LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system. LEED is a certification that a building or community was designed and built while considering 5 key areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. LEED-certified buildings are designed to: lower costs and increase asset value, reduce waste sent to landfills, conserve energy and water, be healthier and safer occupants, reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and qualify for tax rebates, zoning allowanced and other incentives in hundreds of cities. When a LEED certification is processed the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) is a third party that will rate the development. The building will receive a rating in each of the five key areas and can receive bonus points for innovation in design and regional Priority. The 5 categories individual points are based on their individual impact; however the total points possible are 100 with an additional 10 for the bonus. If a building receives 40+ points it is certified. Going above and beyond a building or development can obtain a Silver, Gold or platinum rating all dependent on its final LEED Score.
LEED has 8 different categories that a building could be certified in: new construction, existing buildings, commercial interiors, core and shell, schools, homes, retail and neighborhood development. The core-and-shell construction is applied to a large building with a long lead time. The shell is designed first and built. Then as the shell is being built the core is designed and implemented once the shell is finished. This type of construction cuts out some of the down time for designing. The core designing can be done while the shell is being built.
Looking at the core-and-shell project profile for the Banner Bank Building you can see the impact LEED can make. The Banner Bank Building is a 195,000-square-foot, 11-story Art Deco building in downtown Boise, Idaho. The Banner Bank Building has a Platinum LEED rating and uses 65% less electricity, 80% less water, and has a 32% return on investment. It has implemented an innovative system that Captures storm water from downtown Boise streets and parking lots. The storm water, along with reused gray water from the building itself, is used to flush all the toilets and urinals at the site. The Banner Building also uses a geothermal system for heating and cooling, light sensors, and the HVAC system supplies a high number of air changes per hour and monitors the carbon monoxide. Even with the extra parts to be LEED certified the Banner Building still only cost $128 per square foot to make and it is so energy efficient that the tenants can be charged rent similar to buildings 20 to 30 years older.
The LEED Certification is a big step moving towards sustainability. If in the next 25 years all the buildings built have this certification or one similar and work as well as the Banner Bank Building it will cut the energy and water use across the world. I hope to see more innovative certifications like the LEED certification in the future.
Source:
www.usgb.org
Source:
www.usgb.org