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BUILDING GREEN
What it Means, Why it Matters, and Where LEED is Taking Us |
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by Keith Winn 1/26/2004
In March 2000 the U.S. Green Building Council, an organization few Americans had ever heard of, launched a rating program designed to set a universal standard for environmentally responsible building practices.
Today, four short years later, the LEED "Green Building Rating System" has grown from a ripple to a tidal wave that has swept across the consciousness of the construction and building materials industry. Now architects, contractors, materials manufacturers and customers alike talk of going for the “Gold,” as in Gold LEED Certification. Whether motivated by a desire to “do the right thing,” pursue new economic opportunities or simply to keep in step with changing times, these individuals and companies are setting a new course in building design and construction across America and worldwide.
And it’s all good. Good for the environment, good for the people who live and work in LEED-certified buildings, and good for a recovering national economy seeking new avenues for growth.
Let’s add some emphasis to that last point: Businesses that recognize the importance of LEED certification to their customers, how LEED certification systems work, and how to align their products and services accordingly, will gain access to a broad and rapidly growing market. And masonry, with its timeless, durable qualities, most certainly has a welcome role to play in this new paradigm.
So let’s consider the virtues and rewards associated with building green, what the U.S. Green Building Council brings to the table, what LEED is and how it works, and how the masonry industry fits comfortably into the picture. |
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| Why Build Green? |
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First and foremost, does all of the buzz today surrounding “building green” represent a genuine sea change for the industry, or is this simply a passing fad?
The members of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) would argue strongly for the former, and have the facts and figures at hand to push for the widespread acceptance of environmentally friendly building practices.
For instance, in the U.S. today buildings account for
- 36 percent of total energy use, including 65 percent of electricity consumption
- 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions
- 30 percent of raw materials use
- 30 percent of waste output, totaling approximately 136 tons annually
- 12 percent of potable water consumption
Clearly, the built environment has a profound impact on our natural environment and economy. And as scientists worldwide express increasing concern about global warming and natural resource depletion, a growing number of building industry leaders are contemplating appropriate ways to respond.
Fortunately, recent breakthroughs in building science, technology and operations are becoming more and more available to designers, builders, suppliers and owners who want to build green and maximize both economic and environmental performance. And thanks to the Internet, a wealth of this information is readily available.
Still the question remains: Why go green?
Generally speaking, your answer is likely to fall into one or more of the following camps: an awakening environmental consciousness; a desire to be cost-effective; concerns about energy, particularly future availability and related costs; changing codes and regulations; or a response to changes in the marketplace. All are compelling reasons, and it’s often various combinations of them that drive environmentally focused building projects.
Let’s consider the environmental, economic and social benefits often associated with building green.
Environmental benefits:
- Enhancement and protection of ecosystems and biodiversity
- Improved air and water quality
- Reductions in solid waste materials
- Conservation of natural resources
Economic benefits:
- Reductions in first costs
- Reductions in operating costs
- Enhanced asset value and profits
- Improved employee productivity and satisfaction
- Optimized life-cycle economic performance
Health and community benefits:
- Improved air quality
- Access to natural light and outdoor views
- Enhanced occupant comfort and health
- Minimized strain on local infrastructure
- New opportunities for regional jobs and products
- Improved overall quality of life
Taken together, these benefits illustrate the importance of thinking macro rather than micro, particularly when it comes to LEED certification. It’s not just about energy efficiency or waste reduction. Instead, LEED calls for a comprehensive approach to designing buildings and their components that considers the multiple environmental impacts at play. We’re starting to recognize that inefficiencies in any area can result in wasted resources, contaminated water, air, and/or soil, and greater short- and long-term costs. |
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| The U.S. Green Building Council |
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The U.S. Green Building Council and its high-profile membership are generally credited with raising the general public’s consciousness about building green.
The USGBC is a nationwide coalition of individuals and organizations committed to promoting buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to work and live. In just a few years Council membership has grown from a small group of environmental advocates to more than 3,500 members, including local and national architectural and engineering firms; product manufacturers; environmental organizations; building industry groups; building developers; retailers and building owners; financial industry leaders; and numerous federal, state and local groups.
A representative sampling illustrates the diversity of the USGBC membership roster: Johnson Controls, the Ford Motor Company, Herman Miller, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the American Institute of Architects, Turner Construction, Starbucks, and the Bank of America. Few organizations in any field can boast such a widely varied group of participants. One thing unites them: A commitment to environmentally sensitive building, from design through materials, construction and operation.
David Gottfried, a building developer, and Mike Italiano, an environmental attorney, are credited with starting the USGBC. It was their idea to form an all-inclusive, environmentally focused business group, a concept that resulted in part from their shared frustration with the lack of universal standards and consensus around building green.
David and Mike started the USGBC as a way to get all of the important building industry players to the table to work through their differences, identify points of agreement, and most importantly, to start developing green building standards. The Council spent its first five years just building trust and forming relationships between its disparate members. That’s probably why the USGBC is as relevant and successful an organization as it is today.
When the USGBC started meeting more than 10 years ago, I was among that small group of founding members. In the past five years alone I’ve watched it more than double in size each year, and similarly in influence. We have evolved from a small volunteer staff working out of file boxes on folding tables to a well-staffed Washington office with a multi-million-dollar budget. And things show no signs of slowing down.
Certainly the LEED certification program has much to do with it, but that’s not the USGBC’s only endeavor. Two years ago in Austin, Texas, the Council introduced Greenbuild, an annual conference highlighting the latest advancements in green building design, construction, project financing and building management. In its inaugural year in Austin and again in Pittsburgh in 2003, the conference far exceeded our attendance expectations. We are now preparing for similar jump in turnout for Greenbuild 2004, scheduled to take place this November in Portland, Oregon.
In addition to LEED and Greenbuild, the Council is devoting significant resources to the launch of local chapters nationwide, and supporting its growing membership through a range of programs and services, much of it accessible via its website, www.usbgc.org. The Internet site also provides information on research projects, case studies, links to other relevant websites, and other resources.
Before turning our attention to LEED, one more thing about the USGBC: It would not be where it is today if not for the commitment of its membership. If you were to add up the time its individual members volunteer to Council activities during a typical year, the collective billable hours would run into the millions of dollars. It’s really a testament to the members’ shared conviction that the time has come to take building green seriously. |
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| The Basics on LEED |
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LEED is an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The USGBC introduced the voluntary, consensus-based LEED Green Building Rating System in 2000 in order to:
- define “green building” by establishing a common standard of measurement;
- promote integrated whole-building design practices;
- stimulate green competition;
- raise consumer awareness of green building benefits;
- and ultimately transform the building market.
LEED provides a complete framework for measuring building performance and meeting environmental sustainability goals. Based on well-founded scientific standards, LEED emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies that address key building considerations, from the initial site development through the quality of the completed building’s inside environment.
LEED works on a point system. The more points earned, the higher the rating, starting with standard Certification and moving up through Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Points are achieved by meeting prerequisites related to
- sustainable site development,
- water savings,
- energy efficiency,
- materials selection
- and indoor environmental quality.
Additionally, there are bonus credits available for process and design innovation.
LEED standards are currently available for:
- new construction and major renovation projects (LEED-NC)
- existing building operations (LEED-EB, Pilot version)
- commercial interiors projects (LEED-CI, Pilot version)
- and core and shell projects (LEED-CS, Pilot version).
USGBC committees are regularly developing new LEED standards. The committee structure, with its balanced representation of stakeholders, ensures that the development of LEED standards remains consensus-based and even-handed. The balloting of new versions with the USGBC membership reinforces the open consensus process. News and updates on standards development may be found on the USGBC website.
Truth be told, LEED is particularly targeted to the early adaptors, those who, for the environmental, economic and/or market reasons cited previously, have determined that LEED certification is essential to a building project. LEED standards by their very nature are designed to push the envelope. Even as they become more defined in the future, they will continue to raise the bar on what constitutes a ”green” building.
he hope and expectation is that the early adaptors will drive the development of new green technologies, products, materials, and procedures that eventually enter the building mainstream. For example, if a designer chooses to write certain environmentally friendly materials into a building project’s specs, those materials may eventually become standard specifications. Similarly, if a contractor learns to recycle waste at a building site, that action could soon become standard operating procedure on all of the contractor’s sites.
It’s important to note that in most cases, a single building product cannot attain LEED Rating Points, but can only contribute to achieving points. LEED sets mostly performance-based requirements, taking a comprehensive approach to building design that looks at multiple environmental impacts, from a building’s energy efficiency to how it affects the surrounding air, water, and soil.
In a related vein, building products cannot themselves become LEED-certified. The USGBC certifies buildings, not the materials used to construct them. LEED Accredited Professionals, the individuals who oversee project certification, are always on the lookout for builders or materials manufacturers who make false or misleading claims regarding a product’s contribution to LEED points.
However, it’s equally important to emphasize that although one product’s contribution to a LEED credit may seem relatively small, the potential market for those products that align with the LEED protocol is significant. More on this, as it relates to masonry, will be discussed below.
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| LEED in Michigan |
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Michigan has been particularly receptive to the LEED mandate; our state ranks among those with the highest number of both LEED-registered and -certified projects. This I attribute to a commitment by leaders within the automotive and furniture industries, higher education and others to set significant environmental goals for their organizations and suppliers.
A number of Michigan foundations with deep environmental roots also have adopted the standards as a reference point. In fact, several are making LEED certification, or the pursuit of it, a prerequisite for funding building projects.
For instance, at last year’s Greenbuild conference in Pittsburgh, the Kresge Foundation announced the establishment of funding guidelines that favor environmentally friendly and LEED buildings. Another highly respected Michigan-based philanthropic organization, the Wege Foundation, has supported LEED projects across the country, with a particular emphasis on our state.
Those interested in more details about Michigan LEED buildings, project funding, or the entire LEED certification process will find a wealth of information and resources on the USGBC website. You can also check to see if there’s a USGBC chapter in your area. |
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| The Case for Masonry |
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Make no mistake: The use of masonry can contribute to achieving LEED certification. Here are three significant ways directly related to earning points:
- Energy and atmosphere. Masonry can play a role in the total energy package that creates a more energy-efficient building.
- Recycled content. Fly ash, a waste product of coal-fired energy plants, is but one example of the recycled material that can be part of the mix used to make grout, concrete block or other masonry products.
- Use of local materials. LEED values the use of materials drawn from within a 500-mile radius of a building project for the simple reasons that less fossil fuel is burned getting these materials to the building site, and their use may help keep industries and jobs in the region. Masonry materials are readily accessible throughout Michigan and in neighboring states.
Masonry also contributes to construction site waste management due to the relatively small amount of waste it generates. Additionally, maintaining masonry is easy and efficient: Other than occasional patchwork in some situations due to abuse or moisture, it doesn’t require regular paint or other surface treatments to preserve its integrity.
Perhaps most importantly, masonry is durable. Well-constructed brick buildings tend to stay around a long time. It’s unfortunate that at present the quality of durability does not in itself earn a LEED point. But as I suggested earlier, LEED certification standards are evolving all the time. I fully expect that as LEED moves toward a more lifecycle-based performance model, durability will get its due. |
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| Conclusion |
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I’m sometimes asked if the time and effort necessary to get LEED certification – not to mention the financial investment, which generally adds about three percent to a project’s cost – is ultimately worth it. Why not simply use the materials and processes one knows are LEED-worthy, and leave it at that? My answer is simple: I compare it to attending medical school, but dropping out one class shy of receiving your M.D. Why go most of the way, only to end up short of your goal?
Speaking personally, I feel a great sense of urgency regarding my work with the U.S. Green Building Council and the building industry. In light of the potential for population growth worldwide and its associated impact upon the earth’s resources, plus the growing body of scientific evidence related to global warming, I believe this urgency is well placed.
Yet I remain optimistic. I see our technologies evolving to address these concerns, and I sense a growing commitment within the marketplace to move in a positive, environmentally responsible direction. This, coupled with the potential that exists for a new, more informed and enthusiastic generation of industry leaders to take us there, is truly breathtaking.
By adopting the LEED standards advocated by the informed membership of the U.S. Green Building Council, we have the opportunity to positively affect our immediate future, and the futures of generations to come. It’s up to us to set an environmentally restorative and healthy course for the planet Buckminster Fuller often spoke of as “Spaceship Earth.”
The time is now. |
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Keith Winn is the Sustainable Design Specialist with the office of Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber, Inc. (FTC&H), a Michigan based Architectural Engineering and Environmental firm headquartered in Grand Rapids where he provides direction on several building projects and oversees the preparation of LEED certification submittals.
He is also principal of Catalyst Partners, a business that guides product manufacturers in the development and implementation of sustainable design protocols. Additionally, Mr. Winn is the administrator for the U.S.GreenBuilding Council’s LEED for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI) Pilot Program.
Mr. Winn spent 25 years at Herman Miller serving in various roles directing the design of buildings, interiors and products. As a member of Herman Miller’s Environmental Quality Action Team (EQAT) he helped to form corporate environmental goals, chaired the Communications Team, the Design for the Environment Team (product), and the GreenBuilding Team.
Mr. Winn has been active in the evolution and application of life cycle methodologies used for the assessment and development of products. He is a board member of the Institute for Market Transformation to Sustainability (MTS) where he helped to establish a national sustainable textile standard.
Finally, Mr. Winn a founding member of the U.S.GreenBuilding Council (USGBC) has served three terms on the board as treasurer and is presently vice-chair of the LEED-CI Core Committee and vice chair of the LEED Steering Committee. |
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