Journal of the Korean Housing Association ISSN:2234-3571(Print) 2234-2257(Online) 한국주거학회논문집

In line with the recent public concern on the environmental issues in building industry, there has been a rise in demand for a healthy, sustainable housing environment in South Korea. In order to achieve a healthy environment in residential buildings, considerable efforts have been made in a wide range of sectors. Among others, the development of the certification schemes to promote environment-friendly planning and building construction is remarkable. In urban South Korea, recently built houses tend to be significantly high-rise, high-density buildings. Global warming has brought about drastic climate change and continued to increase the average annual temperature year by year. These changes should be well reflected on the government’s implementation of the building environmental assessment system. For guidance, therefore, this study looks to the case of Hong Kong which is well known for high-density housing development and subtropical climate conditions. It compares the features of the green building certification schemes for newly developed multifamily housing in two regions, namely HK?BEAM in Hong Kong and G-SEED in South Korea. Based on the findings, it argues that the G-SEED implementor should have expanded roles in providing training programs and follow-up services in collaboration with the certification authorities. It is also argued that G-SEED professionals should be involved in the early stages of design processes, and training programs and licence systems to produce green building professionals should be developed. Finally, it points out that the assessment indicators should be more detailed and diversified.