June 29, 2009
by Environmental Building Strategies
in Commissioning, Green Building, LEED
Tags: Commissioning, Green Building, LEED, Real Estate
Contractors and bidders need to know what they are up against throughout the entire building process. By putting the requirements of commissioning and information about LEED Documentation in the bid packages, owners or project managers will get a much better understanding of what is entailed. It will also separate those who have experience with LEED from those who don’t – in general if a party has had good experience with LEED and is ready for its implementation then their bid should reflect that experience.
Make sure the requirements are in the drawings – this should prevent any mis-communications and avoid having to re-do or correct mistakes. In addition these mistakes will add costs and scheduling issues to the project. Unfortunately this is becoming more and more important as our litigious society continues to sue people for everything. Integrated Project Delivery is a new field that is emerging and becoming a strong idea. The concept that everyone is responsible for seeing the project until the end and must work as a team through its completion holds all accountable and provides a greater framework for success.
The Autodesk space in San Francisco used DPR construction and was one of the first LEED Platinum CI projects here. That team used IPD and they realized huge successes as a result.
–The EBS Team–
June 7, 2009
by Environmental Building Strategies
in Green Building, LEED, Uncategorized
Tags: Education, Green Building, LEED, Training
Following our recent posts, the 7th Step in the 12 Steps to a Successful LEED Project requires team members to attend LEED workshops
7. Attend LEED Training workshops
Make sure everyone on the team has a copy of the LEED reference guide and their pages are highlighted. The LEED Consultant should provide the teams with the technical details and any specifications such as VOC limits and such but at the end of the day it is the responsibility of the project team members to be up to speed with LEED.
Attending these workshops is a great way for everyone to get on the same page and understand the system to a more comprehensive extent. In fact attending together can hash out conflict areas and will allow the team the ability to ask questions affecting each team members responsibilities as they pertain to LEED.
GreenStep Education is a great resource for team members. Alex Spilger is a seasoned sustainability professional who has the tools to get any team up to speed.
Another great resource is Pass the LEED which is an online resource for all things LEED. They provide LEED Exam Prep Training as well as Project Training courses designed for all project types.
–The EBS Team–
June 1, 2009
by Environmental Building Strategies
in LEED
Tags: Consulting, Green Building, LEED, USGBC
Lighting (especially Daylighting), energy modeling, LEED Documentation, and sustainability experts are just a few crucial aspects of a successful LEED project. Hiring a firm that can provide expertise in a package is often your best bet. They will understand how energy modeling affects LEED EA credits and even better they will be able to advise on the several synergies that exist within LEED.
For instance, Increasing Fenestration with the appropriate glass can increase thermal resistance, allow for Daylighting, allow thermal comfort for occupants, reduce electrical lighting requirements, reduce HVAC demand, and increase credit for EA all the while reducing operating costs for the building which in turn will affect the Net Operating Income (NOI) of the property.
Be careful when choosing a LEED Consultant – there are so many out there these days however many of them aren’t sustainability experts and few offer the full breadth of services. Being able to Document a LEED project isn’t enough – often a good question to ask is something like, “How will the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient of my West Facing Fenestration affect my tenants and which Tvis value would you recommend as a result?” If they can’t answer a more challenging question like that one then they shouldn’t be hired.
Also, with the launch of LEED 2009, your consultant should be able to communicate the affects of the transition from older LEED Versions to the new 100 Point scale under LEED 2009 and how urban projects are more greatly impacted.
–The EBS Team–
Recent Comments