Guide to the LEED - Green Associate™ V4 Exam

Guide to the

LEED

®

Green Associate™

V4 Exam

GUIDE

T

O

THE

LEED

®

GREEN

Associate™ V4 Exam

M

ichelle Cottrell

,

LEED AP BD+

C

over design: Wiley



is book is printed on acid-free paper.

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LEED® and USGBC® are registered trademarks of the U.S. Green Building Council.



e publisher is not

a



liated with the U.S. Green Buildin

g

Council (USGBC) or the Green Buildin

g

Certi cation Institute™

(

GBCI) and does not administer LEED Professional Exams™ or the LEED

g

reen buildin

g

certi cation

p

rogram.



e publisher does not claim any endorsement or recommendation of its products or services

by USGBC or GBCI.

Li

b

rary o

f

Congress Cata

l

oging-in-Pu

bl

ication Data:

C

ottrell, Michelle.

[Gui

d

e to t

h

e LEED Green Associate Exam

]

Gui

d

e to t

h

e LEED Green Associate V4 Exam / Mic

h

e

ll

e Cottre

ll

.—Secon

d

e

d

ition

.

pages cm—(Wiley series in sustainable design

)

Revise

d

e

d

ition o

f

: Gui

d

e to t

h

e LEED Green Associate Exam.

Inc

l

u

d

es in

d

ex

.

ISBN 978-1-118-87031-0 (paperback), ISBN 978-1-118-87024-2 (ebk),

I

SBN 978-1-118-87027-3 (e

bk

)

1. Lea

d

ers

h

ip in Energy an

d

Environmenta

l

Design Green Bui

ld

ing Rating System

—

Examinations—Study guides. 2. Sustainable construction—Examinations—Study guides

.

3. Sustaina

bl

e

b

ui

ld

ings—Design an

d

construction. I. Tit

l

e.

T

H880.C68 201

4

7

2

0

’

.

4

7076

—

dc

2

3

2014025

6

03

P

rinte

d

in t

h

e Unite

d

States o

f

America

1

0 9 8 7

6

5 4 3 2

1

v

Ac

k

now

l

e

d

gments x

i

Intr

oduc

ti

o

n xii

i

PART I: RAMPING UP

1

CHAPTER 1 UNDERSTANDIN

G

THE

CREDENTIALIN

G

PR

O

CES

S

3

The Tiers of the Credentialin

g

Process 3

LEED

G

reen Associate

3

LEED Accre

d

ite

d

Pro

f

essiona

l

wit

h

Specia

l

ty

4

LEED F

ello

w

4

LEED Professional

C

erti cate

s

TM

5

The Exam Re

g

istration Process

5

Register!

6

Sc

h

edu

l

e!

6

Wh

y Earn LEED Cre

d

entia

l

s?

6

Q

uiz Time! 7

On

l

ine Resources 8

N

otes

8

CHAPTER 2 INTR

O

DUCTI

O

N T

O

THE C

O

NCEPTS

O

F SUSTAINABLE DESI

GN

9

The Bene



ts o

f

Green Buildin

g

s 1

0



e Triple Bottom Line 1

1

S

y

stems T

h

in

k

in

g

12

Feedback Loops 12

Levera

g

e Points 13

Li

f

e‐Cycle Approach 1

3

Do Green Bui

ld

ings Cost More? 1

5

Contents

vi

CO

NTENT

S

Q

uiz Time! 15

Notes 17

CHAPTER 3 INTEGRATIVE PROCES

S

19

T

h

e Project Team Mem

b

ers 19

The Traditional Approach 2

0

The Integrative Approach to Design and Construction 21

Di

scovery 21

D

esi

g

n and Construction 24

Occupancy, Operations, and Performance Feedback 2

6

Q

uiz Time!

2

7

Online Resources 2

8

N

otes 29

CHAPTER 4 THIRD‐PARTY VERIFICATI

O

N

3

1

USG

B

C

®

a

n

d

G

B

C

I™

3

1

Ro

l

es an

d

Responsi

b

i

l

ities 32

 e Policies of U

SG

B

C

and

G

B

C

I 32

Qu

iz Tim

e!

3

4

O

n

l

in

e

R

esou

r

ces

36

N

otes 36

CHAPTER 5 THE LEED

G

REEN BUILDIN

G

CERTIFICATI

O

N PR

OG

RA

M

3

7

LEED

f

or Building Design and Construction (BD+C) 38

L

EED for New Construction and Ma

j

or Renovations

TM

38

L

EED for

S

chool

s

TM

38

L

EED

fo

r H

ealthca

r

e

T

M

39

L

EED for

C

ore

&

S

hel

l

TM

3

9

L

EED for Retail: New

C

onstruction

T

M

4

0

L

EED

f

or Data

C

enter

s

TM

4

0

L

EED

f

or Ware

h

ouses an

d

Distri

b

ution

C

enters

TM

4

0

LEED for Hospitality

T

M

y

4

0

LEED

f

or Homes 40

L

EED for Homes: Homes and Multifamily Lowrise

T

M

an

d

LEED for

HOMES: Multifamily Midrise

TM

4

0

LEED

f

or Interior Design and Construction (ID+C) 41

L

EED for

C

ommercial Interiors

T

M

41

CO

NTENT

S

vii

LEED for Buildin

g

O

p

erations and Maintenance (O+M) 41

LEED

f

or Existin

g

Bui

ld

in

g

s: Operations & Maintenance 4

1

LEED for Neighborhood Development (ND) 42

LEED for Nei

g

hborhood Development: Pla

n

TM

an

d

LEED for

N

ei

g

hborhood Development: Built Pro

j

ect

T

M

42

T

he Categories of LEED 42

Prerequisites and Credits 43

Credit Wei

g

htin

g

s 45

Quiz Time! 45

Online Resources 4

8

N

otes 4

9

C

HAPTER 6 E

SS

ENTIAL LEED

®

C

O

NCEPT

S

5

1

LEED‐Online 51

M

inimum Program Requirements 52

M

PR 1. Must Be in a Permanent Location on Existin

g

Lan

d

52

M

PR 2. Must

U

se Reasonable LEED Boundaries 5

3

M

PR 3. Must Comp

l

y wit

h

Project Size Requirements 5

3

Boun

d

ar

y

T

y

pes 5

3

T

he Ste

p

s to Certi cation 54

Devisin

g

a LEED Work Plan 54

 e Certi cation Process 55

LEED

f

or Existin

g

Bui

ld

in

g

s: Operations & Maintenance

TM

57

 e Time Frames of

C

erti cation Reviews 58

S

pecial Projects 5

9

Q

uiz Time! 5

9

Online Resources 6

3

N

otes 63

PART II: DIVIN

G

IN: THE STRATE

G

IES AND

TECHNOLOGIES OF LEED

®

65

CHAPTER 7 LOCATION AND TRANSPORTATION 67

Location 6

7

S

trate

g

ies 69

T

ransportation 7

1

S

trategies 7

1

Documentin

g

Transportation Strate

g

ies 7

4

viii

CO

NTENT

S

Nei

g

hborhood Pattern and Desi

g

n 75

S

trate

g

ies 76

Quiz Time! 77

Online Resources 8

0

N

otes 80

CHAPTER 8 SUSTAINABLE SITES 81

Site Design and Management 82

S

trate

g

ies 8

2

Rainwater Management 86

S

trate

g

ies 86

H

ea

t I

s

l

a

n

d

E

ffec

t

90

S

trate

g

ies 9

0

Qu

iz Tim

e!

9

2

O

nlin

e

R

esou

r

ces

95

N

otes 95

C

HAPTER 9 WATER EFFI

C

IEN

CY

9

7

Indoor

W

ater Use 10

0

Process Water 10

0

S

trate

g

ies 100

Outdoor

W

ater 10

3

S

trate

g

ies 104

Q

uiz Time! 1

06

Online Resources 10

8

N

otes 10

8

CHAPTER 10 ENERGY AND ATMOSPHER

E

109

Commissioning 10

9

Minimum Energy Per

f

ormance 11

0

Process Energy versus Regu

l

ate

d

Energy 11

1

Re

f

rigerants 11

5

Existing Buildings 11

5

Strategies to Satis

f

y EA Prerequisites and Credits 11

5

Energy Demand 11

6

Energy E ciency 11

8

Renewable Energy 12

4

Ongoing Energy Performance 12

4

Quiz Time! 12

6

CO

NTENT

S

i

x

O

n

l

in

e

R

esou

r

ces

12

9

N

otes 13

0

CHAPTER 11 MATERIALS AND RES

O

URCES 131

C

onservation of Materials 13

2

S

trate

g

ies 132

Environmentally Preferable Materials 13

3

S

trategies 13

7

Calculatin

g

Green Buildin

g

Products for LEED 13

8

Waste Management 142

Strate

g

ies to Reduce Waste durin

g

Construction 14

3

Strate

g

ies to Re

d

uce Waste

d

urin

g

Operations an

d

M

a

i

ntenance 14

4

Qu

iz Tim

e!

14

5

O

nlin

e

R

esou

r

ces

1

50

N

otes 15

0

CHAPTER 12 IND

OO

R ENVIR

O

NMENTA

L

Q

UALIT

Y

151

In

d

oor Air Qua

l

it

y

15

2

Strate

g

ies

f

or Desi

g

nin

g

f

or Goo

d

IAQ 15

3

Strategies for Improving IAQ during Construction 154

Strate

g

ies

f

or Improvin

g

IAQ

d

urin

g

Operations

an

d

Maintenance 15

4

T

h

e

rm

a

l

Co

m

fo

rt 1

58

Strate

g

ies 158

Li

g

htin

g

16

0

Strate

g

ies 162

A

coustics 16

2

Strate

g

ies 162

Quiz Time! 16

4

N

otes 16

8

CHAPTER 13 INNOVATION AND REGIONA

L

PRIORIT

Y

169

Innovation 16

9

Re

g

ional Priorit

y

17

1

Quiz Time! 17

2

Online Resources 17

3

Notes 17

3

x

CO

NTENT

S

P

ART III: STUDY TIPS AND APPENDICES 17

5

CHAPTER 14 STUDY TIP

S

177

Preparing for the LEED

®

Green Associate™ Exam:

Week Seven 177

pg

Practice Exam Approach 17

8

The Testing Center Environment 17

8

Ex

a

m

S

tr

uc

t

u

r

e

1

79

Wh

en at t

h

e Testin

g

Center 180

Exam Scorin

g

180

A



e

r

t

h

e

Ex

a

m 1

81

On

l

ine Resources 18

1

APPENDIX A RATING SYSTEMS OVERVIEW 183

APPENDIX B MINIMUM PR

OG

RAM

R

EQUIREMENTS

(

MP

R

S

)

18

5

N

otes 18

6

APPENDIX

C

LEED

®

CERTIFICATION PROCESS 1

87

APPENDIX D MAIN CATEGORY SUMMARIES 1

89

APPENDIX E TRADE‐OFFS AND SYNERGIES 1

93

APPENDIX F SAMPLE LEED F

O

R NE

W

C

ONSTRUCTION™ SCORECARD 195

APPENDIX G SAMPLE CREDIT 197

SS Credit O

p

en S

p

ace 19

7

1

Po

i

nt 1

97

N

otes 19

7

APPENDIX H REFEREN

C

ED

S

TANDARD

S

19

9

APPENDIX I ABBREVIATI

O

NS AND

ACRONYMS 2

0

7

APPENDIX J ANSWERS TO

Q

UIZ

Q

UESTIONS 211

N

otes 22

0

I

NDEX 22

1

S

AMPLE FLA

S

H

C

ARD

S

x

i

Acknowledgments

To all m

y

students and readers, thank

y

ou so much for all the feedback, su

gg

es

-

tions, an

d

insi

gh

t

f

or t

h

e secon

d

e

d

ition o

f

t

h

is stu

dy

g

ui

d

e. Your questions an

d

ea

g

erness to learn continues to inspire me.

I would like to thank each of the ima

g

e contributors, as the exam prep series

would not be the same without

y

our added visual inte

g

rit

y

. Each of

y

ou helped

to maintain m

y

excitement about the book, as the readers will appreciate as well.

Preparin

g

for the exam with the added help of

y

our ima

g

es will

g

reatl

y

help them

to remember the strate

g

ies of the ratin

g

s

y

stem.

Melissa Ma

y

er, Editorial Assistant, at John Wile

y

& Sons—I en

j

o

y

ed the

opportunit

y

to work with

y

ou and look forward to continuin

g

m

y

writin

g

e orts

with Wile

y

. You were incredibl

y

supportive and motivatin

g

—for that I cannot

thank

y

ou enou

g

h. Amanda, Kerstin, Am

y

, and Nanc

y

—

y

our support durin

g

production has alwa

y

s made the process streamlined and en

j

o

y

able.  ank

y

ou,

Lisa R

y

an at Stellar Searches, for helpin

g

me with

y

et another index!

A tremendous thank

y

ou to m

y

famil

y

and friends for all of

y

our support,

motivation, interest, and patience. I reall

y

cannot thank

y

ou all enou

g

h!

Mom, thank

y

ou for takin

g

care of Izz

y

while I was on the road, for alwa

y

s

sendin

g

me home with

y

our delicious meals, and for all the surprises a er I  n

-

ished each cha

p

ter.

 is past

y

ear has been incredibl

y

enli

g

htenin

g

, as I am alwa

y

s on a quest to

better m

y

self and

g

row. I have been fortunate enou

g

h to reconnect with a ver

y

special person from m

y

past who has not onl

y

been extremel

y

supportive and

motivatin

g

, but makes me strive even harder to meet m

y

g

oals, both personall

y

and professionall

y

. Juan, this is

j

ust the be

g

innin

g

of our next chapter to

g

ether. . . .

x

ii

i

Introduction

G

ui

d

e to t

h

e LEE

D

®

G

reen Associate V4 Exa

m

is t

h

e resource to prepare

f

or t

h

e

Leadership in Ener

gy

and Environmental Desi

g

n (LEED ® ) Green Associate exam.



is exam prep

g

uide provides a road map to stud

y

in

g

for the LEED Green Asso

-

ciate exam as a

d

ministere

d

by

Green Bui

ld

in

g

Certi



cation Institute (GBCI™).

G

ui

d

e to t

h

e LEED

G

reen Associate V4 Exa

m

is aime

d

at t

h

ose pro

f

essiona

l

s see

k

in

g

k

now

l

e

dg

e a

b

out t

h

e

b

asic

k

now

l

e

dg

e an

d

un

d

erstan

d

in

g

t

h

at is require

d

in or

d

er

to pass t

h

e exam an

d

earn t

h

e LEED Green Associate accre

d

itation.

As a means to intro

d

uce m

y

se

lf

, I am a LEED consu

l

tant an

d

an e

d

ucation

provi

d

er,

f

ocuse

d

on sustaina

bl

e

d

esi

g

n an

d

b

ui

ld

in

g

operation concepts. I

h

ave

trave

l

e

d

t

h

e countr

y

h

e

l

g

man

y

stu

d

ents to prepare

f

or t

h

e LEED Green Asso

-

ciate and LEED Accredited Professional (AP) exams.  e LEED Green Associate

c

l

ass t

y

pica

lly

is a one‐

d

a

y

seminar an

d

reviews a

ll

o

f

t

h

e in

f

ormation as pre

-

sente

d

in t

h

is

b

oo

k

. Durin

g

t

h

is c

l

ass, I s

h

are m

y

LEED pro

j

ect experiences an

d

stud

y

tips in order to help make sense of this challen

g

in

g

information and present

it in a lo

g

ical format to help streamline the stud

y

in

g

e orts for m

y

students.  is

book breaks down the di



cult information to be retained into a coherent and

strai

g

htforward approach, as compared to simpl

y

repeatin

g

what would be found

in t

h

e stu

dy

re

f

erence materia

l

out

l

ine

d

by

GBCI.

EXAM PREP

GU

IDE

S

TR

UC

T

U

RE

G

ui

d

e to t

h

e LEED

G

reen Associate V4 Exa

m

is or

g

anize

d

into t

h

ree parts as a

method to break down the information to comprehend. First, an introduction

is needed to review the concepts and processes, in order to then understand

t

h

e next part, t

h

e tec

h

no

l

o

g

ies an

d

strate

g

ies to imp

l

ement. Fina

lly

, t

h

e appen

-

dices include charts and dia

g

rams summarizin

g

the critical information, as well

as

ot

h

e

r r

esou

r

ces

to

n

a

rr

o

w

do

wn

t

h

e

a

m

ou

n

t

o

f inf

o

rm

at

i

o

n

to

be

stud

i

ed

as

preparation to sit for the LEED Green Associate exam.  e composition of the

boo

k i

s

as

f

o

ll

o

w

s:

Part I: Rampin

g

Up is composed of the followin

g

information:

■ Chapter 1 : Understandin

g

the Credentialin

g

Process

■ C

h

apter 2 : Intro

d

uction to t

h

e Concepts o

f

Sustaina

bl

e Desi

g

n

■ C

h

apter 3 : Inte

g

rative Process

■ Chapter 4 :



ird‐Part

y

Veri cation

■ Chapter 5 :



e LEED Green Buildin

g

Certi cation Pro

g

ram

■ C

h

apter 6 : Essentia

l

LEED Concepts

x

iv

INTRODUCTION

Part II: Divin

g

In:



e Strate

g

ies and Technolo

g

ies of LEED details the cat

-

e

g

ories that are included in the ratin

g

s

y

stems, as well as the strate

g

ies to achieve

each basic concept contained within. Part II details the critical information to be

retained for the exam.

In t

h

is part o

f

t

h

e

b

oo

k

, t

h

e

f

o

ll

owing LEED categories are reviewe

d

:

■ C

h

apter 7 : Location an

d

Transportation

■ C

h

apter 8 : Sustaina

bl

e Sites

■ Chapter 9 : Water E



cienc

y

■ Chapter 10 : Energy and Atmosphere

■ C h a

p

ter 11 : Materials and Resources

■ C

h

apter 12 : In

d

oor Environmenta

l

Qua

l

it

y

■ C

h

apter 13 : Innovation an

d

Regiona

l

Priorit

y

Part III: Stu

d

y Tips an

d

Appen

d

ices is

d

e

d

icate

d

to summarizing t

h

e critica

l

i

n

f

ormation,

d

etai

l

s, an

d

concepts to retain, as we

ll

as provi

d

ing an overview o

f

t

he testing center environment.



e appendices include additional resources to

h

elp a er Part I and Part II of this book have been completed.

STUDY TIPS! are located throughout the book as tools to help stay focused

on the pertinent information.



ey will include things to remember and point

out side note–type information. Sample exam questions (in terms of format and

content) are also found in the book, as well as more basic quiz questions placed

sporadically throughout.

While reading though this book, be sure to also keep an eye out for FLASH

-

C

ARD TIPS!, as they will help to depict the important aspects for the exam and

act as an indicator to create critical  ashcards. All of the FLASHCARD TIPS!

referenced throughout the book are collected at the end, following the index,

although it is suggested that you make your own to enhance your studying. It is

recommended to purchase plain white cards, as well as the color‐coded  ashcards

(i.e., pink, yellow, blue, green, and purple). Use the white ones for the information

t

o be covered in Part I and the color‐coded cards for Part II of this exam prep

book.  e FLASHCARD TIPS! suggest a starting point for  ashcard creation,

b

ut

f

ee

l

f

ree to ma

k

e more as nee

d

e

d

. I

f

you

d

eci

d

e to ma

k

e your own wit

h

t

h

e

h

elp of the FLASHCARD TIPS!, be sure to refer to the  ashcards at the end of the

book for some additional suggestions. If you decide to use the  ashcards from

th

e en

d

o

f

t

h

e

b

oo

k

, you can a

l

ways use mar

k

ers or

h

ig

hl

ig

h

ters to co

l

or‐co

d

e

t

hem if you wish.

One of the main concepts of sustainable design is the integrative fashion in

w

h

ic

h

green

b

ui

ld

ings are

d

esigne

d

an

d

constructe

d

. It is critica

l

to un

d

erstan

d

h

ow strategies and technologies have synergies and trade‐o s. For example,

green roofs can have an impact on a construction budget but can help save on

operationa

l

energy costs, w

h

ic

h

may present a

b

rea

k

even or surp

l

us. Green roo

f

s

also have synergistic qualities, as they can help reduce the heat burden on a

building, as well as help to manage rainwater (Figure I.1 ).  ese types of con

-

cepts wi

ll

b

e

d

iscusse

d

in greater

d

etai

l

in Part II o

f

t

h

is exam prep gui

d

e,

b

ut

f

or

now be sure to look for these BAIT TIPS! throughout Part II to help bring the

concepts together.

A



er t

h

e



rst e

d

ition o

f

t

h

is

b

oo

k

, I receive

d

f

ee

db

ac

k

f

rom some o

f

t

h

e

readers eager for more information than you are required to know for the exam.

I

learned that most of the individuals preparing for the Green Associate exam are

Study: Keep an eye out

f

or these

STUDY TIPS!, as they will point

o

ut the intricacies and nuances to

re

m

e

m

be

r.

T

I

P

B

e

su

r

e

to

l

oo

k

out

f

o

r

t

h

ese

Brin

g

‐All‐of‐It‐To

g

ether Tips, which

a

r

e

r

e

f

e

rr

ed

to

as

BAIT TIP

S

! Th

ese

t

i

p

s will reinforce the im

p

ortant

c

oncepts and brin

g

all of it to

g

ether

a

s s

y

ner

g

ies and trade‐offs are

pointed out for

g

reen buildin

g

s

trate

g

ies and technolo

g

ies.

Be sure to spot these FLASHCARD

TIPS! to create



ashcards along the

wa

y

. Use the white cards

f

or Part I

a

n

d

t

h

e

co

l

o

r‐

coded

o

n

es

fo

r P

a

r

t

II.

I

NTR

O

D

UC

TI

O

N

xv

lookin

g

to enter into

g

reen buildin

g

but are not quite sure what part the

y

wish

pl

a

y

. I

f

y

ou are one o

f

t

h

ese in

d

ivi

d

ua

l

s,

b

e sure to

l

oo

k

out

f

or CAREER TIPS!

t

hrou

g

hout Part II.  ese tips will depict which team member t

y

picall

y

contrib

-

u

tes to imp

l

ementing

d

i



erent green

b

ui

ld

ing strategies an

d

t

h

e type o

f

e

d

ucation

th

ey typica

ll

y

h

a v e .

Did you unsuccessfully attempt to pass the previous version of the LEED

Green Associate Exam? I

f

you starte

d

stu

d

ying

b

ut were una

bl

e to sit

f

or t

h

e pre

-

v

ious version o

f

t

h

e exam,

l

oo

k

f

or V3V4! tips

f

or insig

h

t on t

h

e c

h

anges

f

rom

L

EED 2009.

An

othe

r n

e

w

add

i

t

i

o

n

to

th

i

s

ed

i

t

i

o

n

of

G

ui

d

e to t

h

e LEED

G

reen Associate V4

Exam

is the Online Resources section. With the new version of the LEED Ratin

g

Systems, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC®) has posted numerous videos

an

d

artic

l

es to

h

e

l

p e

d

ucate t

h

e in

d

ustry a

b

out t

h

e

b

ene



ts o

f

green

b

ui

ld

in

g

strategies and how to implement them into di erent project types. Visit these

link

s

to

access

t

h

ese

in

c

r

ed

i

b

l

e

r

esou

r

ces.

Career: In

te

r

ested

in

a

ca

r

ee

r in

s

ustainabilit

y

? Look out

f

or these

C

AREER TIP

S

! f

o

r m

o

r

e

inf

o

rm

at

i

o

n

on which professional t

y

picall

y

is responsible

f

or the di

ff

erent

s

trategies and concepts identi ed

in P

a

r

t

II.

T

IP

V3V4: N

eed

c

l

a

ri

cat

i

o

n

o

n

t

h

e

changes

f

rom LEED 2009? Look

for these V3V4! ti

p

s for more

in

fo

rm

at

i

o

n.

T

I

P

F

i

gure I.1 The CCI Center in Pittsburgh earned its gold certi



cation under the LEED

f

or Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance rating system by reducing the amount

o

f

rainwater runo

ff

f

rom the site, increasing the amount o

f

open space, promoting biodiversity, reducing cooling loads, and reducing the impacts o

f

the urban heat‐island e

ff

ect by

implementin

g

a ve

g

etated roof.

Photo courtesy of Conservation Consultants, Inc .

xv

i

INTR

O

DU

C

TI

O

N

S

T

U

DY

SC

HED

U

LE

W

ee

k

C

h

apter

s

P

age

s

1

P

art I: Ramping Up (C

h

apters 1 –3) 1–3

0

2

P

art I: Ramping Up (Chapters 4 –6) 31–6

4

3

P

art II: Location an

d

Transportation an

d

Sustaina

bl

e Sites (C

h

apters 7

a

n

d

8

)

6

5–

96

4

P

art II: Water Ef ciency and Energy & Atmosphere (Chapters 9 and 10

)

9

7–1

30

5

P

art II: Materia

l

s & Resources (C

h

a

p

ter 11 )1

3

1–15

0

6

P

art II: Indoor Environmental Quality, Innovation and Regional Priorit

y

(

Cha

p

ters 12 and 13)

151–17

4

7

P

art III: Stu

d

y Tips (C

h

apter 14 ), Stu

d

y F

l

as

h

car

d

s, rewrite your C

h

eat

Sheet a few times, and take online Practice Exam

s

17

5

–1

82

8

R

e

g

ister and Take LEED Green Associate Exam!

!

As the precedin

g

table shows, it is recommended that

y

ou read throu

g

h Parts

I

and II of this exam prep book within six weeks. Introductor

y

terminolo

gy

from

Part I should be absorbed to

g

et on the ri

g

ht path to understand the more critical

exam‐oriented information presented in Part II.  e

g

oal is to create a complete

set of  ashcards durin

g

the  rst six weeks while readin

g

throu

g

h the material,

thus allowin

g

the followin

g

week (seventh week of stud

y

in

g

) to focus on memo

-

rizin

g

and stud

y

in

g

the  ashcards, followed b

y

takin

g

a few online practice exams

which are available at www.wile

y

.com/

g

o/leed

g

reenassociate .

Althou

g

h the exam format and structure will be reviewed in Part III of this

book, there is one component that should be revealed up front. When at the testin

g

center and about to take the exam, there will be an opportunit

y

to make a “cheat

sheet” of sorts. Althou

g

h

y

ou will not be allowed to brin

g

an

y

paper, books, or

pencils into the exam area,

y

ou will be supplied with blank paper and a pencil (or

a dr

y

‐erase board and a marker). So now that

y

ou know this opportunit

y

is there,

l

et’s take advanta

g

e of it!  erefore, as a concept, strate

gy

, referenced standard, or

requirement is presented in this exam prep

g

uide, make note of it on one sin

g

le

sheet of paper. At the end of Part II, this

“

cheat sheet” should be reviewed and then

rewritten with the critical information

y

ou determine that

y

ou mi

g

ht for

g

et durin

g

t

h

e exam. You are t

h

e on

ly

one w

h

o

k

nows

y

our wea

k

nesses in terms o

f

t

h

e in

f

or

-

mation

y

ou need to learn—I can onl

y

make recommendations and su

gg

estions.

Durin

g

Week Seven,

y

ou should rewrite

y

our cheat sheet two to three more times.



e more

y

ou write and rewrite

y

our cheat sheet, the better chance

y

ou will have

for actuall

y

retainin

g

the information. It is also advised that

y

ou monitor the time it

ta

k

es to

g

enerate

y

our c

h

eat s

h

eet, as time wi

ll

b

e

l

imite

d

on exam

d

a

y

.

I

f

y

ou maintain t

h

e recommen

d

e

d

stu

dy

sc

h

e

d

u

l

e, six wee

k

s

f

rom now a set o

f

 ashcards will be created and

y

our cheat sheet started.  en

y

ou will have one week of

strai

gh

t stu

dy

in

g

time

f

ocuse

d

on t

h

e materia

l

in

y

our



as

h

car

d

s. A



er stu

dy

in

g

y

our



as

h

car

d

s, it is recommen

d

e

d

t

h

at

y

ou ta

k

e a

f

ew on

l

ine practice exams to test

y

our

k

nowled

g

e.  e approach to these sample exams is described in Part III, Chapter 14 ,

o

f

t

h

is

b

oo

k

, inc

l

u

d

in

g

t

h

e next steps

f

or t

h

e c

h

eat s

h

eet. A



er a

f

ew practice exams,

an assessment of

y

our preparation should be completed to determine if

y

ou are read

y

f

o

r

t

h

e

x

a

m

.

Y

ou

r

e

x

a

m

date

s

h

ou

l

d

be

sc

h

edu

l

ed

at

t

h

at

t

im

e.

Be

f

ore

f

ocusin

g

on t

h

e exam materia

l

,

b

e sure to rea

d

t

h

rou

gh

C

h

apter 1 to

understand the exam re

g

istration and application process of the LEED Green

Assoc

i

ate

e

x

a

m

.

Study: After taking a few practice

exams, you may want to add to your

cheat sheet and/or your



ashcards.

T

I

P

Stud

y

: Ea

g

er for even more

in

f

ormation? Check out the Online

Resources section at the end o

f

each cha

p

ter for links to videos and

websites with more in

f

ormation.

T

I

P

PART I

RAMPING UP

3

UNDERSTANDING

THE CREDENTIALING

PROCESS

CH

A

PTER 1

BEFORE DIVING IN

T

O

T

HE EFFOR

T

OF S

T

UDYING and preparing for the

L

EED ® Green Associate™ exam, there are quite a few things to review. Whenever I

teach an exam prep course, this topic is not typically addressed until the end of the

class, as it is easier to digest at that point; but it is important to present this information

here in the  rst chapter, to make sure the test is applicable and appropriate for you.

 is chapter will provide the important concepts of the tiered credentialing system to

ensure that the components and the exam registration process are understood.

 is initial information begins with the credentialing system for LEED

accreditation

,

as it involves three tiers:

1. LEED

G

reen

A

ssociate

2. LEED Accredited Professional (AP) with Specialt

y

3. LEED Fello

w

T

HE TIER

S

O

F THE

C

REDENTIALIN

G

PR

OC

E

SS

 e  rst step of comprehending the credentialing process begins with a brief

understanding of the basics of LEED. LEED is the acronym for Leadership in

Energy an

d

Environmenta

l

Design, signi

f

ying a green

b

ui

ld

ing rating system

d

esigne

d

to eva

l

uate projects an

d

awar

d

t

h

em certi



cation

b

ase

d

on t

h

eir per

f

or

-

mance.  e U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC ® ) website indicates that LEED

is a

“

nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation

o

f

h

ig

h

per

f

ormance green

b

ui

ld

ings.”

1

USGBC create

d

t

h

e LEED Green Bui

ld

ing

Rating System™ back in the 1990s as a tool for the public and private commercial

rea

l

estate mar

k

ets to

h

e

l

p eva

l

uate t

h

e per

f

ormance o

f

t

h

e

b

ui

l

t environment. It

now has become

“

the most widely recognized and widely used green buildin

g

program across the globe.”

2

LEED Green Associate



e

LEED

G

reen

A

ssociat

e

tier is applicable for individuals with a basic under-

standin

g

of

g

reen buildin

g

s

y

stems and technolo

g

ies.  ese individuals have been

teste

d

on t

h

e

k

e

y

components o

f

t

h

e

d

i



erent LEED

g

reen

b

ui

ld

in

g

ratin

g

s

y

stems

and the certi cation process.  is level of credentialin

g

is the  rst step to becomin

g

a

LEED A

cc

r

ed

i

ted

Pr

o

f

ess

i

o

n

a

l

.

Use

whi

te

in

de

x

ca

r

ds

to

c

r

eate



as

h

ca

r

ds

to

r

e

m

e

m

be

r

t

h

e

acron

y

ms for USGBC and LEED.

S tudy: Notice the LEED acronym

does n

ot

contain an “S” at the

end. There

f

ore, please note this



rst lesson: when referring to LEED,

please do not say “LEEDS,” as it

is

q

uite im

p

ortant to refer to the

acronym correctly.

T

I

P

4

C

HAPTER 1: UNDER

S

TANDIN

G

THE

C

REDENTIALIN

G

PR

OC

E

SS



e LEED Green Associate exam is

g

eared toward all persons involved in the

wor

ld

o

f

sustaina

bl

e

d

esi

g

n, construction, an

d

operations,

b

e

y

on

d

j

ust t

h

e t

y

pica

l

architecture and engineering design students and professionals.



erefore, the

exam is available for lawyers, accountants, contractors, owners, and developers as

we

ll

. Any person intereste

d

in t

h

e



e

ld

o

f

sustaina

bl

e

d

esign an

d

green

b

ui

ld

ing is

eligible to sit for the exam, especially those with LEED project experience. For those

who wish to sit without LEED project experience or are not employed in the  eld,

i

t is recommen

d

e

d

to atten

d

an e

d

ucationa

l

course

f

ocuse

d

in sustaina

bl

e

d

esign.

LEED Accredited Pro

f

essional with Specialty

 e second tier,

L

EED AP™ wit

h

Specia

l

t

y

, is divided into  ve types (of specialties):

y

1.

LEED AP Bui

ld

ing Design + Constructio

n

(BD+C).  is exam includes con

-

cepts re

l

ate

d

to new construction an

d

major renovations in t

h

e commercia

l

,

residential, educational, and healthcare sectors.



e project types include

new construction, core an

d

s

h

e

ll

, sc

h

oo

l

s, retai

l

,

h

ospita

l

ity,

d

ata centers,

ware

h

ouses an

d

istri

b

ution centers,

h

ea

l

t

h

care,

h

omes, an

d

mi

d

rise mu

l

ti

-

family residential structures.

2

. LEED

A

P Interior Design +

C

onstructio

n

(ID+C).



is exam contains ques

-

t

ions re

l

ate

d

to tenant improvement an

d



t‐out project

k

now

l

e

d

ge

f

or com

-

mercia

l

interior, retai

l

, an

d

h

ospita

l

ity pro

f

essiona

l

s.

3

. LEED

A

P

O

perations + Maintenanc

e

(O+M).



is exam covers existing

b

ui

ld

ing project

k

now

l

e

d

ge speci



c to operations an

d

maintenance issues o

f

commercia

l

f

aci

l

ities, sc

h

oo

l

s, retai

l

f

aci

l

ities,

h

ospita

l

ity

f

aci

l

ities,

d

ata cen

-

t

ers, an

d

ware

h

ouses an

d

istri

b

ution centers.

4

. LEED

A

P Homes

.



is exam applies to professionals practicing in the resi-

d

entia

l

mar

k

et.

5

.

LEED AP Neighborhood Development

(ND).  is exam tests whole or partial

t

neig

hb

or

h

oo

d

eve

l

opment project

k

now

l

e

d

ge.

Because the LEED Green Associate credentialing tier is the first step to

o

b

taining LEED AP status, t

h

e LEED AP exams are t

h

oug

h

t o

f

in a two‐part exam

p

rocess

b

eginning wit

h

t

h

e LEED Green Associate exam. You

h

ave t

h

e option to

d

eci

d

e w

h

et

h

er you wis

h

to ta

k

e

b

ot

h

exams in one

d

ay or

b

rea

k

t

h

e exam into two

d

i erent testing appointments.



e exams are quite challenging and mind inten

-

sive, an

d

can

b

e ex

h

austing, so

b

ear t

h

is in min

d

w

h

en

d

eci

d

ing on w

h

ic

h

option

t

o pursue.

LEED project experience is no

l

onger require

d

in or

d

er to

b

e a

bl

e to sit

f

or

any of the LEED AP specialty exams.



ese exams cover more in‐depth knowl

-

e

d

ge o

f

eac

h

o

f

t

h

e prerequisites an

d

cre

d

its o

f

t

h

e LEED Rating Systems, t

h

e

requirements to comp

l

y inc

l

u

d

ing

d

ocumentation an

d

ca

l

cu

l

ations, an

d

t

h

e tec

h-

nologies involved with the corresponding rating system.



ese exams are there

-

f

ore app

l

ica

bl

e

f

or t

h

ose pro

f

essiona

l

s wor

k

ing on LEED registere

d

projects or

th

ose w

h

o wor

k

e

d

on projects t

h

at

h

ave earne

d

certi



cation.

LEED Fello

w

Fina

ll

y, t

h

e t

h

ir

d

tier o

f

t

h

e cre

d

entia

l

ing system, LEED Fe

ll

o

w

, is the highest

w

level of credentialing. It is meant to signify a demonstration of accomplishments,

Whil

e

t

h

e

r

e

i

s

a

n

add

i

t

i

o

n

a

l

application fee to separate the LEED

AP

e

x

a

m in

to

t

w

o

d

iff

e

r

e

n

t

test

dates, it is hi

g

hl

y

recommended to

ta

k

e

t

h

e

LEED

G

r

ee

n A

ssoc

i

ate

e

x

a

m

one da

y

and take the AP specialt

y

e

x

a

m

o

n

a

n

ot

h

e

r.

TI

P

THE EXAM RE

G

I

S

TRATI

O

N PR

OC

E

SS

5

experience, an

d

pro



ciency wit

h

in t

h

e sustaina

bl

e

d

esign an

d

construction com

-

munity.  ese individuals are considered to be “the most exceptional professionals

i

n the green building industry” because they have made a signi cant contribution

t

o green building and sustainability at a regional, national or global level.”

3

 ese

p

ro

f

essiona

l

s

h

ave esta

bl

is

h

e

d

extraor

d

inary ac

h

ievement in t

h

e

f

o

ll

owing:

■ Te c

h

nica

l

k

now

l

e

d

ge an

d

s

k

i

ll

.

■ A

h

istory o

f

exemp

l

ary

l

ea

d

ers

h

ip in green

b

ui

ld

ing signi



cant contri

b

utions

i

n teac

h

ing, mentoring, or researc

h

wit

h

proven outcomes.

■ A

h

istory o

f

h

ig

hl

y impact

f

u

l

commitment, service, an

d

a

d

vocacy

f

or green

b

ui

ld

ing an

d

sustaina

b

i

l

ity.

4

LEED Pro

f

essional Certi

f

icates™

LEED Pro

f

essiona

l

Certi



cates are avai

l

a

bl

e to in

d

ivi

d

ua

l

s intereste

d

in t

h

e resi

-

dential market and are seeking the LEED for Homes Green Rater credential.



e

Green C

l

assroom Pro

f

essiona

l

certi



cate is avai

l

a

bl

e to in

d

ivi

d

ua

l

s eager to create

g

reen sc

h

oo

l

s in w

h

ic

h

to wor

k

an

d

teac

h

.

THE EX

AM

RE

G

I

S

TR

A

TI

ON

PR

OC

E

SS

Now t

h

at t

h

ere is an un

d

erstan

d

ing a

b

out t

h

e t

h

ree tiers o

f

t

h

e cre

d

entia

l

in

g

system an

d

w

h

om eac

h

tier is geare

d

f

or, it is time to review t

h

e process

f

or reg-

i

stering for the exam.



e  rst step involves visiting the USGBC website at www.

u

sg

b

c.org an

d

own

l

oa

d

ing t

h

e

L

EED Green Associate Can

d

i

d

ate Han

db

oo

k

f

oun

d

in t

h

e LEED Cre

d

entia

l

s section o

f

t

h

e we

b

site.

Eac

h

o

f

t

h

e can

d

i

d

ate

h

an

db

oo

k

s

d

etai

l

s t

h

e

f

o

ll

owin

g

in

f

ormation:

■ S t u

d

y materia

l

s—inc

l

u

d

ing exam

f

ormat, timing, re

f

erences, an

d

samp

l

e

quest

i

ons.

■ How to register

f

or t

h

e exam—inc

l

u

d

ing t

h

e registration perio

d

, e

l

igi

b

i

l

ity

requirements, an

d

exam

f

ees.

■ H o w t o s c

h

e

d

u

l

e your exam—inc

l

u

d

ing con



rmation, cance

l

ing, an

d

resc

h

e

d

u

l

ing your test

d

ate.

■ A pre‐exam c

h

ec

kl

ist.

■ W

h

at to expect on t

h

e

d

ay o

f

your exam—inc

l

u

d

ing name requirements,

scoring, an

d

testing center regu

l

ations.

■ What to do a er your exam—including the Credentialing Maintenance

P

rogram (i.e., continuing education requirements) and certi cates.

A

l

t

h

oug

h

t

h

e intention o

f

t

h

is exam prep

b

oo

k

is to conso

l

i

d

ate a

ll

o

f

t

h

e

i

n

f

ormation nee

d

e

d

to prepare

f

or t

h

e LEED Green Associate exam, some o

f

t

h

e

references are updated from time to time.  erefore, this book contains similar

i

nformation as found in the handbooks to add e



ciency, but it is best advised

t

o re

f

erence t

h

e

l

atest version o

f

t

h

e

h

an

db

oo

k

appropriate to t

h

e LEED Green

Associate credentialing tier for the most recent exam information.

Once the handbook is downloaded and reviewed, the next step includes

esta

bl

is

h

ing an account wit

h

t

h

e USGBC we

b

site i

f

you

h

ave not a

l

rea

d

y

d

one

so. To set up a new account, go to www.usgbc.org/registration/create‐user . It

Study: USGBC updates the

ca

n

d

i

date

h

a

n

dboo

k

s

fo

r

eac

h

of

t

h

e

exam t

y

pes at the be

g

innin

g

o

f

each

m

onth, so make sure to have the

most

cu

rr

e

n

t

v

e

r

sio

n.

T

IP

The exam is o

ff

ered in En

g

lish but

t

r

a

n

s

l

at

i

o

n i

s

a

v

a

il

ab

l

e

to

n

o

n‐n

at

iv

e

E

n

g

lish speakers. Refer to the

LEED Green Associate Candidate

Handbook

for more information.

k

T

IP

6

C

HAPTER 1:

U

NDER

S

TANDIN

G

THE

C

REDENTIALIN

G

PR

OC

E

SS

i

s critica

l

to si

g

n up an

d

create t

h

e account wit

h

USGBC consistent wit

h

t

h

e

account

h

o

ld

er’s name as it appears on t

h

e i

d

enti



cation to

b

e use

d

to c

h

ec

k

in

at the testing center. If they do not match on the day of the exam, exam fees ma

y

be lost, and the opportunity to take the exam may be forfeited. If your existin

g

account wit

h

USGBC is not consistent wit

h

your i

d

enti



cation, re

f

er to t

h

e LEED

G

reen Associate Han

db

oo

k

f

or instructions.

RE

G

I

S

TER!

Once an account is established with USGBC, the next step is to register for the

exam. It is a

d

vise

d

not to register

f

or t

h

e exam any

l

onger t

h

an one mont

h

prior

to your desired exam date. To register for the exam, visit www.usgbc.org/leed/

credentials , click on

“

Register for the Exam,” input the required information, and

pay t

h

e exam

f

ee. An approve

d

registration is va

l

i

d

f

or up to one year, once t

h

e

exam

f

ees are pai

d

. A



er t

h

e

f

ee

h

as

b

een pai

d

, you wi

ll

b

e re

d

irecte

d

to Pro-

metric to sc

h

e

d

u

l

e your exam.

SC

HED

U

LE

!



e next step is scheduling an appointment to take the exam at a Prometric

testing center. As state

d

y, it is a

d

vise

d

to

h

o

ld

o



f

rom se

l

ecting an

exam

d

ate unti

l

f

urt

h

er a

l

ong in t

h

e preparation

f

or t

h

e exam. In t

h

e intro

d

uc-

tion o

f

t

h

is exam prep

b

oo

k

, a stu

d

y an

d

rea

d

ing sc

h

e

d

u

l

e is suggeste

d

. It is

b

est

recommen

d

e

d

to start stu

d

ying an

d

etermine t

h

e

l

eve

l

o

f

k

now

l

e

d

ge o

f

t

h

e test

content

b

e

f

ore sc

h

e

d

u

l

ing an exam

d

ate.

W

h

en rea

d

y to sc

h

e

d

u

l

e an exam

d

ate, p

l

ease visit www.prometric.com/g

b

ci

or, i

f

signe

d

into your account at t

h

e USGBC we

b

site,

f

o

ll

ow t

h

e

l

in

k

s to t

h

e Pro

-

metric website to schedule a day to take the exam, from the

“

Credentials” section.

A

er an exam

d

ate is sc

h

e

d

u

l

e

d

, a con



rmation co

d

e is

d

isp

l

aye

d

on t

h

e screen.

Keep this code!



is code will be needed should the selected exam date need to be

cance

l

e

d

, con



rme

d

, or resc

h

e

d

u

l

e

d

wit

h

Prometric. A con



rmation emai

l

wi

ll

b

e sent

f

rom Prometric s

h

ort

l

y a



er sc

h

e

d

u

l

ing.

In a

dd

ition, it is important to remem

b

er t

h

at can

d

i

d

ates wi

ll

h

ave t

h

ree

a

ll

owe

d

testing attempts per one‐year registration perio

d

. In t

h

e event t

h

at a

retake is necessary (even though this is not the plan!), test‐takers will need to pa

y

an additional fee for the exam. Refer to the Green Associate Candidate Handboo

k

f

or more in

f

ormation on t

h

is ru

l

e.

W

HY E

A

R

N

LEED

C

REDE

N

TI

A

L

S?

Just

l

i

k

e green

b

ui

ld

ings are eva

l

uate

d

b

ase

d

on trip

l

e

b

ottom criteria (socia

l

, eco

-

nomic, an

d

environmenta

l

),

d

eci

d

ing w

h

et

h

er to earn LEED cre

d

entia

l

s can

b

e

approached in the same fashion, as there are individual, employer, and industr

y

b

ene



ts to examine. From an in

d

ivi

d

ua

l

istic stan

d

point, earning t

h

e LEED Green

A

ssociate cre

d

entia

l

wi

ll

grant a pro

f

essiona

l

wit

h

a

d

i



erentiator to mar

k

et to a

potentia

l

emp

l

oyer or c

l

ient, provi

d

e t

h

em wit

h

exposure on t

h

e USGBC we

b-

site

d

ata

b

ase o

f

LEED pro

f

essiona

l

s, an

d

earn t

h

em a certi



cate to

d

isp

l

ay an

d

recognition as a professional on the LEED certi cation process. An employer

Stud

y

: It is not onl

y

important to

re

f

er to LEED correctly, but also

to the pro

j

ects and pro

f

essionals

involved. Remember buildin

g

s

are

certi



e

d

and people are

acc

r

ed

i

ted.

Peo

p

le will never

be able to become LEED certi ed

professionals—remember, there are

LEED APs and not LEED CPs.

Additionall

y

, LEED

ce

r

t

i

cat

i

on

is meant for projects and buildings,

not products. Not only will a

LEED certi ed

p

rofessional not be

found, but also neither will a LEED

certi ed chair, air‐conditioning unit,

appliance, paint, or glue.

TI

P

If

y

ou work for a member

organization of USGBC, be sure

to connect

y

our USGBC account

in order to take advanta

g

e of the

m

e

m

be

r

d

i

scou

n

t

a

v

a

il

ab

l

e

f

o

r

t

h

e

x

a

m f

ee

.

TI

P

Remember, employees o

f

USGBC

member companies and

f

ull‐time

students can take advantage o

f

reduced exam fees.

TI

P

To reschedule or cancel an exam

date, please consult the

LEED Green

Associate Candidate Handbook

for

k

explicit instructions. They are quite

meticulous about the procedure,

so it is advised to be aware of the

details to avoid risking a loss in fees

paid.

TI

P

W

HY EARN LEED

C

REDENTIAL

S?

7

wou

ld

a

l

so

b

ene



t

b

y earning t

h

e e

l

igi

b

i

l

ity to participate on LEED projects, as

more projects are requiring LEED credentials for team members; building the



rm’s credentials when responding to requests for proposals (RFPs) and requests

for quali cations (RFQs); and having the opportunity to encourage other sta

mem

b

ers to aim

f

or t

h

e same cre

d

entia

l

to

h

e

l

p t

h

e



rm to evo

l

ve. Fina

ll

y, t

h

e

mar

k

et wou

ld

a

l

so

b

ene



t as more pro

f

essiona

l

s earn t

h

e LEED Green Associate

cre

d

entia

l

b

y

h

e

l

ping t

h

e

b

ui

l

t environment to

b

ecome more sustaina

bl

e an

d

t

h

e

mar

k

et to evo

l

ve, trans

f

orm, an

d

grow.

QUIZ TIME!

These questions are formatted just as they would be on the exam.

Notice the

q

uestion indicates how man

y

answers to select. The

p

ro

p

er

number o

f

correct answers is required on the exam, as partial credi

t

i

s no

t

awarded.

t

In an e



ort to present in

f

ormation to you in multiple ways and hel

p

you learn, you may  nd questions asking about information that is

new to you, that you did not read about throu

g

hout the book.

Q1.1 How many types o

f

credentials

f

or LEED AP with Specialty are

avai

l

a

bl

e?

(

C

h

oose one

)

A

.

5

B.

6

C

.

3

D

.

4

E.

2

Q1.2 Is it possible to sit

f

or the LEED Green Associate exam and the

LEED AP ID+C exam in one day?

A

.

Y

es

B

.

N

o

Q1.3 Is LEED pro

j

ect experience needed in order to sit

f

or the LEED

AP

O

+M exam

?

A

.

Y

es

B. No

Q1.4 How

l

ong is t

h

e exam registration perio

d

va

l

i

d

?

(

C

h

oose one

)

A. One wee

k

B. One month

C. 3 mont

h

s

D.

O

ne year

E

.

I

t never ex

pi

res

Q1.5 What does LEED stand

f

or? (Choose one)

A. Leadership in Energy E cient Design

B. Leadership in E cient and E ective Desi

g

n

8

C

HAPTER 1:

U

NDER

S

TANDIN

G

THE

C

REDENTIALIN

G

PR

OC

E

SS

C. Leadership in Ener

g

y and Environmental Desi

g

n

D. Lea

d

ers

h

ip in Environmenta

l

an

d

Energy Design

ONLINE RESOURCES

Access information about the available credentials and certi cates at www.us

g

bc

.

or

g

/

l

ee

d

/cre

d

entia

l

s#certi



cates .

Create a USGBC account at www.us

gb

c.or

g

/re

g

istration/create‐user .

R e

g

ister for the LEED Green Associate exam at www.us

g

bc.or

g

/exam

‐

re

g

istration/exam?exam=2773636 .

Schedule

y

our exam at www.prometric.com/

g

bci .

NOTES

1. USGBC website, www.us

g

bc.or

g

/Docs/Archive/General/Docs3330.pdf .

2. USGBC website, www.us

g

bc.or

g

/about .

3. USGBC website, www.us

g

bc.or

g

/articles/learn‐how‐become‐leed‐fellow .

4

.

I

b

i

d.

9

INTRODUCTION

TO THE CONCEPTS

OF SUSTAINABLE

DESIGN

CH

A

PTER 2

AS MEN

T

IONED EARLIER, I

T

IS CRI

T

ICAL

T

O be on the ri

g

ht path o

f

understandin

g

the basic concepts before

j

umpin

g

into the details of Leadership in

Ener

gy

and Environmental Desi

g

n (LEED ® ) strate

g

ies and technolo

g

ies.



ere

-

fore, sustainabilit

y

and

g

reen buildin

g

are described and detailed as a startin

g

point. What is sustainabilit

y

?  e U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)

y

website indicates that

“

sustainabilit

y

creates and maintains the conditions under

which humans and nature can exist in productive harmon

y

, that permit ful llin

g

the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future

g

enerations.”

1

For the purposes of LEED, it is important to take a step further be

y

ond sustain

-

abilit

y

and think of sustainable desi

g

n and

g

reen buildin

g

concepts. Within the

desi

g

n industr

y

, sustainable desi

g

n and sustainable buildin

g

concepts are inter

-

changeable with the term

green building

, “a process that applies to buildings, their

g

sites, their interiors, their operations, and the communities in which the

y

are

situated.”

2

Green buildin

g

strate

g

ies encompasses more than reduced environ-

mental im

p

act but can im

p

rove the conditions for the

p

lanet and interior envi

-

ronments

f

or

b

ui

ld

in

g

occupants. It’s a

h

o

l

istic approac

h

to



n

d

in

g

responsi

bl

e

so

l

utions wit

h

in t

h

e

b

ui

ld

environment.

W

h

en re

f

errin

g

to

g

reen

b

ui

ld

in

g

s, it is un

d

erstoo

d

t

h

at t

h

e

b

ui

ld

in

g

s are sen

-

sitive to t

h

e environment,

b

ut one mi

gh

t won

d

er

h

ow exact

ly

? Green

b

ui

ld

in

g

s

are more e



cient and use resources wisel

y

, as the

y

take ener

gy

, water, and mate

-

rials into account (Fi

g

ure 2.1 ). But

“

how do the

y

use resources more e cientl

y

?”

one mi

gh

t as

k

. To answer t

h

is question, it is important to t

h

in

k

o

f

t

h

e

d

i



erent

aspects o

f

a

b

ui

ld

in

g

,

f

or instance:

■

S

ite se

l

ection. Is t

h

e pro

j

ect a re

d

eve

l

opment in an ur

b

an area or

d

oes it

support ur

b

an spraw

l

? How c

l

ose is t

h

e pro

j

ect to pu

bl

ic transportation to

re

d

uce t

h

e amount o

f

cars comin

g

an

d

g

oin

g

? How wi

ll

t

h

e

b

ui

ld

in

g

nee

d

to

b

e situate

d

in or

d

er to ta

k

e a

d

vanta

g

e o

f

t

h

e natura

l

b

reezes

f

or venti

l

ation

an

d

a

yl

i

gh

t to re

d

uce t

h

e nee

d

f

or arti



cia

l

i

gh

tin

g

wit

h

in t

h

e

b

ui

ld

in

g

?

■ Desi

g

n o

f

t

h

e

b

ui

ld

in

g

s

y

stems, suc

h

as mec

h

anica

l

equipment,

b

ui

ld

in

g

e

nve

l

ope, an

d

l

i

gh

tin

g

s

y

stems. How

d

o t

h

e

y

wor

k

to

g

et

h

er? Were t

h

e

y

d

esi

g

ne

d

in

d

epen

d

ent

ly

o

f

eac

h

ot

h

er? Is t

h

e

h

eat emitte

d

f

rom t

h

e

l

i

gh

tin

g

Set

as

i

de

whi

te

in

de

x

ca

r

ds

to

c

r

eate



as

h

ca

r

ds

to

r

e

m

e

m

be

r

t

h

e

concepts of sustainable desi

g

n

throu

g

hout this chapter.

1

0

C

HAPTER 2: INTR

O

D

UC

TI

O

N T

O

THE

CO

N

C

EPT

S

O

F

SUS

TAINABLE DE

S

I

GN

Fi

g

ure 2.1 T

h

e BASF Nort

h

American Hea

dq

uarters

p

roject in F

l

or

h

am Par

k

, New Jerse

y

, incor

p

orates mu

l

ti

pl

e

g

reen buildin

g

strate

g

ies within the base buildin

g

and the tenant space, helpin

g

the project to earn platinum certi cation under

both the LEED

f

or Core & Shell

TM

and LEED

f

or Commercial Interiors

TM

rat

i

n

g

systems.

Photo courtesy of BASF Corporation

n

 xtures accounted for? Are there gaps in the envelope that allow conditioned

air to esca

p

e

?

■

C

onstruction

p

rocesses

.

 ink about the people on site during

construction—are they being exposed to harmful fumes and gases? Are

p

recautions

b

eing ta

k

en to re

d

uce t

h

e c

h

ances

f

or mo

ld

growt

h

or ot

h

er

contaminants

?

■ Operations of the building. What kind of items are

p

urchased to su

pp

ort

business? What about cleaning procedures?

■

M

aintenance. W

h

en was t

h

e

l

ast time equipment was teste

d

to ensure it is

p

er

f

orming appropriate

l

y? Are t

h

ere proce

d

ures in p

l

ace to monitor

f

or

l

ea

k

s?

■

W

aste management

.

H

o

w i

s

co

n

st

r

uct

i

o

n w

aste

add

r

essed?

Wh

at

about

t

h

e

gar

b

age generate

d

uring operations? Is it going to t

h

e

l

an

d

ll

? W

h

o

k

nows

where those containers are going?!

THE BE

N

EFIT

S

O

F

G

REE

N

B

U

ILDI

NGS

Hope

f

u

ll

y, t

h

e previous questions starte

d

to generate some t

h

oug

h

ts o

f

w

h

at is

i

nvo

l

ve

d

wit

h

green

b

ui

ld

ings. I

f

not, may

b

e eva

l

uating t

h

e

b

ene



ts o

f

green

buildings might help, beginning with a review of the traditional buildings statis

-

tics and how they impact our planet.



e U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC ® )

h

as compi

l

e

d

in

f

ormation

f

rom t

h

e Energy In

f

ormation A

d

ministration an

d

t

h

e U.S. Geo

l

ogica

l

Survey on t

h

e impacts o

f

b

ui

ld

ings on our natura

l

resources

i

n t

h

e Unite

d

States. Accor

d

ing to t

h

e Green Bui

ld

ing an

d

LEED Core Concepts

Guide

,

buildings account for:

Stud

y:

When thinkin

g

of

g

reen

buildin

g

s, it is important to think

of not only how the building is

desi

g

ned to function and how

it is constructed, but also the

environmental impacts from

o

p

erations and maintenance.

TI

P

THE BENEFIT

S

O

F

G

REEN B

U

ILDIN

GS

11

24 to 50 percent o

f

energy use

72 percent o

f

e

l

ectricity consumption

38 percent of carbon dioxide (CO

2

)

emissions

14 percent o

f

pota

bl

e water consumption

30 percent of waste output

40 percent o

f

raw materia

l

s use

3

It is important to digest the 38 percent CO

2

emissions statistic, as this per-

centage puts

b

ui

ld

ings at t

h

e top o

f

t

h

e

l

ist,

f

o

ll

owe

d

b

y transportation an

d

i

n

d

ustry. Bui

ld

ings

h

ave a

b

igger impact on green

h

ouse gas emissions—t

h

e

b

ig

-

g

est actually! “Greenhouse gas emissions come from many components of the

b

ui

l

t environment, inc

l

u

d

ing

b

ui

ld

ing systems an

d

energy use, transportation,

water use an

d

treatment,

l

an

d

‐cover c

h

ange, materia

l

s an

d

construction.”

4

A

t 38

p

ercent, t

h

ere is a pus

h

f

or t

h

e mar

k

et to



n

d

b

etter ways to

d

esign, construct,

and operate buildings. Numerous state and local governments have become

aware o

f

t

h

is nee

d

to raise t

h

e prece

d

ing minima

l

b

ui

ld

ing co

d

e requirements

t

o

h

e

l

p re

d

uce t

h

e emissions

f

rom

b

ui

ld

ings an

d

f

aci

l

ities an

d

improve pu

bl

ic

health, safety, and environmental quality. As a result, the International Green

Construction Co

d

e (IGCC)

h

as

b

een

d

eve

l

ope

d

to wor

k

in tan

d

em wit

h

tra

d

i

-

t

iona

l

b

ui

ld

ing co

d

es an

d

give t

h

e in

d

ustry a

b

asis o

f

smart pu

bl

ic po

l

icy.

W

h

en

l

oo

k

ing at t

h

e statistics

f

or green

b

ui

ld

ings, inc

l

u

d

ing LEED‐certi



e

d

b

ui

ld

ings, t

h

e Genera

l

Services A

d

ministration (GSA) in

d

icates t

h

at t

h

ese proj

-

ects

h

ave

b

een a

bl

e to ac

h

ieve t

h

e

f

o

ll

owing:

26 percent energy use re

d

uction

33 percent

l

ower CO

2

em

i

ss

i

ons

13 percent re

d

uction in maintenance costs

5



ese percentages re ect the bene ts in the economic bottom line, but

th

ese green

b

ui

ld

ings

h

ave a

l

so re

d

uce

d

t

h

eir impact on t

h

e environment, as

well as demonstrated an improved indoor environment (in terms of air quality)

an

d

contri

b

ution to t

h

e community. In

d

oor air qua

l

ity is extreme

l

y important

w

h

en ana

l

yzing t

h

e

b

ene



ts o

f

green

b

ui

ld

ings, as t

h

e Environmenta

l

Protec

-

t

ion Agency (EPA) reports Americans

“

spend, on average, 90 percent or more

o

f

t

h

eir time in

d

oors.”

6

Green

b

ui

ld

ings

h

ave resu

l

te

d

in 27 percent

h

ig

h

er

levels of satisfaction

7

and allowed students the opportunity to perform better.

8

So as you can see, green

b

ui

ld

ing is more t

h

an strategies to re

d

uce green

h

ouse

gas em

i

ss

i

ons.

The Triple Bottom Line

 e values of green buildings are summarized in three components: environ

-

menta

l

, economic, an

d

h

ea

l

t

h

an

d

community. In t

h

e green

b

ui

ld

ing in

d

ustry,

t

h

ese t

h

ree concepts are

d

e



ne

d

as t

h

e

t

ri

pl

e

b

ottom

l

ine (Figure 2.2 ). A con

-

ventiona

l

project usua

ll

y assesses on

l

y t

h

e singu

l

ar component o

f

t

h

e economic

prosperity

f

or t

h

e project. However, w

h

en

d

etermining t

h

e goa

l

s

f

or a project

seeking LEED certi cation, the process typically begins with assessing the goals

in comparison to the tri

p

l

e

bottom line values. For example, should a client wish

to insta

ll

a green roo

f

on t

h

eir

b

ui

ld

ing, t

h

e team wou

ld

assess t

h

e



nancia

l

implications as compared to the environmental impacts versus the communit

y

S

tudy

:

Write it, read it, say it, and

hear it as many times as possible.

T

he more senses you involve in

y

our studying e

ff

orts, the more

in

f

ormation you will be able to

reta

in.

T

IP

S

tudy

:

The IGCC includes ASHRAE

189.1 as an alternative com

p

liance

p

ath.

T

I

P

M

a

k

e

a



as

h

ca

r

d

to

r

e

m

e

m

be

r

t

h

e

percentages o

f

savings o

f

green

buildin

g

s.

Study

:

T h

e

te

rm

triple bottom line

was



rst used in a book by John

Elkington,

Cannibals with Forks: The

Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century

Business.

T

I

P