1. Introduction
Worldwide there is hundreds of building evaluation tools that focus on different areas of sustainable
development and are designed for different types of projects. By March 2010, there were 382 registered
building software tools for evaluating energy efficiency, renewable energy, and buildings’ sustainability
[1]. However, only a few systems are widely acknowledged and really set a recognizable standard for
sustainable development. The following five systems are chosen to be reviewed in this paper because they
are currently the most popular, influential and technically advanced rating tools available [1].
• BREEAM (Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method) is the leading and
most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings. It was developed in the UK in 1990
and is the building environmental assessment method with the longest track record [1].
• The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System,
developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in 1998, provides a suite of standards for