LEED Overview

� Design and construction practices that significantly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of buildings on the environment and occupants that address:• Sustainable site planning • Safeguarding water and water efficiency• Energy efficiency • Conservation of materials and resources• Indoor environmental quality

� Historic Drivers: Oil crisis, sick building syndrome, economics, marketing

� Future: Restorative Design

What is Green Design?

What is LEED?

Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design

Comprehensive& National

Green building rating system

Evolvesover time

Documentationbased

SiteWaterEnergyMaterialsIndoor

• 6 categories• 7 mandatory

prerequisites• 34 credits• 69 points

• Categories not equally weighted

• Points not equal benefit

Water

Efficiency

8%Energy &

Atmosphere

27%

Materials &

Resources

20%

Sustainable

Sites

22%

Indoor

Environmental

Quality

23%

LEED-NC Structure

Four levels of certification:• LEED Certified 26-32 points • Silver Level 33-38 points • Gold Level 39-51 points • Platinum Level 52-69 points

• There is no Bronze level

LEED-NC Levels

LEED-NC Scorecard

LEED Process

D/P/S Approach to LEED

• Performance first: energy/carbon, water

• People (nearly) first: comfort, operable windows, healthy materials

• Material conservation

• Streamline the process and paperwork

• Support the owner, consultant, and contractors throughout the process

Owner

Architect

MEP Structural InteriorsCivil Landscape

GeneralContractor

Subcontractors

LEED

• LEED needs to be integrated into the design process

• Requires buy-in from entire team

• Can be accomplished with any delivery method

LEED Process

• LEED needs to integrated into the design process

• Requires buy-in from entire team

• Can be accomplished with any delivery method

Owner

Architect/LEED

MEP Structural InteriorsCivil Landscape

GeneralContractor

Subcontractors

LEED Process

• Team Composition– Who will manage the LEED effort?– Who will the commissioning agent work for?– Any need for specialty consultants?

• Cisterns, daylight, acoustics, energy modeling

– Integrated design• Propose, evaluate, refine strategies• Brainstorming, charettes, reviews• Maximize benefits, minimize risks

– Experience matters• Material knowledge• Process support• Credit strategy overlaps

LEED Process

(Students,patients,etc.)

LEED Process

• How do you set reasonable targets, and avoid point chasing?

• Efficiency is not a Yes or No question– Code is just the beginning, we need to offer an alternative– LEED is usually a midpoint– Performance is a spectrum

Code LEED Zero Restorative

Setting Targets

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

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60%

70%

80%

Code compliant, EPA 1992

53% ThornburgWaterless urinals, dual flush toilets, faucet sensors

30% Jefferson GreenLow-flow urinals, faucet sensors

Waterless and low-flow fixturesGraywater or rainwater reuse

Water Targets

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Good glazing , improved roofPackaged air-to-air heat pumps

Energy Targets

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

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60%

70%

80%

Good glazing , improved roofPackaged RTUs with VAV

Energy Targets

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%Improved roof and envelopeHigh efficiency RTUs

Energy Targets

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Improved roof & glazingUnderfloor air, evap cooling, lighting sensors, operable windows

Energy Targets

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Improved roof & glazingUnderfloor air, evaporative cooling, operable windows

Energy Targets

Case Study: Jefferson Green

• 2 separate LEED projects

• LEED-CS Gold

• LEED-CI Gold

Jefferson Green

Jefferson Green• Speculative building

• Multiple tenants

• Market rate

• Performance

• Energy

• Water

• Tenant amenities

• LEED certification

• 85,000sf

• 3 stories

• Respond to solar orientation

• Typical R-19 walls, clear low-e glazing

• External shading

Envelope

• Reflective roof

• R-30 insulation

• Operable windows

Envelope

Iterative design process- Performance- Aesthetics- Modeling/Calcs

- Energy vs daylight vs views vs budget

Envelope

• Underfloor air distribution• Evaporative cooling

– Direct/indirect– Free cooling

• Refrigerated backup• Rooftop AHUs• Gas boilers• T5 fluorescent lighting

• 45% energy savings

System Design

Integrated design of UFAD:– Reduced building height by 2’-6” and downsized equipment– Helped offset cost of system– Architectural detailing of walls and penetrations– Coordination of diffusers, flooring, and furniture

System Design

Impact on People

Interior Environment

Materials

• Natural• Recycled• Regional• Renewable• Reused• Low-emitting

Materials

• Natural linoleum flooring and tackwall: renewable, recycled

• War room walls are xorel, a durable recycled fabric product

• Low-emitting paints, coatings, adhesives, sealants, carpets, and composite wood

• Green Guard certified furniture with recycled content

Construction

Site

• Preserve existing trees• Direct run-off to planted areas • Xeric landscaping • Irrigation from the city’s non-potable

line• Cutoff light fixtures to minimize light

pollution• Bike racks and a designated smoking

area

– 1st LEED-CS project in NM– 1st LEED Gold commercial office

building in NM– 1 of only a handful of “Double

Gold” buildings in the world

Costs & Benefits

LEED Costs

• National studies say 2%, we estimate 2-5%

• Minimizing first cost is not always the best decision

• Jefferson Green: 5% premium, 5 year payback

• Invested in envelope and systems

• Lower bills than previous building (1/3 the size)

• Utility cost of $0.70/sf (instead of $2/sf)

• Costs include:

• USGBC fees of 3.5 cents/sf

• Fees for LEED management, commissioning agent, energy modeling

• Additional construction first costs

• What does this building save per year?

– 6,290,000 kBtu energy– 858 tons CO2 emissions– 222,300 gallons of water

indoors

Costs & Benefits