Arc Performance Certificates

Published on: 
Sunday, November 17, 2019

New ways to recognize leadership

Arc creates scores for spaces, buildings and places based on real world, operational performance. These scores help distinguish leaders and power market transformation.

With its new “Arc, for all” model, Arc provides three complementary ways to engage and recognize leadership:

  1. All in. Get started for free.

  2. Performance Certificates. Get recognized for operational performance in any of the five Arc categories. 

  3. LEED Certification. Work towards this globally-recognized sign of leadership based on prescriptive and performance requirements.   

Beginning January 2020, the new Arc Performance Certificates will reflect performance in one of five categories: energy, water, waste, transportation, or human experience. Performance Certificates include Arc Scores -- both Performance and Improvement -- and key performance metrics. They are based on a specific performance period, and they are deemed valid for up to 1 year from the date they are issued. 

Performance Certificates are not certifications, and they do not convey any categorical rating, such as Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum.

 

The new Performance Certificates will be available for free for all Arc users during December 2019. They will be offered by subscription in 2020. Users will be able to generate as many certificates as they would like within a 12-month subscription period. This will help users communicate improvement or share performance information with third parties, such as GRESB or investors. 

Each Performance Certificate includes two Arc Scores, including the Performance Score and the new Improvement Score: 

Performance Scores are based on the same criteria used in LEED Recertification. That means that projects achieving a Performance Score of greater than 40 are potentially eligible to pursue LEED. The Performance Score represents the relative rank of the project when compared to a global database of green building projects. A top score of 100 means that the project is among the very best on that metric. The minimum score means the project has room for improvement. 

Improvement Scores are new. They represent a project’s change in performance over a 24-month period based on a 12-month baseline and a 12-month performance period. The observed change in performance is translated into a score by comparing the project’s observed improvement to 2018 GRESB results for investor-owned property companies and funds. An Improvement Score of 100 indicates that the change is comparable to the best investor-owned properties in the world. A score of 0 indicates that the property is at or below the overall average for the GRESB universe. Learn more about the Arc Improvement Score.  

Arc Performance Certificates are not reviewed by GBCI. They are subjected to a set of automated quality control checks to ensure that data are:

  1. Complete: Information is provided for the period covered by the certificate.

  2. Timely: Information is provided within 12 months.

  3. Relevant: Information is entered in appropriate units and data types. 

  4. Reasonable: Information falls within an acceptable range based on the project type and other parameters. 

  5. Documented: Information is backed up by supporting documentation.

Arc Performance Certificates are suitable for a variety of purposes, including display to tenants, communication with management and submission to GRESB. 

Ultimately, Arc Performance Certificates provide a new tool to help motivate and recognize leadership. The Arc team hopes they provide an easy-to-use complement to certification that helps engage more projects in our mission to create better buildings for people and the environment.