Tips and Hints for First Time LEED Teams
Greetings Colleagues:
Thank you for reading the GreenTech Blog. Through my experience on a dozen LEED teams, I would like to share a List of Tips and Hints for a Successful LEED Project for First Time LEED Teams. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at lbowen@greentc.com
Good luck!
1. During programming and planning, discuss the Owner's sustainable priorities, which will be incorporated in the Owner's Project Requirements (OPR) pre-design development. Using the OPR, and with the Design Team, create a Preliminary Project LEED Checklist
2. Hire a qualified LEED Manager for coordinating, tracking, and reviewing LEED requirements and submittals for the whole team all the way through the process. The LEED Manager should use the Preliminary Project LEED Checklist and begin assigning responsibilities. The LEED Manager should register the project with the USGBC on behalf of the owner.
3. Find an experienced Commissioning Authority (CxA) familiar with the types of systems being used on the project. The CxA needs to review both the Owners Project Requirements and the Basis of Design at specific stages. The Enhanced Commissioning credit requires that this person is works independent of design/construction, but for the Fundamental Commissioning prerequisite, projects under 50,000 sf can have the CxA already on the design/ construction team.
4. Find a General Contractor early in the process and hold LEED Coordination Meetings or Charettes early and often with design and construction teams. Insist on an Action Plan from each LEED Team member firm outlining their approach to each required credit. The LEED Manager should be available for assistance in developing the Action Plan.
5. Get some LEED training and become a LEED AP! If you register for the exam before March 31, and pass, you will have the LEED AP Legacy credential for the rest of your career. To register for the exam, visit gbci.org. To find out about LEED-AP Exam Prep workshops that GreenTech offers, click here
6. Include LEED Requirements, as consistently as possible, in the RFPs, bid packages, and Construction Documents. Require monthly progress reports for the General Contractor, and consider supplying LEED templates in bid packages so the requirements are clear.
Purchase or develop specifications for LEED Requirements. MasterSpec is one such product. Research building materials and products early and weigh their various LEED Outcomes, and request product submittals from the Contractor in as much advance as possible.
General Contractors should require, up front, that Subcontractors disclose: cost of materials, recycled content (pre and post %) of each material in each product from the manufacturer, location and miles of manufacturing and extraction for each material in each product, any reused materials permanently installed in the project with cost if bought new, and weight of any construction waste (including metals, boulders, and other "waste") taken off the jobsite and reused or recycled.
7. Consider using experienced LEED Specialists. They include: Energy Modelers and Analysts, Commissioning Authorities, Daylighting Simulators, and the LEED Manager. They can help achieve your LEED prerequisites and goals.
8. Document as you go and stay organized with submittals, tracking sheets, and updated LEED Checklists. Use LEED Online to stay organized, but keep a record on your hard-drive, or print out a copy of the work that you have completed, since occasionally the LEED-Online server is disabled.
Seek out your LEED Manager if you have questions or need assistance. The LEED Manager should be available to review your work and provide comments. Consider submitting a Design Phase Submittal separate from a Construction Phase Submittal to form a strategic plan for LEED during construction.
9. Assume that the GBCI will deny 4-5 credits in your submittal. Aim higher than the level that you want to achieve. They may reject more or much less by the end of the process. Identify which credits are solid, and which credits are more up for interpretation. Also, identify which credits are simple to implement at the end, if needed.
10. Stay current with USGBC and the GBCI news. There are erratas published periodically, and new CIRs are published on LEED-Online as they become available. Sign up for electronic USGBC newsletters for timely updates.
Congratulations on being involved with your first LEED Project! It is a lot of work, but do not give up. The result should be building the team can all be proud of... and a certificate for your office indicating your involvement in the LEED project.
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Thank you for reading the GreenTech Blog. Through my experience on a dozen LEED teams, I would like to share a List of Tips and Hints for a Successful LEED Project for First Time LEED Teams. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at lbowen@greentc.com
Good luck!
1. During programming and planning, discuss the Owner's sustainable priorities, which will be incorporated in the Owner's Project Requirements (OPR) pre-design development. Using the OPR, and with the Design Team, create a Preliminary Project LEED Checklist
2. Hire a qualified LEED Manager for coordinating, tracking, and reviewing LEED requirements and submittals for the whole team all the way through the process. The LEED Manager should use the Preliminary Project LEED Checklist and begin assigning responsibilities. The LEED Manager should register the project with the USGBC on behalf of the owner.
3. Find an experienced Commissioning Authority (CxA) familiar with the types of systems being used on the project. The CxA needs to review both the Owners Project Requirements and the Basis of Design at specific stages. The Enhanced Commissioning credit requires that this person is works independent of design/construction, but for the Fundamental Commissioning prerequisite, projects under 50,000 sf can have the CxA already on the design/ construction team.
4. Find a General Contractor early in the process and hold LEED Coordination Meetings or Charettes early and often with design and construction teams. Insist on an Action Plan from each LEED Team member firm outlining their approach to each required credit. The LEED Manager should be available for assistance in developing the Action Plan.
5. Get some LEED training and become a LEED AP! If you register for the exam before March 31, and pass, you will have the LEED AP Legacy credential for the rest of your career. To register for the exam, visit gbci.org. To find out about LEED-AP Exam Prep workshops that GreenTech offers, click here
6. Include LEED Requirements, as consistently as possible, in the RFPs, bid packages, and Construction Documents. Require monthly progress reports for the General Contractor, and consider supplying LEED templates in bid packages so the requirements are clear.
Purchase or develop specifications for LEED Requirements. MasterSpec is one such product. Research building materials and products early and weigh their various LEED Outcomes, and request product submittals from the Contractor in as much advance as possible.
General Contractors should require, up front, that Subcontractors disclose: cost of materials, recycled content (pre and post %) of each material in each product from the manufacturer, location and miles of manufacturing and extraction for each material in each product, any reused materials permanently installed in the project with cost if bought new, and weight of any construction waste (including metals, boulders, and other "waste") taken off the jobsite and reused or recycled.
7. Consider using experienced LEED Specialists. They include: Energy Modelers and Analysts, Commissioning Authorities, Daylighting Simulators, and the LEED Manager. They can help achieve your LEED prerequisites and goals.
8. Document as you go and stay organized with submittals, tracking sheets, and updated LEED Checklists. Use LEED Online to stay organized, but keep a record on your hard-drive, or print out a copy of the work that you have completed, since occasionally the LEED-Online server is disabled.
Seek out your LEED Manager if you have questions or need assistance. The LEED Manager should be available to review your work and provide comments. Consider submitting a Design Phase Submittal separate from a Construction Phase Submittal to form a strategic plan for LEED during construction.
9. Assume that the GBCI will deny 4-5 credits in your submittal. Aim higher than the level that you want to achieve. They may reject more or much less by the end of the process. Identify which credits are solid, and which credits are more up for interpretation. Also, identify which credits are simple to implement at the end, if needed.
10. Stay current with USGBC and the GBCI news. There are erratas published periodically, and new CIRs are published on LEED-Online as they become available. Sign up for electronic USGBC newsletters for timely updates.
Congratulations on being involved with your first LEED Project! It is a lot of work, but do not give up. The result should be building the team can all be proud of... and a certificate for your office indicating your involvement in the LEED project.
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posted by Liz Bowen at
10:18 AM
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