Framing the LEED Certificate
When a team decides to pursue LEED® certification for a project, they are embarking on a rewarding and challenging task. It is an undertaking that heightens the awareness of stewardship to the community through the lenses of the environment, economics, and equality. Integrated into the design, construction, and occupancy of a building, attempting a LEED project will require additional dedication to the project from the entire team. Though the process is quite involved, the result can yield a multitude of benefits for the building users and beyond. As a basic primer, LEED projects consist of prerequisites (minimum thresholds that each project must achieve), and credits that provide a certain number of points. There are four levels of LEED certification: LEED Platinum, LEED Gold, LEED Silver, and LEED Certified. The differentiation between each certification level is 10 points. For more information regarding details of LEED certification, please refer to the LEED webpage of the U.S. Green Building Council at http://www.usgbc.org/leed. There are many details and considerations that go into the decision to attempt LEED certification of a building. As we worked with the client, contractor, and consultants throughout our first LEED process we noticed some key considerations that were important to accomplish our goal. Three components that owners should consider before embarking on a LEED building are the following: Communication is Critical The project team, including the owner, architect, consultants, and contractor will need to work together from the time the project decides to pursue LEED certification, throughout construction and into the finalization of the LEED documentation. Depending on the size and scope of the project, the team will vary, but most school projects include the owner, architects, consultants including mechanical, electrical, structural, and civil engineers, and other specialized consultants. Working with the contractor and subcontractors is also important. Though involvement […]