Virginia Commonwealth University
OP-3: Building Design and Construction

Institution-owned buildings that were constructed or underwent major renovations in the previous five years were designed and built in accordance with a published green building code, policy/guideline, and/or rating system.

Green building codes, policies/guidelines, and rating systems may be:

• Multi-attribute: addressing location and transportation, sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, material and resources, and indoor environmental quality (e.g., BREEAM, LEED BD+C, and similar programs); OR

• Single-attribute: focusing predominantly on one aspect of sustainability such as energy/water efficiency, human health and wellbeing, or sustainable sites.

Building space that is third party certified under a multi-attribute green building rating system developed/ administered by a WorldGBC member Green Building Council (GBC) is weighted more heavily for scoring purposes than space designed and built under other standards and policies/programs. For more information, see Examples of Multi-attribute and Single-attribute Building Frameworks.

Floor area designed and built in accordance with multiple green building codes, policies/guidelines, and/or rating systems should not be double-counted.

This credit applies to institutions that have new construction and/or major renovation projects completed within the previous five years that are eligible for certification under a green building rating system for design and construction.

An institution earns the maximum of 3 points for this credit when all eligible building space completed during the previous five years is certified at the highest achievable level under a multi-attribute GBC rating system for new construction and major renovations. Incremental points are awarded based on the percentage of eligible building space designed and built in accordance with a published green building code, policy, or rating system and/or certified at various levels, as outlined in the table below.

Points for this credit are calculated automatically in the STARS Reporting Tool as follows:

Timeframe

Report on the current certification status of buildings at the time of submission. Buildings for which certification is pending should not be counted as certified space, and these buildings may be excluded from the institution’s profile for up to 2 years following registration with a rating system.

This credit focuses on buildings for which construction was completed within the five years prior to the anticipated date of submission.   

Sampling and Data Standards

Include all buildings that meet the criteria for eligible building space (design and construction). Reporting on a sample or subset of buildings is not allowed.

An institution may use any standard definition of floor area (e.g., ASHRAE, ANSI/BOMA, IECC), as long as it uses the same definition for both the total floor area of eligible building space and the floor area of building space that is certified and/or sustainably designed and constructed.