by Marcy Marro | November 2, 2020 12:00 am
Back in May, the U.S. Green Building Council[1] announced its Healthy People in Healthy Places Equals a Healthy Economy strategy[2], aimed at leveraging LEED and the community to support buildings and communities in a post-pandemic world. The strategy was guided by the belief that prioritizing the health of people, communities and the planet is the fastest way to rebuild a healthier, more sustainable economy.
At the time, Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO of the USGBC said, “USGBC and its thousands of member organizations are focused on getting the economy back on track and on demonstrating that we can provide a foundation that supports people, businesses and communities. By helping everyone understand the role a LEED-certified building can have in creating healthy spaces, we can help rebuild public trust, stimulate the economy and ultimately bring about a healthier standard of living for all.”
Part of the Healthy Economy strategy was introducing six new LEED pilot credits that support social distancing, nontoxic surface cleaning, air quality and infection monitoring. The LEED pilot credits aimed at helping building teams provide healthy spaces, and to assist with re-entry.
The pilot credits, which outline sustainable best practices that align with public health and industry guidelines related to cleaning and disinfecting, workplace re-occupancy, HVAC and plumbing operations, can be used by LEED projects that are certified or are undergoing certification.
Called Safety First,[3] the LEED pilot credits can be cited as authorities in the Arc Re-Entry program[4], which provides tools to benchmark infection-control policies and procedures, collect occupant experiences and track indoor air quality as spaces are prepared for safe re-entry following COVID-19.
The Safety First LEED pilot credits are:
In the five months since the release of the Safety First LEED pilot credits, more than 130 LEED projects in 20 different countries and territories have used them to support their safe and healthy reopening plans. Credits are being used by commercial interior, new construction and existing building projects and include offices, data centers, schools, retail and hospitality projects.
Melissa Baker, senior vice president of Technical Core at USGBC, said, “Health and safety has been a core part of LEED from the beginning, but the pandemic has revealed new ways we can leverage sustainability to better support people and communities during this crisis. These projects are taking the first step and reinforcing USGBC’s belief that in order to rebuild a healthy economy we have to focus on healthy people in healthy places.”
In October, the USGBC released the Safety First: Arc Re-Entry credit, which recognizes a coordinated effort to reduce infection risk by creating infection control policies with public health authorities, collecting data bout occupant experience, and measuring and analyzing indoor air quality. To achieve the credit, project teams are required to provide information for all three categories during a 90-day performance period.
Additionally, there are credits available for cities and communities to support pandemic and response. And, as more is learned about the virus that causes COVID-19, USGBC says the best practices outlined will continue to evolve.
COVID-19 has changed just about everything we do in ways many of us never could have imagined. Having a strong foundation to help businesses and governments prepare to reopen and recover will help restore the economy and create healthy places in a healthy economy for people to be in. By refining LEED strategies and providing guidance to businesses, cities and governments, USGBC is helping make sustainable buildings, healthy communities and cities a priority.
Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/blog/rebuilding-a-healthy-economy/
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