LEED Report

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           The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) was developed by the U.S Green Building Council (USGBC) to give builders, operators and owners a better solution to green living. LEED is internationally recognized for certification of green buildings. It creates a third-party to check the designs of buildings and neighborhoods to make sure they were built with energy saving techniques. There are various aspects that are evaluated when a building is getting certified. These aspects include water efficiency, CO2 emissions, and energy efficiency. All of these aspects can be evaluated from commercial construction to residential. These different efficiencies are looked at from design and construction all the way through the lifecycle of the building.

            When getting a building certified to LEED specifications there are various components evaluated. The different components are: water efficiency, sustainable sites, energy and atmosphere, materials & resources, innovation in design, indoor environmental quality, and regional priority. The water efficiency component focuses on distribution of drinking water in the building and how efficient appliances, fixtures, and fittings are used. The sustainable sites component focuses on choosing sites that are in areas where the area has been developed and little or no damage will be done to the eco-system and surrounding waters. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, “buildings use 39% of the energy and 74% of the electricity produced each year in the United States.”[1] This fact is the reason why the energy is a key component when creating LEED specifications. The specification focuses on how to make the buildings more energy efficient.

            The material and resource component evaluates the resource used without wasting them. The aspect of what the material is made out and the transportation of the material is also a very important part of the evaluation.  The innovation of design looks at how the building has been created around new technology that improves the energy efficiency of the building. The regional priority looks at how the building has considered the environmental concerns within that region. The indoor environmental quality is evaluated because the US protection estimates that Americans spend about 90 percent of their day indoors. The quality of the air indoors is very important because the majority of time is spent there.

The LEED certification system is based on a points system with a total of 110 points available. There is a minimum of 40 points needed to be certified. There are also multiple levels above this minimum that can be achieved. If 50 points are achieved then the building is considered at a silver level. Gold level can be achieved with a total of 60 points. If 80 points is achieved then the building has reached the platinum level. The LEED certificate is a label denoting the different point’s levels of sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy & atmosphere, materials & resources, indoor environmental quality, innovation in design, and regional priority.  There are six different categories with different point allocations for each area.  The different categories include Commercial Interiors, Existing Buildings, New Construction, Core & Shell, schools, and houses.

There are a variety of different project profiles on the LEED website including: new construction, existing buildings, commercial interiors, core & shell, schools, and homes.  An example of a new construction meeting LEED certifications is the Nationals Park in Washington, DC  An example of an existing building meeting LEED certifications is the Joe Serna Jr. California EPA Headquarters Building in Sacramento, California.  An example of a commercial interior is the Boulder Associates, Inc. Office in Boulder, Colo.  An example of core & shell is the Banner Bank Building in Boise, Idaho.  An example of a school is the Sidwell Friends Middle School in Washington, D.C..  An example of a home is the Morrisania Homes in Bronx, N.Y..

 The core and shell category is based around the elements of a building such as structure, HVAC system, and envelope. Core & Shell goes along with the commercial interiors category because the one deals with the exterior and the other deals with the interior of a building. Core and shell is mostly is up to the designers, developers, and builders who work with new core and shell designers. The future tenants of the building benefit from the green strategies used in the core and shell design.

            The LEED certified Real Model Home that is located in St. Petersburg, Florida is a good example of an LEED home. This home got a gold rating by receiving a total of 80 points. This home became certified in January 2008. The house was built on land that had previously had a rundown house on it. A unique aspect of the build was that new home used the old homes original foundation. Another great use of resources was that the old home was converted into a two car garage.

            Many things used in the design and construction help get this home a gold standard in the LEED certification process. One of the key aspects was the use of light colored siding that reduced the heat gain of the home. The house also has natural ventilation which reduces the need for air conditioning. The windows used in the house carried a green-seal certification. The floors in the home were made from renewable bamboo as well. The kitchen countertops were made from recycled glass.

            All of the appliances used in the home were selected for their water and energy efficiency. All of these appliances are ENERGY STAR rated. The heating and cooling of the home is run by a geothermal HVAC system. The bathroom toilets used a duel flush system that reuses the bath and laundry water to flush the toilets.

            Overall the LEED certification system is a very good benchmark in creating a sustainable future. All of the components evaluated in the certification system are important environmental factors that will help the future generations live a good life. The LEED system should be incorporated into most all new construction projects to promote a sustainable future.