Mandatory LEED certification

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Author Message David Axt, AIA, CCS, CSI Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 421 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Monday, March 07, 2005 - 09:56 pm:    Last friday, Washington State passed a law that requires all projects receiving public funding to design and building their buildings to meet or exceed LEED Silver Certification. The few exceptions are projects under 5000 square feet, hospitals, and civil works buildings (pumping stations, transmitter towers, etc.) Another exception is a renovation project where the cost is less that 50 percent of the assessed value. Are there any other states or municipalities that require LEED certification? William C. Pegues, FCSI, CCS Senior Member Username: wpegues Post Number: 358 Registered: 10-2002 Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 12:11 am:    David, I think we will see more of this kind of thing, or close to it. Here in the Washington DC metropolitan area, Arlington County, Virginia has had for some time now a requirement where they offer the developer various incentivies such as increased FAR to provide "some" LEED requirements. They use the LEED checklist for counting points, but they don't actually require the minimum LEED certification - and does not go through the LEED organization for keeping track of points, etc. They negotiate with the developer to determine the number of points to be achieved. This has evolved over the past couple years. Early on it was just between Arlington and the developer, and often the developer was so clueless that they came to the architect after the project was completed and were asking them verify that the requirements had been met. So, then they upped requirements to make the architect be present, and that the architect was required to certify to the requirements at the end of the project. Currently, they require that whoever is managing the submittals now be LEED certified, even though its not going to LEED. This helps maintain the quality of the process to assure the requirements are met I guess. Essentially, this does everything that LEED requires it just does not come up to their minimum level, and it is not run through them, the program is monitored only by the County. William David Stutzman Senior Member Username: david_stutzman Post Number: 37 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 08:09 am:    New Jersey requires schools to meet the LEED certificate (26 credits) but does not require registration or actual certification. This was by executive order from the governor. Dave Metzger Senior Member Username: davemetzger Post Number: 111 Registered: 07-2001 Posted on Wednesday, March 09, 2005 - 08:15 pm:    Maryland’s governor issued an executive order calling for all capital projects greater than 5,000 gsf to earn LEED certification in October 2001. Legislation was been introduced in 2003 to codify this policy. The state also approved a green building tax credit for commercial developers. For recent state of Maryland projects we have done, we have gone after a silver LEED rating. Kerin (Dane) Dodd-Hansen New member Username: dane Post Number: 2 Registered: 04-2003 Posted on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 03:23 am:    California has had the "Collaborative for High Performance Schools" (CHPS) program in place for several years, which is the equivalent of "Leed Silver Certification"......AND then lo and behold on December 27 our "Goveranator" stepped forward (in his usual fashon) and issued Executive Order S-20-04 and the Green Building Action Plan.......which effectively requires that the CHPS Standards be implemented on all State (mandated and funded) projects by July 1st. Who knows how many tens of billions of dollars of construction this could almost immediately effect?!!! The only problem is that no one knows how this is actually going to be implemented considering the State's current budget cuts and subsequent staff reductions. The State has also initiated another interesting development......a "Preferred Products Listing" that is supposed to help qualify products for use in CHPS and LEED projects.....but seems to be encountering a good deal of resistance from product manufacturers. C. R. Mudgeon Senior Member Username: c_r_mudgeon Post Number: 43 Registered: 08-2002 Posted on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 10:23 am:    Haven't you been paying attention? Green projects always save money, so if LEED certification means it's more green, then it should save tens of billions of dollars. BTW, how do you deal with "preferred products" on a govt project that requires you to take bids from everyone? Is this another one of those wonderful goals? Marc C Chavez Senior Member Username: mchavez Post Number: 88 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 11:10 am:    Don't get me started! Embodied energy percentages, political agendas, and a Proselytizing mentality. But I'll be accredited by summer for the good of the firm. I've been on the environmental band wagon since 1969 at the age of 13. But these folks want to take over the wagon without good science and without thinking through the consequences of thier actions, just like Dane's "govenator" P.S. Remember proselytizing means to intrude into the person’s spiritual life and push him to convert. To be forced to renounce your faith or suffer severe consequences, even death." Anne Whitacre, CCS CSI Senior Member Username: awhitacre Post Number: 173 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Friday, March 11, 2005 - 02:15 pm:    and I note that no one has even mentioned that all these LEED implementation laws also mean that our states are paying a private, for profit organization a good fee for every built project. ... I have some real issues with THAT. Tobin Oruch, CDT Senior Member Username: oruch Post Number: 17 Registered: 04-2003 Posted on Friday, March 11, 2005 - 03:00 pm:    On the other hand, conservation measures in Calif have helped keep its per capita energy use constant for many years, unlike US in general. Blackouts there would surely have worse were it not for this. See chart at http://www.wbdg.org/design/energycodes.php John McGrann Senior Member Username: jmcgrann Post Number: 44 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Friday, March 11, 2005 - 05:10 pm:    The Virginia General Assembly recently passed through town. After killing several proposals that would have mandated support of LEED in various ways, had one floated that would have endorsed the use of the Green Globes program. The latter proposal had a surprising amount of political support and resulted in one of the more organized lobbying efforts by the design community for this session. At any rate the local architects, engineers, and green building folks were successful in getting the issue referred to the commonwealth’s Department of General Services for a comparative study. I understand the group charged with the study will likely include a couple of LEED certified architects and engineers. Should be interesting to see what comes about for next year’s session.