LEED Certified Buildings
LEED certified buildings are construction projects that have been awarded points from the LEED certification scale that determines how compliant the building is with the environment. The scale has different levels (certified, silver, gold, and platinum), and each level has a certain minimum number of points required. There are a total of 100 available points, which are based upon different categories, which are: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality.
Green Buildings
A green building is one that is built or renovated to operate in a way that will be less harmful to the environment. They are resource-efficient and promote the occupants of the building to have a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle. These buildings are often located near in proximity to public transit stations in order to encourage the occupants to be less reliant on driving to their destinations. They are also energy-efficient, and are installed with special lighting that relies on less energy. The water is also used efficiently due to being installed with dual plumbing that recycles water in addition to having low-flow showers and toilets. The upfront cost of a green building is relatively high, but the energy cost savings in the long run will make up the initial capital.
Requirements
There are categories of building types that all have different requirements for certification. There are a multitude of LEED rating systems for all of the different buildings that are constructed. For example, the guidelines for the construction of a school are different than the requirements for an office building or a healthcare facility. The rating scale also differs from the maintenance and renovations of existing buildings and new buildings. For example, a new building that has sufficient bicycle racks to encourage employees to bike to work will earn 1 point. The minimum number of points required to be considered certified is 40 points. The points are distributed between the topics of sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. Regardless of the type of building, it will still be scaled according to these categories, but the point distribution will vary.
Standards
Essentially, a green building has a standard of being less impactful on the environment while also providing a facility that will inspire the occupants to be more productive and environmentally-conscious. Since 40 points is the minimum that is required to certify a building, the different categories previously mentioned have different weights in regards to the 40 points. The building must have the minimum level of points required in each category to total the 40 points. Again, the weight of each category and point level will change with every type of construction project.
Tags: LEED buildings, LEED certified buildings, LEED green buildings