Leadership In Energy & Environmental Design Research Articles

Does LEED certification save energy? Evidence from retrofitted federal buildings

This paper examines the causal impact of LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification on energy consumption among federally owned buildings that were retrofitted over the period 1990–2019. Using a difference-in-differences propensity score matching approach, the paper has two findings. First, despite energy savings being an explicit federal goal, LEED-certified retrofits of federal buildings did not have statistically significant energy savings on average. Second, LEED buildings with higher energy scores had greater energy efficiency post-certification, and the improvements were economically meaningful. The absence of energy savings on average appears to be driven by three factors — trade-offs across energy and other areas in acquiring points for certification, possible changes in energy use after the official performance period for LEED certification ended, and improvements in the energy efficiency of all federal buildings.

The concept of sustainable construction project management in international practice

The inclusion of sustainable development principles in project management is one of the main development scenarios for companies seeking to ensure their stability and investment attractiveness in the future. The purpose of this study is to develop an organizational and strategic model for managing sustainable construction projects using LEED (The Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) and BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) under conditions of uncertainty. The practical significance of the research results is that the solutions proposed in this work allow achieving sustainable construction goals in companies due to the proposed methods and tools of the project approach. The author used the Delphi method to assess the importance of sustainability criteria in China for LEED and BREEAM certification using anonymous questioning of 30 experts from interested parties. This study proposes a method for assessing the impact of elements of a turbulent environment on a sustainable construction project, which allows one to build a graph model of the mutual influence of the environment in the process of interaction with the project. The generated graph model, in contrast to the existing models, identifies many of the most vulnerable elements of the environment and allows simulating situations of turbulence in the environment of a sustainable construction project. The generated graph model confirms that the greater the potential of the node, the greater the influence of this element of the external environment on the parameters of the sustainable construction project. This study is of interest to those who form a policy and strategy for sustainable construction development, who ensure the development and implementation of sustainable construction projects, as well as scientists to supplement the methodological tools for assessing the effectiveness of these projects and the feasibility of their implementation.

Does Leed Certification Save Energy? Evidence from Federal Buildings

In the absence of first-best climate policy, energy efficiency has figured prominently among strategies to reduce carbon emissions. One of the most sought-after green certification in the building sector is the internationally recognized Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED). This paper examines the effects of LEED certification on energy efficiency in federally owned buildings. Using propensity score matching and difference in differences models, we find no effect of LEED certification on average energy consumption. This reflects the fact that energy use is one of a number of attributes that receives scores under the LEED program. Buildings with above average energy scores have greater energy efficiency post-certification. Some other attributes, notably higher water scores, decrease energy efficiency post-certification. Trade-offs across LEED attributes account for the absence of energy savings on average. If energy efficiency is the primary policy goal, LEED certification may not be the most effective means to reach that goal.

Analysis of Green Building Certification Attainment through LEED System for SDC Block at KLEF, India

LEED (leadership in energy & environmental design) Certification of a project brings credibility to its safety & environmental charge. The green building labeling scheme is widely accepted by the public and personal house owners. Contractors and property developers have shown a belief in adding to the success of the project in achieving sustainability goals through an appreciation of the LEED process. The credential system is focused on award points for excellence in areas such as sustainable site development, electricity and climate, water usage, indoor environmental quality, materials and resources, national significance and architecture creativity. Furthermore, the research focused on the idea of green building to reduce the environmental impact of growth. The outcome of this research is the appraisal of the green building model for the University Skills Development Center (SDC) in terms of water, power, air usage, etc. The plans aim to improve the LEED score system for the university building.

Rule-Based LEED Evaluation Method considering BIM Linkage and Variability

Building information modeling (BIM) has become mandatory of late in the public sector construction orders, with its utilization in building analysis and modeling increasing. Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) is an eco-friendly building certification system managed by U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED-certified projects vary in their use and evaluation of BIM data according to the building evaluation purpose and use case. This study proposes and implements rule-based LEED evaluation method with BIM (RLEM-BIM), which supports the LEED evaluation automation and variance in connection with BIM from the viewpoint of use cases for the confirmation of its effects. Using RLEM-BIM, this study seeks to reuse the evaluation procedure for LEED project, and to lower the rework rate. To check the effects of using RLEM-BIM, the effects were analyzed through interviews of experts. The proposed evaluation method improves the variance and reuse of the evaluation procedure compared to the existing manual evaluation method.

Appraising a decade of LEED in the MENA region

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region-Arab countries share similar development goals and challenges to promote the green building industry. The Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) has recently been introduced to this area as an internationally recognized third-party Green building rating system (GBRS). The study has adopted a dual-tier cross-comparative approach to answer two research questions (Q); on one hand, setting the LEED system as a common base recognized the variations of countries' adoption patterns of LEED certification and pinpoints the associated challenges (Q1). On the other hand, countries of similar development backgrounds but variations in their economic, environmental, legislative and judicial conditions indicate the factors determining the diffusion of the LEED system in the area (Q2). In this regard, the analysis has highlighted two sets of governing parameters; a) LEED diffusion associated parameters and b) countries' associated parameters. Accordingly, a quantitative methodology has been applied to investigate both sets, on the regional level including seventeen countries and this is narrowed down to a detailed level for principal LEED adopting countries. To answer Q1, it has been found that the diffusion of green buildings is slowly taking place on a steady rate but it is more pronounced as a trajectory form for new construction buildings and standalone high-income housing projects but is it alarming to note the minor share of the existing building stock. Nevertheless, the adoption rates of different categories vary to reflect the regional potentials and challenges of applying green design and construction measures; they are highest for the ‘Innovation in Design’ and ‘Regional Priority’ followed by the ‘Sustainable Sites’ and ‘Water Efficiency’, less for the ‘Energy and Atmosphere’ and ‘Indoor Environmental Quality’ categories and least for the ‘Materials and Resources’ category. Moreover, the total average adoption rate of the five principal categories, as well as the prevailing type of LEED, version and certification level, correspond with the international status. To answer Q2, the previously defined parameters are put for statistical analysis. Significant inter-correlations have indicated that the rate of adoption of categories is strongly influenced by the number of LEED certified projects, accredited professionals and member organisations in one country. Furthermore, significant intra-correlations have associated countries' average adoption rates of categories with their economic parameters (gross domestic product and gross national income) as well as their emissions' release and energy use. This points out that the main push-factors for the diffusion of the LEED system in the MENA region are the economic vantage of hosting countries, in addition to the presence of a robust legislative framework within strategic national objectives. This contribution enables deducting the main factors that may help endorse or else hinder third-party green building certification in developing countries and pinpoint the importance of adopting a comprehensive approach to promote sustainable buildings which shall serve as the basis for successive research work.

A life-cycle perspective of professionalism in services

In this article, we develop a professional service life cycle model to describe the changes in professional work over time. We explore the drivers of these changes through an in-depth longitudinal case study of one specific professional service – Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) consulting. We focus on understanding the evolutionary path of LEED consulting work as a result of its knowledge base, community and response to market and technological forces. Case evidence demonstrates an inherent tension between innovation and commodification resulting from multiple demands through various developmental stages. The life cycle model has important implications for value-creation in professional service operations management. First, it broadens the theoretical investigation of professional services to consider all processes and people along the professional continuum – from most innovative to commodified. Coordinated effort along the professional continuum is the key to delivering both effectiveness and efficiency. Second, proactively managing the transitions along the evolutionary path is both possible and desirable. Standardization and specialization improve talent allocation and boost future innovation. We suggest future opportunities to test and enrich the model.

Assessing the Resilience of LEED Certified Green Buildings

The Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) green building certification program is dedicated to the design of sustainable buildings by incentivizing reductions in energy, water, and building materials consumption, while at the same time enhancing occupant health and overall community connectivity. While green buildings certified by the program do reduce the environmental footprint of buildings, they must also be designed for resilience to withstand external stressors that may arise over the buildings’ lifetime for it to be truly sustainable. Therefore, a resilient building should be able to adapt and remain functional while under pressure from more frequent and severe climatic events. The goal of the study was to analyze existing inherent overlaps between resilient design principles and the LEED certification system. Synergistic opportunities together with improvements for better integrating resilient design into the LEED checklist, and hence green buildings, by modifying existing or proposing new credits were discussed. The use of climate projections instead of historical climate data during design was recommended. Regional priority credits need to be specified further to address the unique regional needs of each project to improve resilience in light of a particular region's future climate outlook.

A Sustainability Assessment Framework For Waterfront Communities

It is predicted that the global phenomena of Climate change will have far reaching effects and implications on different local urban systems. For incidence, global average sea levels are expected to rise between 7 and 36 cm by the 2050s, and between 9 and 69 cm by the 2080s. Waterfront communities are the first to be affected by such impacts putting them at high risk. Planning tools are needed to assist these communities and increase their adaptive and learning capacities in the face of diverse challenges to their urban sub-systems. The research investigates a number of sustainability frameworks and assessment rating systems for neighbourhoods and communities. It investigates the sustainable evaluation criteria carried out by three assessment rating systems. First is the LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, USA), the second is BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method, UK), and the third is the Estidama PEARL rating system (UAE).Examples of waterfront communities which applied the previous rating systemsare analyzed in order to determine the applicability and relevance of these systems to waterfront communities in particular. The research concludes with a proposed framework of indicators for waterfront communities. The similarities and differences between the different rating systems and featured indicators specific to waterfront planning applied in the analyzed examples, yet absent in the three rating systems, have informed the selection of indicators in the proposed assessment framework. The proposed framework could be an effective tool for the planning and development of a waterfront community in the MENA region. In order to validate the framework, theset of environmental and physical indicators were applied on the case study of Abu Qir waterfront, Alexandria, Egypt. Conclusions and recommendations are made that would enhance the resilience of this waterfront community and provide a comprehensive tool for its sustainable planning.

Indoor air quality in green buildings: A case-study in a residential high-rise building in the northeastern United States

Improved indoor air quality (IAQ) is one of the critical components of green building design. Green building tax credit (e.g., New York State Green Building Tax Credit (GBTC)) and certification programs (e.g., Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED)) require indoor air quality measures and compliance with allowable maximum concentrations of common indoor air pollutants. It is not yet entirely clear whether compliance with these programs results in improved IAQ and ultimately human health. As a case in point, annual indoor air quality measurements were conducted in a residential green high-rise building for five consecutive years by an industrial hygiene contractor to comply with the building's GBTC requirements. The implementation of green design measures resulted in better IAQ compared to data in references of conventional homes for some parameters, but could not be confirmed for others. Relative humidity and carbon dioxide were satisfactory according to existing standards. Formaldehyde levels during four out of five years were below the most recent proposed exposure limits found in the literature. To some degree, particulate matter (PM) levels were lower than that in studies from conventional residential buildings. Concentrations of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) with known permissible exposure limits were below levels known to cause chronic health effects, but their concentrations were inconclusive regarding cancer health effects due to relatively high detection limits. Although measured indoor air parameters met all IAQ maximum allowable concentrations in GBTC and applicable LEED requirements at the time of sampling, we argue that these measurements were not sufficient to assess IAQ comprehensively because more sensitive sampling/analytical methods for PM and VOCs are needed; in addition, there is a need for a formal process to ensure rigor and adequacy of sampling and analysis methods. Also, we suggest that a comprehensive IAQ assessment should include mixed mode thermal comfort models, semi-volatile organic compounds, assessment of new chemicals, and permissible exposure levels of many known indoor VOCs and bioaerosols. Plus, the relationship between energy consumption and IAQ, and tenant education on health effects of indoor pollutants and their sources may need more attention in IAQ investigations in green buildings.

Meeting “green” acoustical requirements in flexible classrooms

Acoustical design in classrooms has evolved significantly since the ANSI S12.60-2002 standard was first established. Since then, institutions such as Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) and the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) have adopted aspects of the ANSI standard for school projects. Simultaneously, architects are creating increasingly flexible classroom designs. The push for a more flexible learning space sometimes clashes with acoustical design requirements stipulated by LEED and CHPS. This paper will discuss some of the acoustic design challenges of creating flexible, 21st century learning spaces while at the same time meeting the acoustic requirements driven by LEED and CHPS compliance. Discussion will include movable partitions in a learning space that work, sound absorptive finishes implemented beyond the standard suspended acoustical ceiling, and non-conventional mechanical systems in classroom settings. Some case studies will illustrate the discussion.

Green Standards Spark Controversy

Chemical makers are conducting an aggressive lobbying campaign aimed at stopping the General Services Administration from adopting a proposed revised rating system for green building construction. GSA oversees the leasing and construction of more than 9,600 buildings in the federal government’s real estate portfolio. The chemical industry is focusing on proposed modifications to the U.S. Green Building Council’s (GBC) Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) program. These changes, it says, would discourage builders that want to earn green building certification from using materials that contain certain chemicals and resins, such as polyurethane foam insulation and polyvinyl chloride piping. “Chemistry plays an essential role in advancing energy efficiency and sustainability in the building and construction sector,” says Calvin M. Dooley, president and chief executive officer of the American Chemistry Council, a trade association representing major chemical and plastics manufacturers. ACC’s memb...

Green-Building Standards Update Draws Fire

Members of the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee are moving to prevent the General Services Administration (GSA) from adopting a proposed green-building rating standard that would discourage use of certain chemicals and plastics in construction. The standard, called the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED), is a rating system devised by the U.S. Green Building Council, an industry trade group. The system gauges how “green” a building is on the basis of various factors, including the type of materials used in construction. The council is in the midst of revising the LEED system in a way that would encourage builders and architects to avoid materials that contain “chemicals of concern,” such as polyvinyl chloride and titanium dioxide. Council members are scheduled to vote on whether to adopt the changes in June 2013. Federal law requires GSA, which manages most of the federal government’s building projects, to evaluate various green-building ...

그린캠퍼스를 위한 국내.외 대학시설관리(FM) 비교분석 - 에너지관리 중심 -

Recently, as the environment issue has been stand out, people's interests in energy consumption of the building have been increased as well. Especially, university has been classified as the one of the main causes of excessive energy consumption. Therefore, domestic and foreign universities are trying to build a green campus in an attempt for sustainable development. Since early 2000s, foreign universities have been aware that one of the main causes of global warming is an excessive consumption of energy in universities. Accordingly, they adopted various energy management programs for the conservation. Ultimately, enforcing energy conservation and using alternative energy resulted in lower expense and it was a great help for the universities. On the other hand, excessive consumption of energy in domestic universities has been considered as serious, which led them to become the second main energy consumers in 2010. However, it seems people do not truly recognize the impotance of energy management, therefore, relatively little attention has been paid to this matter. Based on Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design(LEED) rating systems for on-campus building operation and maintenance, this research suggests the evaluation standard to effectively analyze the energy management activity with the best practices conducted in foreign universities and to solve the problem of campus facilities management in domestic universities. The result shows that domestic universities do not have a designated task force for effective energy management and the lack of energy professionals hinders for the long term development. Therefore, domestic universities should recognize the seriousness of the excessive energy consumption and develop low carbon green campus through proactive management practices since this is very essential for domestic universities to get more competitive in this global era.