LEED and Metal Architecture
by Jonathan McGaha | October 31, 2011 12:00 am
Metal Architecture asked several industry experts about LEED and its impact on the metal architecture
industry.
MA: For companies working in the metal architecture industry, is LEED certification still worth pursuing and similarly, what is LEED certification’s value to companies and the industry?
Charles Hendricks: LEED certification is of value for companies that want to set themselves apart from the competition. It is a way to show that you are a good steward of your resources, your client’s resources and you are dedicated to the health of your local community. LEED certification leads to many design strategies that save the client money, produces healthy indoor air quality for workers and encourages local material purchases to the benefit of the community. These are all things that benefit your company’s reputation as a community leader, pay dividends to the community at large and build a brighter future. LEED certification is a good way to verify that you are getting the building you asked to receive. The verifications and third-party inspections force communication into the process. This review process brings conversations to the table that might not otherwise take place. The process also documents the performance criteria of materials and systems that might not otherwise be reviewed. All of these issues benefit the building owner in energy efficiency, durability and healthier buildings.
Matt Dumich: LEED, itself, is just a rating system, but it has helped to formalize good, sustainable
building practices. The real value is in the efficient buildings and well-designed spaces that are created
through these practices.
Jay D.Johnson: There are many benefits for building owners to choose to have theirbuildings certified by way of the various LEED Rating Systems offered by the USGBC. Metal building manufacturers understand that certification adds value to the overall project, which include enhanced occupant comfort and well-being, increased retail sales, reduced operating costs, reduced environmental impact, increased return on investment and increased value of square footage, to name a few. Often, the building owner or the designated LEED Accredited Professional would seek products and services to help achieve the desired LEED goal. Many companies working in the metal building systems industry, and metal architecture industry as a whole, understand the benefits of LEED and often times have LEED APs on staff to answer questions about their products and to provide information on how their products might help achieve a number of LEED credits.
Thomas Taylor: I think that the pursuit of LEED certification should be something driven by an owner’s decision. A firm that hard sells or closes a deal based on LEED will find themselves with a dissatisfied client. LEED certification is really a process. It starts with a decision and does not end until the building is occupied and reporting data to the Green Building Certification Institute. The USGBC’s LEED rating system still holds an important place in the industry and a growing number of municipalities and organizations are mandating the use of the LEED rating system. For these reasons, it remains important for firms and individuals to understand the requirements of the various LEED rating systems. I think there is a value in the market for those buildings that receive a LEED certification. They may not receive higher rents as once predicted, but they are still considered better buildings. Are LEED buildings really better than non-LEED buildings? The answer to that question depends on the dedication of the team and the deliverables required for that specific project. There are many high-performing buildings that never pursue a LEED certification and there are buildings that receive LEED certification that do not perform that well. It all comes down to what an owner wants out of their building.
MA: In regards to metal architecture, is there anything that you would like to see changed in the
LEED certification process and ratings system?
Hendricks: I think the LEED process is evolving as we move through project types and building systems that have a hard time fitting into the existing rating systems. To that end, I believe the next version of LEED will better address some of the industrial type buildings that have a strange fit into the current system. As for other issues that we face, more of a focus should be put on life cycle analysis and in particular, embedded energy costs for materials. It is also important for us to look at materials that can be reused in the future, materials that have long lives and materials that do not contribute to indoor air quality issues. Clients want to be able to adapt their buildings over time as their needs change. Buildings need to accommodate manipulation and building materials need to be sent back into the resource stream rather than to a landfill.
Dumich: We need to aim even higher than the current LEED targets by using more recycled materials, eliminating waste from the manufacturing and construction process and more significantly increasing energy efficiency. Our office has been researching and testing the Living Building Challenge, a comprehensive program where certification is based on actual, measured performance. One of the most significant imperatives calls for the elimination of all “Red List Materials”: pollutants, toxins and carcinogens in the building industry.
Taylor: The process of LEED certification is not perfect. I am not sure anyone could develop a system that is so widely used that could be a perfect fit for every building. Could changes to the rating system and the process be made that would make things easier? Yes, and I believe that USGBC and GBCI have been working to make improvements in the areas they can. Some major advances were made when the LEED Online system was revamped in 2009. At the same time great strides were made with the process, in my opinion, the LEED Reference Guide was made much more cumbersome by adding several rating systems into one guide. The consolidation makes sense on some levels but made the manual difficult to use and understand. The manual was particularly daunting for first time users of the system. I am sure anyone who has put the LEED rating systems into practice could suggest changes that would have made their projects easier, and it is easier to complain than it is to take action to effect change. I think it is important to remember that USGBC has been open to comments and suggestions from the public. If LEED practitioners are dissatisfied with the process or the rating system itself, they must get involved.
MA: Are there any tips, suggestions or advice you can give companies to help them obtain
LEED certification?
Hendricks: You have to have the whole team on board with the goal and start early in the process.
If you have a plan in place and everyone is working together to achieve the goal, the process is fairly easy. If you start late in the design process and try to catch up or you are working with someone with limited experience, it will hurt you in the amount of time it takes and the points available.
Dumich: There are many false perceptions about LEED and the process to obtaining certification.
Assemble an experienced team including a collaborative-minded contractor early in the design process. Take time to understand and evaluate potential credits and their associated costs.
Johnson: A product or products offered by a company may help a project obtain LEED certification,
but a company cannot be LEED certified or offer products that are LEED certified. In terms of
achieving a project LEED rating, the best advice would be to model early and often to make sure they maximize the number points that may be accredited to the Energy Performance credit (which offers up to 19+ points), and then focus on other credits that may not offer as many points. The envelope, HVAC and lighting strategies should be as energy efficient as possible. As it relates to a project utilizing a metal building system, seek the manufacturer’s input early in the process to see what they have to offer in order to achieve the project goals and how their product might integrate with other credits. For example, a standing seam metal roof offers a great platform for securing on-site renewable energy. In other words, the LEED AP charged with managing the project should not focus on one or two areas that metal construction may help achieve points, but look at how metal might achieve points and value globally on the project.
Taylor: Do not be afraid to tell an owner that achieving certification will take a lot of effort. The effort is in both time but also in commitment from the team. It benefits no one in the industry or in the delivery team of a project to tell an owner that pursuit of LEED is a non-event. There is an extra measure of effort and with that, a cost. When you do not value something and are willing to give it away for free, the owner will not value what they receive. Yes, there are many firms that make statements that sustainability is a way of life and it is just what they do, but to say LEED certification is free is a mistake. There are costs associated with the certification of a building, and hiding the costs and trying to conceal the true costs from an owner does not do the industry any favors. I am not suggesting that anyone use a decision to LEED certify a project as a means to overcharge for services. What I do suggest is to be honest.
LEED certification should not be a task but a process. Too often, a team looks at LEED certification as a task or a validation of work at the completion of a project. The LEED process should start by an informed decision from an owner. Once the decision is made, the team should use the information provided in the reference manual to assist and guide the development and design. Eventual certification of a project is always easier if the delivery team follows an integrated process.
MA: Since its inception, how has LEED influenced architects’ designs?
Hendricks: Architects are focused on energy efficiency, healthy and durable design strategies that
benefit the owner’s bottom line now more than ever. The LEED rating system has provided a conversation point that has pushed sound design practices into the mainstream that used to primarily focus on aesthetics alone. We are now talking about the impacts of certain materials or practices on the health of those doing the construction and those working and living in the buildings after construction. The conversation about chemical compounds, VOCs, light and views is largely a result of having a rating system that is nationally recognized and in the mainstream. Finding innovative ways to design systems into buildings that save clients’ money starting on day one is often the goal for projects.
Dumich: Architects have always promoted a holistic approach to design. LEED has contributed to the tipping point for a more broad awareness of sustainability throughout the building industry. This has led to many more options, increasing availability, and, in some cases, decreasing the cost of sustainable products and systems. I believe our continued advocacy will lead to more transformational changes in products, materials and manufacturing processes.
Johnson: LEED has helped architects think in terms of the whole building more than ever before.
LEED is a system that addresses the entire building and to some degree, its operations, so focusing on a few performance metrics and letting everything else work itself out no longer works. Innovative architects have embraced asking manufacturers for help and guidance, in order to make their LEED project achieve the goals of improved energy performance, water efficiency, CO2 emission reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and their impacts on the environment.
Taylor: I think the answer to this question really comes down to the architect. There are some designers who have embraced the LEED rating systems as a tool and their work reflects a movement towards more sustainable designs. There are other designers that choose to use the LEED rating systems as a validation tool at the end of the process and those individuals’ designs have not changed all that much. I think that our industry still has a long way to go before what we find in high-performing LEED buildings becomes the norm. This is especially true when you consider the enhancements that are being to the LEED rating systems.
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