What is LEED?
LEED is a rating system that promotes the design and construction of high-performance buildings. The letters stand for;
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
It is a Green Building Rating System™ that “encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria.”
It is mainly used for commercial projects and is slowly coming on line for residential buildings. There is currently a R2000 national standard voluntary program & a USA, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system that evaluates the environmental performance of a building against a set of criteria that act as a benchmark for comparison of projects. This system should be available in Canada in 2008 or 2009.
A LEED Green Home
A green home uses less energy, water and natural resources; creates less waste; and is healthier and more comfortable for the occupants. Benefits of a LEED home include lower energy and water bills; reduced greenhouse gas emissions; and less exposure to mold, mildew and other indoor toxins. The net cost of owning a LEED home is comparable to that of owning a conventional home.
For more detail, here is a link LEED for Homes Rating System
- Madoc Performing Arts Centre, Project Architect: soma earth ARCHITECT
To LEED or not to LEAD?
The Madoc Performing Arts Centre is sure to be one of the most sustainable buildings in Canada, completed in September, 2008. Sustainability has been the key factor in every aspect of the design and construction of this remarkable building. Only the lowest-impact and longest-lasting materials have been chosen. From the compacted stone of the rubble trench foundation, up through the load-bearing round straw bale columns, to the galvanized metal roofing, the building represents the best available choices for building with all natural materials in our northern climate>
Mechanical systems have also received a lot of attention. From the geo-thermal heating and cooling system that allows the building to maintain a comfortable temperature year round without relying on fossil fuels, to the PV panels that provide its electrical power, to the solar ventilation system that provides the building with pre-warmed fresh air, to the rainwater collection system that provides flushing water for the toilets, the building uses available technologies to drastically reduce its resource consumption and waste production.
For the Madoc Performing Arts Centre getting it LEED certified was discussed and in the end it was decided to not participate in the program for the following reasons;
This 2000 SF building was designed as a teaching project for the Flemming College, Sustainable Design Program. There was a preliminary investigation to see if LEED certification would be possible. The costs to assess for LEED were estimated at $20 – $25,000. There would need to be a LEED certified consultant as well as other consultants to test the heating, ventilation, etc, at about $5 – 7,000 each, to see how the building’s components would meet the assessment criteria. As the City of Madoc, did not need a LEED certification for any marketing promotion, it was decided to not spend the extra money to go through this process.
Madoc Performing Arts Centre, August 2008
Furthermore, the building has a number of unique sustainable components that in our opinion, goes further than a typical LEED project, which would not be able to be included.For example, LEED gives points for proximity to public transport, but has no criteria for the number of components that where chosen to be virtually fossil fuel free in it’s manufacturing or transportation (e.g. lowest embodied energy).Or points are credited for being energy efficient, but then no points are allowed for using local clay or no concrete for the floor.
Also, it costs the same amount of money for a huge Walmart store to go through LEED certification as it does for a small building. As well, there is no consideration for the size of project, or for small projects for that matter, to cost less to go through this process on a pro-rated scale.
Madoc, exterior flooring
More recently there is a more stringent qualification system coming through BC called the Living Building Challenge.http://www.cascadiagbc.org/lbl/about
They’ve created a program called the ‘The Living Building Leader TM program [which] consists of a series of intensive, advanced ‘virtual learning’ sessions in green building topics, taught by experts in the diverse fields that underpin the multidisciplinary field that is green building.”
In summary, it may or may not always be necessary for a commercial (or residential)l project to be LEED certified.It depends on a number of variables as to the reason why the certification is required.If there is a public need for marketing that the certification would establish, than a LEED project certification would be a necessary step.
Tags: Energy, LEED, LEED for Homes, Sustainable, Sustainable Building