A Commercial Architect Explains Leed Certification

Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification is a green building certification system

. The system is used to encourage people to build more sustainable structures. Commercial architects, interior designers, real estate agents and various other professionals and organizations around the world are designing buildings to meet this certification.

A building is scored on different designs, concepts and various sustainability components. It is a very complicated process. There are also various levels for different types of buildings. Even though this certification can apply to residential homes, you will see it used more in the commercial area.

If you want your building to become LEED certified, you must start very early in the design process and discuss it with a commercial architect. If you are building from the ground up, you need to orient your building to maximize the use of solar energy. You need consider the interior environment, the exterior environment and the different energy management systems that need to be incorporated into the building. This all adds another layer to the design stage for a commercial architect. The process brings together different thoughts, ideas and concepts.

If you want to have an LEED certification for a building, you need to be aware of the high administrative costs. It is very expensive to obtain this certification for an owner. During the design and building process, you must send different sets of plans and drawings for review. The LEED council looks at key areas in the designs. The main areas the council looks at are sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy & atmosphere, materials & resources and indoor environmental quality.

There are various benefits to having an LEED certified building. First, it reduces a building's carbon footprint and increases energy savings. Second, a good building design can improve worker productivity. Third, planning an LEED certified building ensures that you look at the costs of operating a building in the long-term. Fourth, there is a trend of LEED certified buildings renting for more than non-LEED certified buildings. Finally, it is a great element to add to your marketing strategy.

If you want to have an LEED certified building, you need to make sure to weigh the costs versus the benefits. Also, make sure talk with the commercial architect about the process and different building designs. A commercial architect can give a different perspective about the many aspects of sustainability. Adding sustainable elements to buildings will benefit everyone is the long run. LEED certification is just one method of helping more people begin to adopt sustainability ideas and concepts.

by: Jeff Frame

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