LEED- A fad or here to stay?

LEED is a green building certification system that focuses on improving energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

It takes into account:

·         Sustainable sites

·         Water efficiency

·         Energy and atmosphere

·         Materials and resources

·         Indoor environmental quality

·         Locations and Linkages

·         Awareness and education

·         Innovation in design

·         Regional priority

LEED points are awarded on a 100-point scale, and credits are weighted to reflect their potential environmental impacts. 10 bonus credits can be received, four of which address regionally specific environmental issues. A project must fulfill all prerequisites and earn a minimum number of points to be certified.

Certified: 40+ points

Silver: 50+ points

Gold: 60+ points

Platinum: 80+ points

I am really excited to say, that I work in a Gold Certified building.  PBS&J’s Tampa office was awarded 67 points.  Below, I have included our score card and our project overview. 

Seeing the difference and impact this sustainable building has made on myself and my coworkers is quite remarkable.  The office is bright with floor to ceiling windows, uses less water, and has motion activated light fixtures.  Everyone seems much more awake and upbeat.  I can honestly say, there is a big difference in my performance since we’ve moved into this building in January 2010. 

The architects, designers, and engineers I work with, design with sustainability as priority.  What better way to promote sustainability then by having our corporate headquarters receive LEED certification? 

I would hope and pray that LEED isn’t just some fad.  It’s brilliance.  It is a smarter and healthier way to design and live. 

For more info on LEED, visit http://www.usgbc.org/Default.aspx

LEED Online Credit Scorecard

Certification Project Scorecard

PBSJ Tampa Office

05/21/2010

0 Project Information Forms Possible Points: 0

Y f1 Minimum Program Requirements -

Y f2 Project Summary Details -

Y f3 Occupant and Usage Data -

Y f4 Schedule and Overview Documents -

Y f5 Previously LEED Certified Details -

15 Sustainable Sites Possible Points: 15

5 c1 Site Selection-Select a LEED Certified Building 1-5

6 c2 Development Density and Community Connectivity 6

2 c3.2 Alternative Transportation-Bicycle Storage and Changing

Rooms

2

2 c3.3 Alternative Transportation-Parking Availability 2

12 Water Efficiency Possible Points: 11

Y p1 Water Use Reduction-20% Reduction -

12 c1 Water Use Reduction 6-11

17 Energy and Atmosphere Possible Points: 27

Y p1 Fundamental Commissioning of the Building Energy

Systems

-

Y p2 Minimum Energy Performance -

Y p3 Fundamental Refrigerant Management -

1 c1.1 Optimize Energy Performance-Lighting Power 1-5

1 c1.2 Optimize Energy Performance-Lighting Controls 1-3

6 c1.3 Optimize Energy Performance-HVAC 5-10

4 c1.4 Optimize Energy Performance-Equipment and Appliances 1-4

5 c2 Enhanced Commissioning 5

7 Materials and Resources Possible Points: 8

Y p1 Storage and Collection of Recyclables -

1 c1.1 Tenant Space-Long-Term Commitment 1

1 c2 Construction Waste Management 1-2

1 c3.2 Materials Reuse-Furniture and Furnishings 1

1 c4 Recycled Content 1-2

3 c5 Regional Materials 1-2

10 Indoor Environmental Quality Possible Points: 10

Y p1 Minimum Indoor Air Quality Performance -

Y p2 Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) Control -

1 c2 Increased Ventilation 1

1 c3.1 Construction IAQ Management Plan-During Construction 1

1 c4.1 Low-Emitting Materials-Adhesives and Sealants 1

1 c4.2 Low-Emitting Materials-Paints and Coatings 1

1 c4.4 Low-Emitting Materials-Composite Wood and Agrifiber

Products

1

1 c4.5 Low-Emitting Materials-Systems Furniture and Seating 1

1 c5 Indoor Chemical and Pollutant Source Control 1

1 c6.1 Controllability of Systems-Lighting 1

1 c7.1 Thermal Comfort-Design 1

1 c7.2 Thermal Comfort-Verification 1

6 Innovation in Design Possible Points: 6

1 c1.1 Cradle to Cradle Certification 1

1 c1.2 Building As Education 1

1 c1.3 Reduced Mercury in Lamps 1

1 c1.4 Exemplary Performance - EAc1.2 1

1 c1.5 Exemplary Performance - MRc5 1

1 c2 LEED® Accredited Professional 1

67 Certification Total Possible Points: 77Certified - 40-49; Silver - 50-59; Gold - 60-79; Platinum - 80+

Introduction

This project was a learning experience for the owner on how to incorporate sustainable design practices into office relocation without incurring additional cost, which was crucial given the economic environment of the year 2009. Using the owner’s internal LEED AP staff, the team discovered financial rebates and tax deductions to help cover any added costs to the project associated with sustainable design features. This office fitout serves as a prototype for future office moves within the owner’s firm.

Project Overview

Team & Process

The LEED Accredited Professionals (LEED APs) are employees of the owner’s firm and were brought in to facilitate the LEED certification of the office space under the LEED for Commercial Interiors 2009 rating system. According to comments from reviewers at the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), the project is only the second project to pursue certification under this new rating system (after the USGBC Headquarters in Washington, DC). During the design phase, weekly meetings were conducted to review LEED credit strategies and design ideas to incorporate energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, water efficiency, and sustainable material selection. The LEED APs coordinated with the construction team to establish tracking procedures for recycled content, regional materials, certified wood, low-emitting materials, and construction Indoor Air Quality management. The LEED APs held a contractor LEED kickoff meeting where the construction goals were established. Bi-monthly progress reports were provided by the contractor to monitor the project’s LEED-related performance with material selection and construction practices.

The Commissioning Agent (CxA) is also an employee of the owner’s firm and is independent of the design and construction team. The CxA is a LEED AP and has extensive experience on LEED projects in Florida. As an employee of the owner’s firm, the CxA completed the requirements for both Fundamental Commissioning and Enhanced Commissioning.

The LEED APs used the VisualDOE energy modeling software to document the building’s energy efficiency in order to qualify for the Federal Tax Deduction for lighting power reduction.

Finance

The Federal Tax Deduction for lighting power reduction was a driver in many of the electrical design decisions. To qualify for this deduction, occupancy sensors and bi-level lighting are included throughout all of the spaces. The Tampa Electric Company (TECO) also provided a rebate for the lighting occupancy sensors to help offset the installation cost. Several design decisions were modified after receiving pricing quotes, including carbon dioxide sensors and certified wood cabinetry.

Site, Land Use & Community

The office fitout project is located within a LEED for Core & Shell certified building that is part of a new mixed-use development in Tampa, Florida. The location is within walking distance of many public transportation routes. Additionally, the mixed use development includes retail, office spaces, restaurants, and is adjacent to an established business district and residential area, as well as the Tampa International Airport. The sustainable site design strategies for this project were limited due to the scope of the office fitout. The owner selected a LEED certified building which is located on a previously developed site, and is in a densely developed area of Tampa with many basic services within walking distance. Bicycle racks are provided in the parking garage, and the building’s fitness center includes showers and changing rooms for commuters. The building manager has provided preferred parking spaces for Low-Emitting and Fuel-Efficient Vehicles. To further encourage the use of alternate transportation, the owner has allotted all of its designated parking spaces as preferred parking for carpoolers.

Water

The base building uses captured rainwater for irrigation on the site. Inside the office fitout, the plumbing fixtures installed will save an estimated 41% of potable water use each year. For many of the building occupants, this project is their first experience with low-flow, water-saving plumbing fixtures, which is serving an educational purpose for the office employees.

Energy

The lighting power density within the office space has been reduced by 18% below the ASHRAE 90.1-2007 standard, and occupancy sensors are located throughout the entire space to save energy. The base building includes a central HVAC plant, leaving little room for the design team to find additional energy savings within the scope of the office fitout. However, the mechanical engineer specified variable frequency drives and high efficiency pumps and motors to reduce energy usage associated with the HVAC system. Energy Star rated appliances were selected for 92% of the appliances, including the refrigerators, water coolers, televisions, computers, monitors, and printers.

Materials

Recycling areas are provided at each individual workstation, as well as the break rooms and coffee stations. The office uses a single stream recycling program which accepts paper, plastics, metals, glass, and cardboard. During construction, over half of the construction waste was diverted from the landfill, including cardboard, drywall, metal and wood. The owner signed a 10-year lease with the property manager to reduce waste associated with office churn and relocation. Since the owner’s former office is only two miles from the new location, it was very easy to salvage materials from the old office. Over 31% of the furniture budget is salvaged furniture from the old office.

The architect carefully selected interior finishes and products with high recycled content. The total project materials include 19.9% recycled content (by cost), which is mostly due to high recycled content in the furniture, carpet, drywall, acoustical ceiling tile, metal framing, and insulation. The carpet is made from post-consumer recycled nylon.

The contractor paid special attention to selecting regional materials. Overall, 25% of the materials (by cost) are manufactured and extracted within 500 miles of Tampa. All of the doors in the office are made from sustainably harvested wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

Indoor Environment

The Commissioning Agent worked with the mechanical engineer, the building operator and the controls contractor to adjust the HVAC system to provide the maximum outside air volumes available from the base building system, which exceeds ASHRAE 62.1-2007 by 30%.

During construction, the contractor implemented a Construction Indoor Air Quality Management Plan to protect the HVAC system, the interior finishes and the building occupants. Strategies included using MERV 8 filters on the return air stream, meticulous housekeeping, tracking all MSDS documentation for materials brought on-site, and storing absorptive materials (such as drywall) inside the conditioned space.

The architect worked with the LEED APs to select low-emitting furniture, adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, carpet, flooring systems, and millwork. The new LEED CI rating system requirement for FloorScore certified hard surface flooring presented a challenge when selecting ceramic tile and hardwood flooring, so this credit was not pursued (although the project’s resilient flooring was FloorScore certified and all of the carpet was Green Label Plus certified).

Innovation

The new furniture in the office fitout was provided by Steelcase. The workstations and private offices are Cradle to Cradle (C2C) certified, which encourages environmentally-focused product evaluation. The total amount of C2C certified materials was 15% of the project materials, by cost.

The owner is using the office fitout as a green building educational tool for its own designers and the community.

A video highlighting the project’s green building process will be played on the televisions in the main lobby and hosted on the owner’s website. The owner has also created a case study of the project, which will be provided to

USGBC and other green building publications to inform future designs. All of the fluorescent lighting within the office fitout contains very low amounts of mercury, which reduces health risks for employees and reduces hazardous waste in the landfill. The owner has also implemented a low mercury lighting purchasing policy for replacing any of the fluorescent lamps.

Regional Challenges

The project team chose to pursue three credits within the new Regional Priority category of the LEED CI rating

system to address local environmental issues.

Water Efficiency Credit 1:

building by 41%. This includes low-flow water closets, ultra-low-flow urinals, low-flow metering lavatory faucets, low-flow kitchen sinks, and low-flow showers.

Materials & Resources Credit 5:

power plant.

Energy & Atmosphere Credit 1.3:

Lessons Learned

Since the project was being certified under the new LEED for Commercial Interiors version 3 rating system, some of the credits had new requirements (such as FloorScore certification) that were new to the designers. The LEED APs meticulously reviewed the new reference guide and filtered through the new LEED Online tool to ensure all of the design elements were updated with the new requirements.

For many of the team members (designers, owner reps, furniture vendors, and contractors), this project was a learning process of how to design and construct a LEED project within the same budget as a traditional construction project. As the budget was fixed, the LEED APs applied for rebates from the local utility provider as well as the Federal Tax Deduction to cover any additional costs associated with strategies incorporated to earn LEED points (such as additional occupancy sensors).

Conclusion

The project is a shining example for the owner’s in-house design professionals of how to incorporate sustainable design elements into a project from the beginning to reduce added cost on a job. By working in a LEED office space on a daily basis, the owner’s designers can reap the benefits firsthand of the very same sustainable strategies they propose to their clients. Working in this environment also gives them the opportunity to uncover any operational & maintenance issues with the products they frequently select (such as low-flow plumbing fixtures and recycled carpet) so they can recommend these products to their clients with confidence.

Although sustainable design and LEED Certification were specific project goals, the project was designed and constructed with traditional goals in mind as well. For example, materials were selected with attention to durability and aesthetics, as well as green features that helped earn points in LEED. The result of integrating sustainability into an already robust design and construction process is a high-quality office space that the tenants and the local community can be proud of for years to come.

Since the project is located in Florida, a large amount of energy is used for cooling the space. The project’s HVAC design included high-efficiency motors and pumps, as well as variable frequency drives on the fans, to reduce the energy associated with cooling.The project includes 25% (by cost) of the materials which were manufactured, as well as extracted/harvested/recovered within 500 miles of Tampa. This was a significant challenge given the project’s coastal location. Two highlighted strategies include salvaging a large portion of the furniture from the owner’s former office (two miles away), and purchasing drywall made from a by-product of the local coal-firedThe project’s low-flow plumbing fixtures reduce the potable water used within theLocated on 3.5 floors within a LEED Certified Core and Shell building, the project includes roughly 90,000 gsf of commercial office space. The owner is a large international A/E/C firm with a new sustainable design practice specializing in LEED projects. There are 350 employees in the new office, which consists of 146 private offices, open office areas, and 10 conference rooms.