Tropical green building rating systems: A comparison between Green Building Index and BCA Green Mark

Abstract

Many countries have introduced new rating tools over the past few years. Several researches have made international comparison of these sustainable rating tool [1], [2], [3]. However the comparison is for rating tools designed for temperate countries. Two new rating tools are now available for tropical countries i.e. BCA Green Mark in Singapore and the Green Building Index (GBI) in Malaysia. The rating tools developed for temperate countries and tropical countries are not directly comparable. This paper undertakes a harmonisation of the two tropical rating tools to allow evaluations undertaken under the two systems to be compared. The harmonisation outcome is expected to assist owners, investors and tenants in making informed decisions about the comparability of the green buildings in tropical countries [7], [8].