August 28, 2015

Green Building Index Encourages Sustainable Development

Green Building Index Encourages Sustainable Development

Malacca River by Hadi Zaher @flickr

In response to increased demand for green building in Malaysia and a national desire to protect the environment, Malaysia has created the Green Building Index, a countrywide standard for sustainable construction.

Compiled in 2008, the Green Building Index (GBI) helps developers, construction companies and investors focus in on the most environmentally sustainable way to build. According to GBI, a green building dedicates itself to increasing the efficiency of resource use – energy, water, and materials – while reducing building impact on human health and the environment during the building’s lifecycle. Through sustainable design, construction, operation and removal, GBI-approved buildings are designed to reduce their impact on the surrounding environment through their entire lifecycle.

These standards are especially important for Malaysia, which enjoys an exceptionally beautiful environment that has suffered at the hands of unsustainable development. Thanks to green technology incentives and an increased desire to protect its national treasures, Malaysia has taken up GBI building strategies with particular dedication.

Across the nation, building companies now have targets to shoot for – and rewards to reap – for building sustainably. GBI works largely according to a rating system. Buildings are scored based on comprehensive green criteria: energy efficiency, indoor environment quality, sustainable site planning and management, materials and resources, water efficiency and innovation.

The higher the GBI ranking score a building receives, the more prestigious is its certification level, and the more government benefits and positive public relations a building or organization enjoys.

In what is a true success of government regulation, the incentives offered to green buildings and businesses are passed on to the people, communities and natural environment of Malaysia. The country has GBI to thank in part for the recent uptick of green building in Malaysia, and so will its sustainable future.

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