Rio de Janeiro City Hall has decided to encourage sustainable construction by offering a 50 percent tax reduction for certified building projects. The Qualiverde certification system will allocate points for various sustainable construction components, such as green roofs, solar heating and energy-efficient lighting. The Qualiverde label will be granted to construction projects that obtain at least 70 percent of the total possible number of points.

There will be two different types of label: Qualiverde for buildings with less than 100 points and Qualiverde Total for those with 100 or more.

“We want to attain the level of European countries, where up to 15 percent of buildings are constructed in accordance with these standards,” architect Pedro Rolim of the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Department of Urban Planning told Tierramérica.

To enter into force, the certification system must be approved by the municipal legislature.