LEED v4 Practices, Certification, and Accreditation Handbook, Second Edition

693 Pages·2015·27.56 MB·English

by  Kubba

LEED v4 PRACTICES,
CERTIFICATION, AND
ACCREDITATION
HANDBOOK
Second Edition
SAM KUBBA, Ph.D., LEED AP
Amsterdam • Boston • Heidelberg • London
New York • Oxford • Paris • San Diego
San Francisco • Singapore • Sydney • Tokyo
Butterworth-Heinemann is an imprint of Elsevier
Butterworth-Heinemann is an imprint of Elsevier
The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, UK
225 Wyman Street, Waltham, MA 02451, USA
First edition 2010
Second edition 2016
Copyright © 2016, 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic
or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher. Details on how to seek permission, further
information about the Publisher’s permissions policies and our arrangements with organizations such
as the Copyright Clearance Center and the Copyright Licensing Agency, can be found at our website:
www.elsevier.com/permissions.
This book and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the
Publisher (other than as may be noted herein).
Notices
Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience
broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment
may become necessary.
Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating
and using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such
information or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including
parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.
To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the authors, contributors, or editors, assume
any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability,
negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions, or ideas
contained in the material herein.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
ISBN: 978-0-12-803830-7
For information on all Butterworth-Heinemann publications
visit our website at http://store.elsevier.com/
To my mother and father,
Who bestowed on me the gift of life …
And to my wife and four children,
Whose love and affection inspired me on …
FOREWORD
Two decades ago, green building was not a part of the vernacular. It was
a cutting-edge philosophy, championed by architects, engineers, designers,
and other building industry professionals who dared to dream of a world far
different than the one they lived in. We’ve come remarkably far in just two
short decades. So far, in fact, that Dr. Kubba’s LEED v4 Practices, Certification
and Accreditation is now being issued as a second edition.
This book is the product of incredibly hard work, certainly on
the part of Dr. Kubba, but also on the part of a larger movement. The
green building movement is alive and well because of the willingness of
thousands of people to admit what they didn’t know, to seek answers and
build consensus and create a new definition, to devise a new future.
When it comes to market transformation, few products or processes have
had as much impact on an industry as LEED has had on the construction
and building sector. Fifteen years into the lifetime of LEED, we see 1.85
million ft.2 of real estate certified every single day, all around the world.
LEED has become synonymous with green building.
One of the most beautiful aspects of this movement and of LEED is
that its development is iterative. We value the things that we learn along the
way and we come together to improve upon what we have already built.
LEED v4 is in many ways an outgrowth of LEED 2009; we took the best
of what we already had and added to it based on the feedback we received
from end users and the market at large. In this edition, Dr. Kubba addresses
the changes, breaking down the credits and points, and outlines the process
from start to finish.
In the First Edition Foreword, Rob Watson envisioned a day when
the word “green” would no longer be necessary when referring to high-
performance, sustainable buildings. I, too, look forward to the day when
there is no question that a new building will meet LEED standards, a day
when building renovation is done in consultation with green building
standards, and there is no debate about whether it’s worth it to build green.
I have every confidence that this second edition of the LEED v4
Practices, Certification and Accreditation Handbook will inform and inspire those
seeking a better understanding of this movement. The more effectively
we share information about green building design and construction, the
xi
xii Foreword
more knowledgeable we will be as a community and an industry, and the
more knowledgeable we are, the better equipped we will be to address the
challenges of the future. This book is a critical piece of the puzzle, providing
essential information and analysis to the green building professionals of
today and tomorrow.
Scot Horst
PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION
Since its first printing in 2010, LEED™ Practices, Certification, and
Accreditation Handbook has provided thousands of professionals and students
with invaluable assistance in understanding the concept of sustainability
and green construction. Furthermore, the book also assisted many students
and professionals in taking the LEED™ exams, in addition to helping
corporations to achieve LEED certification for proposed green building
projects.
LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) has
emerged as one of the most important trends of “green” development
and is revolutionizing the construction industry. It has gained tremendous
momentum and has had a profound impact on our environment. The
second edition of this reference handbook provides a solid foundation for
the study of green building and LEED. It explains many of the important
tenets of green building and sustainability, while providing strategies for
implementation and specific case studies designed to broaden the reader’s
knowledge of sustainability and green building.
This second edition has been revised and fully updated to fill in many
of the blanks as well as demystify LEED v4. Moreover, this book covers the
topics and principles included in the LEED™ GA and LEED™ AP exams,
providing all the information necessary to pass these exams. Likewise, this
edition takes into account all the major changes that have taken place in
the industry and LEED™ Accreditation since 2009. Of note, the USGBC
released LEED v4 at the GreenBuild International Conference and Expo
in November 2013. The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) has
included the new LEED v4 content for all LEED exams in late spring
2014. We have incorporated all the new LEED v4 content in this second
edition. Modifications of the credentialing process include a new three-tier
system requiring applicants to first take the LEED™ Green Associate exam,
followed by the LEED™ Professional Accreditation exam. The difference
between the LEED Green Associate and LEED AP is clearly explained in
the text. The requirements for taking these exams are also clearly explained
in an easy-to-review format, pulling together all the critical points readers
need to know about green building and sustainability to pass these exams.
The USGBC has slightly relaxed the requirements for LEED v4, and
xiii
xiv Preface to Second Edition
project experience is no longer an eligibility requirement for those seeking
LEED™ Accredited Professional (LEED AP) certification (although it is
strongly recommended).
Finally, this edition will help the reader select a LEED v4 rating
system to use for a particular project (e.g., LEED for Building Design and
Construction, LEED for Operations and Maintenance, LEED for Interior
Design and Construction, or LEED for Neighborhood Development).
Sam Kubba
PhD, LEED AP
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A book of this scope would not have been possible without the active and
passive support of many friends and colleagues who have contributed greatly
to my thinking and insight during the original writing of this book and
who were in many ways instrumental in the crystallization and formulation
of my thoughts on the subjects and issues discussed within. To them I am
heavily indebted, as I am to the innumerable people and organizations that
have contributed ideas, comments, photographs, illustrations, and other
items that have helped make this book a reality instead of a pipe dream.
I must also unequivocally mention that without the unfailing fervor,
encouragement, and wisdom of Mr. Kenneth McCombs, Senior Acquisitions
Editor, Elsevier Science and Technology Books, this book would have
remained on the drawing board, and this important second edition may
never have become a reality. I must likewise acknowledge the wonderful
work of Mr. Peter Jardim, Editorial Project Manager, Elsevier Science &
Technology Books, and thank him for his unwavering commitment and
support on the updating of this book. I also wish to acknowledge Mr.
Gregory Harris for redesigning the second edition book cover. It is always
a great pleasure working with them and the Elsevier family.
Likewise, I am particularly indebted to the US Green Building
Council (USGBC) and its LEED Team, especially Ms. Ali Peterson for her
assistance, continuous updates, and support on the new LEED™ version
4 Rating System and to Mr. Scot Horst, LEED™ Chief Product Officer
for contributing the Foreword to this second edition. Likewise, my special
thanks are extended to Mr. Paul Fair, LEED™ of Contracting Services, for
reviewing many of the original chapters and for his expert comments and
suggestions.
I would really be amiss if I failed to acknowledge my wife Ibtesam
for her loving companionship and continuous support and for helping me
prepare some of the original line illustrations. And last but not least, I wish
to record my gratitude to all those who came to my rescue during the final
stretch of this work – the many nameless colleagues – architects, engineers,
and contractors who kept me motivated with their ardent enthusiasm,
support, and technical expertise. To these wonderful professionals, I can only
say, “Thank you.” I relied upon them in so many ways, and while no words
can reflect the depth of my gratitude to all of the above for their assistance
and advice, in the final analysis, I alone must bear responsibility for any
mistakes, omissions, or errors that may have found their way into the text.
xv
INTRODUCTION – THE GREEN MOVEMENT
YESTERDAY AND TODAY
The green building industry is a rapidly evolving field; indeed, the general
perception of the green movement has been considerably transformed since
its early formative days and is today a revolution sweeping across the United
States, Europe, and much of the world. Jerry Yudelson, author of the Green
Building Revolution, describes it as, “a revolution inspired by an awakened
understanding of how buildings use resources, affect people, and harm the
environment.” But for a better understanding of the modern green movement,
we need to try and trace its origins back to the beginning. However, it is almost
impossible to determine precisely when a movement may have started. Long
before the arrival of the industrial revolution and electrically powered heating
and cooling systems, ancient and primitive populations were compelled to
improvise using basic tools and natural materials to construct buildings that
protected them from the harsh elements and extremes in temperature. As
the ancients had very few other options at their disposal, ancient builders
incorporated passive designs that took advantage of the resources provided by
nature, namely, the sun and climate to heat, cool, and light their buildings. The
Babylonians and Egyptians, for example, used adobe as their prime building
material and built wind shafts (called badger) into their palaces and houses.
These ancient palaces and houses were designed to take advantage of the
courtyard principle. They also utilized narrow alleyways for shade and to
overcome the many challenges of climate that confronted them.
More recently however, scholars like Mark Wilson expressed the belief
that the concept of green building first appeared in America more than a
century ago. Some historians believe that sustainability and environmentalism
in America are actually rooted in the intellectual thought of the 1830s and
1840s.
Moving forward, the twentieth century witnessed the beginning of federal
government action to preserve lands, and much of the credit for this is due to
Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir for popularizing conservation. Roosevelt’s
visit to Yosemite in 1903 gained national publicity, and by 1916 the National
Park Service had been established. Aldo Leopold (1887–1948) is one of many
innovative philosophers whose theories have significantly influenced the
North American green and environmental movements. Leopold recognized
early on some of the benefits of building green, including environmental,
xvii
xviii Introduction – The Green Movement Yesterday and Today
economic, and social benefits. Unfortunately, however, the World Wars and
the Great Depression pushed environmental concerns out of the mainstream
and into the background of public consciousness. After World War II,
environmental efforts continued to be focused on land conservation.
Following the 1930s, new building technologies began to fundamentally
impact the urban landscape. The introduction of air conditioning, structural
steel, vertical transport, and reflective glass suddenly made it possible to
build multistory enclosed glass-and-steel-framed structures with controlled
heating and cooling. The postwar economic boom was partly motivated
by international architects such as Mies van der Rohe, whose International
Style “glass box” provided a further catalyst in accelerating the pace of this
phenomenon.
Other historians associate the first initial attempts to describe and spur
Sustainable Development was with the publication of Rachel Carson’s
(1907–1964) book, Silent Spring (published in 1962), and the legislative fervor
of the 1970s as a convenient marker, or with Henry David Thoreau who
advocates in his book, Marine Woods, for the respecting of nature and also for
an awakening to the need for conservation and federal preservation of virgin
forests. Many believe that the green movement had its roots in the energy
crises of the 1970s and the creative approaches to saving energy that emanated
from it, such as smaller building envelopes and the use of active and passive
solar design.
The 1973 OPEC oil crisis brought the cost of energy into sharp focus
and effectively highlighted the need for diversified sources of energy and
encouraged corporate and government investments in solar, wind, water,
and geothermal sources of power. Additionally, the energy crises artificially
created by the imposition of an oil embargo by OPEC in 1973 caused
an upward spike in gasoline prices and caused long lines of vehicles at
gas stations around the country. This had a dramatic effect on a small
group of enlightened and forward thinking architects, ecologists, and
environmentalists, who began questioning the wisdom of conventional
building techniques and inspired them to seek new solutions to the problem
of sustainability.
Also as a direct response to the crisis, the American Institute of Architects
(AIA) formed an energy task force to study energy-efficient design strategies,
which was later followed by an AIA Committee on Energy. The energy
committee prepared several papers, including “A Nation of Energy Efficient
Buildings,” which became effective AIA tools for lobbying Capitol Hill.
Among the more active committee members in the late 1970s were Donald
Watson, FAIA, and Greg Franta, FAIA, when the AIA was also advocating