{{Short description|Japanese green building certification program}} [[File:Shinagawa East-one-tower.JPG|thumb|The Shinagawa East One Tower is an office, retail, and hotel space located in Tokyo, Japan.<ref>{{cite web |title=Shinagawa East One Tower |url=https://www.e-onetower.com/english/about.html |access-date=14 December 2022}}</ref> The tower received rank S under the CASBEE-Real Estate assessment tool.<ref>{{cite web |title=CASBEE Shinagawa East One Tower |url=https://www.e-onetower.com/english/about.html |access-date=14 December 2022}}</ref> ]] thumb|The Yokohama Dia Building includes office space, retail space, and a food court. The building has a 1,500 square meter solar panel, one of the largest in Japan. It received rank S under the CASBEE-Yokohama assessment tool.<ref>{{cite web |title=Yokohama Dia Building |url=https://www.ibec.or.jp/jsbd/AO/index.htm |website=Japan Sustainable Building Database |publisher=Japan Sustainable Building Consortium |access-date=14 December 2022}}</ref> '''CASBEE''' (Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency) is the green building certification program used in Japan.<ref name="CASBEE">{{cite web |title=CASBEE |url=https://www.ibec.or.jp/CASBEE/english/ |website=Overview |publisher=Institute for Building Environment and Energy Conservation |access-date=14 December 2022}}</ref> It was created by a research committee called the Japan Sustainable Building Consortium (JSBC).<ref name="CASBEE" /> The first assessment tool, CASBEE for offices, was launched in 2002. CASBEE now consists of multiple assessment tools tailored to different project scales. The tools are collectively called the CASBEE family.<ref name="basic concept">{{cite web |title=CASBEE |url=https://www.ibec.or.jp/CASBEE/english/basicconceptE.htm |website=Basic Concept |publisher=Institute for Building Environment and Energy Conservation |access-date=14 December 2022}}</ref> The development of CASBEE's assessment tools was a joint effort between JSBC sub-committees, industry, academia, and government leaders, and the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The JSBC provides overall management of CASBEE, and the administrative office is located within the Institute for Building Environment and Energy Conservation (IBEC).<ref name="Raymond">{{cite journal |last1=Cole |first1=Raymond |title=Situating CASBEE, a Japanese-made unique building rating and certification system, within a broader context |journal=Territorio Italia (English Ed.) |date=2014 |issue=1 |doi=10.14609/Ti_1_14_1e |url=https://www.agenziaentrate.gov.it/portale/documents/20143/325475/Situating+CASBEE_Articolo+1+ING.pdf/c9538f25-5734-8997-4577-b4235b93f2b5 |access-date=15 December 2022}}</ref>
The first green building rating systems, including BREEAM and LEED, were developed to minimize the building sector's contribution to anthropogenic climate change.<ref name="Amal">{{cite journal |last1=Kamal |first1=Amal |title=Including the building environmental efficiency in the environmental building rating systems |journal=Ain Shams Engineering Journal |date=2018 |volume=9 |issue=4 |pages=455–468 |doi=10.1016/j.asej.2016.02.006 |s2cid=112145665 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S209044791630017X |access-date=15 December 2022|doi-access=free }}</ref> CASBEE shares the same goal, but rather than being established by non-profit third parties, the government played a direct role in its formation.<ref name="Doan">{{cite journal |last1=Doan |first1=Dat |last2=Ghaffarianhoseini |first2=Ali |last3=Naismith |first3=Nicola |last4=Zhang |first4=Tongrui |last5=Ghaffarianhoseini |first5=Amirhosein |last6=Tookey |first6=John |title=A critical comparison of green building rating systems |journal=Building and Environment |date=2017 |volume=123 |pages=243–260 |doi=10.1016/j.buildenv.2017.07.007 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360132317302937?fr=RR-2&ref=pdf_download&rr=77a07c9b6bef3b7b |access-date=15 December 2022|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The Japanese government has declared the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050,<ref>{{cite web |title=Carbon Neutrality |url=https://www.japan.go.jp/global_issues/carbon_neutrality/index.html#:~:text=Green%20Innovation&text=The%20era%20of%20treating%20environmental,pursues%20carbon%20neutrality%20by%202050. |website=JAPANGOV |access-date=15 December 2022}}</ref> and reaching this goal motivates the government's continued commitment to the promotion and development of CASBEE. Local governments have a Sustainable Building Reporting System (SBRS) policy intended to create a sustainable building market by requiring the submission of building environmental plans to the local building official.<ref name="Wong">{{cite journal |last1=Wong |first1=Sheau-Chyng |last2=Abe |first2=Naoya |title=Stakeholders' perspectives of a building environmental assessment method: The case of CASBEE |journal=Building and Environment |date=2014 |volume=82 |pages=502–516 |doi=10.1016/j.buildenv.2014.09.007 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132314002996#bib7 |access-date=15 December 2022|hdl=10654/45040 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> 24 cities have adopted CASBEE as the standard for their SBRS policy.<ref name="Wong" /> Additionally, many local governments require CASBEE assessment results when applying for building permits.<ref name="Murakami">{{cite journal |last1=Murakami |first1=Shuzo |title=Background of CASBEE development |journal=Territorio Italia (English Ed.) |date=2014 |issue=1 |doi=10.14609/Ti_1_14_2e |url=https://www.agenziaentrate.gov.it/portale/documents/20143/325475/Background+of+CASBEE_Articolo+2+ING.pdf/15e448c4-62f1-88e9-de8e-4fe9f3760cb1 |access-date=15 December 2022}}</ref>
== Building Environmental Efficiency == It is a common structure among green building rating systems to determine their ratings via a point total calculated based on the fulfillment of credit requirements.<ref name="Amal" /> CASBEE pursued an alternative approach and relies on an indicator called the Building Environmental Efficiency (BEE) to determine a building's ranking. The BEE is advantageous because it considers a hypothetical boundary so that the building itself can be evaluated in the context of its surroundings.<ref name="Amal" /> The hypothetical boundary is chosen based on the site boundary and the scale being considered under the ranking system.<ref name="basic concept" /> The BEE is calculated based on two assessment factors: Q and L. The environmental quality, Q, is defined as the improvement of the internal environment within the hypothetical boundary. Q relates the building to the inhabitants.<ref name="Amal" /> The environmental load, L, is defined as the negative impact the hypothetical boundary has on the external environment. L relates the building to the planet.<ref name="Amal" />
CASBEE considers four assessment fields: Energy Efficiency, Resource Efficiency, Local Environment, and Indoor Environment.<ref name="Assessment Tool">{{cite web |title=CASBEE |url=https://www.ibec.or.jp/CASBEE/english/method2E.htm |website=Assessment Tool |publisher=Institute for Building Environment and Energy Conservation |access-date=15 December 2022}}</ref> Q and L are each divided into three sub-components with specific credits designed to evaluate the four assessment fields. Q consists of Q1: Indoor Environment (noise and acoustics, Thermal comfort, lighting, air quality),<ref name="Fowler">{{cite journal |last1=Fowler |first1=K |last2=Rauch |first2=E |title=Sustainable Building Rating Systems Summary |journal=Pacific Northwest National Laboratory |date=2006 |url=https://www.wbdg.org/FFC/GSA/sustainable_bldg_rating_systems.pdf |access-date=15 December 2022}}</ref> Q2: Quality of Service (functionality, durability, reliability, flexibility),<ref name="Fowler" /> and Q3: Outdoor Environment (preservation and creation of biotope, townscape and landscape, outdoor amenities).<ref name="Fowler" /> L consists of L1: Energy (thermal load, Daylighting, efficiency of systems, efficient operations),<ref name="Fowler" /> L2: Resources and Materials (water conservation, recycled materials, materials with low health risks),<ref name="Fowler" /> and L3: Off-Site Environment (Air pollution, noise and vibration, odor, Light pollution, heat island effect).<ref name="Fowler" /> Each credit is assessed on a 1 to 5 scale, where a score of 1 is earned if the minimum conditions required by law are satisfied, a score of 3 is earned for typical performance, and a score of 4 or 5 is earned for exceeding standard practices.<ref name="Raymond" /> Scoring is completed by CASBEE accredited professionals.<ref name="CASBEE" /> The scores for each credit are then weighted and summed up depending on if they pertain to Q or L. The BEE is the ratio of Q over L.<ref name="Assessment Tool" />
CASBEE displays this relationship on a BEE graph that has L values plotted on the x-axis and Q values plotted on the y-axis.<ref name="basic concept" /> The higher the Q value and lower the L value the more sustainable the building is.<ref name="basic concept" /> The graph is broken up into regions corresponding to the following rankings: S: Excellent, A: Very Good, B+: Good, B−: Fairly Poor, and C: Poor.<ref name="Assessment Tool" /> Green building rating systems that utilize a point-scoring system fail to evaluate the interaction between the environmental load and the environmental quality and may reward points for credits benefitting one category without considering the harm it causes to the other.<ref name="Amal" /> Calculating the BEE provides an integrated assessment that weighs how the hypothetical boundary is benefitting users and harming the surrounding environment.<ref name="Assessment Tool" />
== Carbon Dioxide Life Cycle Assessment == In line with Japan's commitment to reducing its carbon dioxide emissions, CASBEE assessment tools designed for the building scale also require a Life-cycle assessment of the carbon dioxide (LCCO2) emitted during the construction, operation, and demolition of a building.<ref name="basic concept" /> CASBEE provides a spreadsheet to calculate the LCCO2.<ref name="basic concept" /> The results are compared to the LCCO2 of a reference building that satisfies the standard according to the Energy Conservation Law.<ref name="basic concept" /> The LCCO2 performance is indicated by awarding 1 to 5 stars. This result is reported alongside the BEE.<ref name="basic concept" />
== The CASBEE Family == CASBEE was designed to accommodate a wide range of building types at different stages of construction.<ref name="Family" /> The four basic tools are CASBEE for Pre-Design, CASBEE for New Construction, CASBEE for Existing Building, and CASBEE for Renovation.<ref name="Family" /> CASBEE's consideration of a hypothetical boundary allows for the scope of evaluation to be easily expanded beyond the limits of a single building.<ref name="Family" /> Additional versions of CASBEE were developed to consider specific building purposes and scales.<ref name="Family" /> These versions include:
* CASBEE for Detached Houses * CASBEE for Temporary Construction * Local Government Versions (e.g. CASBEE for Osaka) * CASBEE for Heat Island Effect * CASBEE for Urban Development * CASBEE for Market Promotion * CASBEE for Real Estate * CASBEE for Cities
The four basic tools and the additional versions are jointly referred to as the CASBEE Family.<ref name="Family">{{cite web |title=CASBEE |url=https://www.ibec.or.jp/CASBEE/english/toolsE_city.htm |website=Family and Tools |publisher=Institute for Building Environment and Energy Conservation |access-date=15 December 2022}}</ref> The exact credits included in the environmental quality and environmental load assessment factors are tailored to be relevant to the specific CASBEE assessment tool.<ref name="Assessment Tool" />
The four basic tools had their latest versions released in 2014.<ref name="CASBEE" /> CASBEE for Buildings (New Construction) 2014, CASBEE for Market Promotion 2014, CASBEE for Urban Development 2014, CASBEE for Cities 2013, and CASBEE for Cities (pilot version for worldwide use) 2015, are the assessment tools within the CASBEE Family that are available in English.<ref name="CASBEE" />
== Stakeholders' Perspectives == CASBEE is still a relatively new green building rating system.<ref name="Wong" /> As of December 2022, 606 properties had obtained a CASBEE evaluation under one of the building-level assessment tools.<ref>{{cite web |title=List of CASBEE Building Evaluation Certified Properties |url=https://www.ibec.or.jp/CASBEE/certified_buld/CASBEE_certified_buld_list.htm |website=CASBEE |publisher=Institute for Building Environment and Energy Conservation |access-date=15 December 2022}}</ref> For comparison, there are 110,000 projects participating in LEED.<ref>{{cite web |title=More than One Billion Square Feet of Green Building Space Recertified under LEED |url=https://www.usgbc.org/articles/more-one-billion-square-feet-green-building-space-recertified-under-leed |website=USGBC |publisher=USGBC |access-date=15 December 2022}}</ref> Due to CASBEE's relatively short time operating as a rating system, only preliminary conclusions can be drawn regarding its effectiveness. In 2014, Dr. Naoya Abe, an associate professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology who specializes in Applied Economics and Environment Policy, conducted a study to evaluate stakeholders’ perceptions of CASBEE in Japan.<ref name="Wong" /> The study surveyed local governments, architects, engineers, and building managers to gather feedback on their perceptions, motivations, incentives, and barriers towards adopting CASBEE.<ref name="Wong" /> The results concluded that the practical application of CASBEE in the building market is extremely limited.<ref name="Wong" /> Respondents with no connection to the government indicated a desire to implement CASBEE but lack the resources or support to do so.<ref name="Wong" /> These respondents also indicated a desire for more incentives, specifically priority review of CASBEE projects and financial incentives for building owners.<ref name="Wong" /> The results of the study suggest a disconnect between the government agencies employing CASBEE and other stakeholders in the building industry.<ref name="Wong" />
== See also == *LEED *BREEAM *Living Building Challenge *Sustainable architecture
== External links == * http://www.ibec.or.jp/CASBEE/english/ *https://www.japan.go.jp/global_issues/carbon_neutrality/index.html#:~:text=Green%20Innovation&text=The%20era%20of%20treating%20environmental,pursues%20carbon%20neutrality%20by%202050. *https://www.mlit.go.jp/index_e.html *https://www.ibec.or.jp/
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:Environment of Japan Category:Building energy rating Category:Sustainable building rating systems