Environment by Design: The LEED Green Building

Rating System

By Elena Bondareva, Allison Buttel, Franklin Egan, Adam Fox, and Christina Piper

Environmental Impact of Constructing Buildings

• 17% fresh water flow• 25% wood harvested• 50% CFC production• 40% energy flow• 33% CO2 emissions• 40% landfill material

What is Sustainable Design?

• “An holistic approach to design that considers impacts on human health and well-being, and the natural environment at every stage of the building life cycle.”(U.S Green Building Council)

• Protect and restore ecosystems• Create livable communities• Create healthy buildings• Conserve and recycle resources

What is LEED™?

“A national, consensus-based, market driven building rating system designed to accelerate the development and implementation of green building practices.”

(U.S. Green Building Council)

Why was LEED™ Created?

• Define “green” by providing a standard of measurement

• Use as a design guideline• Promote whole-building, integrated

design processes• Recognize leaders

Why was LEED™ Created?

• Prevent “greenwashing”• Stimulate market competition• Establish market value with a

recognizable national brand• Raise consumer awareness• Transform the marketplace

LEED™ Point Distribution and Categories

Water Efficiency

8%

Energy and Atmosphere

27%

Materials and Resources

20%

Indoor Environmental

Quality23%

Sustainable Sites22%

LEED™ Point Distribution and Categories

• Sustainable Sites 14 points• Water Efficiency 5 points• Energy and Atmosphere 17 points• Materials and Resources 13 points• Indoor Environmental Quality 15 points• Innovations 4 points• Accredited Professional 1 point• Total Possible Points 69 points

Levels of Accreditation

• LEED™ certified 26 points• Silver 33 points• Gold 39 points• Platinum 52 points

Who is Doing LEED™Projects?

Federal Government

10%

State Government

13%

Local Government

25%

Private Sector

Companies33%

Non-profit Corporations

14%

Other5%

Costs of LEED™<75,000 Sq Ft 75,000 - 300,000 Sq Ft >300,000 Sq Ft

Charges Fixed Rate Based on Sq Ft Fixed Rate

Registration

Members $750.00 $0.01 per Square Foot $3,000.00

Non-Members $950.00 $0.0125 per Square Foot $3,750.00

Certification

Members $1,500.00 $0.02 per Square Foot $6,000.00

Non-Members $1,875.00 $0.025 per Square Foot $7,500.00

Benefits of Green Building• Environmental Benefits

– Reduce the impacts of natural resource consumption

• Economic Benefits– Improve the bottom line

• Health and Safety Benefits– Enhance occupant comfort and health

• Community Benefits– Minimize strain on local infrastructures and

improve quality of life

Benefits of Certification

• Recognition of quality buildings and environmental stewardship– Third party validation of achievement– Qualify for growing array of state and

local government incentives– Contribute to growing knowledge base– Official LEED™ plaque and certificate– Receive marketing exposure through

USGBC website, case studies, and media announcements

Government Programs

• Several state governments have taken initiatives to encourage green building

• Extension services (OR, MN, NY)• Direct Economic Incentives:

– Grants for renewable energy (MA)– Tax credit programs (NY, MD)

Government Programs

• Maryland Tax Credit Program:– $25m available through 2011– Credits for 6-8% of construction costs– Must meet LEED™ 2.0 silver

requirements

Government Programs

• $25m doesn’t go as far as it used to– NY awarded $18.8m on five building

projects• Encourages competition and

awareness• NY has started a trend

– CA, OR, and MA are pursuing similar programs

Government Programs

• Leading by example– All MD state buildings and facilities must

meet LEED™ silver requirements– DEC headquarters was the first building

in NY to be LEED™ certified

Case Study: Donald Bren HallSchool of Environmental Science & Management, University of

California, Santa Barbara

• LEED™ rating: Platinum, April 2002

• “Greenest” lab in the nation

Case Study: Donald Bren Hall

• Sustainable site planning

• Energy efficiency• Conserving

materials and resources

• Safeguarding water• Indoor

environmental quality

Case Study: Donald Bren Hall

• “Solar photovoltaic panels capture the sunlight to provide 7-10 percent of the building’s energy.”

– Words or numbers?• When is it too late to implement

sustainable design?

Case Study: Cornell UniversityNorth and West Campus Residential Initiatives

• Some green strategies on North Campus– Time– Incentives– Cost

• Official LEED certification for West Campus

Criticisms

• Undemanding eco-labeling scheme• Oversimplified

– Checklist-style system– Minimum standards– No incentive to do more– Creates wrong motivations– Applicability– Ease of implementation

Criticisms

• Methodological problems• Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)

– Difficult to interpret– Important processes are excluded– Inadequate measurement tools

• Sam Wyly Hall, University of Michigan– Credits do not reflect impact– Only a marginal difference

Criticisms

• Cost– Limited resources– Displacement of funds

Conclusions

• Balance between simplicity and complexity

• Changing standards• Intent versus outcome• Cooperation between market and

government

The End