Green Building Initiative Releases New and Improved Green Globes™ Platform

As part of our commitment to provide a better way to build, the GBI has released a new and improved interactive platform for the Green Globes environmental assessment and rating system for commercial buildings.

The updates reflect feedback from hundreds of users, including architects, engineers and graduate students of architecture at Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley. They include several user interface changes that optimize the site and streamline the design entry and review process, such as:

• A "Project Dashboard" that shows users exactly where they are in a project and what remains to be done
• A "Running Total" stage status box, which indicates the score that users have achieved as they move through the questionnaire
• A new navigation aid on project pages, which allows users to move easily between projects, stages, sections, questionnaires and reports

The new platform also features a project list that allows users to see all of the projects that a firm has entered in the system, as well as a forum for asking questions and/or leaving comments for GBI staff and other users, and reviewing FAQs.

"This is just the first step in our efforts to continually optimize our tools and resources to leverage the best science and technology available," said Vicki Worden, vice president, commercial programs and product development for the GBI. "We want to provide interactive solutions that make even the most sophisticated processes practical and accessible, and we think these revisions to Green Globes make the tool even more comprehensive, flexible and user-friendly."

Green Globes is a Web-based green management tool that includes an assessment protocol, rating system and guide for integrating environmentally-friendly design into commercial structures. It features modules for New Construction and the Continual Improvement of Existing Buildings and facilitates recognition of completed projects through third-party asssessment. Suitable for any size project, Green Globes is a real-time, interactive and affordable approach to environmental design.

To access the new platform, please visit www.thegbi.org.