The Green Building Challenge '98: A green building assessment framework

In the last few years. there have been few international attempts at establishing methods for assessing the environmentally responsible aspects of buildings. Nils Larsson and Ray Cole of Canada created the Green Building Challenge '98 (GBC '98) as a worldwide demonstration of an assessment framework that would encourage the adoption of green building practices internationally. Teams from more than twelve countries are involved in the GBC '98 using buildings in their own countries to demonstrate and test the assessment methods under development. Since the creation of the GBC '98 last year, the US has been an active member of this international endeavor. The US Team is sponsored by the US Department of Energy and lead by the American institute of Architect's (AIA) Committee on the Environment. This builds on the agreement between the AIA and DOE signed in 1996 through which the two organizations work together to increase awareness among architects and designers of the importance of energy efficiency and environmentally responsible design.