Posts Tagged 'LEED'

Understanding the LEED Rating Systems

Published January 9, 2012 going green Leave a Comment
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Logo. Canada Green Building Council.

If you’re planning to have your building LEED-certified, you first have to know in which specific LEED category your building falls under. Each category has specific prerequisites and a requisite number of points required in order to qualify.

  1. New Construction and Major Renovations (NC+MR) applies to major renovation projects and new buildings—particularly to institutional buildings and high-rise residential buildings, whether private or public.
  2. Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (EB: O&M) refers to the certification of ongoing operations of existing commercial and institutional buildings. This covers offices, retail and service establishments, institutional buildings, hotels and 4-storey residential buildings.
  3. Commercial Interiors (CI) refers to tenant spaces in office, retail and institutional buildings for owners or lesser.
  4. Core and Shell Development (CS) is for developers who control the shell base building and entire core, but has no control over the design and construction of the tenant fit-out.
  5. Schools, New Construction and Major Renovations (SCH) refer to the certification of new school buildings and renovations of existing ones.
  6. Retail, New Construction and Commercial Interiors (Retail NC & Retail CI) is for all retail buildings and for tenant spaces in retail buildings.
  7. Healthcare (HC) is for inpatient and outpatient care facilities and licensed long term care facilities. This also applies for medical offices, medical education and research centers, and assisted living facilities. If the renovation is not significant, then they can fall under the LEED EB: O&M category.
  8. Homes, obviously, refers to the mainstream homebuilding industry. Homeowners can refer to a LEED for Homes specialist who can help in designing a home that’s in tune with the LEED rating system.
  9. Neighborhood Development (ND), unlike the 8 categories, refers to entire neighborhoods and groups of buildings. Single-use neighborhoods can apply for a certification.

Norsteel can offer several Energy Star® certified products, and help you obtain sustainable design and LEED certification in some of the aforementioned categories.

Residential Buildings and Apartments are Going Greeen Too

Published January 6, 2012 Norsteel Buildings News Leave a Comment
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Flat Back Rain Barrel. Image Source: Shopping.com

The trend of greening one’s space doesn’t only happen within commercial and industrial buildings, but within residential buildings and apartments as well. In fact, a lot of neighborhoods are starting to invest in other methods of going green, in composting food waste—a trend that used to be foreign and strange for most families a couple of years ago.

For example, in Minneapolis, several neighborhoods now have a chutes in their buildings designed for organic food that will be composted. This is only one of the several green features to be found in residential apartments across the US.

Another example is a roofing system that can deflect the heat of the summer.  Tanks are added to collect rainwater, so that the money paid by residents for storm water management is significantly reduced while water capacity stays the same.

The HVAC and plumbing system is an important aspect of green residential buildings as well. A lot of residential buildings have increased energy efficiency, improved insulation for doors and windows, and appliances that have a high Energy Star rating. Bike racks are commonly installed as more people are learning to use other forms of transport rather than the private automobile.

Granted that there are certain costs for going green such as operational and maintenance expenditures, but the benefits far outweigh them.  In fact, building developers are willing to develop and pay for these expenses upfront as the market is starting to demand environmentally sound and sustainable practices.

The response of residents has thus far been overwhelming. In fact, a lot of people looking for apartments particularly look for green residential buildings. With the chance of reducing electricity and utility costs by as much as 75%, there’s indeed every reason to look for a green residential building!

While LEED certification is the pinnacle of green building, even smaller efforts to cut costs and save the environment can help. The benefits will far outweigh the costs for residential green buildings.

A representative at Norsteel will be happy to offer their assistance on finding an inexpensive, sturdy and sustainable steel building to meet your requirements.

LEED Milestone!

Published December 31, 2011 going green Leave a Comment
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The US Green Building Council just reported that the total LEED-certified square footage for existing buildings in the US has officially exceeded the square footage for new construction. This is a milestone for LEED.

The total size of existing commercial buildings in the US has reached 60 billion square feet. In the past, most of these had consumed enormous amounts of energy and water. USGBC, however, has made it a point to curb the exorbitant consumption of existing commercial buildings.

USGBC with its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating and assessment system, has launched the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance. Otherwise known as LEED-EBOM, the program was only launched in 2008. Yet, the response of existing commercial building owners and managers has been overwhelming.

In three years, the certifications under LEED-EBOM have caught up with certifications for newly constructed commercial buildings. This month, the total square footage under LEED-EBOM has finally exceeded that under LEED-NC, or certifications under new construction. The difference is around 15 million square feet, as 640 million square feet of certified existing commercial buildings exist, while new construction amounts to 625 million feet.

Around 1.675 billion square feet of all buildings are already LEED-certified. In early 2010, LEED certified buildings have passed the 1 billion mark—and in a little less than a year, the size has almost doubled. By 2012, around 2 billion square feet of buildings is estimated to be LEED-certified. Such is the influential growth of LEED-certified buildings.

A few existing commercial buildings that have been LEED-certified by retrofitting are the Empire State building, the Taipei 101, and the Transamerica Pyramid. Among these three, the Transamerica Pyramid has reached the highest level of LEED-certification with a Platinum status.

What this means is that newly constructed buildings should catch up with existing buildings in terms of LEED certification. For high-grade quality green buildings, Norsteel is the obvious choice.

LEED Buildings Should Also Be Bird-Friendly

Published December 6, 2011 going green , Steel Building Tips Leave a Comment
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Robin. Image Credit: Identify Birds.

Though solar lighting is easily one of the highlights of green buildings, but they’re not doing birds any favor. In fact, solar lighting may well be the proximate cause for the second top reason for bird kill—birds running into glass windows. In fact, the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Migratory Bird Program reports that around one billion birds die from crashing into glass windows.

Billions of birds are killed every year for the seemingly absurd reason that they run into glass windows. Birds cannot distinguish between open space and glass. Since most buildings take advantage of passive solar lighting, birds easily mistake the interior of green buildings as the extension of the open skies.

As more green buildings with solar lighting are made, birds are increasingly under the threat of running into buildings windows and getting killed. The solution of LEED to this growing problem is to give credits for bird-friendly measures to the overall LEED score of a building.

Measures that are added to building windows primarily center on adding “noise”, which allows birds to tell open space for glass windows. One example is by placing in changes in the UV protection of the glass windows. Note that this won’t only make the building bird-friendly, it will also give additional protection to the building occupants. Another way is to place different coatings on the glass windows. In any case, Norsteel has mastered the art of integrating both advanced and simple technologies not only to protect the building occupants but also birds.

Aside from these building designs, there are also simple ways to make a building bird-friendly, such as turning the lights out when not in use.

Making buildings bird-friendly might seem to be the least of your worries when applying for LEED certification, building codes and the like, but there’s a pending federal law, the Bird-Safe Buildings Act of 2011, which might persuade you to think about investing in bird-friendly structures.

A US National Green Building Code is Underway

Published November 15, 2011 going green 1 Comment
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Green Building. Image Source: Public domain.

A sign that a country is taking sustainable and green construction seriously is if it starts creating legal documents to further its cause. Such is the effort of the International Green Construction Code, which has recently approved a National Green Building Code in the US after two years of research and development. It will apply to all commercial and residential buildings, whether new or renovated, that are at least three stories high.

The National Green Building Code is the first comprehensive law on green construction in the US and covers all key aspects of architectural design, construction, energy use, water efficiency, waste management, and site aspect among others. The Code represents a serious shift in construction standards toward energy conservation and green construction.

While most local governments and states have already expressed their willingness to adopt the code and have in fact done so, it will not be officially published until March 2012.

Construction designers and construction companies are bound to ask: how does the National Green Building Code differ from the LEED? One significant difference is that LEED is voluntary. While a lot of buildings are constructed in consonance with LEED standards, many buildings don’t.

The new code, on the other hand, has mandatory “floors” standards that must be reached by every residential and commercial building that qualifies. LEED and the code don’t have to clash though. By setting “floors”, LEED can set higher standards that will eventually result in buildings being rewarded for exceeding the minimum standards raised by the National Green Building Code. While the code sets the minimum, the LEED represents the ideal.

Among the mandatory requirements of the national code are the disqualifications of the use of greenfields or undeveloped lands for infrastructure, subject to certain exceptions. In terms of materials, 55% of materials must be based on recycled, recyclable, bio-based, or salvaged content. The building must also have a lifespan of at least 6 years. In terms of energy and water efficiency, there are standards for lighting, sub-metering, mechanical systems, demand-response automation, rainwater storage, and graywater systems. There are also elective choices, at least one of which must be chosen by the green building.

Recent LEED Report Shows the Growth of Green Buildings Worldwide

Published November 10, 2011 going green Leave a Comment
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Greenbiz.com recently released the Green Building Market and Impact Report 2011, as per the research of executive director of GreenerBuildings.com Rob Watson. Considered as the founding father of LEED, Rob Watson’s findings indicate the growth of LEED registration.

According to the report, LEED buildings registration continues to grow, especially overseas. In fact, LEED buildings overseas are edging out the US in terms of LEED registration. Despite the upward growth, the progress growth has not been as rapid as in previous years. The total average increase of green building growth has been at around 45% in 2011 compared to 2010. In the US during the same period, the growth rate for the past year grew by 39%. LEED registration overseas is impressively set at 53%. This growth, however, is not as fast as the three-year bubble growth that occurred from 2007 to 2009.

The report also predicts that LEED certification will reach 2 billion square feet in 2012. While it took 10 years for LEED certification to reach 1 billion, the next billion is being accomplished at a faster rate.

The report is the fourth in a series that Watson started in 2008. The report plots the growth of LEED buildings, the progress of LEED registration and certification, and the changes in the building rating and assessment system.

If there is any hope to counter the dangers of climate change though, the growth of LEED buildings needs to be sustained. Watson further states that in the past, they’ve had a hard time showing through concrete proof that LEED certification is indeed healthy for the environment. In the end, he remarks in a recent webcast:

“If you’re not making more money with your green building, you need a new marketing department. Similarly, if you’re not getting your green building coming in at zero-cost — or very low single-digit extra costs — then you probably need a new design team as well.”

But just how much can green buildings, such as the steel buildings by Norsteel, reduce carbon emissions? According to a graph in the same report, the improvement will be as follows:

LEED Energy Carbon Dioxide Savings. Imaage Source: Green Biz.

Roles and Responsibilities of LEED

Published October 27, 2011 Before You Buy Your Steel Building , going green , Pre-Fabricated Building News Leave a Comment
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In any project, it is the responsibility of each member such as the owner, architect, engineer, contractor and end user who each have a responsibility in their project that will eventually receive LEED certification.  It is crucial that those who are involved in a LEED project understand their roles and responsibilities.  Recently, a project was reviewed by Thomas Taylor who was asked by a general contractor to review proposed contract language for a project which LEED certification was to be issued.

The 29 year old veteran of the construction industry, Thomas Taylor is the general manager of St. Louis-based Vertegy.  Guide to LEED 2009: Estimating and Preconstruction Strategies, his recent book  provides step-by-step information about the LEED 2009 for the New Construction process.

In reviewing a contract, he found that their was a lump sum general contract in which the contractor had no responsibility for the design of the project. The language related to LEED certification had led the reader to believe that the owner may not have been fully aware of which members of the delivery team were responsible for the various activities that are required in a LEED project.  The reason why they had thought this was because of the following statement:  Contractor shall have on staff LEED Accredited Professional who has experience in constructing LEED certified projects and shall, as requested by the owner, administer the LEED certification process using its best efforts to cooperate with architect and assist the owner to achieve the desired LEED certification for the project.

When seeing proposed contractual language such as the above, especially questions such as what is the owner’s definition of cooperation? or how much effort will it take to assist the owner in achieving the desired level of LEED certification? These questions can sometimes take a variety of different meanings. At the beginning of every project, there is usually an optimistic feeling from all the members of the team that everything regarding the project will work out as planned.  As the project moves from design to construction, budgets, value-engineering exercises are required and a lot of the times schedules are disrupted and everything from the planned project gets shifted. When faced with extreme stressors, the project can change completely.  A practical approach to avoid this is to alleviate potential problems that could arise with the use of vague terms such as cooperate and assist is to specify the exact activities required by the contractor or to provide and allowance of hours that may be extended to assist the owner with LEED- related tasks. Create a list of tasks and decide which member will take over each tasks and after allowing a certain amount of hours this will allow the member to complete the task without falling behind.  When the list is followed accordingly, this will allow your project to become successful. For more information on tips about this topic, visit: www.vertegyconsultants.com

For more info on LEED related topics, visit: www.norsteel.com

Survey Shows That Green Buildings are Great for School Infrastructure

Published October 20, 2011 going green Leave a Comment
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A conceptual drawing of a future green school. Image Source: Green market.

A recent independent nationwide survey reports that 75% of Americans are willing to support the drive for green and eco-friendly construction. The survey shows that Americans support federal funding for school building improvements that will lower carbon emissions, comply with LEED certification requirements, and ultimately help save on taxes.

The survey  shows an alarming statistic: 1/3 of schools in the US are in “poor condition”, while only 6% can be deemed to be in great shape.

The study also shows that Americans are becoming increasingly aware of the need to overhaul the school infrastructure systems so that learning environments can become efficient, healthy, and conducive for learning. Most Americans no longer believe in just updating school infrastructure; they’d go as far as insist that school buildings must comply with current standards of energy efficiency.

This is certainly needs more advocacy in order to advance building process. One green school alone can reduce the country’s carbon emissions by as much 585,000 pounds annually. Aside from helping the environment, green schools are also shown to have a positive impact on students. Seventy percent of school administrators report that green schools reduce absenteeism and even improved the performance of students. Also, with less money spent on heating and cooling costs, schools can redirect their funds for teachers’ salary and other school resources. Without a doubt, investing in green schools is not a waste of time.

The government, unfortunately, thinks otherwise. In 2008, the US government chose to postpone an $254 billion-project to maintain and update school buildings. This is certainly an unacceptable move, after the US Government Accountability Office has reported that around 25,000 schools in the US are in need of replacement and repairs.

The survey was undertaken by the US Green Building Council’s Center for Green Schools and United Technologies Corp.

We’ve always talked about the importance of green construction and the integral role of steel buildings.  This survey just goes to show that green construction can extend not just to office and commercial spaces but also to schools. And the result? Students that are more willing to learn, drastically reduced costs, and reduced carbon emissions. That’s a trade-off Norsteel is certainly willing to take.

LEED 2012: New Changes to the Rating System

Published September 5, 2011 going green Leave a Comment
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BC Cancer Research Centre, a LEED Gold Certified Building. Image Credit: IBI Group, Peter Wilmse & Ivo Talker; Henriquez Partners.

LEED ratings have done great things for environmental awareness. The exclusive, environmentally-conscious building design protocols have helped raise public consciousness about eco-friendly design, efficiency and have inspired beautiful, eco-friendly design projects. That is not to say the system is without its critics. Some industry insiders have complained that LEED points are easy to rack up and difficult to quantify in some convoluted building processes. Another issue is the fact that in many cases, LEED certification is a result of a one-time assessment of a building’s design and construction, with little to no follow-up in the future.

An article recently published on the Fast Company website reports that the LEED system is about to undergo a bit of a transition. Going forward, LEED certification will now reflect how buildings are actually saving energy and water, and they ways they can improve.

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC), a non-profit organization that administers LEED certifications, states that it wants its volunteer members to think of green buildings and LEED certification as assets rather than as items on a list. The revised system, coined LEED 2012, will debut in November, 2011, and will explore the new technologies and energy-efficient building practices that improve a structure’s overall efficiency.

Scot Horst, USGBC’s Senior VP for LEED tells Fast Company that the new system should be considered a “Zagat rating” for buildings.

Using LEED 2012, business owners can track the environmental performance of LEED-certified buildings with new apps from LEED Online. “Faster, cheaper, more automatic” is the new slogan for this new system.

Steel and LEED Buildings

Steel is an environmentally-friendly building material that is often used in LEED-certified buildings. Because it is highly recyclable and helps facilitate energy efficiency, steel makes an easy choice for environmentally-conscious builders. A large percentage of LEED buildings are comprised primarily of steel. Click here to learn more about steel’s environmentally-friendly properties.

Harvard University Receives 50th LEED Certification

Published August 9, 2011 Norsteel Buildings News 1 Comment
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Harvard University is known for forward thinking, especially where the environment is concerned.  Earlier this week the ivy league university was recognized by The Princeton Review as a leader in green innovation. Hailed as one of the “greenest” universities in North America, Harvard received a place on the 2012 Green Rating Honor Roll in addition to reaching the green innovation milestone of having produced 50 LEED certified projects.

Earlier this month the U.S. Green Building Council, in partnership with Harvard University, announced publically announced that Harvard’s campus had achieved 50 LEED certified projects. Included in these projects is more than 1.5 million square feet of usable space which includes labs, dorms, and libraries, among other things.  Even more impressive is the fact that six of the fifty projects achieved LEED Platinum certification – the highest LEED certification available under the USGBC’s LEED Rating System.

Harvard University has no plans of slowing down its eco-friendly construction.   An additional 3 million square feet of space at the university’s sprawling campus is currently under LEED-certified construction.  In total, in excess of 90 Harvard construction projects have some degree of LEED certification.

A recent press release by the U.S. Green Building Council states that “energy models suggest that the 14 LEED new construction projects have delivered more than $1.5 million in energy savings annually and a reduction of more than 4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCDE) annually, which equates to an average reduction of 34 percent below industry energy standards.”

The LEED projects have been made possible thanks to the tireless effort and support of Harvard staff, many of whom helped the University become a world-class leader in sustainable building practices. Building materials are streamlined for efficiency and highly recyclable, like steel.

 “As a university, we have a special responsibility to confront the challenges of climate change not only through academic research but by transforming the way we operate our campus,” Harvard University president David Faust told the Harvard Gazette.

Harvard Data Knowledge Center. Image Credit: Harvard University.

Click here to learn more about Harvard’s sustainable building practices.

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