LEED 2009 Recertification of Existing Buildings: Bonus Effect

Svetlana Pushkar

doi:10.3390/su131910796

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the impact of a four-point bonus system on recertification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) 2009 office space projects in four metropolitan cities: Washington, DC, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. We analyzed 123 paired LEED-EB 2009 projects where each pair (i.e., certification–recertification) was used on the same building. The percentage of average score was used to evaluate differences in certification–recertification strategies: (1) gold-gold with and without the bonus, (2) silver-gold with and without the bonus, and (3) platinum-platinum with the bonus. The replication method was used to evaluate the overall tendency for four metropolitan cities. We found that while LEED-EB 2009 projects used a four-point recertification bonus, achievements in the materials and resources (MR) and indoor environmental quality (EQ) categories declined in each of the four metropolitan cities. We identified this overall tendency at three levels of certification–recertification: gold-gold, silver-gold, and platinum-platinum. We hypothesized that if the use of a four-point recertification bonus in LEED-EB 2009 projects resulted in lower achievements in the MR/EQ categories, then the use of the 10-point recertification bonus in LEED-EB 4.1 projects could lead to a deterioration in the sustainability of existing office buildings.

Highlights

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) 2009 office space projects in four metropolitan cities: Washington, DC, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco
We hypothesized that if the use of a four-point recertification bonus in LEED-EB 2009 projects resulted in lower achievements in the materials and resources (MR)/environmental quality (EQ) categories, the use of the 10-point recertification bonus in LEED-EB 4.1 projects could lead to a deterioration in the sustainability of existing office buildings
Dotted line), whereas the percentage of average score (PAS) in the MR and EQ categories decreased at recertification projects compared with certification

Summary

Introduction

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) 2009 office space projects in four metropolitan cities: Washington, DC, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. We found that while LEED-EB projects used a four-point recertification bonus, achievements in the materials and resources (MR) and indoor environmental quality (EQ) categories declined in each of the four metropolitan cities. We identified this overall tendency at three levels of certification–recertification: gold-gold, silver-gold, and platinum-platinum. The building sector has huge environmental impacts, including those related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions Both the production and operational stages of building involve the production of building materials, and energy consumption from heating, cooling, and lighting operations generates 40% of the GHG emissions produced in this area [1].

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