Since the energy crisis in the 1960s, crucial research and activities were spurred to improve energy efficiency and decrease environmental pollution. To deal with the various problems the construction industry are facing, the concept of green buildings (GBs) has been gradually shaped and put forward all over the world, and green building rating systems (GBRSs) have been developed. The concept of GBs covers a wide range of elements, and its definition is constantly updated as the construction industry develops. This paper compares the development of backgrounds and statuses of green building development in various countries. It also presents an overview of the green building development situation within these countries, summarizing two influences for GB development: one external and the other internal. External factors include GB development policy support, economic benefits, and certification schemes. Internal factors are the development and application of GB technology, the level of building management, and how users interact with the GB technology. Currently, 49 worldwide green building standards and application have been sorted out, including 18 standard expert appraisal systems. Moreover, it discusses the research results and lessons learned from green building projects in different countries and summarizes their achievements and challenges. To correctly understand and use green building technology, it is essential to improve the policy and incentive system, improve the professional quality and technical ability of employees and accredited consultants, constantly develop and update the evaluation system, strengthen technological innovation, and integrate design and management. This paper aims to draw a clear roadmap for national standard development, policy formulation, and construction design companies, provide solutions to remove the obstacles, and suggest research direction for future studies.

Global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the construction industry continue to increase at an annual rate of 1.5%. It is particularly important to understand the characteristics of the building life cycle to reduce its environmental impact. This paper aims to assess the environmental impact of prefabricated buildings and traditional cast-in-situ buildings over the building life cycle using a hybrid model. A case study of a building with a 40% assembly rate in Japan was employed for evaluation. It concluded that the total energy consumption, and carbon emissions of the prefabricated building was 7.54%, and 7.17%, respectively, less than that of the traditional cast-in-situ building throughout the whole life cycle. The carbon emissions reduction in the operation phase reached a peak of 4.05 kg CO₂/year∙m². The prefabricated building was found to cost less than the traditional cast-in-situ building, reducing the price per square meter by 10.62%. The prefabricated building has advantages in terms of reducing global warming, acid rain, and health damage by 15% reduction. With the addition of the assembly rate, the carbon emissions and cost dropped, bottoming out when the assembly rate was 60%. After that, an upward trend was shown with the assembly rate increasing. Additionally, this study outlined that the prefabricated pile foundations is not applicable due to its high construction cost and environmental impact.

The Green Building Evaluation Standard (ESGB) has become an important support for China’s building sector in realizing the “double carbon” goal. However, there remains a lack of comprehensive research on the historical evolution and development status of the ESGB. This study firstly analyzes the updating logic and development strategy of the three versions of the ESGB, then compares the differences between ESGB 2019, CASBEE-NC 2014, and LEED O+M v4.1 from the perspective of the index system, and further examines the current international application status of the ESGB. The results show that LEED focuses on decarbonization and ecological protection, while CASEBB focuses on the concept of humanization and positively influences the local real estate market, and ESGB 2019 contains more health and comfort considerations than its previous version and is close to the internationally advanced level in terms of provision setting and international application. This study offers valuable insights into the potential for further refinement of green building standards in China and highlights areas for future research, including enhancing the ESGB’s adaptability and integration with emerging technologies to promote global sustainable development.

The construction of a building may change the microclimate in the vicinity, and planning indicators in a master plan may directly affect the outdoor physic

The authors would like to make the following corrections to the published paper