EPG: Chapter 3 - LEED v4 Core Concepts and Themes

Question 1

closed system

Answer 1

system in which materials and resources are used or recycled

Question 2

cradle to cradle

Answer 2

term applied to a product if a new use can be applied to it after the end of its first useful life, diverting it from a landfill. (closed system)

Question 3

downstream activity

Answer 3

activity related to the processing of materials all the way through to the delivery of the final product to the end-user

Question 4

embodied energy

Answer 4

total amount of energy used to extract materials and manufacture, transport, install, and use a product across its life cycle

Question 5

feedback loop

Answer 5

the section of a system that allows for feedback and self-correction and adjusts its operation according to differences between the actual output and the desired output

Question 6

integrative process

Answer 6

a design process in which multidisciplinary teams collaborate to meet sustainable design objectives from the inception of a project to its completion

Question 7

iterative process

Answer 7

process used in design that involves conducting research, sharing data, receiving feedback and refining the design repeatedly until all of a project’s sustainable goals are met

Question 8

life-cycle assessment (LCA)

Answer 8

an assessment of the environmental impacts associated with a material or product throughout its life cycle - including a product’s upstream and downstream activities, embodied energy, waste and by-product creation, recycling and disposal. It is used to help in the selection of building systems, services and products.

Question 9

life-cycle costing (LCC)

Answer 9

an analytic tool used to determine the most cost-effective option among competing alternatives based on the costs of the options throughout their life cycles

Question 10

negative feedback loop

Answer 10

a section of a system in which the system self-corrects and stays within a particular set of parameters

Question 11

open system

Answer 11

a system in which materials and resources are continually brought in from the outside, consumed, and then removed from the system as waste

Question 12

positive feedback loop

Answer 12

a section of a system in which the output of the system is applied to the input, resulting in constant increases

Question 13

leverage point

Answer 13

a point in a system in which a small change can yield large results

Question 14

9 Core concepts and general themes that can be found within the LEED Green Associate exam?

Answer 14

• global climate change
• impact categories
• life-cycle approach
• triple bottom line
• cost of green building
• integrative process
• iterative process
• systems thinking
• regenerative building

Question 15

According to the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Buildings and Climate Change Report, buildings account for approximately ___ % of total energy used today.

Answer 15

40%

Question 16

What does ODP stand for?

Answer 16

ozone depletion potential

Question 17

What does GWP stand for?

Answer 17

global warming potential

Question 18

Chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs) & Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFCs) impact on the environment?

Answer 18

these are harmful refrigerants and deplete the stratospheric ozone layer around our planet!

Question 19

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) impact on the environment?

Answer 19

less harmful refrigerants and have almost zero ODP but a high GWP because they are less efficient and cause HVAC equipment to work harder to heat and cool, increasing the production of greenhouse gases. NOTE: there is currently no refrigerant that does not directly or indirectly affect ozone depletion or global warming.

Question 20

The Montreal Protocol of 1987 banned which HVAC refrigerants? Which refrigerant did it phase out?

Answer 20

It banned the production of CFC refrigerants and began phasing out HCFCs.

Question 21

To achieve LEED certification, new buildings cannot use ___ - based refrigerants, and existing buildings must completely phase-out ___ before the project is finished.

Answer 21

CFC / CFCs

Question 22

LEED impact categories are also known as….?

Answer 22

LEED system goals

Question 23

LEED impact categories were developed for what purpose?

Answer 23

To guide point allocation for each credit in the rating systems. Refer to the “LEED v4 Impact Category and Point Allocation Development Process” for details.

Question 24

what are the 7 impact categories?

Answer 24

Question 25

cradle to grave

Answer 25

materials are NOT sustainable - they are purchased, consumed and disposed of with a clear beginning and finite end. (open system)

Question 26

upstream activities

Answer 26

related to the extraction of the raw materials used in a product

Question 27

The results of an LCC analysis can be used to select building systems, services and products that have the lowest ___ and shortest ____ .

Answer 27

life-cycle cost / payback period

Question 28

The concept of the triple bottom line is integral to understanding the _____ impacts of the built environment within the Project Surroundings and Public Outreach knowledge domain.

Answer 28

environmental

Question 29

In the triple-bottom-line approach to business, the ____ are the main focus rather than the shareholders.

Answer 29

stakeholders. This includes the employees, building occupants, community members, the environment, and shareholders.

Question 30

To answer “cost of green building” on the LEED Green Assoc. Exam?

Answer 30

choose the answer that states in some way that green buildings do not cost more than nongreen buildings due to their added values of payback and life-cycle costs.

Question 31

According to the study “The Cost of Green Revisited”, it states that when comparing projects within building types, green buildings cost approx. __% more than non-green buildings.

Answer 31

2% (Although there are both expensive nongreen buildings and inexpensive green buildings)

Question 32

Strategies to reduce cost of a green building, as compared to a non-green building?

Answer 32

• reduce project’s footprint - use of ventilation (with correct site orientation)

Question 33

What is Regenerative Building?

Answer 33

closed systems that use only as much water and energy as they can produce - i.e. net-zero energy buildings or net-zero water projects.

Question 34

net-zero water projects?

Answer 34

use only as much water as falls onto the site and clean all wastewater on site

Question 35

net-zero waste projects?

Answer 35

repurpose, recycle or turn all waste into energy, diverting 100% of their waste from the landfill.

Question 36

Below are typical characteristics of a Conventional Design Process. In comparison, what are the characteristics for an Integrative Design Process for each of these elements?

1. Team member involvement only when essential
2. Little time, energy, and collaboration invested in early stages
3. Decisions made by few people
4. Linear process
5. Systems considered in isolation
6. Limited to constrained optimization
7. Initial costs only considered
8. Process finished when construction is complete

Answer 36

Integrative Design:

1. Inclusive
2. Time, energy, and collaboration invested in early stages
3. Decisions influenced by a broad team
4. Iterative (repetitive) process
5. Whole-systems thinking
6. Allows for full optimization
7. Life-cycle costing
8. Process continues through post-occupancy

Question 37

Integrative Project Team members typically include what kind of people?

Answer 37

Question 38

The integrative process credit was added to the LEED v4 and added to all rating systems except for _____ and _____.

Answer 38

LEED ND (Neighborhood Developemnt) and LEED O+M (Operations and Maintenance).

Question 39

For the integrative process credit, what two preliminary analyses must be completed before the design process begins? (during the Discovery phase?)

Answer 39

energy modeling

water budget

Question 40

During the implementation phase, what documentation is required in relation to the energy modeling that was done during the Discovery phase?

Answer 40

the project team must document how the energy modeling analysis affected the owner’s project requirements (OPR), the basis of design (BOD), and eventual project design.

Question 41

what documentation is required in relation to the water budget analysis that was done during the Discovery phase?

Answer 41

The project team must demonstrate how at least one on-site nonpotable water supply source was used to reduce the burden on municipal supply or wastewater treatment systems by contributing to at least two of the water demand components listed in the LEED Reference Guide for BD+C under “integrative process credit”.

Question 42

The final stage of the integrative design process is the _____.

Answer 42

occupancy phase

Question 43

The iterative process is used in tandem with the ___ process, during the ___ and ___ phases.

Answer 43

integrative / discovery / implementation

Question 44

For the integrative process, the design team meets regularly until all ___ and ___ efficiencies are revealed.

Answer 44

scale / cost

Question 45

According to the Exam Preparation Guide, what are the 5 steps to an iterative cycle to optimize systems?

Answer 45

1. Conduct research and collect data
2. Analyze data
3. Share data analysis with team members
4. Receive feedback to identify synergies, wastes and other opportunities for savings and efficiency across all disciplines
5. Create/refine design

Question 46

Systems thinking is commonly used in _____ . It is an important part of the ___ process.

Answer 46

problem solving / integrative process

Question 47

A fundamental concept in system thinking is that by examining the interaction and connections between all the parts of a system, each part can be better ____ .

Also, an improvement in one part of a system may have a ____ effect on another part of the same system.

Answer 47

understood

negative

Question 48

Positive and negative foodback loops ideally need to be in ____ . If one gets too far out in front of the other, damaging ___ effects can occur,

Answer 48

balance / negative