A building can be green without a single standard being applied to it. In fact, to reduce costs, green buildings are often built using a rating system strictly as a guide without ever formally registering the building. Green rating systems do offer a way to measure how green a building is and can supply recognition and validation of that level of commitment.

Rating systems, standards, and guidelines can be classified into two groups: those that relate to specific building components, and those that relate to the building as a whole entity. They range from those that assess specific properties of individual building materials or system/assembly standards from established trade organizations, to those that assess the entire building's overall environmental performance from more recently formed environmentally based organizations. The broader the assessment, the unavoidably more subjective it is.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) standard, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the most well known, all-encompassing, whole-building standard in the U.S. It includes:

• LEED-NC is applicable to new commercial, institutional, and high-rise residential buildings.
• LEED-EB is applicable to existing buildings, which includes criteria for maintenance, operations, and refurbishments.
• LEED-CS for core and shell covers a building's structure, envelope, and basic mechanical/electrical/plumbing systems, which are items appropriate for speculative buildings.
• LEED-CI, for commercial interiors applicable to tenant fit-outs.

Only six years into its existence, LEED is the best known green building rating system in the United States. There are over 450 LEED-certified projects with over 3,600 registered for certification.

This number is sure to increase with the full release of LEED-ND for neighborhood development programs and LEED-H for individual homes, a collaborative effort with existing local green homes programs, both of which are in the pilot phase and will follow a similar structure as the established LEED rating systems. Also in discussion are versions tailored to retail, education, and other industrial sectors.

LEED Point System

A LEED rating is achieved through earning points in each of six categories. Within each category, there are subcategories including prerequisites. For example, the Sustainable Sites category contains a prerequisite for Erosion and Sediment Control, and also several other subcategories, including Site Selection and Storm Water Management, for earning possible points if applicable.

The rating system is flexible in that it is performance-based, and does not force the applicant into following a narrowly defined set of specifications. The structure and categories in the rating system are often used as a basis for the newer rating systems that are being developed by other entities.

Registration Process

The rating process starts with registering the project. It is recommended that registration be completed early in the process, so that the project can be tracked along the way.

Registration can be completed directly through the USGBC's website. Registration provides access to "LEED Online," an interactive PDF file that allows the registrant to assign individual team members or groups access rights to specific areas to the LEED application/scorecard to receive the appropriate credits. The authorized team members can add documentation, perform calculations, and submit the information to LEED Online.

After registration, and after all the credits have been documented, the applicant submits the information online for a ruling. If the applicant needs an interpretation for a specific credit, there is a $220 fee. However a website is available that lists rulings on other interpretations that the applicant can check before asking for an interpretation.

The USGBC produces, maintains, and administers the LEED rating system in the United States. The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) is responsible for the Canadian version of the rating system. The councils are comprised of well-respected, nationally recognized proponents of sustainable building, from a broad spectrum of manufacturers, building professionals, building owners, and financial institutions.

This article is an excerpt from the book Green Building: Project Planning & Estimating which can be purchased through the RSMeans Bookstore.

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