Leah Schultz Design VI Spring 2014
An Introduction to LEED The Idea of sustainably “green” building is in no way a new concept for the world; the idea has been around for centuries, however implementing this action is becoming a popular trend in modern society. Protecting the planet and making sustainable life decisions is quickly growing and the trend may have started with architecture and design. In 2000 the U.S. Green building council (USGBC) developed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) private certification program. The program is self-described as “a nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings” (USGBC). “LEED is a program that provides third-party verification of green buildings. Building projects satisfy prerequisites and earn points to achieve different levels of certifi-
cation.” The program helps guide the construction, maintenance, and the operation of green buildings in the United States as well as around the world. LEED was developed by the USGBC with a variety of goals in mind. One important goal the council aims for is the spread of green building awareness. The USGBC recognizes the future importance of green building and drives to make the public aware of modern possibilities through LEED. New buildings under the LEED rating system reduce the amount of resources used during construction as well as everyday energy consumption. “In the U.S buildings account for a high percent-
U.S. Building Impacts
age of resource use and waste, nationally adding up to 12% of water, 39% of waste output, 38% of carbon dioxide emissions and 71% of electricity use” (core concepts guide). Buildings are responsible for an enormous amount of pollution, which continues to increase each day. With the help of LEED, buildings can start to be designed with the mindset of contributing less waste to the already problematic system. Buildings can also aim to create emission free operations which will be more energy efficient benefiting both the public and building owners. LEED aims to create an emission free world where building help the environment rather than harm it.
“LEED is a program that provides third-party verification of green buildings. Projects satisfy prerequisites and earn points to achieve specific levels of certification.”
LEED points system LEED encompasses a multitude of structure types with a different rating system for each, including specific systems for Retail Schools New Construction Healthcare Facilities New construction Core and Shell
Users choose the best fit for their project to ensure rating is done appropriately. LEED uses a point scoring system, with a total of 110 points for each project being reviewed. Points are earned based on specific features pertaining to the building, including construction practices and materials used. Points are lost for poor practices within the building such as positioning the building on for-
mer farm land. Once a building is evaluated the amount of points earned determines which LEED certification a building receives. The certifications are
Certified 40-49 points Silver 50-59 points Gold 60-79 points Platinum 80+ points
The ranking program creates a public system to compare green building and push architects and building owners to continue to improve their buildings.
LEED point categories The LEED rating system is divided into categories, which distribute the point earnings evenly. The categories focus on different areas of a building project or current buildings operations that can be revised for increased sustainability and efficiency. The categories are as follows; Sustainable Site Water Efficiency Energy and Atmosphere Materials and Resources Indoor Environmental Quality
The categories are then broken down further to provide multiple ways of earning pints within the rating system. The divisions help illustrate green rating areas based on different building types and requirements.
The sustainable site category of the LEED rating system “encourages strategies that minimize the impact on ecosystems and water resources” (USGBC). This section of the rating system specifically focuses on areas such as material transportation, site
selection, site design and management, storm water management, and a projects relation to local and regional circumstances. Implementing green choices in these areas of a building can increase point earnings in the sustainable site category of the LEED rating scale. For ex-
ample LEED looks at floor area ration; the relationship between the total building floor area and the allowable land area the building can cover. Projects, which build up rather than out, earn more points in this category. Buildings can also earn points by using imperviousness materials on exterior surfaces, which are materials that allow the penetration of liquid. Therefore using minimal pavement to prevent runoff gains a building more LEED points. Other ways to earn points in the category include minimizing the amount of disturbed area around the site during construction, not using invasive plan species in landscaping, and limiting the use of conventional turf. All of these improvements lead to a greener building and more LEED point’s earnings.
Credit Categories Transportation Site Selsction Site Design Site managment storm water managment local circumstances regional circumstances
Development density: The total square footage of all buildings within a particular area
Imperviousness: the resistance of a material to penetration by liquid to prevent rainwater runoff
Prime Farmland: Avoiding
Measurements: Floor Area Ration: The rela-
tionship between the total building floor area and the allowable land area the building can cover
Brownfield: previously used or
developed land that may be contaminated with hazardous waste or pollution. Once the site has been remediated, the land can be reused.
Community connectivity: The amount of connection between a site and it surrounding community, measured by proximity of the site to homes, schools, parks, store, restaurants, medical facilities, and other services
previously undeveloped land with soil suitable for cultivation
Site Disturbance: the amount of site that is disturbed by construction activity.
Solar reflectance Index (SRI): a measure of how well a material rejects solar heat.
Solutions to directly increase LEED score: Locate project near mass transit Limit parking Create a small building foorprint Choose to redevelope a previously developed area Protect habitat during construction
Street grid density: An indica-
Minimize hardscapse such asdriveways and paths
Transportation demand manamanet: the process of reduc-
Minimize water usage with the nstiallation of a nonpotable irrigation system
tor of neighboorghood density
ing peak period vehicle trips
vehicle miles traveled (VMT):
A measure of transportation demand that estiamtes the trave; miles associate with a project
Use reflective materials Harvest rainwater
LEED water efficiency standards hope to “promote smarter use of water, inside and out, to reduce potable water consumption”(USGBC). The world has a limited supply of fresh drinking water, and LEED recognizes the importance of conserving
as much as possible. LEED water efficiency focuses on concerns such as indoor water for restrooms, outdoor water for landscapes, and process water for industrial purposes and building systems. This category of LEED pertains to water movement
in and around the building. Specifically LEED studies gallons per flush; the amount of water consumer by flow fixtures such as toilets and urinals, gallons per minute; the amount of water consumed by flow fixtures such as faucets and sprinklers, and lastly irrigation efficiency; the percentage of water delivered by irrigation equipment that is actually used for irrigation. Some ways to improve a building’s LEED water efficiency score would be to install efficient plumbing fixtures, such as low flow or waterless toilets. A building could also ensure maximum use of nonpotable water by capturing rainwater and using it for irrigation and things other than drinking. A building can simply install submeters to earn water efficiency points; devices that track an irrigation systems usage over time. All of these simple instillations will earn a building multiple points in the LEED water efficiency category, leading to an overall higher score.
Credit Categories Indoor water outdoor water process water
Solutions to directly increase LEED score Install efficient plumbing fixtures
Measurements: Design versus baseline: the
amount of water the design case conserved versus the baseline case. – Against which the facility’s design case is compared
Gallons per flush (gpf): the
amount of water consumed by flush fixtures such as toilets and urinals
Rainfall harvesting Install submeters Use local plants Use xeriscaping
Gallons per minute (gpm):
the amount to water consumed by flow fixtures such as faucets, showerheads, and sprinkler heads
Irrigation efficiency: the per-
centage of water delivered by irrigation equipment that is actually used for irrigation and does not evaporate, blow away of fall on hardscape.
Use nonpotabe water
The energy and atmosphere-rating category of LEED works to “promote better building energy performance through innovative strategies� (USGBC). This means looking at all energy use pertaining to a building. Rating is based on energy
demand, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and ongoing energy performance. Energy efficiency can be measured in multiple ways such as energy use intensity and light power density. There are many ways a building might improve their LEED en-
ergy and atmosphere score. One major solution is simply reducing energy demand within the building. One way is to using surrounding buildings to insulate and shade a building, allowing the building to use less energy for cooling and heating. A building could also increase daylight and decrease artificial light, therefore using less electricity. For these solutions to work properly a building must be sized appropriately to ensure maximum energy savings. Smaller building cost less to operate both in terms of money and energy. A few minor ways to earn an extra LEED point or two would be to install bike racks and limit new paved parking area to promote the use of green transportation like bikes and public transit systems. Since energy consumption is such a large part of building operations this category is very extensive, covering a substantial amount of building topics but also providing many opportunities to earn LEED points.
Credit Categories energy demand energy efficiency renewable energy ongoing energy performance
Measurements
Energy or greenhouse gas emissions per capita: a com-
munities total greenhouse gas emission divided by the total number of residents
Energy use intensity : energy
consumption divided by the number of square feet in a building often expressed as British thermal units (Btus) per square foot or as kilowatt-hours of electricity per square foot per year (kwh/sf/yr).
Light power density: the in-
stalled lighting power per unit area
Measures of energy use: typ-
ical primary measures of energy consumption associated with buildings include kilowatt- hours of electricity, therms of natural gas, and gallons of liquid fuel.
Performance relative to benchmark: a comparison of a building system’s performance with a standard, such as energy start portfolio manager
Performance relative to code:
a comparison of a building system’s performance with a baseline that is equivalent to minimal compliance with applicable energy code.
Solutions to direcly increase LEED Score minimize solar gain in summer maximize solar gain in winter use adjacent building for shade reduce need for artifical lighting reduce heating and cooling establish design and energy goals size building appropiately monitor energy consumption install high performance mechanical systems specify high -efficiency appliances use high-efficiency infastructure
These requests are easy to meet through simple building modification. Some solutions would be to install an on site composting center and turn landscape debris into mulch. Also designers can specify green materials such as salvaged or local wood. Architects can add a dedicated recycling storage area the appropriate size for the building. All these little changes will add points to a building LEED materials and resources score.
LEED materials and resources, as the name suggests, focuses on materials and resources used inside and outside a building. “Materials and resources credits encourage the use of sustainable building materials and reducing waste�
(USGBC). The major focuses of this category include waste management, life cycle impact, and consideration of materials for the long term. LEED encourages things the use of rapidly renewable resources as well as materials with high-recycled content.
Credit Categories Waste management Life cycle impacts material consideration
Measurements
Rapidly renewable materials:
the amount of a building agricultural products (fibers or animal) that are quickly grown or raised and can be harvested in a sustainable fashion, expressed as a percentage of the total materials cost. Rapidly renewable materials take 10 years or less to grow or raise.
Recycled content: the percent-
age of material in a product that is recycled from the manufacturing waste stream (preconsumer waste) or the consumer waste stream (postconsumer waste) and used to make new materials.
Regional materials: the amount of a buildings materials that are extracted, processed, and manufactured close to a project site. Regional materials originate 500 miles of the project site.
Reuse: the amount of building
materials returned to active use (in the same or related capacity as their original use)
Sustainable forestry: the practice of managing forest resources to meet the long-term forest products needs of humans while maintaining the biodiversity of forested landscapes.
Waste diversion: the amount
of waster disposed of other than through incineration or in landfills, expressed in tons.
Solutions to directly increase LEED score compost specify green materials size the building appropiately develope a construction waste managment policy engourage recycling specify green electronic equipment
LEED certification not only looks at building materials and energy use, but also indoors ecology of a building. The indoor environment of a building is extremely important to the users of the building. The indoor environments credits “promote better indoor
air quality and access to daylight and views� (USGBC). This section of LEED certification focuses on indoor air quality, thermal comfort, lighting, and acoustics. To determine a buildings indoor environment LEED score the council look at things such as
carbon dioxide levers, ventilation, and VOC (volatile organic compounds) levels. time, place harmful chemicals into the air. Some ways to ensure a building meets LEED standard for interior air quality is to prohibit smoking in and around the building, installing carbon dioxide monitors integrated within ventilation to ensure adequate air circulation. Building designers can also specify low emitting interior materials to ensure chemicals are not released into the air through off gassing. Buildings with operable windows also earn more LEED points, as they allow more air to circulate through the building. Buildings are also advised to do a complete air flush before a building is used for the first time. This will remove any possible toxins that may be left in the air after the building process. Indoor air quality is a major concern for builing users since they will be spending a large part of their life within the building. Both the users and designers want
the building to be as safe as possible. Buildings with high indoor environment scores make for happier more productive tenants and building users. The LEED council understands this correlation and puts great emphasis on the indoor environmental quality category.
Credit categories indoor air qualty thermal comfort lighting acoustics
Solutions to directly increase leed socre prohibite smoking install CO2 monitors specify low emitting materials install operable windows give occupants light and thermal control install highefficiency air filters conduct an air flush out maximize daylighting
Focuses Carbon dioxide concentrations: an indicator of ventilation
effective inside building. CO2 concentrations greater than 530 parts per million (ppm) above outdoor conditions generally indicate inadequate ventilation.
Controllability of systems: the percentage of occupants who have direct control over temperature, airflow, and lighting.
Minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV): a rating that
indicates the efficiency of air filters in the mechanical systems.
Thermal comfort: the tem-
perature, humidity, and airflow ranges within which the majority of people are most comfortable, as determined be ASHARE standard 55-2004. Ventilation rate: the amount of air circulated through a space, measured in air changed per hour.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs): the amount of car-
bon compounds that participate in atmospheric photochemical reactions and vaporize at normal room temperatures, VOCs off-gas from materials such as adhesives, sealants, paints, carpets, and particleboard.
significantly reducing indoor water use beyond the LEED requirement of 40%. Points can also be earned by providing more daylight than the 75% requirement. Building who are creative enough could earn up to four points for implementing new ideas in their building project. For example the founding of a education outreach program could be considered towards LEED points earnings. LEED is looking for buildings who lead the way in green design.
The final category in the LEED rating system is innovation in design. This is a bonus category offering only a few points towards a buildings final score. “This credit is a project’s opportunity to demonstrate leadership in the green building industry and to
let your team contribute creative approaches to the field of sustainable design” (LEED user). The category is about going above and beyond pervious LEED innovations previously mentions. Points are earned in this category for doing things such as
This credit is a project’s opportunity to demonstrate leadership in the green building industry
Benifits of LEED buildings Many of the green building solutions listed seem costly and extensive, however green buildings do have their fair share of benefits. A building constructed under green LEED technology helps preserve wildlife habitats, prevent pollution, and energy waste. Buildings also see lower operations costs over time, as opposed to traditional building. While they initially cost more, buildings will see their money return over time. All of the LEED categories work together for environmental benefits such as reduced storm water runoff, increased groundwater recharge, utilization of sustainable transportation systems and support other societal benefits. The direct building users will see benefits such as “healthier work and living
environments, which contributes to higher productivity and improved employee health comfort” (The Lundy Group). All of these benefits positively impact building owners, occupiers and society as a whole.
Benifits lower building operation costs increased building value healihier living and working enviroments higher user producticity
“LEED buildings benifit owners, occupiers, and society as a whole”
LEED Around the Wrold While LEED was founded by the USGBC it is a private council, which exists around the world. The system sets “universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria” (Baker) that are acknowledged around the world. The USGBC designed LEED with the idea that this rating system would be universal, allowing other countries to take advantage of the program. The system is “adaptable, flexible, and changes with the market” making it the ideal worldwide green building rating tool. The desire to create a sustainable green future is a universal want; therefore the universal rating system of LEED completes the system. “LEED is a global phenomenon,” Scot Horst, senior vice president of LEED, said. “People spend 90 percent of their lives indoors. A healthy, resource-friendly
and environmentally sound indoor environment contributes to the health, happiness and well-being of people and is something people from countries across the globe are finding value in.” substantial LEED project are present in other countries such as Canada, Europe, China, and India. Approximately 40 percent of LEED-registered projects are located outside the United States. LEED has truly become universal and accepted worldwide.
Pros of LEED LEED is a innovative system and has overall improved society’s knowledge of green building in a very short amount of time. LEED buildings themselves have numerous benefits such as lower operating costs as mentioned previously. LEED buildings also see an increase in user productivity as well as comfort, making tenants and users happier. Because of this, LEED builds have the ability to charge tenants more for spaces within the buildings. Many states in the U.S. also give tax breaks to LEED certified buildings, sometimes as much as 75%. All these elements together make a building more valuable drawing attention to it. This positive awareness helps spread green building awareness through LEED. The more people are informed, the more green building will become a norm of the future.
Helios House Gas Station
LEED parking garages
Clinton Presidential library
It’s certainly the coolest gas station you will ever see. Gas. It’s made of recycled glass, steel and scrap metal, there is a rain-capturing roof, a green wall, and solar paneling that claims to eliminate 15 to 23 tons of carbon each year. It’s a bold statement, both in architectural terms and as a poignant reminder that even the most polluting industries can make positive innovations. Can a parking garage ever be green? Hardly; when you build more parking, you get more cars; If you want people to get rid of cars, get rid of parking spaces. Make it tougher to park. One could, of course, point out that when parking is in high demand and short supply, people look for alternatives. Building a parking garage puts more cars on the road, on the campus, and probably doesn’t ease congestion one bit. The $100-million Clinton Presidential Library was the first federal building to receive a platinum LEED rating after consistently finding ways to make itself even more environmentally inconspicuous. With increased efforts on reducing and recycling waste, a green roof to catch rainwater and other water saving landscaping methods, the library is not just a great academic resource. Set in a beautifully cultivated green space, the metal and glass is a striking landmark in the heart of Little Rock.
Cons of LEED While LEED is an excellent system, every system has flaws that could be changed. LEED certification is extremely costly. The cost is based on square foot of the building as well as paperwork filing fees, all starting at around $2000 but certainly going well above that for larger buildings. It seems ironic that buildings have to pay to be acknowledged as ‘green’ by a private third party council. The system is also flawed as the points turn into a game for architects and builders. Projects go after all the little points that don’t add up to much in ‘green’ buildings standards, such as things like adding a bike rack. While this action gains a project a LEED point, it does not do much towards making the building a truly ‘green’ structure. LEED also encourages practices that
are not much above current buildings standards. LEED certification standards are set only a little higher than current industry standards when they could be much more impact worthy and prestigious. Because of this some choices accepted by LEED may not be as impressive as they seem. For example, using low VOC materials is better than a toxic high VOC material, but its still not a VOC material, which is what the industry should really be pursuing. “Designers may make materials or design choices that garner a LEED point, even though they may not be the most site of climate appropiate choice avaiable. The LEED system also puts being ‘green’ over true ethics. For example a LEED parking garage? Does it make sense to create a green building which is used to store large polluting vehicles, which are part of the reason green building are so important for the future. It is time to look past the bamboo floors and ask what is right and what is appropriate. It is time to look past “is it green?” and ask “is it ethical?
Case study The Aldo Leopold Legacy Center is sometime considered “The Greenest Building on the Planet.” The LEED platinum building located in Wisconsin has an unheard of list of green features, which some can only dream of. “The design team thought carefully about the Legacy Center. They considered not only its energy efficient features and green design aspects, but worked meticulously through how the building would fit into the larger context of its local environment, the people who use it, and the landscape of rural Wisconsin: in short, the way the Legacy Center would inhabit its world” (Alter). The building was the first carbon neutral building recognized by the USGBC and generates over 50,000 kWh of electric-
ity annually. “The center is constructed with timber milled from the property’s 1,500-acre Leopold Memorial Reserve. Although it seems harvesting 90,000 board feet of wood from a reserve would be the antithesis of Leopold’s ethics, the opposite was true. Examining the site, the designers found that the reserve, originally planted by the Leopold family in the 1930s and ’40s, was suffering from overcrowding. A strategic thinning process not only would reduce the chance of catastrophic fire and insect damage, but also would provide an abundance of raw material with which to build” (Weeks). Other sustainable features include large windows with overhangs, which maximize ventilation and daylight while still shielding the building from the hot sun in summer months. The owners and building users could not be happier with the building and its performance.
Aldo Leopold Legacy center The first carbon neutral building recognized by the USGBC
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