The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has adopted the SITES rating system for its capital construction program.
Green Business Certification Inc.’s SITES is a program for sustainable land development and management and is used by landscape architects, engineers, architects, developers, and policymakers to align land development with innovative sustainable design. SITES certification is for development projects located on sites with or without buildings including national parks, corporate campuses, streetscapes, homes, and more.
GSA is one of the largest and most diversified public real estate organizations in the world with a portfolio of 376.9 million rentable square feet in 8,721 active assets, and more than 144,000 acres of land, including ports of entry and historical properties. The GSA determined that incorporating SITES into the program offers a highly effective and efficient way to ensure environmental performance to meet federal goals on various capital project types.
The rating system provides a metrics-based approach to important concepts like ecosystem services and green infrastructure. The GSA’s decision is incorporated in the 2016 version of Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service (P-100), which establishes design standards and criteria for new buildings, infrastructural projects, major and minor alternations, and work in historic structures for the Public Buildings Service (PBS) of the GSA. This document contains both policy and technical criteria used in the programming, design, and documentation of GSA buildings and facilities.
Related Stories
| Oct 9, 2014
Cities get creative with stormwater management
Cities around the world are crafting stormwater management policies that include natural and manmade methods to store and absorb runoff to reduce flooding.
| Oct 2, 2014
Fannie Mae study says affordable rental units more energy efficient than market-rate units
Fannie Mae’s new report on energy usage in the multifamily sector found that affordable properties use 28% less energy per unit and are 29% smaller than market-rate properties.
| Oct 2, 2014
California Energy Commission launches code upgrade process
The California Energy Commission launched the upgrade process to Title 24, the state energy code, last month.
| Oct 2, 2014
Canals to mitigate flooding could be in Boston’s future
The Urban Land Institute held brainstorming sessions over the last several months involving more than 70 engineers, architects, and development and insurance specialists to examine how rising sea levels would affect four representative areas in and around Boston.
| Oct 2, 2014
Los Angeles reverses ban on high-rise slanted roofs and spires
Los Angeles reversed course last month on a regulation that had barred skyscrapers from having slanted roofs or spires.
| Sep 29, 2014
10 common deficiencies in aging healthcare facilities
VOA's Douglas King pinpoints the top issues that arise during healthcare facilities assessments, including missing fire/smoke dampers, out-of-place fire alarms, and poorly constructed doorways.
| Sep 29, 2014
Report finds links between office design, health and productivity
A new report from the World Green Building Council finds “overwhelming evidence” to support office design as a significant influencer of the health, wellbeing and productivity of staff.
| Sep 29, 2014
San Francisco office tower is first U.S. building to earn LEED Platinum v4 certification
One Sansome Street, San Francisco is the first building in the U.S. to achieve LEED Platinum v4 certification. The building is also only the second property worldwide to be awarded with v4 certification.
| Sep 29, 2014
Navy to begin BIM phased implementation in October
The U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command will begin its Building Information Management and Modeling (BIM) Phased Implementation Plan in October.
| Sep 18, 2014
GBCI to administer PEER certification for power grids and building projects
The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) will administer certification for the Performance Excellence in Electricity Renewal (PEER) program.
