The certification of landscapes sustainability

The Sites program has been developed through a collaborative, interdisciplinary effort of the American Society of Landscape Architects, The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Centre at The University of Texas at Austin, and the United States Botanic Garden and is applied to align land development and management with innovative sustainable design. SITES is the culmination of years of research and development by leading professionals in the fields of soil, water, vegetation, materials and human health.  

Administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), SITES offer a comprehensive rating system designed to distinguish sustainable landscapes, measure their performance and elevate their value. SITES certification is for development projects located on sites with or without buildings—ranging from national parks to corporate campuses, streetscapes to homes, and more. 

SITES is a sustainability-focused framework that ushers landscape architects, engineers and others toward practices that protect ecosystems and enhance the mosaic of benefits they continuously provide our communities, such as climate regulation, carbon storage and flood mitigation.

SITES-certified landscapes help reduce water demand, filter and reduce stormwater runoff, provide wildlife habitat, reduce energy consumption, improve air quality, improve human health and increase outdoor recreation opportunities. 

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has been a long-time supporter and stakeholder in the Sustainable SITES Initiative. USGBC has incorporated certain SITES credit content into iterations of the LEED green building rating system. Likewise, SITES has adapted LEED credits as part of its SITES v2 Rating System, when relevant and appropriate. Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) provides project certification to the requirements of the SITES v2 Rating System.

So, SITES and LEED rating systems are complementary, and can be used independently or in tandem. 

Green Building Management has recently carried out the SITES preevaluation study for the HP corporative campus in Sant Cugat del Vallès, a234.420,23 m² centre focused on the 3D printing technology.