Development of a Priority Weights-Based Green Building Rating Model
Publication: Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 27, Issue 2
Abstract
Green building rating systems are developed to promote sustainability. Existing rating systems use both numerical and linguistic descriptors. In addition, existing rating systems do not directly identify the priority or interrelation between different parameters. The objectives of this study are to develop a priority weights-based green building rating model with numerical descriptors and to propose a remediation plan for existing buildings to obtain green certification under the developed rating model. In this paper, the analytical hierarchy process is used to develop a green building rating system. Based on the opinions of 100 experts, the priority weights of parameters were determined. The numerical thresholds of point allocation, equations, and priority weights of the proposed rating model supports a definitive classification on green building performance. For buildings with poor green performance, a remediation plan is proposed that can be adopted to upgrade and obtain green certification for buildings under the developed rating model.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University for providing technical support throughout this research.
References
AbdelAzim, A. I., A. M. Ibrahim, and E. M. Aboul-Zahab. 2017. “Development of an energy efficiency rating system for existing buildings using Analytic Hierarchy Process—The case of Egypt.” Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev. 71: 414–425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2016.12.071.
Akadiri, P. O., E. A. Chinyio, and P. O. Olomolaiye. 2012. “Design of a sustainable building: A conceptual framework for implementing sustainability in the building sector.” Buildings 2 (2): 126–152. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings2020126.
Akdağ, C. H., and T. Beldek. 2017. “Waste management in green building operations using GSCM.” Int. J. Supply Chain Manage. 6 (3): 174–180.
Al-Harbi, K. M. A. S. 2001. “Application of the AHP in project management.” Int. J. Project Manage. 19 (1): 19–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0263-7863(99)00038-1.
Armacost, R. L., P. J. Componation, M. A. Mullens, and W. W. Swart. 1994. “An AHP framework for prioritizing customer requirements in QFD: An industrialized housing application.” IIE Trans. 26 (4): 72–79. https://doi.org/10.1080/07408179408966620.
Ayyoob, S., and A. Murayama. 2013. “A critical review of seven selected neighborhood sustainability assessment tools.” Environ. Impact Assess. Rev. 38: 73–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2012.06.006.
Baek, C., S. H. Park, M. Suzuki, and S. H. Lee. 2013. “Life cycle carbon dioxide assessment tool for buildings in the schematic design phase.” Energy Build. 61: 275–287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2013.01.025.
Bhatt, R., J. E. M. Macwan, D. Bhatt, and V. Patel. 2010. “Analytic hierarchy process approach for criteria ranking of sustainable building assessment: A case study.” World Appl. Sci. J. 8 (7): 881–888.
Bombugala, B. A. W. P., and A. Atputharajah. 2013. Sustainable development through green building concept in Sri Lanka. Moratuwa, Sri Lanka: UoM.
BRE Global (Building Research Establishment Global). 2015. BREEAM (building research establishment environmental assessment method). Watford, UK: BRE Global.
Castilla, M., J. D. Alvarez, M. Berenguel, F. Rodriguez, J. L. Guzman, and M. Perez. 2011. “A comparison of thermal comfort predictive control strategies.” Energy Build. 43 (10): 2737–2746. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2011.06.030.
Castro-Lacouture, D., J. A. Sefair, L. Flórez, and A. L. Medaglia. 2009. “Optimization model for the selection of materials using a LEED-based green building rating system in Colombia.” Build. Environ. 44 (6): 1162–1170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2008.08.009.
Chandratilake, S. R., and W. P. S. Dias. 2013. “Sustainability rating systems for buildings: Comparisons and correlations.” Energy 59: 22–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2013.07.026.
Chang, D. Y. 1996. “Applications of the extent analysis method on fuzzy AHP.” Eur. J. Oper. Res. 95 (3): 649–655. https://doi.org/10.1016/0377-2217(95)00300-2.
Cole, R. J. 1994. Building environmental performance assessment criteria. BEPAC No. CONF-9402130. Gaithersburg, MD: NIST.
Doan, D. T., A. Ghaffarianhoseini, N. Naismith, T. Zhang, A. Ghaffarianhoseini, and J. Tookey. 2017. “A critical comparison of green building rating systems.” Build. Environ. 123: 243–260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2017.07.007.
Fernandez, N., S. Katipamula, W. Wang, Y. Huang, and G. Liu. 2012. Energy savings modeling of standard commercial building re-tuning measures: Large office buildings. No. PNNL-21569. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL).
GBCSL (Green Building Council Sri Lanka). 2011. GREENSL® rating system for built environment. Nugegoda, Sri Lanka: GBCSL.
Green Globes. 2016. “About green globes.” Transportation 7 (10.1): 4–1.
Hart, D. M. 2009. Don’t worry about the government?: The LEED-NC “Green building” rating system and energy efficiency in US commercial buildings. Cambridge, MA: MIT Industrial Performance Center.
Huang, M., and B. Wang. 2014. “Evaluating green performance of building products based on gray relational analysis and analytic hierarchy process.” Environ. Prog. Sustainable Energy 33 (4): 1389–1395.
Huang, R. Y., and C. H. Yeh. 2008. “Development of an assessment framework for green highway construction.” J. Chin. Inst. Eng. 31 (4): 573–585. https://doi.org/10.1080/02533839.2008.9671412.
Huo, X., T. W. Ann, and Z. Wu. 2017. “A comparative analysis of site planning and design among green building rating tools.” J. Cleaner Prod. 147: 352–359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.01.099.
Imada, S. J. 2002. “An environmental management plan for the construction of green buildings.” Master thesis, Faculty of Environmental Design, Univ. of Calgary.
Jeong, J., T. Hong, C. Ji, J. Kim, M. Lee, and K. Jeong. 2016. “Development of an evaluation process for green and nongreen buildings focused on energy performance of G-SEED and LEED.” Build. Environ. 105: 172–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2016.05.041.
Kamal, M. 2015. Reinventing the passive design framework in the tropics: The experience of green rating systems and passive strategies. Sheffield, UK: CIBS.
Kamaruzzaman, S. N., E. C. W. Lou, P. F. Wong, R. Wood, and A. I. Che-Ani. 2018. “Developing weighting system for refurbishment building assessment scheme in Malaysia through analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach.” Energy Policy 112: 280–290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2017.10.023.
Kubba, S. 2012. Handbook of green building design and construction: LEED, BREEAM, and Green Globes. Oxford, UK: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Kumar, R., E. Madhu, A. Dahiya, and S. Sinha. 2015. “Analytical hierarchy process for assessing sustainability: Indicators of public transportation systems, pedestrians and feeder services in developing countries.” World J. Sci. Technol. Sustainable Dev. 12 (4): 281–293. https://doi.org/10.1108/WJSTSD-05-2015-0027.
Lorenzen, J. A. 2012. “Going Green: The process of lifestyle change.” Sociol. Forum 27 (1): 94–116. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1573-7861.2011.01303.x.
Lund, H., S. Werner, R. Wiltshire, S. Svendsen, J. E. Thorsen, F. Hvelplund, and B. V. Mathiesen. 2014. “4th generation district heating (4GDH).” Energy 68: 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2014.02.089.
Matisoff, D. C., D. S. Noonan, and M. E. Flowers. 2016. “Policy monitor—Green buildings: Economics and policies.” Rev. Environ. Econ. Policy 10 (2): 329–346. https://doi.org/10.1093/reep/rew009.
Mawapanga, M. N., and D. L. Debertin. 1996. “Choosing between alternative farming systems: An application of the analytic hierarchy process.” Rev. Agric. Econ. 18: 385–401.
Mendis, W. S. W., G. S. Y. De Silva, and G. H. M. J. Subashi De Silva. 2019. “Performance of un-reinforced burned clay brick masonry walls retrofitted with locally available materials.” J. Natl. Sci. Found. Sri Lanka 47 (1): 29–38. https://doi.org/10.4038/jnsfsr.v47i1.8924.
Mendis, W. S. W., S. De Silva, and G. H. M. J. Subashi De Silva. 2016. “Performance and retrofitting of unreinforced masonry building against natural disasters—A review study.” Engineer 47 (3): 71–82. https://doi.org/10.4038/engineer.v47i3.6896.
Miller, D., J. H. Doh, K. Panuwatwanich, and N. van Oers. 2015. “The contribution of structural design to green building rating systems: An industry perspective and comparison of life cycle energy considerations.” Sustainable Cities Soc. 16: 39–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2015.02.003.
Pedrycz, W., and S. M. Chen. 2015. Granular computing and decision-making: Interactive and iterative approaches. 10th ed. London: Springer.
Peterson, D. L., D. G. Silsbee, and D. L. Schmoldt. 1994. “A case study of resources management planning with multiple objectives and projects.” Environ. Manage. 18 (5): 729–742. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02394636.
Pushpakumara, B. H. J., S. De Silva, and G. H. M. J. Subashi De Silva. 2014. “Investigation on efficiency of repairing and retrofitting methods for chloride induced corrosion of reinforced concrete structures.” Engineer 46 (4): 19–30. https://doi.org/10.4038/engineer.v46i4.6807.
Pushpakumara, B. H. J., S. De Silva, and G. H. M. J. Subashi De Silva. 2017. “Visual inspection and nondestructive tests-based rating method for concrete bridges.” Int. J. Struct. Eng. 8 (1): 74–91. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJSTRUCTE.2017.081672.
Pushpakumara, B. H. J., and G. H. M. J. Subashi De Silva. 2012. “Characteristics of masonry blocks manufactured with rice husk Ash (RHA) and lime.” Engineer 45 (3): 1–10.
Rezaallah, A., C. Bolognesi, and R. A. Khoraskani. 2012. “LEED and BREEAM; comparison between policies, assessment criteria and calculation methods.” In Proc., 1st Int. Conf. on Building Sustainability Assessment, 23–25. Braga, Portugal: University of Minho.
Rode, P., R. Burdett, and S. J. C. Gonçalves. 2011. Buildings: Investing in energy and resource efficiency. Nairobi, Kenya: United Nations Environment Programme.
Runde, T., and S. Thoyre. 2010. “Integrating sustainability and green building into the appraisal process.” J. Sustainable Real Estate 2 (1): 221–248.
Saaty, T. L. 1980. Multicriteria decision making. Pittsburgh, PA: Expert Choice Inc.
Saaty, T. L. 2000. Fundamentals of decision making and priority theory with the analytic hierarchy process. 6th ed. Pittsburgh: RWS Publications.
Santosa, E. 2007. LEED, a real “green” building guide. Philadelphia: PennDesign, Univ. of Pennsylvania.
Scofield, J. H. 2009. “Do LEED-certified buildings save energy? Not really….” Energy Build. 41 (12): 1386–1390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2009.08.006.
Srivastava, A., R. Magar, and D. Shah. 2017. “A review of IGBC rating system for New Green Buildings.” In Int. Conf. on Emanations in Modern Technology and Engineering, 14–17. Mira Bhayandar, Maharashtra: Shree L. R. Tiwari College of Engineering.
Stephan, A., R. H. Crawford, and K. de Myttenaere. 2011. “Towards a more holistic approach to reducing the energy demand of dwellings.” Procedia Eng. 21: 1033–1041. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2011.11.2109.
Thompson, J. W., and K. Sorvig. 2007. Sustainable landscape construction: A guide to green building outdoors. Washington, DC: Island Press.
Turner, C., and M. Frankel. 2008. Energy performance of LEED NC buildings. Report prepared for US Green Buildings Council. White Salmon, WA: New Buildings Institute.
Udawatta, N., J. Zuo, K. Chiveralls, and G. Zillante. 2015. “Attitudinal and behavioural approaches to improving waste management on construction projects in Australia: Benefits and limitations.” Int. J. Constr. Manage. 15 (2): 137–147. https://doi.org/10.1080/15623599.2015.1033815.
USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council). 2009. LEED rating systems. Washington, DC: USGBC.
Wang, W., R. Zmeureanu, and H. Rivard. 2005. “Applying multi-objective genetic algorithms in green building design optimization.” Build. Environ. 40 (11): 1512–1525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2004.11.017.
Wang, Y., J. Kuckelkorn, F.-Y. Zhao, H. Spliethoff, and W. Lang. 2017. “A state of art of review on interactions between energy performance and indoor environment quality in Passive House buildings.” Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev. 72: 1303–1319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2016.10.039.
Wargo, J. 2010. LEED certification: Where energy efficiency collides with human health. North Haven, CT: Environment and Human Health.
Xu, Z. 2000. “On consistency of the weighted geometric mean complex judgement matrix in AHP.” Eur. J. Oper. Res. 126 (3): 683–687. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0377-2217(99)00082-X.
Yeheyis, M., K. Hewage, M. S. Alam, C. Eskicioglu, and R. Sadiq. 2013. “An overview of construction and demolition waste management in Canada: A lifecycle analysis approach to sustainability.” Clean Technol. Environ. Policy 15 (1): 81–91. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-012-0481-6.
Yu, W., B. Li, X. Yang, and Q. Wang. 2015. “A development of a rating method and weighting system for green store buildings in China.” Renewable Energy 73: 123–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2014.06.013.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 27 • Issue 2 • June 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 7, 2020
Accepted: Jan 6, 2021
Published online: Mar 11, 2021
Published in print: Jun 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Aug 11, 2021
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
Cited by
- BHJ Pushpakumara, TTD Silva, Evaluation of mechanical properties of steel slag as replacement for fine and coarse aggregate in concrete, Australian Journal of Structural Engineering, 10.1080/13287982.2023.2167644, (1-10), (2023).
- B. H. J. Pushpakumara, M. T. Gunasekara, Y. M. T. D. Gannile, Variation of Mechanical and Chemical Properties of Old and New Clay Bricks, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 10.1061/JCEMD4.COENG-12950, 149, 4, (2023).
- Carmen Y. M. Tan, Rahimi A. Rahman, WELL Building: Key Design Features for Office Environments, Journal of Architectural Engineering, 10.1061/JAEIED.AEENG-1544, 29, 2, (2023).
- R. M. K. M. Rathnayake, B. H. J. Pushpakumara, Priority Weight-Based Systems to Predict Energy Consumption Behavior in Residential Buildings, Journal of Architectural Engineering, 10.1061/JAEIED.AEENG-1481, 29, 2, (2023).
- B.H.J. Pushpakumara, M.S.G.M. Fernando, Deterioration assessment model for splash zone of marine concrete structures, Case Studies in Construction Materials, 10.1016/j.cscm.2022.e01731, 18, (e01731), (2023).
- B. H. J. Pushpakumara, W. S. W. Mendis, Suitability of Rice Husk Ash (RHA) with lime as a soil stabilizer in geotechnical applications, International Journal of Geo-Engineering, 10.1186/s40703-021-00169-w, 13, 1, (2022).
- B.H.J Pushpakumara, W.P.H.P. Weerasinghe, Evaluation of carbonation coefficient of reinforced concrete structures, Australian Journal of Civil Engineering, 10.1080/14488353.2022.2144003, (1-11), (2022).
- B.H.J Pushpakumara, T.R Hewawaduge, Effect of banana fibre and lime on mechanical and thermal properties of unburnt clay bricks, Australian Journal of Civil Engineering, 10.1080/14488353.2022.2114639, (1-10), (2022).
- B. H. J. Pushpakumara, G. A. Thusitha, Development of a Structural Health Monitoring Tool for Underwater Concrete Structures, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0002163, 147, 10, (2021).