Each year, thousands of architects ascend upon the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design to explore what’s next for the built environment. The conversations are increasingly urgent: the push to decarbonize, how to adapt our existing building stock for the needs of the future, a demand for resilience in the face of increasing storms, fires, and floods. But beyond these themes is a fundamental question — who has access to high performance buildings, and who doesn’t?
Removing Barriers to Certification
If high performing buildings are a public necessity, then sustainability assessment and certification programs shouldn’t be reserved only for those projects with the highest budgets. That belief is what led Green Building Initiative (GBI) to launch the Activate Community Collaboration to Elevate Sustainable Solutions (ACCESS) program. The ACCESS program, as it’s known, was created to remove financial and technical barriers to third-party certification for community serving projects. The program provides complimentary Green Globes® assessment and certification, including the support of a Green Globes Professional (GGP) to projects that provide a benefit to their local community.
Why Community-Serving Projects Need More Support
Community serving projects are too often expected to do more with less: smaller budgets, fewer staff resources, tighter timelines. Yet these are the exact projects that most directly shape our communities. When certification is out of reach, performance goals can become aspirational rather than integrated. GBI’s ACCESS program shifts that dynamic.
Case Study: The Beehive in South Los Angeles
One example is The Beehive, developed by SoLa Impact, an affordable housing and real estate investment company serving black and brown communities in South Los Angeles. Recognized as GBI’s 2024 ACCESS recipient, SoLa’s headquarters, The Beehive, is a 92,000-square-foot adaptive reuse campus that has transformed the local economy and emerged as the epicenter of entrepreneurship and culture for the Black community in Los Angeles. Beyond its mission, The Beehive is inherently sustainable as an adaptive reuse project, making use of an existing campus and aiding in urban infill. By pursuing Green Globes, the project team was able to go a step further, formally certifying performance across energy, water, indoor environmental quality, and materials. In doing so, they benefited from a rigorous yet adaptable framework that allows teams to evaluate their environmental performance, communicate where they are, and learn where they can improve. Third-party certification strengthens community trust and equips project teams with data to inform future decisions, turning certification into a catalyst for continued improvement.
The Beehive, developed by SoLa Impact | Los Angeles, CA
The Role Architects Play in Advancing Access
Architects are uniquely positioned to advocate for sustainability tools and programs, to recommend certification pathways early in design, and to collaborate with developers seeking to strengthen their impact. The future of sustainable design will not be defined solely by the most technologically advanced projects. It will be defined by sustainable, healthy, and resilient buildings becoming the norm in every community. GBI’s ACCESS program is just one mechanism to move the industry in that direction.
Nominate a Community Benefit Project
Selected projects that are creating positive impacts for their local community receive complimentary Green Globes certification and the support of a Green Globes Professional (GGP). Nominate a Project Today.
People Also Ask
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What are the benefits of a building certification?
Building certification programs confirm, through third-party review, that a building's construction and operation meets science-based standards for sustainability, health & wellness, and resilience. Following certified practices can also increase ROI by lowering utility and other operating costs, while increasing rental premiums. -
Why choose GBI for building certification?
GBI offers a rigorous yet flexible and supportive approach to building certification programs — backed by science, reviewed by independent third-party assessors, and recognized at the federal level. GBI assigns a dedicated assessor to guide your project from the earliest stages through final certification. -
Why should I certify my building?
Building certifications provide independent confirmation that sustainability investments are real and measurable—building credibility with tenants, investors, and regulators. Building certifications can also support higher rental premiums, lower operating costs, improved occupant health, and compliance with sustainability-related policy requirements.