DASH: Database for Analyzing Sustainable
and High Performance Buildings

DASH Structure

DASH Consortium
The DASH Consortium primarily consists of organizations that host or hold existing building information databases. These organizations collaborate to promote clarity and consistency in building metric collection, with a goal to effect improvement in how information about all buildings is collected, stored, and analyzed. The Consortium helps define consensus-based DASH policy. Four Working Groups report back to the DASH Consortium.

    Clearinghouse Working Group (Chaired by GBA and New Buildings Institute)
  • Create and make public literature review of relevant background and dataset information.
  • Determines what existing organizations are currently collecting what types of and which specific building information data, as well as who has access to this information, and at what price.
  • Provides ongoing updates to this building metric inventory.
  • Includes a mapping activity to determine what information currently exists and what real estate, operational, and occupant-related building metrics previously identified by DASH as priorities are still missing from the current breadth of building information data collection.
  • Work with the Consortium to identify and describe metric and data gaps, as well as encourage collection of this missing information.

    Protocols & Metrics Working Group (Chaired by ASHRAE and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
  • Links each building metric to a standard methodology, whether existing or created by DASH.
  • Investigates and includes benchmark data, when it is available.
  • May attempt to provide conversion capabilities between existing information collection systems.
  • Assists Consortium members in moving toward consistent and useable data collection.
  • Works with Consortium members to identify how existing databases can help fill current information gaps.
  • Development will be tiered, with the following prioritized order:
    • Building and site features
    • Real estate and financial
    • Operational (will heavily reference ASHRAE’s forthcoming protocol)
    • Productivity and other occupant related information

    Repository Database Working Group (Chaired by ASHRAE and National Renewable Energy Laboratory)
  • Will address the database architecture, structure, and operations.
  • Will collaborate with and incorporate existing information from various agencies currently collecting building information data.
  • An attempt will be made to cluster or group questions into categories in order to make data requests less overwhelming.
    • Overall and contributing metrics may facilitate this strategy.
    • The DASH database will initially be an example, not a representative sample (i.e., a limited subset for in-depth study).

    Marketing and Outreach Working Group (Chaired by GBA and U.S. Green Building Council)
  • DASH’s marketing and outreach will be a collaborative effort to instill in building industry stakeholders the benefits of logging building performance.
  • The details of DASH and why its goals are important for its audience will be provided.
  • Consortium members will reach out to their organization’s members and other partners to recruit data providers.

Please note: DASH is a project in the works, and we are in the process of finalizing its structure. The goals and organization of DASH are being reviewed and refined, as are the proposed content and collection methods. Initial data input is scheduled to begin in late 2009.

Back to DASH Main Page
DASH Components


To join the DASH Corresponding Committee, through which you will get emails and updates regarding DASH, email your contact information to dash@gbapgh.org with the subject line "Request to join DASH Corresponding Committee".
For more information, please download the DASH Executive Summary or contact GBA via dash@gbapgh.org or at (412) 431-0709 x6012.