying to transpose recognized green building rating systems to developing countries adapting them to their specific features, with examples ranging from Kazakhstan [44] and Iran [45] to countries in sub-Saharan Africa [46] and Qatar [47].…”

“…This new reality should be analyzed and taken into account in future decision-making. Since the COVID-19 pandemic and the changes it brought will likely stay with us even when the pandemic is over, many people in academic circles are re-examining the current sustainability approaches pushing towards new horizons [41]. Mohammadian et al [48] argue that four new sustainability pillars, directly or indirectly interrelated, namely, educational, cultural, technical, and political ones, should be added to the conventional group of three, which includes economic, environmental, and social pillars.…”

“…The pandemic could also be an opportunity and impetus to move away from unsustainable practices towards more sustainable ones, for example, to exchange driving for walking. It is not the first epidemic to leave a mark in the built environment: cholera and plaque pushed towards the development of green spaces and new wastewater routes; a fight with tuberculosis led to the increase of sunlight in housing units; and the SARS-COV-1 outbreak led to the improvement of ventilation systems [21,41].…”

“…To cover special pandemic-related requirements, this research [41] proposes a particular set of sustainability indicators. The focus on particular sustainability pillars is different in various GBCSs (BREEAM, LEED, WELL, and CASBEE), as has been their response to pandemic resilience requirements.…”