NickUC

What actually qualifies a building as being green?

JMD

Depends. There are both national programs like LEED and there are also many regional programs. Unfortunately there is not one standard so give us an idea of where you are and what you are trying to certify as "green" and maybe we can help you more.

richnicol

Many things qualify a building as being green. The most important things are generally energy efficiency, water efficiency and waste management during construction and for intended usage. Material selection is also important. There are various rating tools designed for commercial buildings with big budgets, not much as far as i know for residential?

Deckman100

In building a house or office building, a great many materials and products will be used. Even in the greenest of projects it is likely that many products will be used that are not themselves green—but they are used in a manner that helps reduce the overall environmental impacts of the building. A particular window may not be green, but the way it is used maximizes collection of low winter sunlight and blocks the summer sun. So even a relatively conventional window can help make a house green. Creating a green building means matching the products and materials to the specific design and site to minimize the overall environmental impact.