Green buildings: LEED certification proves cost-effective, ready to expand

As energy costs continue to rise, so does the popularity green buildings. This new breed—designed to conserve energy, building materials, land and more while providing tenants with a better place to live and work—is not only good for the environment, but is also good for business. The benefits? Cost savings from reduced energy and water use; reduced waste; lower operations and maintenance costs; and enhanced occupant productivity and health.

A key tool in building green is a voluntary certification known as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®), a program launched by the U.S. Green Building Council http://www.usgbc.org/ in 1998. Initial investments in environmentally efficient building technologies often pay for themselves within a facility's first few years of operation, according to a 2004 study of LEED by the U.S. General Services Administration.

So, why has LEED become so important to facilities managers?

Within the last seven years, LEED has quickly become recognized as a "best practices" standard for green building design and operations. Used in the commercial, institutional and residential building markets, the LEED system is a complete framework for planning and assessing a building's performance and environmental sustainability. The LEED system recognizes achievements and promotes expertise in green building through a comprehensive system of project certification, professional accreditation, training and practical resources. LEED certification emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. Currently, more than 2,500 properties either have or are under review for LEED certification.

Certification standards use point values for "green attributes"

Three main certification standards are currently available: New commercial construction and major renovation projects (LEED-NC); Existing building operations (LEED-EB); and Commercial interiors projects (LEED-CI). Within each certification standard is a checklist, with each task assigned a corresponding credit or point value for "green attributes." There are four tiers of certification: Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum; the more credits earned, the higher the level of recognition and certification. The point levels for certification vary by category. Here's a closer look at each certification standard:

1. LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB): Perhaps the most relevant certification for facility owners and operators, LEED-EB focuses on improving a facility's operating efficiency while minimizing its impact on the environment. The standards provide a performance-based benchmark for building owners and operators to measure their facility's energy operations, improvements and maintenance on a consistent scale. LEED-EB is a road map for delivering an economically profitable, environmentally responsible, and healthy facility in which to work.

• whole-building cleaning and maintenance issues including chemical use
• indoor air quality
• energy efficiency
• water efficiency
• recycling programs and facilities
• exterior maintenance programs
• systems upgrades to energy, water, IAQ, and lighting performance standards

2. LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations (LEED-NC) was designed to guide high-performance commercial and institutional projects, with a focus on new construction, major renovations and high-rise residential buildings. The system is also used for K-12 schools, manufacturing plants and laboratories, among many other building types.

LEED-NC awards credits in six different areas: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Environmental Quality and Design Excellence.

Soon to be added to the NC category is the LEED-NC Application Guide for Retail (AGR). The LEED-NC AGR is being developed to address the unique challenges and opportunities of implementing green building strategies into retail projects. A pilot program will launch in 2006.

3. LEED for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI) concentrates on the tenant improvement market, certifying high-performance interiors that are healthy, productive places to work and are less costly to operate and maintain. LEED-CI gives the power to make sustainable choices to tenants and designers, who do not always have control over whole building operations. The LEED-CI addresses:

• selection of sustainable tenant space
• efficiency of water usage
• energy performance optimization, including lighting and lighting controls
• resource utilization for interior building systems and furnishings
• indoor environmental quality, including comprehensive emissions criteria

In the works: LEED certifications for homes, core and shell development

LEED certification standards are currently under development for homes (LEED-H), for core and shell development (LEED-CS), and for neighborhood development (LEED-ND).

The LEED-H will guide homebuilders, homeowners, and local governments who want to build environmentally sound, healthy and resource-efficient places to live. The USGBC has selected twelve LEED for Homes Providers to service the country's leading housing markets. These Providers, from locations across the U.S., are local and regional organizations that provide technical, marketing and verification support to builders. Each was chosen for their outstanding abilities and their proven record of supporting builders in the construction of high performance, sustainable homes.

The LEED Green Building Rating System for Core and Shell Development (LEED-CS) is for designers, builders, developers and new building owners who focus on sustainable design for new core and shell construction. Broadly defined, core and shell construction covers base building elements, such as the structure, envelope and building-level systems, such as central HVAC, etc. The CS designation recognizes the division between owner and tenant responsibility for certain elements of the building and is used to evaluate building projects where the owner does not control the interior design and fit-out.

At this time, the LEED for Neighborhood Development committee has a preliminary draft of the LEED-ND rating system under discussion. The new certification will emphasize "the elements that bring the buildings together into a neighborhood, and relate the neighborhood to its larger region and landscape." The identified qualities of an ideal neighborhood will include: a legible center and edge; limitation in size, typically five minutes average walk from center to edge; a mix of land uses, to allow for some basic daily needs to be satisfied within the neighborhood; accommodating a diversity of household types; an integrated network of walkable streets; and special sites reserved for public spaces and civic buildings.

Your business may even qualify for a growing array of state and local government incentives. In addition, LEED certification validates your investment and achievements through a third-party source, establishing your company as a leader in the green building sector. For more information on how to attain LEED certification, click here to leave a an e-mail message. Please list your name, job title, organization, street address and daytime phone number.

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