ABSTRACT
Sustainability has been pursued by owners of office buildings with varying frequency since the 1990s, as owners and managers seek improvements in capital and operational costs, return on investment (ROI), retrofit length, and tenant attractiveness/comfort, among a variety of building specific benefits. The millennial generation of workers seems to be more socially and sustainability conscious than generation X and the baby boomers, therefore further solidifying the adoption of sustainable practices in the workplace. A building’s sustainability performance can be benchmarked based on recent building codes in certain communities or assessed and certified on a more holistic basis by private rating systems certifying buildings worldwide. Prominent holistic building sustainability assessment systems with worldwide outreach include: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) – based in and dominating the USA market; Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) – based in and dominating the UK; and Green Globes – based in Canada and the USA.
