DBC1.2: Green Building Certifications

This indicator assesses whether projects in the entity’s development portfolio have obtained, or are registered to obtain, third-party green building certifications. Certification provides external validation of a project’s sustainability performance, strengthening transparency and demonstrating a commitment to high-quality, resilient development.

Select yes or no. If yes, select all applicable sub-options.

Scheme name and sub-scheme name:  Select from the dropdown list of green building certifications at the time of design/construction.

Refer to the Scheme Lists page for the complete list of recognized building certification schemes, which will remain eligible for the 2026 and 2027 assessments.

Report on green building certifications obtained before or during the reporting year. In addition, building certifications obtained after the end of the reporting year can be reported under the following conditions:

• It applies to a project in development before or during the reporting year.

• The project registration is issued on or before the official GRESB submission deadline. Any project registration issued after the official GRESB submission deadline cannot be reported.

Participants may include pre- or interim assessments conducted by the official certification authority that result in an official pre-certification.

Some green building certificates are valid for a limited period only – the certificate should be effective and official during the reporting year.

Projects registered to obtain a green building certificate: Report projects that have registered with the certification body to obtain (but not yet achieved) a green building certificate by the end of the reporting year.

Projects that obtained a green building certificate: Report projects that have obtained a green building certificate by the end of the reporting year.

Portfolio coverage: Portfolio coverage is calculated based on floor area. The numerator is the floor area to which the selected answer option applies. The denominator is the total floor area of all development projects as reported in DR1. Projects with multiple standard requirements should report only once, using the green building certification scheme that is the most stringent in the region where the project is located. The total combined portfolio coverage cannot exceed 100%.

The level achieved with successful completion of the rating scheme.

% of GAV (optional): % of GAV is calculated based on the GAV of assets registered or certified. To do so, this number should be calculated as the % of GAV of all assets certified to the respective scheme, adjusted by the % of floor area certified.

• For example, certified Asset A makes up 20% of the portfolio GAV. However, only 80% of its floor area is certified. The “% of GAV certified” of Asset A will be 20% * 80% = 16%.

Number of registered/certified projects: The number should be smaller than or equal to the number of reported assets in DR1.

Terminology

Green building certificate

Recognition that a project has received a green building rating. A certificate indicates the name and location of the project, version of the rating system, date of certification, and level of recognition.

Number of certified projects

The number of projects within the total portfolio for which green building certificates were obtained for projects (a) that are complete and/or (b) were in progress at the end of the reporting year.

Performance period

The period during which the performance of a building is assessed to demonstrate compliance with the established criteria of a building certification.

Scheme name

The name of the certification scheme.

Sub-scheme name

A Green Building Certificate’s sub-category to a Scheme name used to certify a particular property type and/or to specify the type of building certificate (whether a Green Building Certificate is an Operational Green Building Certificate or a New Construction Green Building Certificate).

Evidence not required.

Step 1: Calculate Floor Area Coverage

GRESB calculates a certification coverage by:

1. Dividing the weighted floor area by the total floor area of development projects, as reported in DR1.

GRESB validates each certification according to a list of predefined criteria. This results in one of the following validation outcomes and scoring weights:

Step 2: Benchmark the Certified Floor Area

GRESB compares the certification coverage against a relevant benchmark distribution based on the same property subtype and country to achieve a score.

Step 3: Determine Final Score

GRESB multiplies the score achieved in step two by the maximum score of DBC1.2 (9 points) to identify the entity's score.

Scoring Basics

EPRA Best Practices Recommendations on Sustainability Reporting, 3rd version, September 2017: Cert-Tot, CRE8