1. Sustainability in Construction: A LEED Primer
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Presented by Brandon Jones

2. About Southface Non-profit 501-C3 founded in 1978
Southface retreats have been held at:
Gwinnett Environmental Heritage Center – LEED Gold
Sweetwater Creek Visitors Center – LEED Platinum
Mission: Southface promotes sustainable homes, workplaces and communities
through education, research, advocacy and technical assistance

3. Key Objectives
Who is the USGBC What is LEED Role of the Aggregate Industry in LEED

4. U N I T E D S T A T E S G R E E N B U I L D I N G C O U N C I L U S G
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5. U N I T E D S T A T E S G R E E N B U I L D I N G C O U N C I L
Coalition of leaders from across the building industry:
18,403 member companies and organizations
78 chapters and affiliates across the U.S.
Promotes buildings that are:
Environmentally responsible
Profitable
Healthy places to live and work
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6. USGBC Web Resources

7. Green Building Rating System
LEED or Leeds...
LEED
Leeds
Green Building Rating System
Town in Alabama 7

8. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Site
Water
Energy
Materials
IEQ
L E E D
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
LEED is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
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9. LEED Rating Systems
These are the different LEED tools that exist at the moment or are in development. Mention that the LEED letter templates and LEED calculators are tools you can use to demonstrate compliance with the LEED rating system. As not every building can fit into the basic guidelines set by the LEED rating system, addendums are being developed to include those different sectors of the built environment. Here are the basics:
LEED for new construction (or major renovation): for building owners and design teams that address the new building design and construction or major renovations process. Also referred to as LEED 2.0 or LEED 2.1
LEED-EB: set of performance standards for the sustainable operation of existing buildings. The LEED-EB criteria cover building operations and systems upgrades in existing buildings where the majority of interior or exterior surfaces remain unchanged.
LEED-CI: addresses the specifics of tenant spaces in office, retail, and institutional buildings.
LEED-CS: Broadly defined, core and shell construction covers base building elements, such as the structure, envelope and building-level systems, such as central HVAC, etc.  The CS product recognizes that the division between owner and tenant responsibility for certain elements of the building varies between markets. CS is used for buildings where the owner does not control interior design and fit-out.
LEED-H:
These are the different LEED programs that exist or are in development:
LEED-NC: For building owners and design teams that address the new building design and construction or major renovations process.
LEED-EB: Set of performance standards for the sustainable operation of existing buildings. The LEED-EB criteria cover building operations and systems upgrades in existing buildings where the majority of interior or exterior surfaces remain unchanged.
LEED-CI: Addresses the specifics of tenant spaces in office, retail, and institutional buildings.
LEED-CS: Broadly defined, core and shell construction covers base building elements, such as the structure, envelope and building-level systems, such as central HVAC, etc.  The CS product recognizes that the division between owner and tenant responsibility for certain elements of the building varies between markets. CS is used for buildings where the owner does not control interior design and fit-out.
LEED-H: LEED for Homes is a product for single family homes.

10. Atlanta Community Food Bank,
LEED-NC
New Construction & Major Renovations
Atlanta Community Food Bank,
LEED NC Silver
LEED-NC Program:
7 Prerequisites: Non-negotiable
32 Core Credits: 64 optional points
Innovation Credits: 5 optional bonus points
Levels of Certification:
Certified points
Silver points
Gold points
Platinum points
The LEED for New Construction and Major Renovation Rating System works to improve the building process and create high performance, healthful, durable, affordable, and environmentally sound buildings. The program is applicable for commercial, institutional, and high-rise residential buildings. Major renovation is defined as major HVAC renovation, significant envelope modifications, and major interior rehabilitation. There are seven prerequisites and 26 points that must be fulfilled in order to be a part of the program and achieve LEED Certification. A project can achieve more optional points to get a higher Certification, and a higher performance building.

11. LEED-NC Point Distribution
Credit Format
Each credit identifies:
Intent
Requirements
Technologies & Strategies
Sustainable Sites: 14 pts
Water Efficiency: 5 pts
Energy & Atmosphere: 17 pts
Materials & Resources: 13 pts
IEQ: pts
Innovation & Design: 5 pts
TOTAL: 69 Pts
Within LEED New Construction and Major Renovation, energy makes up the most points, though other aspects that create a sustainable building are very important. Understanding the major components of the Rating System and what they encompass is important for passing the test. Each credit has an intent, requirements, technologies and strategies, as well as the submittal documents necessary to achieve points.

12. Sustainable Sites Develop appropriate sites
Use existing infrastructure
Preserve natural areas
Reduce need for automobiles
Protect endangered habitats
Restore polluted sites

13. Water Efficiency
In the U.S., about 340 billion gallons of fresh water are withdrawn daily from rivers, streams, & reservoirs
Water treatment is municipality’s single biggest energy bill (water savings = energy savings)
Power plants consume 3 gallons of water per kWh produced (energy savings = water savings)
Explore Innovation points with non-regulated (process) water or exemplary performance
Southern States Energy Board 3 gallons / kWh

14. Energy & Atmosphere 17 possible points
Buildings consume ~40% of U.S. energy (70% of electricity)
Fossil fuels produce 3/4 of our energy
Coal power plants emit more fine particulate material than any other U.S. activity
Natural gas (CO2), nuclear energy (radiation), and hydroelectric power (habitat disturbance) all have negative impacts on ecological systems
Efficient buildings reduce pollution & cost and enhance comfort
17 possible points

15. Materials & Resources
Construction/Demolition waste makes up 40% of U.S. waste
Reuse/Recycling saves production & transportation energy & landfill room
Salvaged/Recycled content materials minimize the use of finite, declining resources
Rapidly Renewable resources minimize impact of natural resource consumption for manufacturing
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16. Indoor Environmental Quality
Americans spend 90% of their time indoors
Inside pollutant levels may be 2 to 5 times higher than outdoor levels
17 million Americans have asthma and 40 million suffer from allergies
Better IEQ can improve worker productivity more than 15%
15 possible points

17. LEED Rating System & Reference Guide
LEED Rating System – free, but only minimal detail
LEED Reference Guide – explains each credit in detail
LEED Reference Guide
Version 2.2
Available for purchase
Comprehensive Guide to individual Credits/Criteria
LEED Rating System
Available in a downloadable .pdf file from the USGBC website
Contains credit intent, requirements, submittals and technologies/strategies
includes the Credit Checklist.
The Reference Guide is the detailed “User’s Manual” that explains the LEED credits in sufficient detail, and is available for purchase on the U.S. Green Building Council’s website. The rating system is a condensed version of the guide that is a free downloadable .pdf file from the website which contains a credit checklist, followed by a brief summary for each credit criteria, including intent, requirements, and potential technologies and strategies.

18. LEED and the Aggregate Industry

19. REMEMBER: Buildings are Certified…… Products are NOT

20. Sustainable Sites Credit 6.1
Stormwater Management, Rate & Quantity
Decrease stormwater run-off
Use permeable concrete OR
Pervious hardscape

21. Sustainable Sites Credit 7.1
Heat Island Effect, Non-Roof
Use light color hardscaping
material such as concrete or
gravel

22. Materials and Resources Credit 4.1 and 4.2
Recycled Content, 10% - 20%
Use concrete made with substitute materials such as fly ash OR
Use asphalt made with recycled
asphalt planings, recycled concrete
road base, recycled asphalt road base.

23. Materials and Resources Credit 5.1 and 5.2
Local / Regional Materials
Manufactured, Harvested & Extracted Locally
10% - 20%
Purchase products that were
manufactured, harvested and
extracted from within
500 miles of the project.

24. Additional Information
or Brandon Jones