RG BD+C: Intro (pages 1-18)

Question 1

What is LEED?

Answer 1

Developed by USGBC as a framework for identifying, implementing, and measuring green building and neighborhood design, construction, operations, and maintenance. It is a voluntary, market-driven, consensus-based tool that serves as a guideline and assessment mechanism.

Question 2

LEED’s (7) Goals

Answer 2

·To reverse contribution to global CLIMATE CHANGE

·To enhance individual HUMAN HEALTH and well-being

·To protect and restore WATER RESOURCES

·To protect, enhance, and restore BIODIVERSITY and ecosystem services

·To promote sustainable and regenerative MATERIAL RESOURCES cycles

·To build a GREENER ECONOMY

·To enhance social equity, environmental justice, COMMUNITY health, and quality of life

Question 3

In the BD+C rating system, the major prerequisites and credits are categorized as? (6 categories)

Answer 3

• Location and Transportation (LT)
• Sustainable Sites (SS)
• Water Efficiency (WE)
• Energy and Atmosphere (EA)
• Materials and Resources (MR)
• Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ)

Question 4

LEED-certified buildings are designed to deliver what benefits? (6 elements)

Answer 4

· Lower operating costs and increased asset value

· Reduced waste sent to landfills

· Energy and water conservation

· More healthful and productive environments for occupants

· Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions

· Qualification for tax rebates, zoning allowances, and other incentives in many cities

Question 5

What are the steps of the LEED Certification Process? (4 steps)

Answer 5

1. Owner selects the rating system and registers the project (using the Rating System Selection)
2. Project designed to meet the requirements for all prerequisites + credits pertaining to the chosen rating system
3. Preliminary review - provides technical advice on credits that require additional work for the achievement
4. Final review - the project’s final score and certification level NOTE: The decision can be appealed if a team believes additional consideration is warranted

Question 6

What are the point thresholds for LEED’s four levels of certification?

Answer 6

· Certified, 40–49 points

· Silver, 50–59 points

· Gold, 60–79 points

· Platinum, 80 points and above

Question 7

(2) alternative certification processes for owners with multiple buildings pursuing LEED certification

Answer 7

(1) LEED volume certification
(2) LEED campus certification

Question 8

(3) Phases of Integrative Process

Answer 8

· Discovery - The most important phase. aka pre-design to take place before schematic design

· Design and Construction (implementation) - like a typical schematic design phase but integrates all the work and collective understanding of system interactions reached during the discovery phase

· Occupancy, Operations, and Performance Feedback - measure performance and creating feedback mechanisms

Question 9

Typical LEED Work Plan (11 steps!)

Answer 9

STEP 1. INITIATE DISCOVERY PHASE

STEP 2. SELECT LEED RATING SYSTEM

STEP 3. CHECK MINIMUM PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

STEP 4. ESTABLISH PROJECT GOALS

STEP 5. DEFINE LEED PROJECT SCOPE

STEP 6. DEVELOP LEED SCORECARD

STEP 7. CONTINUE DISCOVERY PHASE

STEP 8. CONTINUE ITERATIVE PROCESS

STEP 9. ASSIGN ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

STEP 10. DEVELOP CONSISTENT DOCUMENTATION

STEP 11. PERFORM QUALITY ASSURANCE REVIEW AND SUBMIT FOR CERTIFICATION

Question 10

Development Footprint

Answer 10

the total land area of a project site covered by buildings, streets, parking areas, and other typically impermeable surfaces constructed as part of the project

Question 11

Density

Answer 11

a ratio of building coverage on a given parcel of land to the size of that parcel. Is either a floor-to-area ratio (FAR), dwelling units per acre (DU/acre), or dwelling units per hectare (DU/hectare), or sqft of building per acre or hectare of buildable land. note: it does NOT include structured parking.

Question 12

Buildable Land

Answer 12

the portion of the site where construction can occur, including land, voluntarily set aside and not constructed on. For density calculations, buildable land EXCLUDES public rights-of-way and land excluded from development by codified law.

Question 13

Calculating residential density…

Answer 13

of dwelling units divided by the amount of residential land

Question 14

Calculating non-residential density…

Answer 14

Use FAR (total floor area divided by the total buildable land area)

Question 15

Employees

Answer 15

include part-time and full-time employees and totals are calculated using full-time equivalency (FTE)

Question 16

FTE Equations (2 types)

Answer 16

1. FTE employees = Full-time employees + (Σ daily part-time employee hours / 8)
2. FTE employees = (Σ all employee hours / 8) #2 is for more unusual occupancy patterns

Question 17

Regular Building Occupants

Answer 17

Regular building occupants are habitual users of a building. This includes staff, volunteers, residents, primary and secondary school students, hotel guests, and inpatients.

Question 18

Inpatients

Answer 18

medical, surgical, maternity, specialty, and intensive-care unit patients whose length of stay exceeds 23 hours

Question 19

Peak inpatients

Answer 19

the highest number of inpatients at a given point in a typical 24-hour period

Question 20

Visitors

Answer 20

(also “transients”) intermittently use a LEED building, such as retail customers, outpatients, and higher-education students (unless the building is a dorm).

Question 21

(2) ways of calculating occupation types

Answer 21

1. Daily averages - take into account all the occupants of a given type for a typical 24-hour day of operation
2. Peak totals - measured at the moment in a typical 24-hour period when the highest number of a given occupant type is present.

Question 22

LEED volume certification

Answer 22

Use if the project owner is planning multiple similar buildings in different locations to streamline certification.

Question 23

LEED Campus certification (2 types)

Answer 23

Use if the project includes multiple buildings in a single location. There are 2 methods

1. Group Certification Project: used to achieve one single certification for many buildings. Credit compliance can be demonstrated for the group as a whole or for has to be demonstrated for each building - the credit guidelines will state the requirements.
2. Campus Credits: achieve pre-approval for credits to be utilized by a number of certifications. Additional registration and review under a master site is required.

Question 24

CREDIT STRUCTURE INTENT & REQUIREMENTS outlines the rating system requirements for achieving the ____ or ____. They were approved through the rating system development process and can also be found on the USGBC website.

Answer 24

prerequisite / credit

Question 25

CREDIT STRUCTURE BEHIND THE INTENT connects credit achievement with larger ____ issues and provides information on how the credit requirements meet the intent stated in the ____ system.

Answer 25

sustainability / rating