Green Building Rating Systems and Schools – LEED for Schools

Of the three green school rating systems under discussion, more schools have been built using the LEED rating system than either CHPS or Green Globes. Let’s look this week at LEED for Schools. (LEED has several different categories – this discussion is specific to LEED for Schools only.) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), as of 2009, uses 100 points. Another 10 points are able to be earned by the use of Innovation in Design and Regional Priority strategies. The 100 points are earned in five areas:

1. Sustainable Sites (SS)
2. Water Efficiency (WE)
3. Energy and Atmosphere (EA)
4. Materials and Resources (MR)
5. Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)
And the two optional strategies:
1. Innovation in Design (ID)
2. Regional Priority (RP)

Each of the five mandatory strategies (SS, WE, EA, MR, and IEQ) are further broken down into prerequisites – mandatory requirements, and credits. Each LEED building must meet all the prerequisites in order to obtain LEED certification at any level. Once prerequisites are met the project uses credits as a “shopping list” based on the project’s environmental and performance goals for certification.

LEED certifications are awarded on the following basis:
LEED Platinum 80 points and above
LEED Gold 60-79 points
LEED Silver 50-59 points
LEED Certified 40-49 points

The prerequisites (required strategies) for Sustainable Sites are
1. Construction Activity Pollution Prevention and
2. Environmental Site Assessment
A total of 17 credits are available for Sustainable Sites. Each credit is worth from one to four points.

The prerequisite for Water Efficiency is
1. Water Use Reduction
Four credits are available for Water Efficiency, with each credit worth from one to four points.

The prerequisites for Energy and Atmosphere are
1. Fundamental Commissioning of Building Energy Systems
2. Minimum Energy Performance
3. Fundamental Refrigeration Managerment
Eight credits can be earned for Energy and Atmosphere. Each credit is worth from one to nineteen points.

The prerequisite for Materials and Resources is
1. Storage and Collection of Recyclables
Ten credits can be earned for Materials and Resources, with each credit worth from one to two points.

The prerequisites for Indoor Environmental Quality are
1. Minimum Indoor Air Quality Performance
2. Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) Control
3. Minimum Acoustical Performance
A total of twenty two credits can be earned for Indoor Environmental Quality, with each credit worth from one to three points.

Optional credits:
Innovation in Design offers one to four points for Schools, with one point awarded for each Innovation achieved, or provide Exemplary Performance in an existing prerequisite or credit.

Regional Priority credits are new to LEED as of 2009. Regional Priority’s six credits are based on specific environmental zones. “A project that earns a Regional Priority credit automatically earns one point in addition to any points awarded for that credit. Up to four extra points can be earned in this way”. For more information on Regional Priority credits go to www.usgbc.org