Build green multifamily buildings? Get them certified!
The National Green Building Standard provides practices for the design, construction, and certification of green multifamily residential buildings, including:
- high- and low-rise apartment buildings
- high- and low-rise condominiums
- housing in mixed-use projects
Use the online Green Scoring Tool to navigate practices necessary for multifamily developers seeking green certification to the Standard.
A green multifamily building can be awarded a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Emerald certification level, depending on the number of green practices successfully incorporated in its design and construction. The Standard provides green practices in six categories:
- Lot & Site Development
- Resource Efficiency
- Energy Efficiency
- Water Efficiency
- Indoor Environmental Quality
- Homeowner Education
A minimum number of points are required in each category to attain a certification level. Also, all of the Standard's mandatory provisions must be correctly implemented for a building to be green certified.
Every unit in a building must meet each claimed practice for the building to be certified. Buildings are certified; individual units are not certified independently.
Green Building Certification Process
| Step 1: |
Score the building using the online Green Scoring Tool or the downloadable scoring spreadsheet. |
| Step 2: |
If the online scoring tool was used, export the final Designer's Report from Green Scoring Tool and save as an Excel file. |
| Step 3: |
Hire an accredited verifier.
If there is no accredited verifier listed for your area, contact the NAHB Research Center. |
| Step 4: |
Forward the Designer's Report or the scoring spreadsheet to your selected verifier and schedule a rough inspection. |
| Step 5: |
The NAHB Research Center will send a Builders Agreement to all new builders once the verifier has scheduled the rough inspection.
The builder should return the following back to the Research Center:
|
| Step 6: |
Meet with your verifier after the rough inspection to sign the Verification Report, which will be sent to the Research Center for review. |
| Step 7: |
Schedule a final inspection with your verifier to sign final Verification Report. |
| Step 8: |
The Research Center will review the report and issue a Certified Green Home certificate, provided all documentation is complete. |
Verifier Role
National Green Building Certification accredited verifiers are critical in the home certification process. Get more information on the verifier process or how to become a verifier.
During the certification process, the NAHB Research Center will:
- Review reports and any accompanying verifier comments/documentation
- Confirm that an accredited verifier was used by the builder
- Invoice the builder for the certification fee upon completion of the verifier's rough inspection
- Confirm the builder's Program Participation Agreement, insurance information, and payment history are in order
- Issue a certificate once the final Verification Report has been approved
Contact us if you have questions about green certification for multifamily buildings.