LEED GREEN BUILDING RATING SYSTEM

(USGBC)BY SKY SLAYTON

WHAT IS LEED (LEADERSHIP IN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN)?

• Established in 1993

• The U.S. Green Building Council is committed to a sustainable, prosperous future through LEED

• LEED is a certification system to rate how green a building design and construction is.

• Can be used on both public and private buildings; including residential homes, commercial buildings, hospitals, schools, ect.

• Internationally recognized green building rating system

• Nearly 500,000 LEED homes • 100,000 Commercial Buildings either LEED

certified or going through the process • 2.2 million+ sqft

https://www.usgbc.org/articles/leed-certification-update-first-quarter-2019

LEED’S PURPOSE:• Aimed at improving:

• energy savings• water efficiency• CO2 emissions reduction• indoor environmental quality• stewardship of resources• sensitivity to their impacts.

LEED 5 CERTIFICATION TYPES

1. Building Design and Construction (LEED BD+C)

2. Interior Design and Construction (LEED ID+C)

3. Operation and Maintenance (LEED O+M)

4. Homes

5. Neighborhood Development

LEED POINTSYSTEM

Innovation and Design

Water Efficiency

Indoor Environmental Air Quality

Sustainable Site

Awareness and Education

Location and Transportation

Energy and Atmosphere

Materials and Recourses

LEED RATING

1. Platinum

2. Gold

3. Silver

4. Certification Chris Baribeau, Eco Modern Flats, Fayetteville, AR, 2011

DOWNFALLS OF LEED

• People more concerned about points then being innovative

• Expensive or Time Consuming

• Needs constant updating

• “One-size-fits-all” approach to geography

• Based on a physics professor at Oberlin College, LEED Certified buildings use more site and primary energy then other medium energy non-LEED buildings.

1225 Connecticut Avenue, in Washington, D.C., is the first redeveloped office building on the U.S. East Coast to receive

LEED Platinum status. – Photo Courtesy of AgnosticPreachersKid

Brookfield Properties and RTKL Associates, The World Bank, 1968 renovated 2009, Washington, D.C.

AN EXAMPLE OF LEED DOWNFALL:

COOKFOX Architects, Bank of America, Manhattan, N.Y., 2009

• 55 Stories Tall (+3 basement floors)• 2,100,000sqft of Office Space• First commercial high-rise of it’s size to get a Platinum

LEED rating• Uses twice as much energy as the the Empire State

Building Their trading floor, making up a third of the tower,

uses up most of the energy:o Each desk has five computer monitors to a desko The system to heat, cool, and light the huge

trading floors

• First Platinum LEED building

• 32,000 sqft Office Building

• Shortly after opening water was getting into key structural components, Parallam.

• Not structurally sound

• Still Platinum LEED building

SmithGroup, Philip Merrill Environmental Center, Annapolis, MD, 2000

AN EXAMPLE OF LEED DOWNFALL:

BENEFITS OF LEED

• Brings awareness and promotes eco-friendly materials/buildings

• Promotes low-carbon foot print

• A Universal Approach to Green Leaving

• Lower Electric, and Water Use

• Health of the Occupants

• Higher resale

• Better for environment

LEED Gold Certification

Croxton Collaborative Architects, SUNY New Paltz - Wooster Building,

2009, New Paltz, NY

LEED Factsfor LEED BD+C: New Construction (v2009)

Certification awarded Oct 2018

Gold 65

Sustainable sites 18/26

Water efficiency 10/10

Energy & atmosphere 14/35

Material & resources 9/14

Indoor environmental quality 6/15

Innovation 4/6

Regional priority credits 4/4

What makes it LEED?• Underground rainwater cistern that

funnels natural water from the roof to be stored for use in low-flow bathroom facilities

• A smart ventilation system that relies on carbon dioxide sensors to identify spaces where fresh air is needed

• An extensive use of windows to harness natural light and reduce electricity usage

• Construction with sustainable materials

Centrepoint Architecture, LLP, Proximity Hotel, 2008, Greensboro, NC

LEED Platinum Certification

• Recycled 87% of the construction debris • Over 40% of the building materials locally• Used over 20% recycled content• Restored 700 feet of an adjacent stream• Installed regenerative drive elevators

• Provided natural lighting to 97% of the occupied space

• Used energy recovery systems to provide large amounts of fresh outside air to all guests

• Sourced 90% of the furniture locally

What makes it LEED?

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC, Schne ider Electr ic

Technopole , Grenoble, 2017, France

LEED Factsfor LEED BD+C: New Construction (v4)

Certification awarded Jan 2019

Platinum 83

Integrative process credits 0/1

Sustainable sites 8/10

Water efficiency 9/11

Energy & atmosphere 27/33

Material & resources 6/13

Indoor environmental quality 9/16

Innovation 6/6

Regional priority credits 4/4

Location & transportation 14/18

LEED Platinum Certification

What makes it LEED?• EcoStruxure Build ing O perat ions for

GTB (Build ing Technical Managem ent), a true build ing brain capab le of aut om at ically m anaging t he se t t ings of different equipm ent depending on t he operat ing cond it ions and object ives .

LEED Platinum Certification

LEED Factsfor LEED BD+C: New Construction (v2009)

Certification awarded Nov 2016

Platinum 84

Sustainable sites 21/26

Water efficiency 6/10

Energy & atmosphere 30/35

Material & resources 5/14

Indoor environmental quality 12/15

Innovation 6/6

Regional priority credits 4/4

Jacobs Inst itute for Des ign Innovat ion,

Leddy MaytumSt acy, Berke ley CA,

2015

• 24,035sqf• College Campus• 74KW Photovoltaic Array• 90% Energy Reduction• 58% Renewable Eneergy• 84% Daylighting• 84% Natural Ventalation• +30% Dedicated Outdoor Air• 50% Water Conservation• 100% Stormwater Bio Filtration

AWARENESS AND EDUCATION• LEED Green Associate

• Exam (cost $250)• Experience recommended but not

required

• LEED AP with Specialty • 18 years or older• Hold a current LEED Green

Associate Credentials• Experience strongly recommended • Exam (cost $350)

SOURCES

• “Against LEED : Does LEED Matter Anymore?” Arch2O.Com, 4 Apr. 2019, www.arch2o.com/against-leed-does-leed-matter-anymore/.

• Avastthi, Bhushin. “Advantages and Disadvantages of LEED.” Green Modeling Se rvices , 26 July 2013, www.green-modeling.com/sustainability/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-leed.html.

• Hill, Brian L. “The LEED Platinum Case Study Nobody Wants You To Read.” AEC Forens ics , 15 Jan. 2017, aecforensics.com/2013/09/20/leed-platinum-case-study-nobody-wants-read/.

• Knox, Nora. “Interested in Becoming a LEED Green Associate or LEED AP? What You Need to Know.” U.S. Green Building Council, 10 Mar. 2014, www.usgbc.org/articles/interested-becoming-leed-green-associate-or-leed-ap-what-you-need-know.

• “Lee H. Brown Learning Center.” Green Ideas , 2018, www.egreenideas.com/portfolio/leebrownlearningcenter/.

• “LEED Green Building Certification.” USGBC, 2019, new.usgbc.org/leed.

SOURCES

• “LEED PLATINUM CERTIFICATION.” LEED Platinum Certification Categories and Point System Expla ined, Villiage Green Homes, blueberrypdx.com/leed-certification.htm.

• “LEED Rating Systems Explained.” Everblue Training, 2019, www.everbluetraining.com/leed-rating-systems-explained.

• Products, LD. “LEED Platinum Certification - LD Products.” LD Products - Printe r & Office Supplies , 2019, www.ldproducts.com/aboutus/leed.

• Roudman, Sam. “Bank of America's Toxic Tower.” The New Republic, 29 July 2013, newrepublic.com/article/113942/bank-america-tower-and-leed-ratings-racket.

• Watson, Bruce. “The Skyscraper at the Heart of the Debate over America's Green Building Standard.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 6 Nov. 2015, www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/nov/06/bank-of-america-one-bryant-park-leed-certification-sustainable-design.

• “What Is LEED?” Susta inability What Is LEED Comments , Boston University, 2010, www.bu.edu/sustainability/what-were-doing/green-buildings/leed/.

2020