LEED® is the most widely used green building certification system in the world. LEED® stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The first version of LEED system was launched by the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council) and managed by the GBCI (Green Business Certification Inc.) in 1998.[i]
See this video What Is LEED? (Spanish) with Spanish subtitles and published by the USGBC for more information.
[i] GBCI México: https://www.gbci.org/es/mexico
To earn LEED® certification, a project must demonstrate compliance with mandatory prerequisites and a number of optional credits. Prerequisites set the minimum requirements that all buildings need to meet, and do not award points. Credits are optional, the team is free to choose any applicable credit for a project and the earned credits determine the number of points that the project gets. Credits differentiate each building from the rest.[i]
[i] USGBC. LEED credits, prerequisites, and points: How are they different? https://www.usgbc.org/articles/whats-difference-between-leed-credit-leed-prerequisite-and-leed-point
Depending on the number of points earned, the project receives the level of LEED® certification. There are 4 levels and 110 available points[i]:
[i] USGBC. LEED credits, prerequisites, and points: How are they different? https://www.usgbc.org/articles/whats-difference-between-leed-credit-leed-prerequisite-and-leed-point
First, the project rating system must be selected, and the payments submitted to register the project. Later, the project’s team undertakes the calculations and analysis to meet all the prerequisites and credits chosen. When compliance is achieved, the corresponding payments and documentation are submitted through preliminary and final reviews. The preliminary review provides technical advice for credits that require additional work for compliance, and the final review reports the final score of the project and the level of certification achieved. The project’s team accepts the results if they and the customer are satisfied.[i]
[i] USGBC. Guide to LEED Certification: Commercial. https://www.usgbc.org/tools/leed-certification/commercial
The following categories are assessed in LEED® certification[i]:
See this video What Is Green Building? (Spanish) with Spanish subtitles and published by the USGBC for more information.
[i] USGBC. LEED Credit Library. https://www.usgbc.org/credits
In general, green buildings generate the following benefits[i]:
See this video LEED : Better buildings are our legacy (Spanish) with Spanish subtitles and published by the USGBC for more information.
[i] WGBC. The Business Case for Green Building. https://www.worldgbc.org/sites/default/files/Business_Case_For_Green_Building_Report_WEB_2013-04-11-2.pdf
LEED® for Building Design and Construction (LEED: BD+C) is available for all kind of projects, such as new constructions and major renovations, core and shell developments, data centers, healthcare, hospitality, retail, schools, and warehouses and distribution centers.[i]
[i] USGBC. LEED for Building Design and Construction. https://www.usgbc.org/leed/rating-systems/new-buildings
With LEED® certification for Interior Design and Construction (LEED: ID + C), interior spaces for commercial, retail and hospitality purposes can be certified.
With the LEED® certification for the Operation and Maintenance of existing buildings (LEED O + M: Existing Buildings) [i] educational centers, commercial areas, hotels, data processing centers, as well as warehouses and logistics centers can be certified.[ii]
[i] USGBC. LEED certification for existing buildings and spaces. https://www.usgbc.org/leed/rating-systems/existing-buildings
[ii] UGBC. LEED. https://www.usgbc.org/leed
With the LEED® certification for the Operation and Maintenance of existing interiors (LEED O + M: Interiors), interior spaces for commercial, retail and hospitality purposes can be certified.[i]
[i] USGBC. LEED v4.1 OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE. Getting started guide for beta participants. https://www.usgbc.org/resources/leed-v41-om-beta-guide
LEED® certified buildings have reported almost 20 percent lower maintenance costs, as compared to typical buildings. Also, green building retrofits usually decrease operation costs by almost 10 percent in just one year. [i]
[i] USGBC. Benefits of green building. https://www.usgbc.org/press/benefits-of-green-building
In December 2016, USGBC introduced a new tool called Arc, which is a digital platform which measures and tracks building performance. Arc platform allows buildings and spaces from across the globe to compare performance metrics and connect with green building strategies. LEED® certified projects can use Arc to verify performance and keep their certification up to date. Projects which are not yet certified can use Arc to make sustainability improvements and later, achieve LEED® certification.[i]
See this video Introducing Arc: A platform to connect actions that improve quality of life published by the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council) for more information.
[i] USGBC. LEED Link: How does Arc fit in with LEED? https://www.usgbc.org/articles/leed-link-how-does-arc-fit-leed
Arc provides an entry point for buildings seeking GBCI rating systems such as GRESB, WELL, PEER, SITES, Parksmart, etc. Arc’s introduction contributes to make the certification process efficient for the end user.[i]
[i] USGBC. All about Arc: A performance platform like no other. https://www.usgbc.org/articles/all-about-arc-performance-platform-no-other
Arc tracks data in five environmental categories: energy, water, waste, transportation, and human experience to generate a score. The overall score is on a scale of 0-100 and higher scores indicate better performance.[i]
[i] Arc Skoru. Quick answers to common questions. https://arcskoru.com/qa
Each category must be completed to generate an overall score. The maximum score for each category is distributed as follows:[i]
[i] Arc Skoru. Quick answers to common questions. https://arcskoru.com/qa
EDGE certification can be achieved for new and existing buildings such as homes, hospitals, offices, hospitality, retail, education, warehouses, and light industry[i].
[i] IFC. EDGE Buildings. https://www.edgebuildings.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIk_KK0rCb6gIVo45bCh29pQnREAAYASAAEgLVAPD_BwE
EDGE has three levels of certification[i]:
[i] IFC. Why certify with EDGE? https://www.edgebuildings.com/certify/
WELL certification can be achieved for new and existing entire buildings, new and existing interiors, core and shell and communities.[i].
[i] IWBI. Project types. https://standard.wellcertified.com/project-types
The following concepts are assessed in WELL 2.0[i]:
[i] IWBI. WELL v2™ pilot https://v2.wellcertified.com/v/en/overview
WELL has fourth levels of certification[i]:
[i] IWBI. WELL v2™ pilot https://v2.wellcertified.com/v/en/overview
During the design phase, we support the architectural design team to integrate prescriptive criteria and provide an adequate natural ventilation. In projects with complex volume and geometry, we can perform natural ventilation simulations using DesignBuilder and Energy Plus software.
Since the earliest phases of the project, we can have an important influence on energy efficiency, and for that, reducing the envelope’s thermal load is the first step. Overshadowing assessments consists in trying different orientations and configurations at conceptual level to determine which of them provides optimal conditions of solar incidence on the envelope. Later, in the design process we can engineer the facades’ design to protect them from solar radiation.
The “Indoor Air Quality Assessment” service applies to buildings that are already in operation. We have portable direct measuring instruments to analyze levels of CO, CO2, Formaldehyde, Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10), VOCs, SO2, NO2, Ozone and Temperature and Relative Humidity. Additionally, we can apply a Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) consisting in an analysis that combines several study methods such as satisfaction surveys, measurement and monitoring of indoor pollutants, and tours of the building to identify critical points. It can be extended to include lighting, noise, ergonomics, among other aspects that affect occupants’ productivity. With this evaluation, sources of dissatisfaction are identified, and solutions are proposed.
The “Thermal Comfort Assessment” service applies to new and existing buildings. In new buildings, the analysis consists in determining the temperatures that the building interior will reach under different circumstances, and subsequently, propose control measures. In existing buildings, we do a walk-through and diagnosis of the conditions and we apply a survey to occupants to propose solutions.