Costs and Benefits Analysis of LEED Building Projects
As the environmental problems become more and more serious these years, especially that intense negative impact that buildings in modern cities bring to the cities, the concept of Green Building is being more and more important considered by local and federal government. According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a green building is one that utilizes design and construction practices that significantly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of buildings on the environment and the building's occupants. Besides the more and more advanced building structure and technology, the main goal of green building is to protect the health of the occupants, save energy and reduce pollution to environment. There are many certifications of green buildings to judge whether the building meets the standard of green buildings and what environmental performance level is this building at, to help government regulators, building professionals and consumers to see better how this building can be improved and what is its impact on human beings and environment. Such green building programs include Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program, National Association of Home Builders (NAHB Green), etc. Among them, LEED is one of the most popular certification programs that give the building credits for its environmental performance. In this essay, I will discuss the costs and benefits of different types of building projects that were certified by LEED.
“LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is transforming the way we think about how our buildings and communities are designed, constructed, maintained and o...
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...egies and LEED certification, the costs of the building can actually offset by the benefits, because of the large energy saving and the positive externalities. The concept of Green building cannot be limited by one by one individual cases. For the whole society’s well-being, the concept of Green Building should be extended to the concept of Green City, just like mayor of Chicago claims, the “green city” is the future of modern cities, to achieve the goal of “green city”, we need to start with green buildings. To encourage more and more residents to support green buildings, buy green buildings and apply the environmental friendly habits in their daily life, the existing Green Building projects have the responsibility to express its “green” to more people and also the green building program such as LEED need to do more in conducting the idea of Green Building.
With the alarming growth in the energy costs and environmental concern in construction projects there is a continuous demand for sustainable buildings. LEED® evaluates the sustainable performance through a 69-point credit system which mainly emphasizes Indoor environmental quality, energy and atmosphere, sustainable sites, water efficiency, materials and resources and innovation in design (Azhar, Carlton, Olsen and Ahmad (2011)).
LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a certification program for green buildings with stringent requirements for building energy efficient and environmentally responsible structures. Some requirements of this program include specific building materials, smart grid capable, gray water reclamation systems, green space minimums, high levels of insulation and low thermal transfer glass (US Green Building Council). Green buildings are a must if we are to sustain our current level of growth. Despite the higher initial cost of these buildings, the long term energy savings make these buildings a smarter choice for
D1 - Evaluate the environmental performance of modern materials and techniques used in the construction of substructures for low-rise domestic and commercial buildings, for two different tutor-specified scenarios
Another alternative that emerged by the increasing practice of eco-friendly spaces is the LEED certification by the US Green Building Council. This certification is a demanding and rigorous program, which is constantly evaluated and incorporates new concepts periodically, mainly based on the new technologies that have arisen and the studies that have been carried out on green buildings that have been operating for several years.
Increase cost of Eco-Friendly new building in Art District will be 150 million (“What we are about”, 2014).
In conclusion, the designers and builders of the tower have an undesirable job: creating a building that is functional, modern, sustainable and unique. At the same time it is honoring the memory of the people that died in and around the buildings that stood there before. While the green sustainable features have been criticized for being too expensive, they will do more than save just water, electricity and emissions. They and the grace of the building will inspire a generation of green and safe skyscrapers for the twenty-first century. This building has become one of the safest, environmentally friendly and expensive ever built, but as critics slate the building for various reasons, one cannot take away the determination through political, social and economic status that designers and workers have created such a beautiful building with great meaning.
A green building (also referred to as sustainable building or green construction) is a structure that employs an approach that is responsible for the environment besides being efficient in regard to resources all through its life cycle: This is from selecting the site to designing it, constructing, operating, maintaining, renovating and demolishing it. To achieve this, the client, the engineers, the architects and the entire design team closely cooperate at all stages of a project (Yan and Paliniotis, 2006). Practicing Green Building complements and expands the conventional building design areas of comfort, durability, utility and economy.
Since there are so many types LEED does not certify certain buildings because they would not fall under certain criteria. This is where different LEED partners come in, they are part of the Green Building Council. LEED use to certify parking garages but in 2009 parking garages could no longer get a certification from LEED because 75% or more the floor space is used to allow vehicles to rotate through (USGBC). Parksmart is a certification process that allows parking structures to be qualified to be green. Like LEED, Parksmart has different levels of certification: Bronze, Silver, and Gold which are all based on a point system also pioneer level is available for existing structures (USGBC). Another partner is PEER which is Performance Excellence in Electricity Renewal. PEER is a certification process that monitor’s how electricity is generated and being transferred making sure energy is not lost through this process (Certification). A certification can be achieved in three different area: campus project, city project, and supply project. Each of these areas has different assessment to determine whether or not they qualify for the PEER certification
Globally, green buildings are being recognised and accredited, leading to the introduction of various tools and indices with one common objective that is to evaluate, measure, distinguish and sets apart this uniquely designed buildings from the rest. The Diamond Building carries a Green Building Index (GBI) accreditation, a first in Malaysia. Among the achievement of the ST Diamond Building are:
Green building has come forth over the past decade as a positive movement to produce high-performance, energy-efficient structures that improve comfort and health for resident, meanwhile, minimizing environmental impacts. Nevertheless, a common sense that green features is expensive and not suitable for affordable housing. Recent studies are showed that green buildings have a modest initial cost premium, but the long-term benefits far exceed the additional capital costs. For this report, I will introduce a financial analysis -Net Present Value (NPV), and discuss the impacts of NPV analysis for green affordable housing.
"A Renewed Commitment to Buildings and Their Social Benefits." U.S. Green Building Council. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. .
The beginnings of today's green revolution can be traced back to the environmental awareness of the 1960s and European design. New construction techniques have lead to the development of innovative materials and design concepts. Green buildings are designed, constructed and commissioned to ensure they are healthy for their occupants. Successfully designed green projects can involve an extensive array of factors, ranging from the resourceful use of materials, to careful consideration of function, climate, and location.
Hopkins, Graeme and Christine Goodwin. Living Architecture: Green Roofs and Walls. Collingwood, CSIRO Publishing. 2011,Print.
Sustainable design seeks to reduce negative impacts on the environment, the health and comfort of building occupants, thereby improving building performance. The basic objects of sustainability are to reduce consumption of non-renewable resources, minimal waste, and create healthy, productive environments (“Sustainable Design”). Focusing primarily on the sustainable design principles, there are five, including: low-impact materials, energy efficiency, quality and durability, design for reuse and recycling, and renewability. As sustainability appears to become the necessary trend in architecture, the question concerning the cost versus outcome of “going green” really an investment or a waste of time and money comes to mind. With our research provided below, we believe the expenses may truly be with the investment in the end.
In this regard, city authorities all over the world are increasingly adopting energy efficiency measures in a quest to become sustainable into the future. Consequently, this has led to the emergence of the term ‘green cities’ (Aulisi & Hanson, 2004). New York City, viewed by many as an urban, concrete jungle, was recently named the “greenest city" in the United States. This is mainly because most of its residents live in energy-efficient buildings, and use public transport, bicycl...