objective and subjective data, oftentimes relying on the level 2 tools for the objective data. Because subjective elements are important here, these systems do not literally constitute life-cycle assessment, but rather the application of a life-cycle approach. Nevertheless, as systems of life-cycle analysis continue to evolve and encompass greater complexity, the trend in building assessment should be to move closer to more objective LCA. The first majorand the most influentialsystem of environmental building assessment was BREEAM, the British Research Establishments (BRE) Environmental Assessment Method that debuted in 1990. It categorized a variety of building types against a range of approximately 18 performance criteria organized in three scales: global, local and indoor. With the method mainly intended for the new office construction sector, BRE estimates that perhaps 30 percent of new office buildings in Britain since 1990 have received a BREEAM rating. Reflecting the political situation of Britain since Margaret Thatcher, its primary focus has been on using environmental performance as a way of increasing corporate benefitsthrough, for example, lower operating costs, improved work environment, and green marketing. It has been a model for many other national systems, like Hong Kongs HK-BREEAM and BREEAMCanada (Bartlett & Howard, 2000). The continental European systems emerged in a different context where government regulation was a bigger factor. The level 2 tool Eco-Quantum, for example, was an attempt to create a common language of environmental assessment and establish some standardization among various Dutch municipalities and within the building industry generally. Initiated around 1995, the first version of the programme