Turkish-style green certificate to be launched

Energy-hungry Turkey is eager to adopt green building certificates, but the existing international options might not be suitable for the country’s specific conditions, an expert warns. The Environment-Friendly Green Buildings Association is working on creating a Turkey-specific certificate based on the global BREEAM certificate

Sensitivity concerning green buildings in Turkey has increased, encouraging the country to produce its own certificate.

A top executive of the Environment-Friendly Green Buildings Association, or ÇEDBİK, said each country differs by its climate, geography, energy consumption and cultural structure. The association is working to produce a green building certificate suited for Turkey, as it thinks efficiency of global certificates such as BEES, LEED, BREEAM and CASBEE may be limited.

ÇEDBİK, which began studies in October using the British-based Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method, or BREEAM, as an example, aims to prepare Turkey’s own green building certificate within three years.

“The existing certificates in their current conditions can affect Turkey’s construction sector only at minimum levels,” said Duygu Erten, vice chairwoman of ÇEDBİK. “Besides, there are some differences between [current] green building certificates. For this reason, the most appropriate one for Turkey should be chosen. We will take BREEAM as a model, since it is similar to European Union standards.”

BREEAM, a system that measures sustainability of new non-domestic buildings, implements a rating system to certify buildings as passing, good, very good, perfect and top-of-the-line. Until now, some 116 buildings have been certificated among 714 registered buildings.

BREEAM is attempting to adapt its circumstances in the energy industry to European Union’s Energy Performance Certificate, or EPC, Erten said.

Abundance of abbreviations

The most common green building certificates all over the world are the BEES, BREEAM, CASBEE, ECO-QUANTUM, ECOPROFILE, GBC, GREENSTAR, LCAid, LEED and SBtool certificates. These certificates have a large area of use, from cold climates of North America to the Mediterranean countries experiencing four seasons in one year. Many of the countries generate a special model by making some arrangements on a given certificate they deem closest to their country’s specific conditions.

The BREEAM’s adaptation studies are still ongoing in 15 countries. The countries are shaping the certificates in accordance with their own resources and geographic positions.

According to ÇEDBİK’s studies, in Turkey’s special certification process, earthquake parameters will also be added. Noting that such a certificate system will be more valuable for Turkey, Erten said: “Increasing the allocation points of water and energy resources will be necessary. Since green materials are constricted in Turkey, their allocation points will be low. We want to make a Turkish contribution to BREEAM. We plan to include the home office concept by providing credits in the certificate.”