EDGE: a green building platform accessible to all

Developed for emerging countries, EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiency) is part of the GBMTP (Green Buildings Market Transformation Program), a holistic strategy of the IFC (International Finance Corporation), a member of the World Bank, to guide construction towards a low-carbon path in rapidly urbanizing economies. The program outlines the benefits for developers, owners, governments, banks and construction professionals to work together to unlock the potential of an era of green construction and development.

How does EDGE contribute to the advancement of green construction?

EDGE enables benefits in more than one sphere, reaching the different actors involved. For owners, certification can offer better financing conditions, recognition of green buildings from the certificate and efficient resource savings. Developers, banks and other professionals in the sector can attract new investors, use product differentiation and sustainability brands, and complement the efficiency of the construction process by adopting efficiency measures, which can be combined with other sustainable certifications, such as LEED. This information provides analyses of projects to help stakeholders make decisions. In this sense, recently updated (version 3.0.0), the application has improved its baseline, in addition to including, for example, new types of buildings, new efficiency measures, new countries and climate parameters. With this, EDGE is even more functional and intuitive, in addition to providing greater control and precision in the results.

How does the certification work?

EDGE classifies the project in percentages of savings in energy, water and materials through simulation by the application, which compares EDGE efficiency standards, based on local standards, goals and practices, with a personalized baseline for each project, which considers location, data, building type and technical specifications, occupancy data, among others. In this way, it offers a personalized certification, according to the three levels below:

For the first two levels, EDGE offers two certifications: preliminary (design) and EDGE (post-construction). The first can be obtained before the project is built and requires documents to prove the implementation of efficiency measures and materials used, which, after being analyzed by an auditor, are approved, with a recommendation for acceptance to the regulatory body, or rejected, with a request for review. After the recommendation, there is, subsequently, a quality check by the certifying body, which grants the preliminary certification or closes the process. After the preliminary certification of the project is completed, a process similar to EDGE certification (post-construction) occurs, in which an on-site audit is carried out, again establishing a recommendation or request for review by the auditor. With the verification by the certifying body, the final EDGE certification is guaranteed. You can see how the certification works in the flowchart below:

It is worth noting that EDGE clients have a great deal of autonomy in this certification process, since they analyze and register their projects through the app. In this sense, we recommend the participation of EDGE Experts, professionals trained and accredited by EDGE, who offer consulting services to those who wish to apply for certification, assisting in the insertion of information into the app and in the analysis of proposed solutions and the necessary documentation. In this regard, Mitsidi works with three EDGE specialists: Rosane Fukuoka, who is also an auditor, Luisa Zucchi and Giovana Gonçalves.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that, for zero carbon certification, the certificate is unique and requires annual data on energy consumption and generation. Advanced EDGE and zero-carbon certifications have gained greater recognition for even more efficient projects, with zero-carbon being linked to the IFC's goals for new buildings by 2030 and for all buildings by 2050.

Learn more about EDGE

To learn more about EDGE, including its certification, market involved, cases, articles, among others, visit: Edge Buildings

To access and use the application, register at: Edge Buildings Registry

To consult EDGE experts, go directly to the address: Edge Exports

Mitsidi Team

Would you like to submit your project for EDGE certification? Contact Mitsidi and request a quote!