From its initial conceptualization in the early 1990’s by the US Green Building Council, LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, has grown to become one of the most widely recognized third-party verification programs for sustainable buildings in the world. Through the implementation of sustainable design, construction, and operational practices, buildings registered in the LEED certification program have the opportunity to earn credits in several distinct categories such as:
- Sustainable Sites
- Water Efficiency
- Energy and Atmosphere
- Material and Resources
- Indoor Environmental Quality
Depending on the number of credits achieved, these buildings can be awarded one of four levels of LEED certification ranging from Certified to Platinum, each of which recognizes the Owner’s commitment to sustainability.
At Warfel, it is our responsibility to help ensure that our client not only achieves the LEED certification goal that they set at the beginning of the project, but to help them exceed it. In order to do so, we work with both the client and design professionals throughout all phases of the project, from pre-construction/design through construction, in order to help them obtain the necessary amount of credits needed to reach the desired goal.
Some of the more common LEED credits that Warfel can help our client achieve include:
- Building Product Disclosure and Optimization – Environmental Product Declarations: The use of building materials that have verified improved life cycle impacts, from their initial extraction and manufacturing to their demolition and recycling.
- Construction and Demolition Waste Management: The development and implementation of a construction and demolition waste management plan that reduces the strain placed on nearby landfills by diverting a certain percentage of the overall project waste to be recycled and/or reused.
- Low-Emitting Materials: The use of materials located within the building’s waterproof membrane that comply with the thresholds set by LEED for Low Emitting Materials.
- Construction Indoor Air Quality Management Plan: The establishment of better quality indoor air prior to occupancy through flushing out the building and/or testing the air according to ASTM, EPA and ISO standards.
In short, there are multiple LEED credits that we as a general contractor can help our clients obtain throughout the LEED certification process to help them achieve and even exceed their LEED certification goals and ultimately provide them with a best-in-class green building experience.
