Succeed at LEED

Source: www.LEEDUser.com

If you’re managing a LEED project, one of your first challenges will be getting your team to think a little differently about how the LEED project team works together and how the LEED building project is managed. On a typical building project your design team may get together in a room with the client, talk about the client’s goals, objectives and project needs — and then once the project is kicked off, everyone seems to scatter and go off and do their own thing. The mechanical engineer focusses on the HVAC needs. Your landscape architect is busy doing land surveys and designing the landscape. Your electrical engineer gets started identifying the electrical and indoor and outdoor lighting needs for the project. Team members only seem to get involved with one another on an as-needed basis.

With a LEED project, you need to take a totally different approach. LEED projects require that you create an integrated design from day-one of the project. In fact, the ultimate success of your LEED project truly depends on managing your LEED project with an integrated design approach.

So what exactly is “integrated design”? An integrated design approach means that your team collaborates together right from the beginning of the project. In typical building projects, the design process does not try to identify synergies or optimization among the various disciplines and team members. Decisions are often made by fewer people and in isolation. One of the main benefits of an integrated design approach is that it allows your team to develop synergies that will not only help you create a better building for your client, but it will also increase the likelihood of you achieving your LEED credits and certification. Synergy like this allows the various disciplines to optimize the building design and decisions can be made together to ensure that they work collectively to achieve the various credits you are trying to achieve.

Life cycle costing is also emphasized in an integrated design. Life-cycle costing is a way to assess the total building cost over time, taking into consideration initial costs, operating costs and maintenance costs. You’ll also want to take in the social and environmental benefits of the LEED project when evaluating life-cycle costing.

In a traditional project, systems are considered in isolation. A successful LEED projects require your team to think of the WHOLE building and all of the systems together as they’re working on the LEED project.

Even though an integrated-design approach requires more efforts at the front-end – a lot of time and energy will be invested upfront early in the design phase where you have maximum flexibility to impact the design and coordinate everything with your LEED goal objectives. Integrated design is one of the keys to completely a successful LEED project.

I’m working on a video tutorial on how to use LEEDOnline.com. I’m looking for Architectures, Mechanical Engineers, Landscape Designers, Electrical Engineers, Contractors, etc. to fill in the sample templates on my sample LEED project — so I can use those templates as examples in my video tutorial.

If you’d like to get practice filling out real LEED project templates and getting first-hand experience working in the LEEDOnline.com environment, please e-mail me at sherry @ succeedatleed.com and tell me a little bit about your background (electrical engineer, construction, mechanical engineer, etc.)

I don’t want you to add any proprietary information about projects you’re actually working on (so don’t include any actual client info) — I’m just looking for sample filled-out templates to show in my video tutorial.

Thanks in advance for your help!

It’s true. With more than 24,500 certified projects, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (better known as LEED) is by far the industry standard for green building projects. But there’s another green building certification initiative that’s picking up steam – one that targets a different segment of the market, but at the same time complements LEED certification efforts.

Launched in 1998, the Green Advantage Certification was created with support from the US EPA, SAIC, The Nature Conservancy and the University of Florida. Green Advantage is recognized throughout the building industry as the “green builder credential for construction workers.” The Green Advantage Certification is designed for the construction market – architects and engineers, contractors, subcontractors and trades people. But it’s not just for construction workers, other building and environmental professionals can also benefit from becoming Green Advantage Certified – including owners, developers, facility managers, code officials and realtors.

The green construction professionals who pass the Green Advantage Certification demonstrate that they have a practical knowledge of current green building principles, materials and techniques and the foundation for green building. Similar to LEED, there are several different certifications that focus on specific areas: Commercial, Residential and Commercial/Residential.

When a person becomes Green Advantage (GA) certified, they demonstrate general knowledge, comprehension and the ability to analyze green construction concepts, materials, and practices. Emphasis is given to construction field practices as they relate to the role construction personnel have in improving the environmental and health attributes of the building environment. The Green Advantage certification is designed to help improve green building project collaboration and allows construction professionals to differentiate themselves from others in the industry.
The green building field is always changing and evolving. GAs need to recertify every three years in order to maintain Green Advantage Certification. (Recertification is a pain, but if you’re in the green construction industry it’s worth the hassle.)

If you’re working on a LEED project, having the Green Advantage Certification is a bonus. A HUGE benefit of becoming Green Advantage Certified is that having that certification can help your LEED project. The Green Advantage (GA) personnel certification program has been approved by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) as a LEED Innovation Credit for projects seeking LEED Certification.

This USGBC approval allows construction projects registered under LEED 2009 BD&C that meet the Green Advantage Field Personnel Standard to include this Innovation Credit in the LEED project’s submitted point total. The Green Advantage Field Personnel Standard requires at least 30% of select construction personnel be Green Advantage Certified prior to and throughout a LEED project’s construction.

Available nationwide, Green Advantage Exams are administered ‘open book’ and may be taken either at testing centers or on location in group settings. Exams are available for both residential and commercial practitioners.

Resources
Visit http://www.greenadvantage.org/for more information on what it takes to become Green Advantage Certified.

If you’re interested in trying to become Green Advantage Certified, check out this Green Advantage Commercial/ Residential Exam Preparation study course.

From ED+C Magazine

GreenWizard, a web-based solution designed to simplify building material selection and management, announced a technology partnership with U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), creators of the LEED green building program and LEED Online. This partnership enables users of GreenWizard and their LEED Assessment tools to easily sync up data and information with LEED Online, the software platform that manages the LEED green building certification process. Using the LEED Automation API, GreenWizard is the first product management solution to integrate with LEED Online, and this integration is the first step toward a fully automated process (called LEED Automation) for obtaining LEED certification.

“USGBC surveyed the competitive landscape of LEED workflow solutions looking for the providers that could really accelerate acceptance of LEED Online, and GreenWizard is a standout in the sector,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, USGBC’s COO.
At the Toronto Greenbuild show (booth# 230 North), GreenWizard will offer live demonstrations of its first LEED Online integration tool. With GreenWizard’s capabilities, users can:

- Optimize LEED points by connecting GreenWizard LEED projects with their LEED Online projects in real-time;
- Review LEED Online project credit information side-by-side with their LEED Credit Checklist;
- Use GreenWizard’s integrated LEED assessment tools to measure progress against the LEED Online project goals; and
- Update their LEED Online project credit Scorecard from their GreenWizard project.

“When USGBC set out to select new technology partners, we selected a very small group of elite providers who could provide LEED Online capabilities, while bringing some other extraordinary capability to the equation. With GreenWizard, that ‘extraordinary capability’ is the company’s proven, cloud-based LEED workflow solution, and its unrivaled product database,” said Mahesh Ramanujam added. “We’re thrilled to have GreenWizard as a partner, and we suspect we’ll learn as much from GreenWizard as they will learn from USGBC.”
Also at Greenbuild 2011, see GreenWizard CEO and founder Adam Bernholz present at the USGBC Master Series – LEED Automation session on Wednesday, October 5, from 10:30–12:30 pm. In addition, GreenWizard was chosen by USGBC as one of the 30 presenters at Greentech@Greenbuild, where the company will present to venture capitalists on Thursday, October 6, 8:30–12 noon.

LEED Automation is a program developed by USGBC to streamline and create increased capacity for the LEED building certification process by collaborating with leading technology companies, like GreenWizard, that offer supporting functionality. LEED Automation is intended to enable automated access to data and capabilities of USGBC systems, including LEED Online, the certification platform for LEED.

“We have finally closed the loop for digital connectivity between LEED projects in GreenWizard and LEED Online,” said Adam Bernholz, GreenWizard’s founder and CEO. “The money and time savings that this paper-free capability brings to our users adds directly to their bottom line, to say nothing of the savings from reduced administrative tasks for LEED consultants. We’re genuinely proud to be part of this solution.”

Hi…

I’m creating a LEED tutorial video and need some help. I need people who are interested — and able — to complete some LEED sample templates for my sample LEED Online project. You’d be given full access to my LEED online project, you can fill out whatever templates you’re interested in completing (this is GREAT practice for when you have to complete templates for your own project.)

Bonus: If you haven’t passed the LEED exam yet, being familiar with LEED Online is a tremendous benefit when you take the exam!

If you’re intersted in helping — and getting experience completing templates — please send me an e-mail at sherry @ succeedatleed.com with your experience and which templates you’re interested in completing. I will then invite you to join the project!

Thanks in advance for your help!

Sherry Bonelli, LEED Green Associate

Congratulations! You’re now a LEED AP or LEED Green Associate (GA). Passing the LEED exam is the first step in your green building profession. Throughout your career, it’s crucial for you to remain current on the latest green building practices; LEED changes and updates; local, state and national green-related codes and laws; green building strategies and techniques;
green products, etc. If you want to succeed at LEED, learning must be a part of your green building professional career.

LEED education is extremely important to the USGBC and GBCI, too. Therefore, to maintain your LEED AP or Green Associate (GA) credentials, you need to continue your LEED education even after you’ve passed the exams. (After all, clients want to know that the LEED professionals they hire are current on the latest green building and LEED information.)

To maintain your LEED credentials, LEED Green Associates (GAs) are required to earn 15 CE hours biennially (3 hours must be LEED specific). LEED APs are required to earn 30 CE hours biennially (6 hours must be LEED specific.)

So how do you get your CE credits/hours? There are eight ways to earn LEED GBCI CE hours:

• Education Review Body-Approved Activities
• College and University Courses
• Live Presentations
• Self-Study
• Authorship
• Certificates, Professional Licenses and Other Credentials
• Committee and Volunteer Work
• LEED Project Participation

Here are some great ways for you to earn your LEED CE hours:

Green Building Education Services has created some amazing LEED GBCI CE online courses. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has approved the technical and instructional quality of these courses for 20 GBCI CE hours towards the LEED Credential Maintenance Program. For only $124.95 the GBCI CE 20-Hour Package gives you the online LEED continuing education courses you need to get all (or the majority  of) your LEED credential maintenance program CEs. All of these CE hours count as ‘Education  Reviewing Body-Approved Activities’ (Activity Type 1 in the CMP guide). To find  out more information about the GBCI LEED AP & Green Associate (GA)  Continuing Education (CE) 20-Hour Package, visit the GBES website.

Self-Study is a great opportunity if you’re short on time — or money. To earn CE hours,  self-study must be at least one hour in length and pertain to a CE category that is relevant to your specialty. You can  earn 1 CE hour for the  first activity hour and 0.5 CE hour per additional half of an activity hour. Self-Study LEED CE hours cannot exceed five hours. Any study (research,  reading, etc.) that pertains to a relevant CE category will qualify for CE  hours. You will need to provide a record of the periodical, specifying the  pages you read and the topic(s) it addresses.

Here are some very informative and  easy-to-read books that you can read and count towards your LEED self-study CE  hours:

Green  Building Fundamentals 2nd Edition by Michael Monoya

LEED-New Construction Project Management by Vijaya Yellamraju

Green  Construction Project Management and Cost Oversight by Sam Kubba

Guidebook  to the LEED Certification Process by Michelle Cottrell

You can find these and other great LEED-related resources at Amazon.com

(Just a friendly note about buying books. I have more than 15+ years’ experience in the publishing industry. Self-publishing is really easy these days, so you’ll find a lot of poor quality LEED books on Amazon.com. I recommend that when you’re looking for a book to read, first take a look at the publication/copyright year. Only purchase books that were written in 2010 or later (unless the topic is one that doesn’t change rapidly). The other thing to pay close attention to is the publisher. Only purchase books from well-known publishers like Pearson, McGraw-Hill, Wiley or other nationally known publishing companies. These are books that you know contain information that  has been cross-checked for accuracy.)

Write,  Write, Write A great way to build your LEED professional reputation AND earn LEED GBCI CE credits, is to write an article or book. To earn CE hours,  published articles and books must pertain to a CE category that is relevant to  your specialty. You can get LEED-specific credit as long as the article or book  focuses heavily on LEED. The only catch is that the article must be published  during your reporting period. Some great ways to get your articles published is become an author on EZine Articles or other article submission websites or check with industry magazines to see if they accept LEED article submissions.  For writing about  LEED, you can earn 3 CE hours per published article and ten CE hours per published book.

These are just  some of the many ways to get your LEED CEs. With a little creativity, you may even  find that completing your CEs is almost as rewarding as passing your LEED exam. All the best!!

Okay. Just when you think you’re good to go with this whole LEED thing…now comes LEED 2012. USGBC is now reviewing what they’d like to change, add and improve about the LEED certification process. If you’re interested in taking a peek at what’s in store, visit the USGBC.org website. Over the next few posts I’ll give you some of the highlights of what’s to come in LEED 2012….

LEED Online is the heart and soul of a LEED project. It is where you and your team will spend the majority of your time as you work on and manage your project.

Understanding LEED Online’s interface and capabilities is extremely helpful as you study for the LEED Green Associate exam. If you haven’t actually been a part of a LEED project, it is difficult to try and visualize what LEED Online actually looks like:

• What does the LEED Online scorecard look like?
• How do you fill out LEED credit templates?
• What roles can be assigned in the Team Administration page and how are those roles managed?
• How are templates submitted for review?
• How do you assign template responsibilities?
• Where do you upload supporting documentation?
• And MUCH more!

Don’t despair if you’re not one of the lucky ones who have actually worked on a LEED project, because now anyone can explore LEED Online!

Experience LEED Online TODAY!

I know how important being familiar with LEED Online is to passing the LEED Green Associate Exam. So for a limited time I’m allowing people to gain access to our LEED 2009 project and LEED Online. Think of it as your opportunity to “play” and experiment with LEED Online – it’s almost like having your own LEED Online sandbox!

You’ll receive an official invitation to join the LEED project as a Project Team Manager – so you’ll have the same rights as the Team Administrator. You’ll have unlimited access to LEED Online for 90 days where you will experience firsthand what it’s like to manage roles, assign credits, review and fill out credit templates, etc. You’ll be able to explore all aspects of LEED online. Go ahead — play around with the LEED templates, practice assigning roles, check out LEED online help, and much more.

Sign up for your 90-day pass today!

LEED Online 90-Day Access Pass $35.00*

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A Few Practical Things to Keep In Mind

You must have a USGBC site user account in order to gain access to LEED Online. USGBC site user registration is free – visit www.USGBC.org.

By signing up to join the project, you agree to the following terms and conditions:

LEED Online project login information is for a single-user only and cannot be shared with others. Only the person who signed up and was invited to the project may login to LEED Online. You may not invite others to join the project team.

You may not change any Registration Details, Contact Info or Additional Contacts information. You are not allowed to copy, duplicate or redistribute any information contained on LEED Online.

Multiple members will have access to the LEED project, so any changes that you make to templates and other items online may, at any time, be overwritten, deleted or changed by other members.

Violators of these terms will be immediately removed from the project. No refunds. Terms and conditions may change at any time and without notice. Participating in this LEED project does not count towards the LEED project experience prerequisite, but it will give you an incredible advantage when taking the exam.

Most of the LEED project invitations are sent out within 1-6 hours after you register, but since all of the invitations are manually reviewed and processed, it can take up to 24 hours to receive your LEED 2009 project invitation.

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SAMPLE WEP 1 Template

LEED Online WP 1 Water Use Reduction – 20% Template Sample

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Are you the project manager on a LEED project? If so, you’re entering into an exciting — and challenging — adventure. We’re here to offer suggestions, tips and information that will help you manage your LEED project better.

We welcome your comments, suggestions and feedback…

Sherry Bonelli, LEED Green Associate