How do Green Building Certifications Apply to Signage?

Yves Plazanet

January 8, 2025
A modern, multi-tiered building with glass walls surrounded by trees and people walking nearby under a cloudy sky.

Over the past few decades, green building certifications have emerged as essential tools for promoting sustainability within the built environment. Green buildings represent a design and construction approach that prioritises economic responsibility while promoting the well-being of occupants, the community, and the environment. Although signage represents a minor element of a building project in terms of cost or material volume, its potential to align with green principles and support certification and project goals should not be underestimated.   

 At Modulex, we increasingly collaborate on green building projects that demand products and materials aligned with certification requirements. This experience has driven us to explore how signage can support these initiatives, allowing us to provide tailored solutions that help our customers meet their objectives. Well-known certifications such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), and the WELL Building Standard lead the way in advancing sustainable building practices. Each certification system has unique criteria and methodologies, creating distinct opportunities for signage to contribute.   

In this article, we explore how green building certifications apply to signage by addressing challenges, leveraging opportunities, and sharing practical examples.   

LEED, BREEAM and WELL in Relation to Signage:  

LEED   

LEED adopts a prescriptive, performance-based approach with a strong focus on energy efficiency, water conservation, and overall sustainability, making it widely applicable across global contexts but particularly dominant in the U.S. It assesses buildings based on 8 categories, contributing to an overall score and certification level -Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum.    

Signage can directly contribute to earning points across three categories: Energy and Atmosphere by introducing efficient design and construction and optimising systems and lighting; Materials and Resources by promoting waste reduction, reuse, and recycling; and Indoor Environmental Quality by reducing the release of harmful toxins in indoor air.   

BREEAM   

BREEAM, on the other hand, though also having a strong focus on environmental criteria, integrates localised environmental and legislative standards. These emphasise lifecycle analysis and site-specific ecological impacts, aligning closely with the needs of the UK and the EU. BREEAM evaluates environmental performance across 10 categories, including Energy, Waste, Health and Wellbeing, and Materials. Projects are rated on a scale ranging from “Pass” to “Outstanding,” depending on the total points achieved. While it is not always clear where signage can contribute directly to BREEAM points, there are opportunities to support the building’s sustainability goals by ensuring that products are made from eco-friendly materials, reduce waste, and contribute to a healthier indoor environment by emitting lower VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds).   

WELL Building Standard   

The WELL Building Standard distinguishes itself by focusing on the health, wellness, and comfort of building occupants, prioritising aspects such as air quality, natural light, and mental well-being. Thus, rather than focusing on the building itself, WELL focuses on the humans who will use these spaces. It assesses buildings across 10 categories, such as Air, Light, Thermal Comfort, Sound, and Community.    

By addressing how buildings impact occupant health, WELL complements environmental certifications like LEED and BREEAM by adding a human-centred layer to green building initiatives. Although WELL does not explicitly award points for signage, incorporating elements that enhance indoor air quality or lighting can support a building’s WELL criteria. Moreover, efficient wayfinding, inclusive signage, and materials that improve the overall user experience can contribute to a healthier, more productive environment for building occupants.   

Signage: A Dual Effect for Green Buildings  

From a materials perspective, there is a significant opportunity to align with and support environmental goals and enhance the user experience of green buildings. This can be done by selecting eco-friendly materials, sourcing FSC-certified wood or repurposed materials, using low-VOC adhesives and graphics (e.g., Greenguard Gold Certified products), or incorporating energy-efficient technologies like LED lighting or solar-powered signage. This is particularly important for buildings going for LEED and BREEAM certification and will also contribute to the healthier indoor environments valued by WELL.   

From a wayfinding and communication perspective, clear visualisation plays into green building certifications by adding cohesiveness and helping tell a story, beyond simply offering environmental benefits. As such, signage, more than being a small part of the material equation, provides an opportunity to create inclusive spaces that cater to all users with different needs and capabilities. Thoughtful design elements like tactile and braille signage, universal symbols, and clear, accessible wayfinding contribute to a positive occupant experience which satisfies green building certification criteria, particularly within WELL and BREEAM.    

 Signage can also serve as an educational tool, communicating a building’s sustainable features to occupants and visitors. Highlighting green initiatives, such as energy-saving systems, water conservation efforts, EV charging spaces, or the use of renewable materials, can inspire awareness and engagement, extending the impact of the building’s sustainability efforts beyond its walls. This dual role—practical and symbolic—positions signage as a valuable asset in advancing sustainability and green certification objectives and may directly or indirectly advance a building’s certification efforts.   

Conclusion  

Although signage accounts for a small portion of a building’s energy, material, and environmental considerations, its thoughtful and sustainable design can help secure additional points and uphold building standards. These contributions might make the difference in elevating a building to the next certification level. From a holistic standpoint, buildings pursuing green certification will unlikely overlook the opportunity to incorporate sustainable and inclusive signage.  

By leveraging our global network, expertise, and innovative products and designs, Modulex is uniquely positioned to support green building certifications at every level. Until green certifications fully recognise signage with dedicated criteria, we remain committed to developing and advocating solutions that enhance the sustainability of green building projects and drive the broader sustainable evolution of our industry.   

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