LEED Discussed At Associated General Contractors Convention
On January 20, Ray Yunk, member of the Architectural Engineering Institutes Academic Council, presented to the Kansas AGC convention in Overland Park on “Green Buildings – What Does It Mean to Kansas Contractors.” Ray is a licensed engineer, LEED Accredited Professional, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science at Kansas State University. This presentation provided a brief introduction and overview of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), the LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) program, and the LEED Green Building Rating System.
Five broad areas were used to frame the discussion of green building design and construction, corresponding to the five categories of the LEED system:
The recent and rapid growth of LEED was demonstrated by the fact that, as of October 2004, there were over 1,600 LEED registered projects, representing nearly 200 million gross square feet in 50 states and 14 countries. Lists of the numerous federal, state, and local entities with active LEED programs were also reviewed. Photos were shown of the three Kansas LEED certified projects, which are all in the Kansas City metro area.
The costs and benefits of LEED were discussed, showing that LEED-certified projects are 30-60% more energy efficient at increased construction costs, or “green premiums” ranging from 2-10%. The LEED credit categories more directly related to contractor operations were reviewed, including the areas of erosion control, reduced site disturbance, commissioning, construction waste management, and use of environmentally friendly building materials.
The summary reinforced that:
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