LEED 2012:
The Evolution of LEED
Thomas Taylor ,
Posted
06/06/2012
It doesn't seem that long ago that we were ringing in the New
Year and trying to remember to use 2012 in our dates instead of
2011. Time has flown by and soon the USGBC will roll out the next
generation of its green building rating systems. Some of us have
been watching the progress closely while others have taken more of
a "wait and see" attitude toward the changes that will occur when
the new rating system is introduced in November. So what is on the
horizon for LEED 2012? Last month, I covered the wide-sweeping
changes in store for the Materials and Resources category. This
month, I will provide a preview of the rest of the LEED 2012 rating
system.
Prerequisites and Credits
LEED 2009 for New Construction and Major Renovations contains
eight prerequisites and 56 voluntary credits worth a total of 110
points. Organized into seven categories, teams are required to
abide by all eight prerequisites and accumulate enough points to
satisfy one of four certification levels.
The next iteration of LEED increases the number of
prerequisites. The first public comment document contained 15
prerequisites, and the third draft contains 13. While the number of
prerequisites will not be finalized until the close of the last
public comment period and the balloting process is complete, we
know that the requirements for any building to become LEED
certified are becoming more stringent. The current draft rating
system contains 46 voluntary credits eligible for the same 110
total points. Many of the voluntary credits are the same as in LEED
2009, but some have been revised and others are entirely new. The
credit categories have been expanded to include Location and
Transportation, and one credit point currently remains outside of
the category organization. This category is Integrative Process,
which is worth one point for teams following an integrated delivery
process.
LEED 2012 Categories
Here's a look at the changes being made to each category in the
LEED 2012 for New Construction rating system:
Integrative Process
Through the Integrative Process credit, LEED 2012 recognizes
teams who utilize a cohesive and comprehensive delivery process,
while accounting for the balance between high levels of building
performance and cost-effectiveness. This balance is struck by
analyzing building systems and their interrelationships. This
process must start at the earliest phase of the project before key
decisions are made regarding design and building form. The
integration of the project team and their combined and
collaborative work is then required to be carried out and
documented throughout the delivery process.
Location and Transportation
The USGBC has drawn on its experience with LEED for Neighborhood
Development to create the Location and Transportation section. This
new category contains one prerequisite and six voluntary credits
worth a total of 16 points. The easiest way to earn all of the
available credits in this category is to locate your building
inside of a development that has received Platinum level status
under the LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system. Projects
not fortunate enough to be located in one of these exemplary
neighborhoods can work to achieve the same number of points by
evaluating the criteria of the five other credits. Project teams
can earn points for being located on a high priority site or within
a dense urban environment with a variety of amenities. There are
also credits available for sites in close proximity to quality
transit, sites that link the community to a bicycle network or
sites with reduced amounts of surface parking.
The remaining categories of the LEED 2012 rating system are the
same as in previous versions, but the requirements of the
prerequisites and credits within the categories have, in many
cases, been made more stringent.
Sustainable Sites
Many of the credits found in the Sustainable Sites category have
been relocated to the Location and Transportation category. One new
credit has been added for teams performing an assessment of the
site, focusing on topography, hydrology, climate, vegetation,
soils, human use and human health impacts. The remaining credits
pertaining to site development, stormwater (now called rainwater)
management, and reduction of heat islands and light pollution have
remained largely unchanged.
Water Efficiency
LEED 2012 includes three prerequisites in the Water Efficiency
category: Outdoor Water Use Reduction, Indoor Water Use Reduction
and Building Level Water Metering. New voluntary credits are also
available for conservation of cooling tower makeup water and
inclusion of metering capabilities for two or more water
subsystems.
Energy and Atmosphere
The Energy and Atmosphere category now includes a prerequisite
for building-level energy use metering. The category's total point
allocation has also been reorganized and now places an increased
emphasis on enhanced commissioning. New credits have been added for
projects that include advanced energy metering or demand response
technologies.
Materials and Resources
As outlined in my last column, significant changes have been
made to the credit language of the Materials and Resources
category. Additionally, a new prerequisite exists for construction
and demolition waste management planning, which was formerly
addressed in a voluntary credit in LEED 2009.
Indoor Environmental Quality
Two major changes have occurred in the IEQ category. The first
is the way in which a team must document its use of low or no
volatile organic compound (VOC) emitting products within the
building envelope. LEED 2012 requires a team to look at the
composition of the assemblies within the building and document the
VOC content of each portion of an assembly as a percent of the
total. The second change is the addition of a credit that awards
teams that design and construct the building to meet or exceed
certain acoustical standards depending on the building type.
Innovation
While not significant, there have been changes made to the
Innovation category as well. Teams can still earn a credit point
for having a LEED Accredited Professional working on the project
and up to two points for demonstrating exemplary performance in an
existing credit within the rating system. To achieve the remaining
balance of the available points, a team must either demonstrate
innovation using strategies not already addressed by the rating
system or demonstrate achievement and earn up to three credits
available within USGBC's Pilot Credit Library.
The LEED 2012 for New Construction rating system is scheduled to
be in place after November 2012. While it contains significant
changes, it also demonstrates USGBC's commitment to the continuing
evolution of the built environment. LEED continues to be a dominant
force in the building market, and as the rating system evolves, so
does the need to fully understand and embrace the changes. Building
owners and project teams will need to adapt to these changes in the
next several months and prepare for the new standards if they want
to continue to deliver successful green building projects in the
future.
Thomas Taylor, a 30-year veteran of the
construction industry and noted expert on sustainability, is the
general manager of St. Louis-based Vertegy. His recent book, "Guide
to LEED 2009: Estimating and Preconstruction Strategies," provides
step-by-step information about the LEED 2009 for New Construction
process. To learn more about Vertegy or Taylor's new book, visit
www.vertegyconsultants.com for more information.