Steps for LEED Certification
Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) program is a green building certification program and the most significant international symbol of excellence in design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings and neighborhoods.
Throughout LEED certification, the advisory project team is responsible for guiding and developing the full management process, evaluation, advisory, and building documentation.
The project team will follow a series of steps to obtain certification:
1- Explain the valor of LEED certification for any project to the client.
Highlight the benefits and the importance when incorporating sustainable strategies into the design and construction of the building and save in operating costs.
2- Carry out a preliminary technical analysis or diagnosis that measures the compatibility of the project with the LEED parameters and its chance to be certified. In this step, you need to gather information and have meetings with specialists (electrical, energy efficiency, mechanical, civil, among others) to validate, analyze and assign responsibilities.
3- Select the LEED rating system, according to the characteristics or space of the project. Check minimum program requirements.
4- Identify the opportunities and strategies that allow complying with the LEED parameters based on data obtained. Establish project goals, define the LEED project scope and prioritize the most convenient.
5- Project registration, where the project team submits a registration form and a paid fee to Green Business Certification Inc (GBCI).
6- Documentation process. Once the project has been registered, the team begins with the documentation process in the design and construction phase.
7- Prepare request and develop LEED scorecard. Each credit and prerequisite of LEED has a unique set of documentation requirements that must be completed as part of the application process. The project team selects the credits it has decided to pursue and assigns these credits to the team members who will be responsible for each one of them. The project team should begin to collect the information and perform the calculations for all the prerequisites and credits that it has decided to obtain.
8- Develop consistent documentation. A general and energy review is carried out in each system of the building in the design phase taking into account the categories. At the construction stage, the project team visits the site and carries out the start-up of LEED to further support the design, construction and eventual operation of the project.
9- Sending of documentation for review. This step entails the preparation of all the information forms required to demonstrate compliance with the LEED parameters in each credit and prerequisite and technical support material for sending to LEED Online. Whether the design and construction credits are submitted together or separately, each credit undergoes one preliminary review. The certification reviewer may request additional information or clarification.
10- Appeal (optional). After the final evaluation, a team may appeal any adverse decisions on individual credits for an additional fee.
11- Sending final documentation and certification. Certification is the final step in the LEED review process. Once the last application review is complete, the project team can either accept or appeal the final decision.
Bibliography
U.S. Green Building Council. Green Building and LEED Core Concepts Guide. 3rd Edition. U.S. Green Building Council, 2011.
LEED Green Associate Exam Preparation Guide, LEED v4 Edition | U.S. Green Building Council.
