Skip to main content

AP Credential Bundle: $519 $389 — code SITELAUNCH25. Ends May 31 Get started →

Rating System

Buildings + Interiors

The rating system for new construction, renovations, and interior fit-outs. Measure social equity across every dimension of how a project is designed, built, and brought to life, from the initial design decisions to the people involved in construction and the communities affected by both.

Overview

Design and construction that centers people

Buildings + Interiors is SEAM’s rating system for projects at the design and construction stage.

It applies all four pillars of the SEAM Standard to the decisions that happen before a building opens: who you engage during planning, how you govern the project, who you hire and on what terms, what your materials are made of and where they come from, and how the finished space serves everyone it touches.

Activity categories

What gets measured gets built

SEAM activities address different dimensions of how buildings shape the daily experience and long-term outcomes of the people inside them.

Planning & Assessment

Understand your project's social context before construction begins. Document who your project affects, establish community baselines, map your value chain, and design engagement plans that reflect the specific needs of your location.

Governance & Team Training

Embed social responsibility into project management through team education, site-specific policies, alignment with recognized frameworks, and transparent public communication about your commitments and progress.

Inclusive Design & Materials

Create spaces that work for everyone through accessible design, ethical material sourcing, biophilic elements, and design decisions that center the voices of historically excluded communities.

Construction & Labor Practices

Set clear standards for how people are treated during construction. This covers fair wages, worker safety protocols, inclusive hiring practices, and decent working conditions for everyone on site.

Community & Economic Benefits

Generate economic opportunity that reaches beyond your immediate project team. Address displacement prevention, promote local employment, structure inclusive tenant agreements, and ensure your project creates broader community benefit.

Health & Environmental Quality

Protect and promote the physical and mental wellbeing of future occupants through indoor air quality standards, thermal comfort, natural lighting, and environmental features that support long-term health.

Who it’s for

Built for the teams that shape our spaces

The Buildings + Interiors track is designed for everyone who has a hand in how a new project comes to life, from the developers who set the vision to the architects and designers who execute it, and the capital providers who make it possible.

Developers + Owners

Set project requirements that embed equity into every phase of design and construction.

Architects

Use a rigorous framework to translate equity goals into spatial design decisions and material selections.

Interior Designers

Design fit-outs that serve the health, comfort, and dignity of every occupant who uses the space.

Capital Providers

Align investment decisions with a structured social equity framework and support projects that can demonstrate measurable outcomes for people and communities.

Certification levels

Bronze through Platinum

Each certification level reflects demonstrated progress across all four pillars. The path to Platinum is built on consistent, documented commitment at every level of the Standard.

01

Bronze

SEAM Bronze certification badge

Foundational commitment. The project meets baseline requirements across all four pillars, with a primary focus on identifying and avoiding harm to the people it affects.

02

Silver

SEAM Silver certification badge

Meaningful progress. The project goes beyond baseline in multiple areas and demonstrates documented outcomes that measurably benefit the people and communities it serves.

03

Gold

SEAM Gold certification badge

Active leadership. The project achieves high performance across all pillars, with innovative approaches that actively contribute to more equitable outcomes in procurement, the workplace, the community, and the supply chain.

04

Platinum

SEAM Platinum certification badge

Industry benchmark. The project sets a standard for what social equity in the built environment can look like, with transformative, documented contributions to solutions that extend beyond the project itself.

Ready to build something that works for everyone it touches?

Register your project today or download the Standard to explore the Buildings + Interiors framework.