Sika Sarnafil, the worldwide market leader in thermoplastic roofing and waterproofing membranes, has earned a two Green Globes rating for its 5,000 s/f office and 100,000 s/f warehouse building. The Green Globes rating system is operated by the Green Building Initiative (GBI) in the U.S. and provides environmental assessment and certification for commercial buildings.
"Green Globes assessment and certification of our building is an important step for Sika Sarnafil," said Brian Whelan, senior vice president of Sika Sarnafil. "The assessment process allows the building owner to rate their building's environmental performance and to learn how it can be improved to make it more efficient and save on operational costs. Green Globes will be an important facility management tool for us going forward to identify other environmental and cost savings initiatives, and to measure and monitor our progress towards our goals."
Sika Sarnafil's sustainable features were evaluated in a two-part assessment that included third-party review and on-site verification. The design was scored on project management, site, energy, water, resources and solid waste, emissions and indoor environment. Its overall score qualified it for the Two Green Globes rating, which indicates that the design "demonstrates excellent progress in the reduction of environmental impacts and use of environmental efficiency practices."
In the energy category, points were awarded for the two solar photovoltaic arrays located on the 50,000 s/f roof of the building that provide 150 kW of power for the building and provide renewable energy equivalent to more than 10% of the building's total energy consumption. The 105,000 s/f building performed particularly well in the "resources" category, which assessed criteria such as facilities for storing and handling recyclable materials, waste reduction work plan, site pollution, and site enhancement. Sika Sarnafil scored 100 out of a possible 110 for 90.90% of the available points in this category.
Green Globes certification provides further evidence of the company's commitment to sustainable operations and business practices and complements its recent platinum certification to the NSF/ANSI 347 Sustainability Assessment for Single Ply Roofing Membranes, as well as its ISO 14001 and Responsible Care certifications.