Who’s the LEEDer

How many Certificates does it take to make a building ‘green’?

No, that’s not the joke that fell from my cracker on Christmas day... it’s a question that occurred to me when I received a press release last month announcing the ‘first building in the United States to receive BREEAM accreditation’.

In this country we tend to hear only the bad news of our cousins across the Pond. We’re well aware of the Bush Administration’s disputes with climate scientists - well, most scientists, come to think of it. And as a result you could be forgiven for thinking that the SUV-drivers and their ilk are the only ones with any environmental clout. But that ain’t necessarily so.

Mark Gorgolewski, Associate Professor in the Department of Architectural Science at Toronto’s Ryerson University reports that several hundred buildings in the United States have received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification, several thousand projects are seeking it, and this is expected to grow as US local governments increase their drive to address sustainability. (Cities including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles already provide either tax credits or grants for green buildings.)

The Northeast Campus of Los Angeles City College – which proudly announced its BREEAM certificate in December – already has LEED approval. Larry H Eisenberg, the Los Angeles Community College District’s executive director of Facilities Planning and Development explained:

‘By being the first in the world to seek both BREEAM and LEED credentials, Los Angeles Community College District continues to be a leader in the field of sustainable development. Our colleges serve one of the most diverse populations in the world, and it is our commitment to teach them that to think sustainable, we must think global.’

Which begs the question - should we follow their LEED? [Pun intended!] According to Gorgolewski, probably not: ‘There is some concern among architects that LEED may be applied inappropriately, particularly if exported to other geographical areas,’ he says. However, there are certainly lessons to be learnt from the LEED system.

Unlike BREEAM, LEED is a self-certification system. Project teams have to register through the LEED website, and are then required to submit a range of documents that are assessed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) - the body that created LEED. The project receives a score based on performance in six core categories - sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design process.

The requirement to supply documentation on a wide range of issues is, says Gorgolewski, a significant difference between the two systems, which is having a very positive effect on the construction supply chain:

‘Because of the documentation required for LEED certification, materials and components suppliers have been forced to address issues such as emissions, recycling, and waste for their products. ... Subcontractors are having to get used to providing information on their products and processes, and great care and co-ordination is required as projects can lose credits when subcontractors and suppliers don’t understand the specifications.’

For example, one tin of paint that doesn’t meet standards for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can lose a whole indoor air quality credit. This is driving sectors such as the concrete and steel to explore how their materials can contribute to LEED, while others are being forced to publish previously private information such as the method of calculating recycled content of a material.

But there is one point where both BREEAM and LEED fall short, says Gorgolewski, and that is - as usual - what happens once the building is occupied.

It’s not clear whether there are any plans for a post-occupancy evaluation at the Los Angeles City College, but it would be very interesting to find out how a former historic bakery shapes up to the demands of a 21st-century education building.

And so to the punch-line.

• Q: How many Certificates does it take to make a building ‘green’?
• A: We’ll never know... unless someone goes back to check on post-occupancy performance.

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View article online at:  http://www.get-sust.com/newsletters/issue17.html#feature