Condo Media - June 2010 - 30

COVER STORY

The LEED Framework
Most of these rankings and, indeed, most discussions of environmentally commendable buildings, reference the LEED program; the USGBC describes the LEED program as a third-party verification system designed to give developers and building owners “a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical, measurable green

stories) fall under the standards for new or existing commercial buildings. The rating systems for these three categories vary somewhat, but all award points related generally to: “Sustainable” sites, “water efficiency,” “energy and atmosphere,” “materials and resources,” “indoor air quality” and design innovation. LEED for Homes adds two unique categories: “Location and Linkages,” assessing the

LEED certification has become a prerequisite for working on many local, state and federal government construction and renovation projects.
building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.” “It’s not just about energy efficiency,” says Jack Carr, a senior manager with Portland, Maine-based CriteriumMooney Engineers and a LEED-certified construction specialist. “LEED is a holistic approach” to design and construction, Carr emphasizes, covering every aspect of the built environment, from site selection, construction techniques and building materials, to the cleaning supplies and maintenance strategies employed after the building is complete. The LEED standards promote the use of recycled materials, energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and other strategies designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the “carbon footprints” that buildings and their inhabitants create. Limited initially to new construction, LEED has expanded to include existing buildings and added a separate category for residential construction. Singlefamily residences and multifamily buildings, including condominiums, with four stories or less are covered by the newly adopted “LEED for Homes” standards; commercial buildings and multifamily buildings (including condominiums with more than four “placement of homes in socially and environmentally reasonable ways in relation to the larger community”; and “Awareness and Education,” focusing on the education of owners, tenants or building managers in the “operation and maintenance of the green features” of the buildings. The USGBC tallies 241 multifamily buildings that have obtained certification under the “LEED for Homes” program and 879 “registered” projects, which are seeking “certification” or have indicated that they plan to do so; 39 multifamily properties have been certified and 150 registered under the commercial rating system for new and existing buildings.

Carr attributes the growing rolls of LEED-certified professionals partly to increasing awareness that climate change is a serious problem requiring a meaningful and urgent response. “People are starting to get it in a big way,” he suggests. But interest in LEED certification both for professionals and buildings is being driven as much by financial as by environmental concerns, Carr agrees. LEED certification, he notes, has become a prerequisite for working on many local, state and federal government construction and renovation projects. “If you want to work on these projects,” Carr says, “you have to be LEED-certified.” Developers, for their part, are producing more LEED-certified projects because they think the individuals or companies buying the buildings or leasing space in them will be drawn to projects with high environmental standards and may increasingly insist on them.

A Numbers Game
The LEED standards emphasize the science behind sustainable construction, but developers, necessarily, focus equally, if not more, on the economics. As a result, to some extent — and probably far more than environmentalists would like — the LEED certification process “is a numbers game,” Carr says. Buildings earn points for meeting different benchmarks: Certification (the lowest LEED rating) requires a minimum of 40 points out of 100 for new and existing commercial construction (the category in which condominium developments with more than four stories would fall), and 45 out of 136 points under “LEED for Homes.” The object for cost-conscious owners and developers is to accumulate the maximum number of points at the lowest possible cost. “They go after the low-hanging fruit first,” Carr explains. Adding bicycle racks and recycling bins, adopting “environmentally friendly” policies and using non-toxic paints and building supplies all contribute low-effort, low-cost points

Increasing Interest
LEED also offers a certification program for construction industry professionals, which is beginning to attract more attention both from professionals and the entities that hire them. “Four years ago, it was hard to find LEEDcertified architects,” Carr says. “Now, it’s hard to find architects who aren’t certified.” (The USGBC’s directory of LEED-certified professionals includes approximately 2,100 architects, 450 civil and building engineers and 345 consultants in New England.)

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CONDO MEDIA • JUNE 2010
Condo Media - June 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - June 2010
