L.E.E.D. stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), this program is designed to inform and guide all kinds of professionals who work with structures to create or convert spaces to environmental sustainability. This includes architects, real estate professionals, facility managers, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects, construction managers, private sector executives and government officials. Proposals to modify the L.E.E.D. standards are offered and publicly reviewed by USGBC's member organizations, which number almost 20,000. From 1994 to 2006, L.E.E.D. grew from one standard for new construction to a comprehensive system of interrelated standards covering all aspects of the development and construction process. L.E.E.D. also has grown from six volunteers on one committee to more than 200 volunteers on nearly 20 committees and nearly 150 professional staff. L.E.E.D. standards have been applied to more than 7,000 projects in the United States and 30 countries, covering more than 1.5 billion square feet of development area. One example of these projects is 1225 Connecticut Avenue in Washington, D.C., is the first redeveloped office building on the U.S. East Coast to receive L.E.E.D. Platinum status.
Participation in the LEED program was designed to be voluntary and can be applied to any building type at any construction phase, although in recent years this program has been used as part of the building code and permit process and thus being made more mandatory as discussed below. L.E.E.D. certification is the recognized standard for measuring building sustainability. For most projects, there are four levels of LEED certification, depending on how man...
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...al Construction Review which is also optional reviewers will evaluate clarifications submitted for credits reviewed in the Preliminary Construction Review. After submitting your application, Certification is the final step in the L.E.E.D. review process. There are four levels of certification, the number of points a project earns determines the level of L.E.E.D. certification that the project will receive. Typical certification thresholds are: certified; which is 40-49 Points, silver; which is 50-59 Points, gold; which is 60-79 Points, or platinum which is 80 Points or above.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
In my opinion a building should be L.E.E.D. certified because L.E.E.D. is all about design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings, homes and neighborhoods. Green buildings are more energy efficient and overall save you money.
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
"Sustainable Design Update » Blog Archive » Biomimicry – Green Building Highrise." Sustainable Design Update. 17 May 2008. Web. 02 May 2011. .
This sustainable development owned by the US Department of Energy, has also been certified LEED Platinum for New Construction by the U.S. Green Building Council. More than 220,000 square feet of high performance and avant-garde technologies have been combined to produce this sustainable development aimed to be completed by 2011.
Under the supervision of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED is running and LEED means (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an ecology-oriented building certification program. LEED is focusing its efforts to improve the performance in five main areas in the environment and human health: efficiency of the energy, the quality of indoor environment, choosing materials, water saving and the development of sustainable site, a tool of green building that is dealing with the whole building lifecycle that is recognized by best-in-class building strategies.
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.
This is a Green Building Rating System that accelerates and encourages worldwide adoption of green buildings in addition to...
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
"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.
Well-recognized cities worldwide have built over the years great buildings with a variety of designs and concepts however consequently too much building has been making grievous decrease on energy efficiency. Now, “Green Architecture” has been popularized and as a result a modicum of energy efficiency has increased and also it has substantiated a new perspective, a new versatile way on architecture.
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.
This family-owned, Washington D.C. based real estate development and construction management firm has always been known to take risks and do what was necessary to achieve its goal of keeping economic growth and a healthy environment in harmony with one another. Being so focused on creating sustainable designs and conserving the environment has made Erkiletian stand out amongst its competitors and