Over the past 15 or so years, many owners and project teams have struggled with the process of getting a building LEED certified by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). One reason is that they have not taken the time to learn and understand what it takes to achieve certification. The lack of knowledge is not restricted to the design team or contractor; it is prevalent throughout the entire delivery team. When taking on a LEED project, it’s important that the entire team educate themselves to ensure they are able to achieve certification for the right reasons and without going over budget. Following are tips that will help make this process smoother for the entire team and ensure a successful LEED project.
Understand why you are pursuing LEED certification
Owners can make the decision to go green without really knowing what they are asking of the team. Sometimes their decision is based on the allure of owning a certified building. Other times, certification could be tied to a mandate or an incentive by the local municipality. Making the decision to pursue certification should not be made in haste. It should be based on knowing the facts and understanding what it will take to achieve certification.
Consider the project team’s success rate with LEED Certification
Once an owner has decided to pursue LEED certification for a current or existing building, it’s important to ask the right questions when assembling the rest of the delivery team. Don’t just ask how much experience team members may have with LEED, ask how successful they have been in getting projects certified.
Understand the LEED requirements
Designers play an integral part in achieving certification, but those without a keen understanding of the requirements of the LEED rating system may think that indicating a credit as achievable on the LEED scorecard will be enough to succeed.
For example, the LEED for New Construction credit Indoor Environmental Quality credit 5, Indoor Chemical and Pollutant Source Control, contains many requirements. A 10-foot-long entryway system must be located at each of the building’s primary entrances. Any room used for storing or mixing chemicals must have doors that are selfclosing, and these rooms must be exhausted directly outside the building. These rooms must also have deck-to-deck partitions and be negatively pressured to adjacent spaces. If the building is mechanically ventilated, the equipment must be specified to use filters with a MERV 13 or higher rating, and these filters must be located on both the supply and return side of the equipment. Provisions also need to be made for the storage of hazardous materials. If the designer is not aware that all of these elements need to be included, then the credit will not be achieved.
Recognize how credits can impact each other
It’s also important for the design team to understand how achieving some credits may affect the chance to achieve other credits. Using the example of the LEED credit mentioned above, the design may include all of the required elements, but the use of large filters on both the return and supply side can increase the amount of energy needed to run the system. Achieving this credit and the associated point may decrease the amount of possible points awarded for energy efficiency.
Consider hiring a contract or who is familiar with LEED requirements
There are a number of credits that rely on the work of the contractor, so it’s important to hire a contractor who is knowledgeable about LEED. For example, the Indoor Environmental Quality credit 3.2: Construction Indoor Air Quality management Plan-Before Occupancy calls for the contractor to either flush the building or test the air quality inside the building before the owner takes occupancy. The rating system calls for the contractor to comply and document this credit. However, if the contractor does not understand the requirements, he or she cannot properly plan for or price the effort it will take to achieve this credit. Knowing what is required is the key to being able to deliver.
Remember that timing is everything
It’s important for the project team to look at all the credit requirements and allow for plenty of time to meet these requirements. In the instance mentioned above, to properly earn the credit, the contractor needs to allow for time in the schedule to run the mechanical system after all construction activities are complete until 14,000 cubic feet of outdoor air has been delivered for every square foot of the building.
If the schedule does not allow for a building flush, an air quality test can be performed to prove compliance. The building flush-out option sounds like an easy way to achieve this credit, but the time it takes to perform this task is dependent on how much outdoor air the mechanical system is designed to use. A system that is capable of using 100 percent outdoor air will take less time than a system that is restricted to 10 percent outdoor air. Either way, someone must perform the calculations to determine how long it will take. Knowing this is only one piece of the compliance puzzle. The delivery of outdoor air must be controlled so that both the humidity and temperature of the building remain in a constant level.
A little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing. This is why it is critical that people learn what is required and how decisions made can have a profound effect on other elements of a building. Achieving certification takes a strong commitment from the owner, a deep understanding of the interrelatedness of the prerequisites and credits by the design team, and detailed knowledge of the rating system requirements by the contractor. Educating yourself, building on the collective knowledge of the entire delivery team and sharing information is the best way to predict LEED success.
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Thomas Taylor, a 30-year veteran of the construction industry and noted expert on sustainability, is a principal and co-founder of St. Louis-based Vertegy LLC. To learn more about Vertegy or Taylor, visit www.vertegyconsultants.com.