What is leed certification?
Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification
program that is used worldwide. Developed by the nonprofit U.S Green Building
Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design,
construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings, homes, and
neighborhoods, aimed at assisting building owners and operators. Use resources
responsibly and efficiently. By 2015, there were more than 80,000
LEED-certified buildings and more than 100,000 LEED-approved professionals.
Most LEED-certified buildings are located in major U.S. metropolitan areas.
LEED Canada has developed a separate rating system for the rules and climate of
that country.
LEED
is a design tool instead of a performance measurement tool and focuses on
energy modeling instead of using actual energy. It lacks climate precision and
has been criticized for a point system that could encourage inappropriate
design choices and make energy conservation the weakest part of the assessment.
It has also been criticized for the LEED brain phenomenon where the public
relations value of LEED certification drives the development of buildings.
History
The
development of leadership in the Energy and Environmental Design Certification Program
began in 1993, led by Robert K. Watson, a senior scientist at the Natural
Resources Defense Council, and supported by the US Green Building Council.
Among the contributors to the initial guidelines were J.D Polk, co-founder of
Solar Cells, Incorporated, and Advocate Lawton Chiles, who was Florida
Governor.
Watson
led a broad-based consensus process for two decades, bringing together
nonprofits, government agencies, architects, engineers, developers,
manufacturers, product manufacturers, and other industry leaders. Steven Winter
was chairman of the USGBC Board of Directors from 1999 to 2003. At the time,
Scott Horst, Senior Vice President of USGBC, LEED, was chairman of the LEED
Steering Committee before joining USGBC staff. Among the members of the initial
LEED committee was USGBC co-founders Mike Italiano, architects Bill Reed and
Sandy Mendler, builders Gerard Heiber and Myron Kibbe, and engineer Richard
Bourne. As interest in LEED grew, engineers Tom Paladino and Lynn Barker
co-chaired the LEED Technical Committee that was formed in 1996.
From 1994 to 2015, LEED has grown from a standard for new construction and has
become a broad system of interrelated standards across aspects from design and
construction to the maintenance and operation of buildings. LEED has also grown
from a six-committee volunteer to an organization of 119,924 staff, volunteers,
and professionals. LEED standards have been applied to an estimated 83,452
registered and certified LEED projects worldwide, covering approximately 13.8
billion square feet.
LEED Rating systems
LEED
2009 includes ten rating systems for the design, construction, and management
of buildings, homes, and surroundings. Five maximum classifications with
specialties are available under the LED Professional Program. The suite
consists of-
i.
Green Building Design and Construction (BD+C) - for new construction, core and
shell, school, retail space, and healthcare facilities
ii.
Green interior design and construction - for commercial and retail interiors
iii.
Operation and maintenance of green buildings
iv.
Green neighborhood development
v.
Green home design and construction
LEED
also forms the basis for other sustainability rating systems such as the US
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Labs21.
Point system
10
additional points can be earned: 4 for regional priority credit and 6 for
innovation in design. Additional performance sections for dwellings recognize
the importance of transportation access, open space, outdoor physical
activity, and the need for buildings and settlements to educate occupants. Prior
to LEED 2009 evaluation and certification, a building must comply with
environmental laws and regulations, occupancy conditions, building durability
and pre-rating completion, site boundaries, and site-to-site ratios. The power
and water use of the building must be shared with its owner five years after
the occupation or the date of certification.
The
credit weighting process consists of the following steps: First, a collection
of reference buildings is evaluated to estimate the environmental impacts of
similar buildings. NIST weights are applied to each section to judge the
relative importance of these effects. Information on the actual impact on the
environment and human health is then used to allocate points for individual
categories and measurements. This arrangement results in a balanced average for
each rating scheme based on the actual impact and the relative importance of
these effects on human health and environmental quality.
Buildings
can qualify for four levels of certification-
Certified:
40–49 points
Silver:
50–59 points
Gold:
60–79 points
Platinum:
80 points and above.
Certification Process
LEED
certification is approved by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI),
which provides third-party verification of a project's compliance with LEED
requirements. The certification process for the design team is documented under
the design application, architect, and engineer, in the official construction
drawings, under the construction application, under the building contractor,
and during the construction and commissioning of the Building.
A fee is required for building registration and submission of design and
construction applications. The total fee is assessed based on the building area
from a minimum of $ 2,900 to $ 1 million for a large project. Soft costs -
i.e., additional costs on a building project to qualify for LEED certification
- can range from 1% to 6% of total project costs. The average cost increase was
about 2% or an additional $3– $5 per square foot. The application review and
certification process are conducted through LEED Online USGBC's web-based
service. GBCI uses LEED Online to conduct its reviews.
Qualifying
for USGBC's LEED certification can be a complex process, involving highly
detailed standards and guidelines that include mathematical calculations and
detailed documentation.
Here
is a quick, easy checklist for building certifications, which scores green
building designs and construction using a point system classified into nine
categories:
i.
Sustainable sites
ii.
Integrative process
iii.
Location and transportation
iv.
Innovation
v.
Water efficiency
vi.
Energy and atmosphere
vii.
Materials and resources
viii.
Indoor environmental quality
ix.
Regional Priority
Different research performance
i.
An analysis of savings from green buildings in 2003 in a review of 60 LED
buildings found that these buildings are on average 25-30% more energy
efficient. This provides significant benefits for increased productivity as a
result of better ventilation, temperature control, lighting control, and
reduction of indoor air pollution.
ii.
Based on similar datasets in 2013, Schiavone and Altamonte found that residents
had equal satisfaction levels in LEED and non-LEED buildings when evaluated
independently from the following factors: office type, spatial layout, distance
from windows, building size, gender, age. , Type of work, time at work, and
weekly work time. LEED-certified buildings can provide more satisfaction for
occupants who spend less than a year in an open space than in a closed office,
in a smaller building than a larger building, and who spend more time in their
workplace. The study further noted that the positive value of LEED
certification in terms of occupant satisfaction may decrease over time.
iii.
Newsham published a detailed study on IEQ and LEED buildings in August 2013.
Field studies and post-occupancy assessments were conducted in 12 green and 12
conventional buildings across Canada and North America. On-site, 974
workstations were measured for thermal conditions, air quality, acoustics,
lighting, size of workstations, ceiling height, window access and shading, and
surface finishing. The responses were positive in terms of environmental
satisfaction, satisfaction with thermal conditions, satisfaction with
external appearance, aesthetic appearance, less hassle from HVAC noise,
workplace image, quality of night sleep, mood, physical symptoms, and
reduction in airborne particulate matter. The results show that green buildings
show higher performance than similar conventional buildings.
iv.
In 2015, environmental health scientist Joseph Allen conducted a study on
indoor environmental standards and the potential health benefits of
green-certified buildings that show that green buildings provide better indoor
environmental quality with direct health benefits to the occupants of those
buildings than non-green buildings. One limitation of the study was the use of
thematic health performance indicators because the current study lacks a
definition of such indicators.
Benefits of LEED certification
i.
Profitable, cost-effective, and good for the economy
The
top two triggers for green building in the United States are client demand and
healthy building, but economic benefits cannot be ignored. Operating cost
savings, lower payout periods, and asset value increases at new green buildings
and green retrofits have been reported to be persistent. Advanced investment in
green buildings also makes properties more valuable, with an additional number
of building owners seeing a 10 percent or more increase in the value of their
assets. Owners have been reporting a percentage increase since 2012. LEED
buildings reported about 20 percent lower maintenance costs than typical
commercial buildings and green building retrofits typically reduced operating
costs by about 10 percent a year.
ii.
Prioritizing people's health and well-being
A
USGBC public opinion study found that about one-third of respondents have
direct, personal experience with poor health that is related to a bad
environment or lifestyle. We spend about 0 percent of our time indoors and
green buildings create space that enhances health and comfort.
The
USGBC study further found that when it comes to the benefits of green buildings
that resonate the most, respondents said clean air and contact with water and
toxins are low. Hear from communities that prioritize health throughout the
building and space.
Green
buildings positively affect public health. Improving indoor air quality can
reduce the absence and improvement of self-reports of work time and
productivity affected by asthma, respiratory allergies, depression, and stress.
USGBC’s own research further reinforces that employees in LEED green buildings
feel happier, healthier, and more productive.
iii. An environmental solution
Green buildings help reduce carbon, water, energy, and waste. The Department of Energy reviewed 22 LEED-certified buildings operated by the General Services Administration and found CO2 emissions were 34 percent lower, consuming 25 percent less energy and 11 percent less water, and removing more than 80 million tons of waste from landfills. According to the EPA, heating, and cooling account for about 43 percent of all fuel consumption in the country, which contributes to air pollution and generates the most amount of greenhouse gases. By improving energy efficiency, green buildings also help reduce indoor air pollution related to serious health problems. Buildings account for 12 percent of total water in the United States, while the average person uses 80-100 gallons of water per day. Water-efficiency efforts in green buildings help reduce water use and encourage rainwater capture, as well as the use of non-drinking sources.
References
https://www.usgbc.org/press/benefits-of-green-building
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadership_in_Energy_and_Environmental_Design
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