What is the “green construction” under the LEED certification
LEED means «Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design» – one of the worldwide form of construction and buildings green certification. This form of global green certification developed in 1998 by U.S. Green Building Council aimed to evaluate a construction, building and its neighborhood, operation and maintenance stages. Certification of LEED designed to motivate developers for searching innovations and making modern decisions in the sphere of human health and environmental protection. That, LEED first is productive and healthier environment which less stressed by technogenic activity due to decrease of emissions into the atmospheric air, productivity increasing and effective resource using in construction.
Over LEDD`s history, there were developed four versions of certification: LEED NC1.0, LEED NC2.0, 2.2 (created in 2005), LEED 3 (created in 2009) and LEED 4. Evaluation system of LEED 2009 means one hundred possible points (credits) put for performance of next five classes: sustainable sites, efficiency of water usage, atmosphere and energy, ecomaterials and ecoresources, quality of indoor environment. Also, there are a possibility to obtain additional six points for category innovation in design and four points – for priority due to regions. According to the LEED 2009, tested green construction and buildings can receive one of four possible certificate: «Certificated/Passed» (40-49 points), «Silver» (50-59 points), «Gold» (60-79 points) and «Platinum» (80 and more points). The renovate LEED 4 standard developed on great experience base of previous ones and emphasizes on such approaches as effective water by calculating total water usage for building/construction, resource and materials-efficient construction regard to their influence on human health and, indoor design and environment. Therefore, international LEED system revolutionized the market of green construction and buildings certification and toke the lead post in the sphere of development, construction, operation and maintenance of green buildings at high-level.
What does LEED certification? Certificate LEED`s owner has a possibility to carry out independent expertise of building and neighborhoods. Moreover, it allows in the process of development, construction, operation and maintenance considering an importance of resource-efficient distribution to create convenience and safe workspace without any stress on environment and but at that time not lose market positions and regional areas of focus. Therefore, LEED is a chain of three related components: benefits for society, environment and getting profit.
An absolute advantage of LEED certification is evaluation system developed for buildings, establishments and companies of different industries to which there are specific requirements. These are the projects of new construction or major renovation, shell and core development (means design and construction of engineering systems – electrical, fire protection, plumbing), development and construction of schools and higher education establishments and institutions (taking into account quality of indoor design), date centers, retailers, hotels, restaurants, banks, warehouses, hospitals and of course family homes and residential buildings.
However, what in such case could be the disadvantage of LEED certification? Some research shows that evaluation LEED system is not sensitive and does not adopt to different local natural conditions. For example, tested building or construction in Chernigivska oblast will obtain the same quantity of points as the ones in Khersonska oblast for category of efficient water usage.
A unique experience of international standards implementation and management of ecological projects of MCL, LLC assists more than one Ukrainian company realized these standards on different types of construction stage. Thanks to experience of MCL, LLC partners, we can address to the best design bureaus specialized on green construction and innovations in design, resource-efficient and environmental management. it’s worth to remark that the process of LEED certification should start on the project first stage. It allows to consultants provide important recommendations and propositions for high performance and obtaining more benefits. Only complex and comprehensive concept to ecology guarantees full advantage for your green construction and buildings.