Building to LEED

I work in a building on campus. He’s a mean dude. He swallows me whole to a quiet place in his bowels, then hums and belches air in my face all day. He can’t decide if it should be hot or cold, though in the interior, it’s usually cold. Sometimes the heater is on, even though it’s summer.

My building has a neighbor, and she is clean and bright, full of daylight, with signs pointing toward the recycling bins and motion sensors on the lights.

I don’t work in a LEED building. But the building next door is a LEED Silver certified building. It has a plaque.

LEED distinguishes more than just old versus new, plaque versus no plaque. So, what is LEED? And what does a silver building have that mine doesn’t?

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, a national nonprofit, member organization. There are currently nine LEED rating systems, and each provides a framework and numerical score to evaluate green buildings and developments.

So, in one sense, LEED is a checklist. Points are awarded for meeting criteria in categories including water efficiency, energy efficiency, access to public and alternative transportation, indoor air quality, reduction of construction waste, use of sustainable materials and resources and innovation. In the latest version, LEED projects can earn up to 110 points (10 bonus points are available for achievement in Innovation & Design and Regional Priority) and are awarded levels of certification based on the total number of points received. For example, the highest rating, Platinum, requires projects to score at least 80 points. In grade terms, that translates to a B, but in reality, achieving that many points can be difficult.

Beyond points, LEED provides a design team with a framework for weighing different sustainable building practices and incorporating different strategies into a design. For instance, USGBC offers training and certification in LEED design principles and practices to professionals, something that is not offered through traditional architectural curricula. USGBC then provides third-party verification on the project’s achievement.

According to the Sustainable Duke website, in 1993–five years before USGBC came into existence—the University adopted a set of Design Guidelines under the Buildings Initiative, which included a commitment to sustainable development principles. The documents have been periodically revised to include language specifically relating to LEED. Specifically, the newly formed Duke University Greening Initiative presented a plan to the Board of Trustees in 2003, which stated that “all new construction meets green standards.”

I asked Associate Vice President of Facilities John Noonan in an e-mail how the LEED policy benefits Duke from a facilities perspective. He wrote, “Generally, our LEED buildings feature products and systems that have a longer life cycle resulting in lower maintenance and renewal costs,” and our LEED standards “generally result in buildings that use less energy and water which translates into lower operational costs.”

Generally, I don’t like that we have to speak generally. Measurably would be better.

The achievement of the goal of silver certification on such a large number of projects is commendable, but the question remains, are we doing enough? And is the University getting the most out of its commitment?

Liz Bloomhardt is a fourth-year graduate student in mechanical engineering. Her column runs every other Friday. This is the first of a two-part series on Duke’s LEED commitment. Part II will explore the future direction of the University’s LEED policy.