by Mehmet Kaplan
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
LEED is a green building certification program used worldwide.[9] Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings, homes, and neighborhoods, which aims to help building owners and operators be environmentally responsible and use resources efficiently
LEED Rating System Consists of 5 Areas
Building Design and Construction
Interior Design and Construction
Building Operations and Maintenance
Neighborhood Development
Homes
LEED Certification Minimum Requirements
The LEED certification process needs to meet at a minimum these requirements:
Be in compliance with environmental regulations and standards
Must meet the threshold of floor area requirements
Meet a minimum of building occupancy in terms of number of users
Maintain a reasonable site boundary
Be a permanent building
Share energy and water usage data
Must have a minimum building to site area ratio
LEED Certification Credit Categories
In order to earn credits to achieve one of the above categories, the project must meet certain criteria and goals within the following categories:
Location and transportation - You should take into consideration the location of your project and how it can be combined with the transportation option within the area, in other words how the users of the facility can get in and out of the facility.
Materials and Resources- Earn credits by using sustainable and earth-friendly products, while reducing waste promoting better indoor air quality.
Water efficiency - The building must be designed in such a way that potable water usage is reduced or resources can be reused, minimizing the needs of water inside the building.
Energy and atmosphere - The building must enhance energy performance and promote great indoor air and environmental quality.
Sustainable sites - Design the project in such a way that the natural resources and ecosystems nearby can naturally take part of the design minimizing environmental pollution.
Indoor environmental quality - Increase daylight usage and promote natural ventilation
Innovation - Any idea that is not covered under the five LEED main areas.
Regional priority credits - Addressing any particular concern based on the regional or geographical location.
Requirments Fullfilled by urbanvillagers
SURROUNDING DENSITY AND DIVERSE USES
To conserve land and protect farmland and wildlife habitat by encouraging development in areas with existing infrastructure. To promote walkability, and transportation efficiency and reduce vehicle distance traveled. To improve public health by encouraging daily physical activity.
ACCESS TO QUALITY TRANSIT
To encourage development in locations shown to have multimodal transportation choices or otherwise reduced motor vehicle use, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and other environmental and public health harms associated with motor vehicle use
BICYCLE FACILITIES
To promote bicycling and transportation efficiency and reduce vehicle distance traveled. To improve
public health by encouraging utilitarian and recreational physical activity. -Bicycle Network and Storage
REDUCED PARKING FOOTPRINT
To minimize the environmental harms associated with parking facilities, including automobile dependence, land consumption, and rainwater runoff.
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
To reduce pollution by promoting alternatives to conventionally fueled automobiles
PROTECT OR RESTORE HABITAT
To conserve existing natural areas and restore damaged areas to provide habitat and promote biodiversity.
VEGETATION
Use only plant species that are appropriate for the project’s EPA Level III ecoregion and that are suitablefor site conditions, climate, and design intent. Both native and adapted vegetation may qualify
OPEN SPACE
To create exterior open space that encourages interaction with the environment, social interaction, passive recreation, and physical activities.
RAIN WATER MANAGEMENT
To reduce runoff volume and improve water quality by replicating the natural hydrology and water balance
of the site, based on historical conditions and undeveloped ecosystems in the region.
HEAT ISLAND REDUCTION
To minimize effects on microclimates and human and wildlife habitats by reducing heat islands
DIRECT EXTERIOR ACCESS
To provide patients and staff with the health benefits associated with direct access to the natural
environment.
JOINT USE OF FACILITIES
To integrate the private spaces with the community by sharing the building and its high quality fields for public spaces,
events and functions.
OUTDOOR AND INDOOR WATER USE REDUCTION:
Option 1. No Irrigation Required
Show that the landscape does not require a permanent irrigation system beyond a maximum two-year
establishment period.
OR
Option 2. Reduced Irrigation
Reduce the project’s landscape water requirement by at least 30% from the calculated baseline for the
site’s peak watering month. Reductions must be achieved through plant species selection and irrigation
system efficiency, as calculated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense Water
Budget Tool.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
To reduce the environmental and economic harms associated with fossil fuel energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by increasing self-supply of renewable energy and the use of grid-source, renewable energy technologies and carbon mitigation projects.
References:
Comentarios