In this world of dwindling natural resources, high energy and maintenance costs and increased environmental awareness, it is imperative that today’s public facilities set a positive sustainable example for the communities of which they are a part.

Unfortunately, ignorance about the sustainable design process often stands in the way of a community building “green.” One of the easiest ways to simplify the concept of building green is to partner with those entities that know and understand the process.

The United States Green Building Council is just such an entity. Through the development of the LEED Green Building Rating System (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design), the USGBC has created a nationally recognized system for understanding and applying smart sustainable design practices to almost all building types regardless of scope or budget.

This system, however, seems to have been shrouded in mystery and misconception since its inception almost ten years ago. With the exception of those who have used the system and built with the system, LEED design standards are widely thought to add complexity and unwarranted cost to a project process and budget.

The very nature of the development of the LEED Rating System was in fact to do exactly the opposite. By standardizing and rating sustainable strategies, building owners and users benefit from the knowledge gained by those who have used and adopted the system over the past decade.

LEED is a constantly evolving process that is continually changing and growing from the experiences of its users. Today’s design team has the benefit of ten years of trial and error as well as a process that has evolved to specifically address almost all types and sizes of structures.

With LEED Rating Systems that specifically address new construction, existing buildings, commercial interiors, core and shell, schools, retail, health care, homes and neighborhood development, LEED has grown to meet the needs of almost any building type or function, with many more currently in development.

What is LEED?

The LEED system is based on a series of credits or points that are gathered in a number of different sustainable categories such as site selection, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor air quality and the overall design process.

Depending on the total number of points gathered in each category, a building can achieve any one of five different ratings which reflect the building’s level of sustainable commitment.

Levels include Base Certification which requires a minimum of 26 points, Silver Certification which requires a minimum of 33 points, Gold Certification which requires a minimum of 39 points and the highest level of LEED Certification, Platinum, which requires a minimum of 52 points.

The strict nature of California’s energy code (Title 24) makes LEED Base Certification easily achievable for a team that is knowledgeable about environmental design. Base Certification should also not add construction cost to a project that is already meeting Title 24 standards.

This does not, however, mean that there is no cost at all associated with going for a Base Certified LEED rating. Unfortunately, this cost is typically misunderstood and often inflated. It is this confusion that often leads to the unfortunate decision not to build green.

The actual costs associated with a base LEED certification are tied more to process and verification than they are to the actual construction of the project. One prerequisite of any LEED certified project is third party commissioning. This requires an outside party to inspect and review all building systems after installation to verify that they are operating as per the original design intent. This is actually a good practice for any building owner to follow regardless of whether or not the decision has been made to achieve a LEED rating. Systems verification often saves energy and cost by confirming the proper installation and operation of any and all building systems.

The cost for this service varies depending on the size of the project with smaller projects typically costing more to commission. The actual cost can be anywhere from $.50 to $2.00 per square foot. Commissioning is typically the most substantial cost associated with LEED certification.

Documentation costs for the LEED process, which is often completed by a LEED building consultant, typically range $.50 to $1.00 per square foot. While the LEED process is simple, it still requires a substantial amount of documentation, proof and verification to achieve a LEED rating.

There is also a fee associated with LEED certification known as the certification fee. The certification fee is based on building size and ranges from $2,500 at the lowest to $17,500. Lastly, there is the LEED registration fee: $450 for USGBC member or $600 for non-members.
To achieve Base Certification, these costs and fees typically add less than 1% of a projects overall construction budget, however the rewards are immeasurable.

The Benefits of Green Design and LEED

A smart, environmentally designed building can reduce operating costs and increase asset value, reduce the quantities of waste sent to land fills, conserve energy and water, create a healthier and safer environment for the buildings users, reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, qualify buildings for tax rebates, zoning allowances and other incentives as well as demonstrating an owners environmental stewardship and responsibility.

But why design a LEED certified building and not just a sustainable building?

The LEED process is just that; a process. Often when a design team is pursuing a sustainable building that is not targeting LEED certification, the focus tends to stray. Members of the team who are not fully invested in the final goal tend to derail the process based on ignorance and misinformation which often results in a building that falls short of its sustainable goals. The LEED process tends to streamline the decisions to be made while also maintaining team focus.

Additionally, LEED certification can create a benchmark for public buildings that can be applied not only to future public buildings within a community, but also those buildings built by the private sector as well. This benchmark could potentially lead to local green building mandates.

Most importantly, the United States is very inexperienced compared to the rest of the world with regard to the sustainable design process.

LEED is the only nationally recognized system for acknowledging and understanding this process. The LEED designation is known worldwide and provides unlimited public relations potential. Suddenly a static, wasteful, energy draining building can become a shining green example to the community. And today’s community members understand the vital importance of the green movement to the fragile nature of the world’s environment. Green buildings can easily become learning tools demonstrating to the users and visitors how to live a more sustainably responsible lifestyle.

Why Build Green?

If we look at the global situation today, we can understand the importance of environmental design. Global population more than tripled in the 20th century with the world’s population rising from 2 billion people to 6 billion people from 1930 to 1999.

The United States population is projected to grow from 260 million, in 1998, to nearly 400 million by 2050. This arguably means more people, more cars, more buildings, and more land consumption.

If we look at how the construction and operation of buildings within the United States alone effect the environment, the results are staggering. Buildings account for 65.2% of total United States electricity consumption, 36% of total United States primary energy use, and 30% of total United States greenhouse gas emissions, 136 million tons of construction and demolition waste and 12% of total U.S. potable water consumption. Additionally, 3 billion tons of raw materials are used annually in the construction of new buildings alone. Statistics such as these suggest that something needs to be done and needs to be done now. The LEED rating system assures that construction and construction practices address and respond to a wide range of environmental issues. Through this response building owners and users are likely to enjoy a number of additional benefits such as improved worker productivity, reduced absenteeism and turnover, and reduced liability. The LEED process is unique in that it promotes a whole building approach to sustainability which gives the owners, users and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings performance.

It is through the use of the LEED Rating System process that both the building owner and designer can understand and communicate their sustainable goals to the rest of the world.

Unfortunately, there are those who don’t understand the process or the strategies involved in green design or the LEED Rating system. Typically, those individuals tend to throw dollars at green strategies without often understanding the consequences or results of their actions. This process has come to be known as “green washing.”

Green washing is the unjustified appropriation of environmental virtue by a company, an industry, a government, a politician or even a non-government organization to create a pro-environmental image, sell a product or a policy, or to try and rehabilitate their standing with the public.

This process has recently caused a number of misconceptions with regard to sustainable design such as excessive cost and a longer design process.

Green design simply stated is just good design. Smart sustainable practices should not add excessive cost or complications to a project, but should in fact reduce cost by creating energy efficient solutions that preserve natural resources while simplifying the process by limiting choices and design options. Once a sustainable goal has been initiated, the LEED Rating System has the potential to provide focus while also establishing a commitment toward a responsible environmental attitude.