Every building professional knows that green building is a process, not an event. As a tool for encouraging green building, LEED reflects that reality, providing recognition of leadership in each part of that process, from design and construction to operations and maintenance.
Category: LEED
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Congressman Quigley Visits LEED-Certified, Net-Zero Home in Chicago
Last Monday, Congressman Mike Quigley of Illinois 5th Congressional District paid a visit to the home of Jacek Helenowski to get a firsthand look at one of the highest scoring residential LEED for Homes projects to date – and one of the first net-zero energy homes in Chicago. His goal was to see in-person the technology on display in his north Chicago Congressional District.
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You Can’t Manage What You Can’t Measure: Building-Level Metering
As the Manager of USGBC’s Building Performance Partnership and Recertification programs here at USGBC, I spend my time thinking over and over again about which aspects of building operations should be regularly monitored and which make the maximum contribution to the continuous high-performance of each building. We have to figure out how to encourage building operators to look at the holistic performance of their buildings and act based on the full story – So, how do we do that? What do we ask them to monitor?
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Overcoming Zoning and Code-Based Challenges to Build Sustainable Communities
The LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system has been out in the marketplace and available to developers for several months now. With its release, interest continues to grow, both among local governments seeking a tool to achieve sustainability goals; and developers looking for a way to distinguish and strengthen their communities and cut carbon emissions.
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Fine-Tuning our Buildings for Optimum Performance
The notion that green building is a process and not just an event is something that is often overlooked. Much like the life cycle of a building, the green building process is one that takes a building from merely a sustainable “vision” to a sustainable structure.
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Getting to know LEED: Interior Design and Construction (ID+C)
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As humans, we spend 90% of our time indoors. We’re of the mindset that time should be spent in spaces that allow us to breathe easy, give us views of nature and daylight, and make us healthier and more productive. LEED for Interior Design and Construction (LEED ID+C) enables project teams, who may not have control over whole building operations, the opportunity to develop indoor spaces that are better for the planet and for people.
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Getting to know LEED: Building Operations and Maintenance (O+M)
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Existing buildings hold incredible promise. Many older buildings around the world are energy hogs and water sieves. With some keen attention to building operations, that can be turned around drastically by using LEED for Building Operations and Maintenance (O+M). Consider that it can take up to 80 years to make up for the environmental impacts of demolishing an old building and constructing a new one, even if the resulting building is extremely energy efficient.
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Getting to know LEED: Neighborhood Development
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Is your local grocery store within walking distance…and is there a sidewalk for you to trek there safely? Does your neighborhood boast high-performing green buildings, parks and green space? Do bikes, pedestrians and vehicles play nicely together on the road? LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED ND) was engineered to inspire and help create better, more sustainable, well-connected neighborhoods. It looks beyond the scale of buildings to consider entire communities. Why? Because sprawl is a scary thing. Here’s the antidote.
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Getting to know LEED: Building Design and Construction (BD+C)
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When designing and constructing a new building project, project teams are left with a choice: the option to build an innovative green building from the ground-up, or maintain the status quo by creating a water-guzzling, energy-wasting traditional structure. We’re in favor of the former. LEED for Building Design and Construction (LEED BD+C) provides a framework for building a holistic green building, giving you the chance to nail down every sustainability feature, maximizing the benefits.