This week, at the annual Neocon commercial interior design trade fair held in Chicago, the Green Building Initiative (GBI) launches Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors. GBI’s latest introduction will become a new tool for rating sustainability for interior designers and architects.
GBI President Jerry Yudelson said, “This system continues our development of rating tools to promote accessible, practical green building.” According to Yudelson, the new rating system will do away with the unnecessary and expensive requirements that other rating systems demand. It will also take out the consideration on the characteristics of the base building. The Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors is developed to focus entirely on the scope of work of the interior designer and interior architect which is the interior environment of the building and excluding what goes beyond it.
The new tool will include different ways on assessing the sustainability of an interior. GBI created a system for survey assessment wherein an independent assessor will be working with the client during the entire span of the project. The process will also focus on energy-efficient of lighting, plug, process and electrical loads. The evaluation also looks at and incorporates the Environmental Product Declarations as a guide in material selection. It will also prefer the use of office furniture that are certified with BIFMA Level Standard.
Yudelson said that the Green Globes incorporated the best aspects of GBI’s existing Green Globes for New Construction standard. They then combined it with the specific requirement of their clientele’s projects on interior improvements.
“We invite the profession to take a look at what we have and to apply it to their next tenant improvement or interior remodeling project.” Yudelson said.
