ASTM Green Building Committee

A committee has been formed at the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) to work on a set of criteria for evaluating the environmental merits of commercial buildings. According to committee chairman David Gottfried, the goal is to create a guide with suggestions for how to build “green” buildings, as well as to develop a voluntary rating system. The group hopes to bring together recommendations already in place from a variety of organizations, such as ASHRAE (energy efficiency and ventilation guidelines), the U.S. Government Office of Housing and Urban Development (formaldehyde out-gassing limitations), the EPA (recycled content guidelines), and the American Institute of Architects (avoidance of CFCs in refrigeration systems).

A voluntary rating system for commercial buildings in Great Britain, titled the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), has been successful in bringing higher selling prices and rents for buildings that rate high on the environmental scale. Mr. Gottfried agrees with the basic model used in BREEAM, of looking at the building from the point of view of its impact on the global, neighborhood, and internal environment. He argues, however, that their criteria may be too simplistic and not cost-effective. His hope is that the ASTM committee will able to provide guidelines based on more concrete evidence and economic analysis.