Abstract: An internationalisation & harmonisation of building assessment systems is currently taking place on different fields (standardization, research programs, public and private initiatives). This mainstream infers the use of socio-economic indicators that are applicable to a urban area scale (e.g. eco neighbourhoods and sustainable cities) and makes of international co-ordination an evident field of investment. The CSTB has done an international benchmark regarding energy efficiency and Green Building assessment methods. The present paper presents the main conclusions of this benchmark and the CSTB initiative – the Global Environmental Alliance- which aims at developing a global assessment system for sustainable construction, neighbourhoods and cities.

Key words: Green building environmental assessment, design & performance, international developments, harmonisation, market driven tools, certification and labelling.