LEED Certification
If you are new to the business of green building, then you may want to know what LEED is, or you may not have ever heard the term before. Many new students may have the same question. First of all LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. For a building to have obtained LEED certification, it must have been built and designed using green ideology. The building will gain points for using strategies to reduce waste and recycle energy. Thus improving the quality of the building.
The LEED certification rating system is internationally recognized and created by the U.S. Green Building Council. Having the LEED certification authenticates that the building has reached a level of standards that are in compliance with the green building codes according to five major categories. Under each category there are a number of rating systems that need to be considered based on the type of building the structure is intended for. These systems of rating are for old buildings that are being renovated and new structures.
The first category is called Building Design and Construction. Buildings that fall into this category could be old or new and would be used for commercial businesses, schools, hospitals or apartment buildings. They are actually named as follows: LEED for New Construction, LEED for Core and Shell, LEED for Schools, LEED for Health care, and LEED for Retail.
The second category for LEED certification is called Green Interior Design and Contruction. This category was desined for tenants that are leasing a part of a building for their own commercail use. It includes LEED for Commercial Interiors and LEED for Retail interiors.
The third category for LEED certification is called Green Building for Operations and Maintenance. This is for existing schools and buildings. The rating system is used during maintenance, to measure the upkeep as well as improvements.
The fourth category is LEED certification for Homes. This rating system is used for single and multiple family homes that are less than three stories tall. It measures their energy saving activity.
The last Category is the LEED certification for Neighborhood development.This category will be made available to the public shortly. It will be one of the first systems that will rate neighborhoods based on their green initiative. The buildings will be evaluated t see how much green material was used during construction and how much environmentally sound materials can be used during the maintenance. Neighborhoods will be given points based on the green building criteria.
