LEED Paper
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University of Central Oklahoma *
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12416
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Industrial Engineering
Date
Dec 6, 2023
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docx
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5
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1
LEED CERTIFICATION
LEED Certification
Spencer R. Flatt
University of Central Oklahoma
Dr. David J. Chapman
November 9
th
, 2023
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LEED CERTIFICATION
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is currently the
most commonly used green building rating system worldwide. (U.S. Green building Council )
The LEED rating system is used to provide verification that buildings and communities used
healthy tactics to build these buildings and save energy, reduce CO2 emissions, improve indoor
environment quality, water efficiency and clean resources while doing so (2021 ). The LEED
system can be used not only for commercial buildings like offices, health care facilities,
government buildings, and manufacturing plants but also for residential buildings as well,
especially high-rise residential buildings in big cities. It is also used during all buildings phases
as well, like, new construction, remodeling, interior fit outs, and operation and maintenance
work. Each phase has different rating systems and after a project team has decided their project
goals, they can then decide which rating system best fits their project. For new buildings and or
substantial renovations, a team would select the LEED Building Design and Construction rating
system. For projects with new interiors a team would select the LEED for Interior Design and
Construction system and projects with existing, ongoing maintenance would choose the LEED
Operation and Maintenance system. Once the right system is selected for the project the team
members will then review the minimum requirements and prerequisites and make sure they can
all be met in order to obtain their LEED certification. However, many builders tend to avoid this
and LEED certifications because it initially causes the building costs to go up before they start
the long-term saving from their clean buildings. It is also harder for to be implemented by
homeowners and small projects that are not commercial. The idea of long-term savings and
potential tax benefits from the government is a big way to get more builders to consider LEED
certification, however, this will need to become a requirement and the new normal way to build
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LEED CERTIFICATION
rather than just a pick and choose option to reduce environmental pollution and our carbon
footprint.
(Yudelson ) LEED scoring and its system have five main categories that are considered,
indoor environmental quality, sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, and
materials and resources. After the team has made their assessments, depending on the number of
points scored the LEED commission will give the building a Certified seal of approval (40
percent of points or more), Silver seal of approval (50 percent of points or more), Gold seal of
approval (60 percent of points or more), or Platinum seal of approval (80 percent of points or
more). This system is made for new construction projects which is the majority of LEED
certified projects. The category “sustainable sites” is about controlling everything from
alternative transportation and its access to pollution reduction and precipitation management. If
the building site and its area encourages bike riding, bus stops, and trains this will encourage
workers to use the alternative forms of transportation and therefore reduce toxic vehicle
emissions. The next is “water efficiency” this category tends to be the easiest points to gain for
certification. Its focus is to implement water efficient landscaping, innovative wastewater
technologies, and water use reduction. They can do this by having timed sprinkler systems or
having a landscape that doesn’t require watering like gravel, pavement, or turf. They can also
bring water use down by using more efficient faucets, fountains, and toilets but would cost more
in the beginning. Now we have the third category “energy and atmosphere” this area is about
finding ways to minimize the overall energy consumption of the building. Common ways to
reduce energy use would be to use good insulation or ecofriendly heating and air units while
newer buildings are using renewable energy like solar, and wind generated power from panels
and turbines.
Many people are even installing solar panels all over their roofs to obtain
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