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Learning About LEED

Published June 15, 2011 going green Leave a Comment
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LEED banner. Image Credit: U.S. Green Building Council.

Here at the Norsteel blog, we talk a lot about LEED buildings and LEED certification.  So what exactly is LEED anyway? And what exactly does it do? Here’s a bit of a LEED primer.  We hope you find it useful!

LEED is an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design which was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in 2000.  It is an internationally-recognized, environmentally-friendly building certification system.

LEED buildings are constructed with a strict adherence to sustainable design codes and can be applied to commercial and residential buildings.  To date, over 9.7 billion square feet of construction space has been LEED certified in more than 120 countries. Additionally, nearly 10,000 homes have also been certified and nearly 30,000 homes have been registered under the LEED Home Rating System.

The LEED rating system is scored on a possible 100 points, as well as 6 additional points for design innovation.  There are four levels of certification, with “Certified” being the lowest and “Platinum” the highest.  A LEED “Certified” building has scored 40-49 points, while a “Platinum” building has a score of 80 points or above – at present, there are only four platinum-rated building in North America – one in Canada and three in the United States.

LEED rating systems are set and evaluated by LEED committees which are comprised of a group of volunteers from the building and construction industry.  LEED rating systems are not the same across the board.  According to the USGBC, the available LEED systems include:

  • LEED for New Construction (NC)
  • LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (EB: O&M)
  • LEED for Commercial Interiors (CI)
  • LEED for Core & Shell (CS)
  • LEED for Schools (SCH)
  • LEED for Retail
  • LEED for Healthcare (HC)
  • LEED for Homes
  • LEED for Neighborhood Development (ND)

Each rating system uses a different rating system specific to the type of building.  For more information on the LEED, visit USGBC.org.

Ottawa Convention Centre Goes Green

Published May 2, 2011 going green Leave a Comment
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Ottawa Convention Centre Conceptual Drawing. Image Credit: GBA Associates.

The Ottawa Convention Centre is boasting a bold, beautiful and modern new look – complete with environmentally-friendly upgrades.

The 192,000 sq, ft. building, which is built on the site of the former Ottawa Congress Centre downtown, offers 28 beautifully-designed, fully configurable meeting spaces as well as 56,000 sq. ft. that can host 6,260 people theatre-style and 4,600 banquet-style.  Comprised largely or recycled materials and organic compounds, the facility uses special plumbing systems to regulate and reduce water consumption.

The new design makes use of natural light and provides a magnificent view of Ottawa’s Rideau Canal from its 7-storey high windows.  The decision to go “green” was made by the Board of Directors to demonstrate a commitment to “environmental performance and leadership” and to “doing what is right for the future of the planet.”

According to the Ottawa Convention Centre’s official website, the building “became Canada’s first Founding Industry Member of the International Convene Green Alliance (CGA), a grass-roots industry initiative spearheaded by several high profile associations from around the world that aspire to positive environmental practices.”

The Centre has implemented a “comprehensive waste management program” as well as innovations designed to ensure that the building provides an environmentally-friendly experience for all of its guests which are expected to number in the hundreds of thousands this year alone.

Some of the Centre’s other green initiatives include:

-       The use of recycled steel trusses salvaged from the original congress centre.

-       Building practices that are aligned with LEED Silver status requirements (which it is currently in the process of applying for).

-       Rainwater collection cisterns which are used to flush toilets and urinals.

-       A large recycling room complete with a composting site.

-       A landfill waste diversion target in excess of 90 percent.

-       Lighting systems designed to be up to 25 percent more efficient than minimum building requirements.

-       Efficient HVAC systems to regulate air distribution throughout the building.

Two U.S. Hospitals Earn LEED Certification

Published April 14, 2011 going green Leave a Comment
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Jordan Valley Community Health Centre. Image Source: World Interior Design Network.

Two Illinois hospitals – the Jordan Valley Community Health Centre in Springfield and the Hillsboro Area Hospital in Hillsboro – have earned LEED Gold certification from the US Green Building Council.

Both construction projects were overseen by Vertegy, a St. Louis-based company, with Alberici Constructors acting as the general contractor.

Jordan Valley was originally designed by the Lawrence Group.  A recent renovation of the 72,000 sq. ft. building was completed which incorporated a bevy of sustainability measures.

Environmentally-conscious interior finishes were implemented into the building, as well as a specialized insulating glass.  The building also contains a specialized roof designed to decrease “heat island” effects in the area, water-efficient flush closets and urinals, and an eco-friendly revamp of the building’s energy distribution systems which resulted in energy savings of approximately 28%.  Ninety-two percent of the structure was recycled and/or re-purposed during the renovation project and sixty percent of the construction waste was diverted from the landfill.  “Green cleaning” maintenance procedures were also implemented.

The Hillsboro Area Hospital is a 22,700 square foot building which recently incorporated high albedo paving surfaces to decrease “heat island” effects and dual-flush toilets.  It also features vegetated open-areas and refrigerants were specially selected with ozone sustainability in mind and preferred parking spots for carpoolers and fuel-efficient vehicles.

Click here to learn more about the hospital’s sustainability features and here to learn about green buildings.

LEED Certification Rating Systems

The LEED rating system is scored on a possible 100 points, as well as 6 additional points for design innovation.  There are four levels of certification, with “Certified” being the lowest and “Platinum” the highest.  A LEED “Certified” building has scored 40-49 points, while a “Platinum” building has a score of 80 points or above – at present, there are only four platinum-rated building in North America – one in Canada and three in the United States.

First LEED Platinum Building in Canada

Published March 16, 2011 going green Leave a Comment
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Green Building. Image Source: FM Innovations.

Earlier this month, communications giant TELUS unveiled its plans to create a Platinum-rated LEED national headquarters right in the middle of downtown Vancouver, British Columbia.

TELUS has partners with Westbank Development Corp., who will be leading the project.  Henriquez Partners will be the architect in charge of designing the building.

This will be a challenging endeavor.  Although other TELUS buildings have achieved gold and silver LEED ratings, no building in Canada has achieved the prestigious U.S. Green Building Council Platinum rating.

“The fact that TELUS is choosing to build a new national headquarters in Vancouver is a great vote of confidence in our local economy,” Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said in a recent statement. “Their proposal to build to LEED Platinum is extremely ambitious and sends a signal that in Vancouver, going green is good for business and the environment.”

The project, called the TELUS Garden, will cost an estimated $750 million and consist of a 22-story office building and 500,000 sq. feet of office space, as well as 500 residential units.  Ten thousand sq. feet of garden space will be used to grow organic vegetables for nearby restaurants, in addition to two roof forests.  The building will also feature “media walls” that are capable of broadcasting local cultural events to the public.  The building is expected to house approximately 1,000 of the 15,000 TELUS employees in the province of British Columbia.

TELUS hopes to have the project completed by 2015.

About the LEED Platinum Rating

The LEED rating system is scored on a possible 100 points, as well as 6 additional points for design innovation.  There are four levels of certification, with “Certified” being the lowest and “Platinum” the highest.  A LEED “Certified” building has scored 40-49 points, while a “Platinum” building has a score of 80 points or above.

An application and certification fees must be submitted to the USGBC to achieve LEED certification.  Compliance with requirements must be well-documented.  The application process for new construction certification has been recently been transferred to electronic form.

LEED-Certified Parking Lots

Published March 1, 2011 going green Leave a Comment
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Santa Monica Civic Center Garage. Image Source: Moore Ruble Yudell Architects and Planners

Most people think of office spaces, campuses and apartment buildings when they think of LEED certification.  The truth is, many other structures can receive this environmentally-friendly certification – even parking lots.

A stunning parking lot commissioned by the Santa Monica Civic Center in California was the first LEED-certified parking garage in the United States, Constructed of mostly recycled materials and finished with environmentally-sustainable paint and primers, the structure uses technology that decreases heating and cooling loads and has an energy-efficient mechanical structure.  The parking lot has a storm-drain water-treatment system designed to minimize tainted runoff from interacting with the hydrosphere.  The garage has 900 parking spaces, with 14 spaces equipped with electrical outlets for hybrid cars.  The lot also has space for bicycle storage.

Paul de Ruiter Architects in the Netherlands have also designed a parking lot with the environment in mind.  Created out of recyclable materials, the lot is designed in a way that facilitates easy dismemberment should the space ever need to be moved.

Sustainable parking lots are quickly becoming a trend, with designs popping up in Florida, San Diego and Illinois.  Duke University initiated a “Research Drive Garage Project” and partnered with Bovis Lend Lease to create a $35 million 1,900-space parking garage which took three years to complete, opening in January 2010.  Among its many green features, the lot is equipped with 10,000-gallon cisterns to collect rainwater for landscaping, LED lighting, fuel-efficient and carpool vehicles and recycled building materials.

Many industry professionals have scoffed at the notion of creating a “sustainable” parking lot, arguing that the term is an oxymoron.  Environmental-centric blog Treehugger has argued that a parking lot can never be truly “green” because it promotes car transportation which, in turn, promotes the burning of fossil fuels.  Treehugger goes on to argue that the larger problem – society’s dependence on the automobile – needs to be addressed before there can be a truly “green” parking initiative.

While Treehugger does raise excellent points, it is encouraging to see an emphasis on green building within the construction industry as a whole.  Click here to read more about “green” parking lots (and to join the debate at Treehugger).

Police Headquarters in Aurora, IL Achieves LEED Gold Certification

Published February 8, 2011 Norsteel Buildings News Leave a Comment
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Aurora Police Headquarters. Image Credit: Cordogan, Clark and Associates.

The City of Aurora in Illinois has been awarded LEED Gold certification for the green construction of its new Police Headquarters and Branch Court facility.

“The new Police Headquarters was not only built to enhance police operations and safety, but also to be one of the most environmentally-sound municipal buildings in the country,” Mayor Tom Weisner told the Trib Local, an Auroa-based publication. “Earning the prestigious LEED Gold certification is another mark of distinction recognizing Aurora’s leadership in sustainability initiatives.”

The police facility was able to earn LEED certification by utilizing incorporating a variety of earth-friendly energy, lighting, water and material strategies.  In addition to conserving resources, the new building will be using substantially less water and energy, thereby helping to save taxpayer’s money and creating a healthier environment for Aurora residents.

Construction on the Police Department and Branch Court facility was completed in late 2009. The 154,000-squre-foot facility uses 27 % less energy and 30 percent less water than a non-LEED certified building of the same parameters.  The massive campus also houses a 200,000-square-foot parking deck and 42,000-square-foot training building, in addition to 911 services, administrative offices, a records division and county court.

Other notables, according to the Trib Local include:

• Permeable pavers in the main parking lot that absorb storm-water runoff and are light in color so they do not reflect as much heat back into the building, which reduces cooling costs;
• Vegetated bioswales – as opposed to storm sewers – to carry water runoff into a 3.7 acre retention pond, which reduces the impact on Aurora’s municipal sewer system;
• “Daylight harvesting” elements that maximize natural light;
• Recycled content in drywall, steel and concrete; and
• Photovoltaic panels for solar power generation.

The stunning building isn’t only earth-friendly; It’s also equipped with state-of-the-art policing equipment.  It’s also the largest, full-service police station built in the United States.

To take a more in-depth look at this groundbreaking building, check out this YouTube video.

Green Building “Feebates” in Portland, OR

Published January 7, 2011 going green Leave a Comment
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937 Condos in Portland, OR. Image Source: 937 Group.

Officials in Portland, OR are proposing a new large scale green building campaign, the first of its kind in the states. It in fact is a “feebate” program, where developers who meet certain green standards will be given significant rebates to offset development costs.

Here’s how it works:

-          For new commercial buildings 20,000 square feet or larger, developers are normally charged $3.46 per square foot as a type of tax. However, the fee would be waived if a building is to achieve LEED Silver certification. Buildings with LEED Gold, LEED Platinum or the Living Building Challenge will receive rebates from $1.73-$17.30 per square foot to offset costs.

-          Multi-family residential properties 5,000 square feet or more would have the same requirements as commercial buildings and will receive rebates from $0.51-$5.15 per square foot. Large projects 50,000 square feet or larger must meet LEED Silver and cannot use wood products, urea formaldehyde or vinyl flooring.

This policy requires buildings to achieve specific LEED credits and will need to emphasize other “green” processes such as energy efficiency or water use reduction. Existing structures are not required to make adjustments but will have to publicly disclose energy usage by 2013.

This proposed policy is in response to the to the fact that the City of Portland wants to increase green standards in the city but cannot legally enforce a building code that is more stringent than the state building code. It also acknowledges the fact that developers influence much of the current building practices so this will hopefully coerce more green building solutions.

Portland is already known for its green initiatives and influential programs. It was awarded the title of Greenest City in America by Popular Science in 2008. Even though the “feebate” policy has not been instated yet, Ralph DiNola of the Green Building Services in Portland, believes that there will be support among the residents of the city, who are no strangers to sustainability.

Green Building Trends for the Year Ahead

Published December 30, 2010 going green Leave a Comment
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University of Calgary Child Development Centre, one of the largest LEED platinum certified buildings in Canada. Image Credit: Kasian Architecture Interior Design and Planning Ltd.

Green building consultant Jerry Yudelson writes a yearly list of predicted trends for the year ahead. This year, we see industry growth topping the list, despite the slowdown in 2010.

Yudelson is the principal of Tucson-based green building consulting company, Yudelson Associates and has compiled this list after speaking to consultants from the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Australia.

Here’s the list:

  1. The green building movement will continue to grow around the world as more and more countries start to nurture their own green building agendas.
  2. Not only will the green building industry grow, it will positively rebound from a shaky 2010. Yudelson points to the growth in the number of LEED registrations as a solid indication of this future surge.
  3. According to Yudelson, “The fastest growing LEED rating system in 2010 was the LEED for Existing Buildings program, and I expect this trend to continue in 2011”. In other words, the biggest growth in green building will revolve around lowering the environmental impact of existing buildings rather than new builds.
  4. As awareness about the global water crisis grows, green planning will spend more time concentrating on water efficiency than anything else, including “conservation-oriented fixtures, rainwater recovery systems and innovative new water technologies”.
  5. Obama and his government will continue to support the green building industry.
  6. Any new buildings that are planned will likely be designed around zero-net-energy principles. This will apply across both residential and commercial builds.
  7. ‘Performance Disclosure’ is likely to become a new buzz word in industry circles. Any tenants or buyers will have the right to ask for the disclosure of actual performance in any commercial buildings.
  8. By the middle of last year, green schools represented about 40% of all new LEED projects. This trend will continue to grow as awareness of the health and educational benefits of green schooling continue to rise.
  9. More governments around the world will issue mandates requiring green commercial buildings for their major cities.
  10. The use of solar power in buildings will continue to grow over the coming year.

Canada’s Largest Green Roof

Published December 23, 2010 going green Leave a Comment
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Eighth Avenue Place. Image Credit: EllisDon Corp.

Calgary is home to Eighth Avenue Place, a brand new twin office tower built on the former site of Calgary’s historic Penny Lane Mall. News yesterday confirmed that this new build will be home to Canada’s largest ‘green roof’, coming in at a massive 30,000 square feet.

Because of this feature, as well as numerous other green credentials, this building project has been pre-certified as LEED Platinum – only the second building to earn such status in the whole of North America!

A green roof is simply when the roof of a building is partially or completely covered with vegetation. As concerns about our built environment grow, the various benefits of green roofs are making them a popular choice for any new build. In built up areas, a green roof is particularly good at combating the heat island effect – a surprisingly small concentration of green roofs in an urban environment can actually lower a city’s temperature during the hottest months of the year. Green roofs are also useful for absorbing rainwater and controlling temperature (warmth in the cold months and cool in the hotter months).

The University of Toronto published results in 2005 that showed just how worthwhile a green roof is; for example, it can reduce cooling loads by anything from 50 per cent to 90 per cent.

Interest in green roofs has grown dramatically over the last 10 years and Canada is one of the leading research countries. However, the actual concept of green roofs has been around for centuries, particularly in Northern Scandinavia where they are known as sod roofs. Several different types of green roof have been developed around the world, and range from ‘intensive’, through ‘semi-intensive’, to ‘extensive’. These different types refer to the depth of planting material and the amount of maintenance needed to keep the roof functioning well.

‘Intensive’ roofs will often have actual green features growing on them, such as shrubs or herbs, whereas ‘extensive’ roofs are more likely to look more like a simply field with a thin layer of moss or grass.

LEED Certification on an Everyday Budget

Published December 16, 2008 going green , Norsteel Buildings News , Steel Building Tips Leave a Comment
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A free 48-page illustrated guide on how to acheive Platinum-level LEED certification on a conventional building budget has been published by Portland-based Interface Engineering Inc.  Although this wasn’t an easy task for the engineering company, using their current project for Oregon Health and Science University as a case study, Interface has proven it possible.  “We’re delivering champagne on a beer budget,” said Andy Frichtl, Interface principal and lead project engineer. “The key to achieving more with less is integrated design.”

The projects design accomplishments include 100% on-site sewage treatment with rainwater and wastewater being harvested for toilets and landscaping, saving 15,000 gallons a day and innovative features such as sunshades that double as solar power generators and the first large-scale on-site micro-turbine plant in Oregon to generate electricity.

More details on this project can be found here and for more information on where you can order the booklet click here. 

For more info on this article please visit: www.treehugger.com

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