1 - Green Building Flashcards
LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations
All commercial buildings as defined by standard building codes are eligible. This rating system addresses design and construction activities for new buildings and major renovations. The owner or tenant must occupy more than 50% of the building’s leasable square footage.
Three (3) Rating Systems
- LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations
- LEED for Core & Shell
- LEED for Schools
LEED for Core & Shell
Projects in which the developer controls the design and construction of the entire core and shell base building, but not the tenant fit-out, are eligible. The owner or tenant must occupy 50% or less of the building’s leasable square footage.
LEED for Schools
This system encompasses design and construction activities for new schools and major renovations of existing schools. The project must be an academic building on K-12 school grounds. Postsecondary (collegiate) academic buildings or prekindergarten buildings can choose to apply for either LEED for New Construction or LEED for Schools certification.
LEED Certification - Prerequisites vs. Points
In order for a building to be certified, it must satisfy all the prerequisites and accumulate enough points to earn the desired project rating under LEED for New Construction, Core & Shell, or Schools. Building certification is validated through a formal third-party review process administered through GBCI.
LEED for Core & Shell Precertification Option
Precertification offers building owners and developers a marketing tool to help attract potential tenants and financiers. To achieve precertification, the project team completes an initial review process in which GBCI reviews a summary of early design stage submittal material.
Four (4) Steps of the Goal-Setting Charrette
- Establish a vision statement that embraces sustainable principles and an integrated design approach.
- Establish the project’s green building goals, developed from the vision statement.
- Establish green design criteria.
- Set priorities for the project design criteria.
Four (4) Key Phases
1) Predesign 2) Design 3) Construction 4) Occupancy
Fourteen (14) Key Players
1) Project Owner 2) Building Manager 3) Occupant 4) Commissioning Agency 5) Environmental Professional 6) Architect 7) Interior Designer 8) Landscape Architect 9) Civil Engineer 10) Mechanical Engineer 11) Lighting Designer 12) Energy Analyst 13) Acoustical Consultant 14) Contractor
Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs)
Pretty plain and simple - if a project doesn’t meet the MPRs, it’s not eligible for LEED certification. If GBCI learns of non-compliance to the MPRs sometime down the road, they can revoke your LEED certification at any time. MPRs determine project eligibility for LEED.
General Submittal Requirements
The General Submittal Template asks for basic building information and must be completed and uploaded to LEED Online. This template, which also requires the uploading of basic building documents, drawings, and plans, must be consistent across all submitted documentation.
Full-Time Equivalent (FTE)
This number will affect the approach taken on some LEED prerequisites and credits and should be used consistently in LEED documentation. Calculate the FTE for both full-time and part-time employees, assuming that an 8-hour occupant has an FTE value of 1.0; part time occupants have an FTE value based on their hours per day divided by the standard occupancy period (typically 8 hours). FTE OCCUPANTS = OCCUPANT HOURS / 8 Core & Shell projects have default occupancy figures that must be used when final occupancy counts are not available.
Credit Interpretation Requests and Rulings (CIRs)
CIRs were established for project applicants seeking technical and administrative guidance on how LEED credits apply to their projects and vice versa. It is important for project teams to be aware of previous CIRs, as the project must adhere to the CIRs current at the time of registration in addition to the ruling received for their own CIRs. CIRs must be formally submitted online.
Three (3) Must-Knows of CIRs
1) Do your homework! Review the intent of the credit/prerequisite and determine whether you are meeting that intent. Consult all available resources, then contact a LEED customer service representative to confirm that your situation warrants a new CIR. 2) Properly submit your CIR! Do not include unnecessary or confidential information; provide only what is essential. Request guidance on only one credit or prerequisite, with pertinent background information limited to 600 words. No attachments are accepted. 3) There is no guarantee! CIRs do not guarantee a credit award, and you will still have to demonstrate and document achievement during the certification process.
Fourteen (14) Key Players
- Occupant
- Project Owner
- Building Manager
- Commissioning Authority
- Environmental Professional
- Energy Analyst
- Architect
- Interior Designer
- Acoustical Consultant
- Landscape Architect
- Civil Engineer
- Mechanical Engineer
- Lighting Designer
- Contractor
