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JANUARY 2008 NEWS

Going Green: The U.S. Green Building Council and LEED-CI Certification

The intent of this column is that over the next few months, we will explore and explain the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification criteria.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has developed certification criteria for different conditions such as New Construction, Existing Buildings, Commercial Interiors, and Core & Shell; and is developing new criteria for specific topics such as LEED for Schools, Healthcare, Retail, Homes, and Neighborhood Development. Obviously, the LEED product portfolio is growing, and its’ impact on the built environment is becoming more and more influential.

This month, we will cover some basic information about the USGBC, and will start to cover the LEED-Commercial Interiors criteria.

Drawing from information available on their own website, www.usgbc.org, , the USGBC is coordinating the establishment and evolution of a national consensus effort to provide the industry with tools necessary to design, build and operate buildings that deliver high performance inside and out. As the leading organization that represents the entire building industry on environmental building matters, the Council’s unique perspective and collective power provides their members with enormous opportunity to effect change in the way buildings are designed, built, operated and maintained.

USGBC History and Systems Development

Following formation of the USGBC in 1993, the membership quickly realized that a priority for the sustainable building industry was to have a system to define and measure “green buildings.” Less than a year later, their committee included architects, realtors, building owners, lawyers, environmentalists, and industry representatives. This cross section of people and professions adds a richness and depth both to the process and to the ultimate product. The first LEED Pilot Project Program, referred to as LEED Version 1.0 was launched at the USGBC Membership Summit in August of 1998. This system is now called the LEED Green Building Rating System for New Commercial Construction and Major Renovations, or LEED for New Construction. LEED-CI, or LEED for Commercial Interiors, has been added in recent years.

The LEED Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based, market-driven building rating system based on existing proven technology. It evaluates environmental performance from a whole building perspective over a building’s life cycle, providing a definitive standard for what constitutes a “green building.” The development of the system was initiated by the membership, representing all segments of the building industry and has been open to public scrutiny.

The rating system is organized into five environmental categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality. An additional category, Innovation &Design Process, addresses sustainable building expertise as well as design measures not covered under the five environmental categories.

LEED is a measurement system designed for rating new and existing commercial, institutional and residential buildings. It is based on accepted energy and environmental principles and strikes a balance between known established practices and emerging concepts. It is a performance-oriented system where credits are earned for satisfying criterion designed to address specific environmental impacts inherent in the design, construction and operations and maintenance of buildings. Different levels of green building certification are awarded based on the total credits earned. The system is designed to be comprehensive in scope, yet simple in operation.

LEED for Commercial Interiors

LEED for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI) is the system that addresses the specifics of tenant spaces primarily in office, retail and institutional buildings. Tenants who lease their space or do not occupy the entire building can LEED certify their space as a green interior. It was designed to work hand-in-hand with the LEED for Core & Shell Rating System, where developers can certify the core and shell of their development. LEEED for Core and Shell and LEED Commercial Interiors establish green building criteria for commercial office real estate for use by both developers and tenants.

If interested in LEED certification, project representatives should review the rating system and be sure the project can meet all prerequisites and achieve the minimum number of points required for LEED certification. If more than one rating system applies, the project team may decide which certification type to pursue.

In future articles, we will explore some of the most common criteria for Commercial Interiors projects in more detail, but for now, following are some highlights and clarifications of the LEED-CI system as it relates to coordination with the base building systems:

• The Sustainable Sites credit applies to the building selected, not the scope of work contemplated by the tenant. This encourages end users to select buildings that have already addressed sustainable design initiatives such as storm water management, heat island reduction, light pollution reduction, water irrigation efficiency, and onsite renewable energy.

• The Water Efficiency credit, Water Use Reduction, is based on the planned occupancy of the space, regardless of when the restrooms are constructed, who pays for them, or where they happen to be located. This also encourages occupancy in buildings that have addressed LEED points.

• The Energy and Atmosphere prerequisite for Fundamental Commissioning, applies to the work done during the project, and as a minimum applies to the energy-related systems affected such as HVAC systems and controls, lighting and day-lighting controls, domestic hot water systems, and renewable energy systems such as wind and solar. It is not expected that the central building-wide systems will be commissioned, but some tenants may elect to have their commissioning authority confirm that these systems meet the owner’s project requirements and the basis of design.

• The Energy and Atmosphere credits 1.1 and 1.2, Lighting Power Reduction and Lighting Controls, only look at the lighting power used in the project space, not the entire base building. The goal of these credits is to reduce the lighting power density to as much as 35% below the standards of ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004.

• The Indoor Environmental Quality prerequisite 1, Minimum Indoor Air Quality Performance, requires some evaluations of the air handling system, which ideally is done before deciding on the project space. This is a good example of enlisting the services of a qualified architect or LEED Accredited Professional when looking at alternative office spaces.

Over the next several months we will be exploring the details of specific credits in the LEED-CI system, with suggestions for good green design. Until that time, I wish you all a Happy New Year, and encourage you to look for opportunities to Go Green!