In keeping with Raanana’s city vision, the municipality continues to lead with its sustainable projects.  The City Council recently decided that from the first of June, new construction will be permitted only to developers and contractors who meet the green 5281 standard of the Israel Standards Institute.  This means that all the construction plans submitted to the local committee for planning and construction, for either residences or offices, must meet this standard, as part of the mayor’s vision for maximal environmental protection.

The Israeli standard for green construction was authorized in 2005 and provides a long list of actions and conditions that must be implemented in order to receive the standard mark from the Israeli Standards Institute.

The standard involves four fields: energy, water, land and environment and includes a list of criteria:  thermal insulation of 25% above that required by a regular standard, a subterranean level for service and parking, protecting the land by preventing harm to its flora and planting mature trees, a savings of water up to 40% of the accepted average, protecting the natural drainage system and planning that reduces noise and provides acoustic insulation.

The standard details a list of steps that the developer must implement, which involves a point system, and a minimum amount of points must be accumulated in each of the chapters.

The Israel Standards Institute has set up a unit responsible for providing support and assessment for each construction project built according to this standard.  The standard mark will be issued after the steps are completed for granting the application form # 4.

Mayor Nahum Hofree: “This process we have undertaken integrates the need to provide green housing and office space with the essential need to use natural resources in an intelligent and wise manner that does not detract from but rather benefits the environment.”