INTRODUCTION TO LEED

Land Use Commission 15 June 2009

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Building Climate Change Solutions

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Our LEED projects include:

•Society for the Protection of NH Forests French Wing: LEED Gold
•Portsmouth Public Library: LEED Silver
•AVA Gallery & Art Center, Lebanon NH
•NH Audubon headquarters, Concord NH
•850 Winter Street, Waltham MA
•White Mountain National Forest Administrative Complex, Campton NH
•~15 residences and multi-family projects
•Nubanusit Neighborhood & Farm, Peterborough NH
•Fairbanks Natural History Museum, St. Johnsbury VT
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Ed Mazria, www.architecture2030.org

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Society for the

Protection of
New Hampshire
Forests

Concord, NH

LEED Gold

•Healthy & comfortable for occupants

•Cost-effective (durable, long-lasting, efficient)
•An efficient user of environmental resources
•Built with sensitivity to the site and surroundings
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LEED Overview

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

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What is LEEDS?

… A city on the River Aire in West

Yorkshire, England
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USGBC is a community of
leaders working to transform the
way buildings and communities
are designed, built, and
operated.

We envision an environmentally
responsible, healthy, and
prosperous environment.

What is
Scores are tallied for
the LEED different aspects of
System? efficiency and design in
appropriate categories.

LEADERSHIP in For instance, LEED

ENERGY and assesses in detail:
ENVIRONMENTAL
DESIGN 1. Site Planning
2. Water Management
3. Energy Management
A leading-edge
4. Material Use
system for certifying 5. Indoor
DESIGN, Environmental
CONSTRUCTION, & Air Quality
OPERATIONS 6. Innovation &
of the greenest Design Process
buildings in the
world
Levels of
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LEED
Ratings

Green Buildings
worldwide are certified
with a voluntary,
consensus-based
rating system.
USGBC has four
levels of LEED.

Estimated value $200 BILLION

PROJECTED
of new LEED for New
Construction $10
registered projects BILLION

$7.73 BILLION
The value of U.S.
construction
starts significantly
declined by
almost half from 2000
$5.76 BILLION
to 2003

$3.81 BILLION
$3.24 BILLION

$792 MILLION

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2006

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new
LEED-NC construction

CATEGORIES OF LEED
existing
LEED-EB buildings
Commercial
commercial
Buildings
LEED-CI interiors

core &
LEED-CS shell

LEED for HOMES Residential

neighborhood Mixed-Use
LEED-ND development Developments
application
LEED guides

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Categories (NC, CI, CS, EB)

… Sustainable Sites
… Water Efficiency

… Energy & Atmosphere

… Materials & Resources

… Indoor Environmental Quality

… Innovation & Design Process

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Sustainable Sites
~1.7 million acres developed each year

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Sustainable Sites
14 points possible

… Prerequisite: Construction Activity Pollution Prevention

… 1. Site Selection
… 2. Development Density & Community Connectivity
… 3. Brownfield Redevelopment
… 4. Alternative Transportation
… 5. Reduced Site Disturbance
… 6. Stormwater Management
… 7. Heat island Effect
… 8. Light Pollution Reduction
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SS Prerequisite 1
Construction Activity Pollution Prevention

Intent:
Reduce Pollution from construction activities by
controlling soil erosion, waterway sedimentation and
airborne dust generation.

Erosion and Sedimentation

Control Plan meeting 2003
EPA General Construction
Permit
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SS # 1
Site Selection

Intent:
Avoid development of inappropriate sites and reduce
the environmental impact from the location of a
building on a site.

Prime Farmland

Lower than 5’ above Threatened or

100 year flood Endangered
Species

Previously undeveloped
within 50’ of water body

Former parkland

100’ from wetlands

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SS # 2
Development Density and
Community Connectivity

Intent:
Channel development to urban areas with existing
infrastructure, protect greenfields and preserve habitat
and natural resources.

Option 1: Development Density

60,000 sf / acre (2 story downtown)

Option 2: Community Connectivity

Within ½ mile of residential zone with 10
units per acre and within ½ mile of 10
basic services
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SS # 3
Brownfield Redevelopment

Intent:
Rehabilitate damaged sites where development is
complicated by environmental contamination, reducing
pressure on undeveloped land.

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ASTM E1903-97 Phase II Environmental Site Assessment OR local

Voluntary Cleanup Program OR defined by local, state or federal
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SS #4.1 Alternative Transportation:

Public Transportation

Intent:
Reduce Pollution and land development impacts from
automobile use.

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Option 2: within ¼ mile one or

Option 1: within ½ mile of more stops for two or more
commuter rail, light rail, public or campus bus lines
subway station (UNH) (AVA)
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SS #4.2 Alternative Transportation:

Bicycle Storage and Changing Rooms

Intent:
Reduce Pollution and land development impacts from
automobile use.

Commercial & Institutional:

Bike racks within 200’ for 5% of
occupants AND showers for
0.5% of FTE

Residential:
Covered bicycle
storage for 15%
of occupants
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SS #4.3 Alternative Transportation:

Low emitting and fuel-efficient Vehicles

Intent:
Reduce Pollution and land development impacts from
automobile use.

Option 1: Low emitting

vehicles for 3% of staff AND
Preferred parking

Option 2: Preferred parking

for LEV for 5% of total parking
capacity

Option 3: Install alternative

fuel refueling stations for 3% of
total parking capacity
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SS #4.4 Alternative Transportation:

Parking Capacity

Intent:
Reduce Pollution and land development impacts from
automobile use.

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Option 1 - Non-Residential: Option 2 – Non-Residential:

Don’t exceed zoning req. AND (where less than 5% of FTE have
preferred parking for carpools for parking) provide preferred parking for
5% of total parking carpools for 5% of total parking

Option 3 – Residential:
Don’t exceed zoning req.
AND facilitate shared vehicle
usage such as: carpool drop-
off, vanpool parking, car
sharing, ride boards, shuttle
services

Option 4: Provide
no new parking
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SS # 5.1 Reduce Site Disturbance:

Protect or Restore Habitat

Intent:
Conserve existing natural areas and restore damaged
areas to provide habitat and promote bio-diversity.

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Previously Developed:
Restore min of 50% of site
with native or adapted
vegetation

Greenfield Sites:
40’ from building perimeter
10’ from walkways, parking, utilities less
than 12” diameter
15’ beyond roadway curbs, main utility
trenches
25’ beyond constructed permeable
surfaces
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SS # 5.2 Reduce Site Disturbance:

Maximize Open Space

Intent:
Provide a high ratio of open space to development
footprint to promote biodiversity.

Option 1: Exceed local

zoning open space req.
by 25% (SPNHF / ASNH)

Option 2: For areas with

no local zoning provide
adjacent open space = to
building footprint (Ports.)

Option 3: Where zoning

exists but no open space req.
provide open space = to 20%
of site (SLG)
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SS # 6.1 Stormwater Design:

Quantity Control

Intent:
Limit disruption of natural water hydrology by reducing
impervious cover , increasing on-site infiltration,
reducing or eliminating pollution from stormwater
runoff, and eliminating contaminants.

Case #1 - Imperviousness < 50%: Post-

development Rate and Qty. not to exceed Pre-
development for one- and two-year 24 hr storm Case #2 –
OR protect receiving streams from excessive Imperviousness > 50%:
erosion. Decrease stormwater
runoff volume by 25%
from existing
(2 yr storm)
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SS # 6.2 Stormwater Design:

Quality Control

Intent:

Limit disruption and pollution of natural water flows by

managing stormwater runoff.

For 90% of stormwater: Use BMP to remove 80% of TSS

 Stormwater
Infiltration

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SS # 7.1 Heat Island Effect:

Non-roof

Intent:
Reduce heat islands (thermal gradient differences
between developed and undeveloped areas) to
minimize impact on microclimate and human wildlife
habitat.
 Option 1: Shade (with 5 years) / Reflective
paving (SRI 29 min) / Open-grid paving for
50% of hardscape

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Option 2: Minimum of 50% of parking under

cover (roof must meet SRI 29 min)
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SS # 7.2 Heat Island Effect:

Roof

Intent:
Reduce heat islands (thermal gradient differences
between developed and undeveloped areas) to
minimize impact on microclimate and human wildlife
habitat.

Option 2: Vegetated for 50% min.

Photo courtesy of Stephen Blatt Architects

Option 3 = combination
Option 1: Solar reflectance Index
of Option 1 and 2
(SRI) of 78 for flat roofs / 29 for
pitched roofs for min. of 75% of roof
area.
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SS # 8 Light Pollution Reduction

Intent:
Minimize light trespass from the building and site,
reduce sky-glow to increase night sky access, improve
nighttime visibility through glare reduction, and reduce
development impact on nocturnal environments.

Interior Lighting
Option 1

Option 2
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Exterior Lighting

Do not exceed (ASHRAE / IESNA 90.1-2004)

•80% of lighting power density for outside lights
•50% for building facades and landscaping

Classify Project in a
IESNA RP-33 zone:
LZ1 = Park and Rural
LZ2 = Residential
LZ3 = Comm / Ind / Res
LZ4 = Major City Center

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Non cut-off

Full cut-off
Paul Leveille, Assoc AIA; LEED AP
High Performance Building Coordinator
The Jordan Institute
226-1009 X 205
pleveille@thejordaninstitute.org

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WATER EFFICIENCY

25% of all potable water

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Why pursue LEED certification?

•Firm guidelines for achieving

design goals
•Establishes accountability
•National benchmark
•Client demand
•Municipal regulations