LEED and Responsible Construction Professionals
So you’ve heard all about “going green” in construction circles. It’s all too easy to list flimsy details like solar panels, recycled materials, and alternative power sources that make us all feel good about being eco-friendly in the way. While these things convince both normal people and construction professionals that they are mindful of the Earth, have you considered that there’s a whole host of other strategic ways in which construction professionals can benefit the environment?
Take for example, building a new series of apartment buildings. The following questions drive important construction decisions on how they change the environment itself, long before ground is broken and details are spec’d out. What local species of flora and fauna are you forcefully relocating by pouring a massive concrete foundation slab? Does the parcel have utilities in place, or will you have to dig pipe trenches and run wiring for gas, water, and electricity? Is the parcel an open lot, or do you have to clear vegetation and wildlife to begin construction? What kind of soil does your parcel sit on? How deep is the water table?
Luckily LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a program of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), is changing the way people think about planning, building, constructing, and maintaining everything from giant offices to single family homes. Below we’ll detail some of the benefits of LEED-certified buildings as well as the step-by-step process to achieve an LEED certification on a project.
LEED – Changing The Approach
In LEED projects that feature both new construction as well as renovation, over 80 million tons of waste has been diverted from a permanent home a in landfill. LEED Gold-certified buildings consume a quarter of the amount of the energy of their traditional counterparts of the same size. From 2015 to 2018, LEED-certified buildings are estimated to save over $1.2 billion in energy costs, $149 million in water expenditure, $715.3 million in maintenance costs, and $54.2 million in waste management.
LEED-certified green buildings also are valuable in the consumer’s eye. Tenants are actively looking for green living spaces more and more as a part of their property search criteria, opting for clean air, daylight, and green materials that bring wellbeing to their living space. For example, in the San Diego area, green buildings have vacancy rates 4% lower than their non-green counterparts. LEED-certified Class A office spaces are also experiencing a rise in popularity – green buildings are leasing up 20% over the industry average rate.
The Standards
The United States Green Building Commission uses a point-scoring system for project certifications:
- Certified (40-49 points)
- Silver (50-59 points)
- Gold (60-79 points)
- Platinum (80+ points)
LEED standards are evaluated on the following five green design categories:
- Sustainable sites
- Water efficiency
- Energy and atmosphere
- Materials and resources
- Indoor environment quality
The Process
Ready to get your project LEED certified? Follow the steps below.
- Start budgeting for certification – LEED certification is neither free nor cheap…minimum charges start at $2,900 and slide up depending on the project at hand. LEED fees can approach $1 million for large projects. However depending on your local municipality and national footprint, you could qualify for government incentives that will subsidize part of these costs. You also have the ability to pass some of these costs off to your customer, which will benefit from some favorable PR about green building initiatives.
- Select a target certification level – Due to the cost of LEED certification, it is critical to know the level you desire to achieve before anything happens. Your desired level LEED certification will guide your initial design phase, which will dictate the types and amounts of resources you need for your project.
- Hire LEED-centric people – Bring architects, engineers, planners, and builders in on your project that are well versed in LEED practices. They can help steer you in the right direction from their experience, helping you pick up precious LEED points in areas you might have overlooked along the way.
- Register your project online – Navigate to the LEED website and select the rating system you’re shooting for. The choices are Building Design & Construction, Interior Design & Construction, Building Operations & Maintenance, Neighborhood Development, and Homes.
- Complete and upload documentation – LEED points and credits require very specific documentation – make sure you upload the proper files needed. Double check each credit to ensure you information consistently matches across all documentation.
- Submit your application – Depending on what you are applying for, some LEED applications can be handled in a one-time standard review. Others, like Building Design & Construction, can have multiple steps featuring both design and construction reviews, which also break down into preliminary and final reviews.
- Certification – Based to the points accrued for your construction project, you’ll get the LEED certification and rating that matches your project – certified, silver, gold, or platinum.
All in all, LEED certification is the next step in the evolution of green building and eco-friendly construction. It has become so widely adopted that some municipalities have developed significant codes, credits, and incentives of their own to fast-track LEED-certified projects. Want to get more information about getting your project LEED certified? Get in touch with the experts at CSLS.
About CSLS:
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