Paper ID #28509

Student Construction Sustainability Evaluations: A LEED Lab Case Study

Dr. Jeyoung Woo P.E., California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Dr. Jeyoung Woo is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at California StatePolytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona). He is a registered Professional Engineer (Civil -Construction) in Texas. He has worked in the industry for nine years as a project manager, a corporatequality manager, a field engineer, and a designer. Also, he conducted several research projects aboutconstruction labor productivity, construction safety, engineering design quality management, and con-struction sustainability. He earned a Ph.D. and an M.S. in Civil Engineering from The University of Texasat Austin (UT-Austin) and a B.S. in Architectural Engineering from Hanyang University, ERICA. He is aMember of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and a member of the Project ManagementInstitute (PMI).

Dr. Hyun Woo Kim, Incheon National University

Dr. Kim received his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, USA in 2015. He is an Assistant Professorin the Department of Urban Policy and Administration at Incheon National University, in which he hastaught since 2017. His research interests include urban flood management, low impact development,green infrastructure planning, sustainability rating system, and environmental plan assessment.

Dr. Elaine Rawley Goetz, Ohio University Office of Sustainability

Elaine Goetz is the Director of Sustainability at Ohio University. She has a PhD in Civil Engineering andis a LEED AP O&M. Elaine taught a Sustainable Construction course at Ohio University, a precursor tothe LEED Lab course, in the spring of 2018.

c©American Society for Engineering Education, 2020

Student Construction Sustainability Evaluation: A LEED Lab Case Study Abstract Construction sustainability involves processes, decisions, and actions during a project life cycle to enhance the project’s social, economic, and environmental performance. Much of the existing guidance available to practitioners focuses on planning and execution utilizing a sustainability framework such as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). As the demand for sustainability is increasing, universities are offering courses about construction sustainability to educate future professionals and provide hands-on experience to prepare them for their careers. In response to this trend, the USGBC developed a module called LEED Lab, and encouraged its adoption for university construction sustainability courses. The LEED Lab is used by students to evaluate the existing on-campus buildings’ sustainability performances. Their evaluation is reviewed by experts for a final LEED certification. The primary objectives of this study are: 1) introduce the LEED Lab, 2) describe a course that adapted the LEED Lab to an actual case, and 3) share lessons learned, including student feedback. At the beginning of the semester, a university building was selected and fundamental information, such as drawings and energy consumption data, were collected. Then, students analyzed the building’s sustainability performances, following the eight categories of LEED v4 for Building Operations and Maintenance (LEED O+M): (1) Location and Transportation (LT), (2) Sustainable Sites (SS), (3) Water Efficiency (WE), (4) Energy and Atmosphere (EA), (5) Materials and Resources (MR), (6) Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ), (7) Innovation (IN), and (8) Regional Priority (RP). Throughout the semester, students learned the concept of sustainability and the requirements for each category before they evaluated the sustainability performance of the assigned building. The final students’ evaluations from the LEED Lab course were based on the collective activities of diverse students. Students providing feedback on this course reported that the hands-on project experience improved their understanding of construction sustainability. Moreover, students mentioned that additional time was needed to complete the project and suggested that the course should be expanded to two semesters. Greater access to data about facility operations and maintenance was also requested. This study contributes to a better understanding of how to introduce the USGBC’s LEED Lab module into a course study and how to effectively adapt the module to educate future professionals in the discipline of construction sustainability. Introduction Of the total energy consumption worldwide, 30 percent of the energy is consumed by built facilities for lighting or for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) [1]. Due to this energy usage, the economic and social impacts of sustainable development for constructed facilities continue to increase [2]. Diesendorf [3] defined sustainable development as “social and economic development that protects and enhances the natural environment and social equity.” To respond to

this high energy consumption, the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) initiated the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification program in 1993.LEED has become one of the most popular sustainable rating systems in the world ([4]-[6]). Later, the USGBC developed the LEED Lab program through a collaboration with The Catholic University of America to teach sustainability concepts such as energy conservation and efficiency, with real-world applications of the knowledge [7]. As illustrated in Figure 1, the LEED Lab is a multidisciplinary course. Students evaluate the sustainability performance of an existing campus building or operations on campus ([5], [8]). The LEED Lab also provides a unique approach to sustainable practices in daily operations and maintenance (O+M) for existing buildings on campus [7].

Figure 1. Procedure of the LEED Lab Program

A number of prior studies have addressed the importance of a collaborative project and student interaction to prepare for future career paths ([5], [9]-[11]). Dewey also introduced the concept of “learning by doing” that several higher educational institutions have actively adopted for their course curricula, along with project-based learning (PBL) and service-learning [12]. By taking a “learning by doing” course, students are able to acquire technical knowledge about the subject as well as practical experience by demonstrating their knowledge and interacting with project stakeholders such as other students, university staff, and people in their community. Thus, students have the opportunity to apply theoretical concepts to real-world problems and develop their career paths and skill sets that employers consider when hiring a college graduate. Students also take on leadership roles by collaborating with multiple stakeholders to create appropriate solutions. Moreover, students who take the course can achieve the following seven outcomes defined by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) [13]:

1) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics,

2) an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors,

3) an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences,

4) an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts,

5) an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives,

6) an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions, and

7) an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

These learning outcomes were the primary motivation for developing the course, Sustainable Construction, at one public university in Athens, OH. The pilot LEED Lab course at the university was launched in Spring 2018 by one of the authors of this paper as a three-credit course, and the first LEED Lab course was offered in Spring 2019 by another author of this paper with official LEED Lab registration to the USGBC. The Sustainable Construction course was focused on undergraduate students, but open to graduate students with additional required activities. In this paper, the authors describe the Sustainable Construction course that incorporated the LEED Lab module. The authors present details about project selection, team composition, and course design to illustrate how these factors affect project execution. The outcomes from this project, based on the students’ course evaluation and lessons learned, are documented in this paper for future application in course development. LEED Lab Case Study The authors are former or current faculty members and staff experts at the university where this course was offered, and each contributed to the course development as a subject matter expert. As of January 2020, 40 university programs participated in the LEED Lab program and the university was the 31st participant [8]. When the Sustainable Construction course was offered in Spring 2019, the university had 12 LEED Certified buildings in the LEED New Construction (NC) or the LEED Commercial Interior (CI) rating systems. Any of the 12 existing LEED certified buildings are not LEED Operations and Maintenance (O+M) certified. The Office of Sustainability at the university defines sustainability as “the capacity to simultaneously benefit people, the planet and prosperity now and in the future” [14]. To address their sustainability mission and vision, the LEED Lab program has been adopted, which is beneficial to various stakeholders, including students, faculty members, and the community. One of the benefits of the LEED Lab participation is that the course offers students a hands-on experience, along with sustainability knowledge, and allows students to take the LEED Green Associate (GA) and LEED Accredited Professional (AP) accreditation exams when the LEED Lab project is completed. Experience on a LEED registered project is no

longer required by the USGBC for exam candidates [5], but LEED Lab experience helps familiarize test takers with the LEED rating systems. Course Overview The Sustainable Construction course was offered as a three-credit course, scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. In Spring 2019, the USGBC released the LEED v4.1 Beta and offered two options for the LEED Lab program: using traditional calculations to evaluate sustainability performance; or using an ArcSkoru platform to submit and analyze building data. The students at the university were required to use both LEED v4 and LEED v4.1 to collect and analyze the sustainability performance of the ARC Building. Table 1 presents the course schedule for the Sustainable Construction course for Spring 2019.

Table 1. Summary of the Course Schedule of Sustainable Construction for Spring 2019.

Week # Topic Assignment

1 ‒ Course Introduction ‒ Drivers and Definitions of Sustainability

2 ‒ Building Rating Systems ‒ Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

(LEED)

3 ‒ Overview of the LEED O+M v4 ‒ LEED Lab Introduction

4 ‒ (Guest Lecture) Director, Office of Sustainability ‒ LEED O+M #1 (Location and Transportation, LT) ‒ Evolution of Sustainability

5 ‒ LEED O+M #2 (Sustainable Sites, SS) ‒ LEED O+M #2 (Regional Priority, RP)

[PPT] LEED O+M #1

6 ‒ (Guest Lecture) Ground Service Manager ‒ Sustainability Policies and Programs

7 ‒ LEED O+M #3 (Materials and Resources, MR) ‒ LEED O+M #3 (Innovation, IN)

[PPT] LEED O+M #2

8 Spring Break

9 ‒ Project Delivery and Pre-Design Sustainability ‒ LEED O+M #4 (Water Efficiency, WE)

[PPT] LEED O+M #3

10 ‒ (Guest Lecture) Director, Office of Sustainability ‒ LEED O+M #4 (Energy and Atmosphere, EA) (1)

11 ‒ (Guest Lecture) Manager, HVAC/Control Shops ‒ (Guest Lecture) Environmental Safety Coordinator ‒ LEED O+M #4 (Energy and Atmosphere, EA) (2)

12 ‒ LEED O+M #5 (Indoor Environmental Quality, IEQ) [PPT] LEED O+M #4

13 ‒ Pre-occupancy Sustainability Opportunities ‒ The Future of Sustainable Buildings and Infrastructure

14 ‒ LEED O+M (LEED Lab) Final Presentation [PPT] LEED O+M # 1-5

Project Description The instructor of the Sustainable Construction course selected the Academic and Research Center (ARC, see Figure 2) built in 2009 at the university as the target building for the LEED Lab. The ARC Building is composed of large classrooms, faculty offices, group study rooms, and a cafeteria with an atrium. The primary reason for selecting the ARC Building as a LEED certification candidate is that the building was newly constructed on campus, and therefore, energy or utility meters have been installed and well operated. As the building manager for the ARC Building is housed in the College of Engineering and Technology Dean’s office, students were allowed to collect most of the necessary data, such as ongoing procurement data. In addition, the majority of civil engineering courses were taught in this building, which made students to have a better understanding about the function and layout of the building. Lastly, this building does not contain any private areas, such as dormitory rooms, so students were allowed to examine the entire building in detail.

(a) ARC Building Exterior

(b) Elevation - Drawing

Figure 2. Images of the ARC Building (Photo Courtesy of Ohio University) The building has a gross area of 101,850 sq. ft. with five different levels: the area of the lower level is 13,400 sq. ft.; the area of the 1st floor is 27,700 sq. ft.; the area of the 2nd floor is 23,750 sq. ft.; the area of the 3rd floor is 25,500 sq. ft.; and the area of the mechanical penthouse is 11,500 sq. ft. Project Team Organization In order to provide a necessary understanding of the ARC Building, the authors selected and recruited technical advisors who have significant working experiences (+5 years) on campus, with the support of the former Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology. Technical advisors came to the class and discussed university practices in terms of energy performance, indoor air quality, and waste management. After the instructor introduced a topic, an advisor described their applications of the topic on the campus. For example, in Monday’s class, the instructor went over the prerequisite and each optional credit for Materials and Resources (MR). Then, the technical

advisor (Facility Manager at the university) discussed waste management practices and ways to collect the waste data, and then answered students’ questions in order to prepare their evaluations during the following class on Wednesday. The instructor of the Sustainable Construction course divided the class into five different teams (with six to seven students per team) considering the following factors: students’ preference based on prior teamwork experiences and their classification by academic standing (by credit hours). Each team included two or more students with prior working experiences and the number of students in each team was balanced. Furthermore, the instructor collected a confidential peer evaluation (see Figure 3) for each submittal (presentation or report) to identify teamwork issues and resolve conflicts among team members. The criteria of the confidential peer evaluations were addressed and measured based on the ABET Criterion 5, “an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives” [13].

Figure 3. Sample image of the Confidential Peer Evaluation

This confidential peer evaluation promoted every team member’s participation and taught them how to collaborate and evaluate each other’s work. Each student’s participation grade was adjusted based on the observations of other team members. Requirements for the LEED Lab Project Module Requirements for the LEED Lab module were the actual requirements for LEED certification of a building, including adopting written policies such as Site Management Policy (for the Sustainable Sites criteria) or the Ongoing Purchasing and Waste Policy (for the Materials and Resources

criteria). Since the building chosen for the LEED Lab module did not have existing written policies, students were required to identify elements and draft the policies, which will be modified and approved by the actual building managers. Because building projects in the LEED Lab program are eligible for six points in the LEED O+M v4 Innovation category, students also were required to maximize points achieved in the LEED O+M v4 Innovation category. Even though the LEED Lab project was a group activity, each student was required to evaluate and assign a score for every criterion. During the presentation and final presentation, each group included the scorecard (see Figure 4) and discussed their suggestions to the university. Next, all of the teams’ lessons learned, feedback comments, and suggestions were combined and documented for further consideration.

Figure 4. Sample of the Score Card

Outcomes of the LEED Lab Project The major objective of the Sustainable Construction course with the LEED Lab module was to educate students in a variety of areas, including leadership, teamwork, goals, and deadlines. Also, students were expected to develop critical thinking skills through the LEED Lab module. In order to assess the students’ learning outcomes, the authors analyzed the course evaluation results to understand students’ ratings of the Sustainable Construction course. The overall course satisfaction was 3.48 (87.0 percent), where the Likert scale of 1 is Strongly Disagree and 4 is Strongly Agree. One of the survey questionnaires for the course evaluation was “assignments (homework, reports, etc.) contribute significantly to my learning of the course material.” The average response to this question was 3.38 (84.5 percent) on a scale of 1 - 4. Among 32 students,

about 67 percent of students indicated that they have learned “A Lot or Quite a Bit” in this course about sustainability. The course evaluation included the following comments for “What I liked the best about this course”:

I liked learning about the application of the USGBC LEED Program.

I liked that I learned a lot about the topic I was not familiar with prior to this class.

I liked that this class showed me how to perform a LEED analysis on the ARC (Building) and determine how to asset and organize the data effectively.

Also, the course evaluations included the following comments for “If I were to change this course to make it better, I would”:

Easier to get valuable information

Break the LEED accreditation into a half-class assignment. Don’t require the entire class to do the entire project. The ability to understand certain aspects more in-depth would be possible if the project groups were larger. The deadlines felt too close and I always felt like I was rushing to finish a presentation.

I wish this class was a year-long instead of one semester long.

Make it longer and understand the submittal process better.

Maybe split the work up differently. Have each category group assign roles like: leader, presentation-maker, liaison (between group and field expert).

Smaller LEED Lab.

Make it a longer duration (i.e., a year). Lessons Learned The authors actively interacted with Jaime Van Mourik, the Vice President of Education at the USGBC, and with other LEED Lab coaches. In addition, the authors received great support from the LEED Lab participants’ discussion group on Yammer. Due to excellent community support, the authors minimized potential errors by applying some of the lessons documented from the experience of others. Project Scope When an instructor considers and selects a facility for the LEED Lab, the accessibility and familiarity with the building are the two most important factors. If a candidate facility is a dormitory project on campus, students might not have ready access to the building to examine and evaluate its sustainability performance. Also, if the building is never used by the students who must evaluate its performance, the instructor should facilitate a tour for the class before they start evaluating its performance.

To comply with the data requirements by the USGBC, e.g., an analysis of a 12-month performance period for the energy and water usage of the building, that data must be available, valid and accessible by the students. Learning from Previous Projects The most frequent feedback comments about the course pertained to the time given for the entire LEED Lab module activity. Students who took the Sustainable Construction course did not have any previous experience in sustainability. Therefore, the instructor had to start the lectures with the concept of sustainability. Then, the instructor taught the required prerequisites and optional credits for the eight criteria (Location and Transportation, Sustainable Sites, Regional Priority, Materials and Resources, Innovation, Indoor Environmental Quality, Water Efficiency, and Energy and Atmosphere). This process allowed each group only two weeks to prepare each submittal, as per the course schedule defined by the instructor. Due to the time limitation, students could not document and submit all of their evaluations to the Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). For the LEED Lab-participating students to complete the entire cycle of the LEED certification, the authors strongly recommend this LEED Lab course as two three-credit courses. Technical Advisors Students were able to meet each technical advisor (university staff and other faculty members) during the advisor’s guest lecture, but the authors would recommend facilitating a panel discussion session with all the advisors at the beginning of the semester. This would allow all parties to become familiar with each other and to understand each advisor’s roles and responsibilities for this LEED Lab Module. A panel discussion session could provide students with an additional opportunity to meet the technical advisors prior to needing assistance with course objectives. Also, considering that each advisor has a fulltime commitment as university staff, it would foster their participation and support for the LEED Lab course if they were given very specific and detailed requests. Conclusions and Recommendations The sustainability construction course with a LEED Lab module can be taught effectively by having students evaluate the sustainability performance of an assigned building on campus. Students may improve critical thinking skills by working on a project that is focused on teamwork, interactions with stakeholders, and documentation of their findings. Based on the experience with the LEED Lab module, the authors suggest the below recommendations for instructors who may teach the LEED Lab in the near future:

Project selection – When selecting an existing building for the LEED certification, an instructor should consider whether students have familiarity with and accessibility to a

specific building. In addition, developing a concrete matrix with students prior to selecting a study building may increase students’ potential interest and participation in this type of study.

Funding – In order to officially offer a course with a LEED Lab Module, a building project must be registered with the USGBC, and a registration fee must be paid. Students must have the LEED Reference Guides in order to understand the LEED certification requirements. To provide the necessary resources, an instructor must secure a sufficient financial budget before designing the course curriculum.

Coordination – Before the semester starts, an instructor should contact project stakeholders, such as technical experts and administrators, who can provide expertise to students and data for the building performance evaluation.

Period – Since all students evaluate the entire LEED evaluation cycle by themselves, an instructor should provide sufficient time for students to understand the LEED requirements, evaluate the building performance, and create documentation for the USGBC (GBCI) review.

Student Assistant – After completing the semester(s), an instructor should document and communicate with the GBCI to finalize certification. To efficiently and effectively work with the USGBC and GBCI, an instructor is highly recommended to hire a student assistant who is familiar with the entire process of the course and can assist, with supervision, in submitting final project documentation. Having this assistance will ensure the successful completion of the LEED Lab project.

Based on the lessons learned from this Sustainable Construction course, other institutions may consider adding an adaptation of the LEED Lab module to their sustainability-related or project management courses and may create a concrete plan to achieve their course objectives. Students who have experiences with the LEED Lab will have a better understanding of construction sustainability as a civil engineer, and will leave a positive impression on future employers, based on their record of successful participation in the LEED Lab program. References [1] C. Cheng, S. Pouffary, N. Svenningsen, and M. Callaway, The Kyoto Protocol, the Clean

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[14] Ohio University, “What is Sustainability,” [Online]. Available: https://www.ohio.edu/sustainability. [Accessed February 01, 2020], 2020.