LEED Buildings

BKA

Can a contractor be green so to help contribute LEED points to a LEED building? Or are LEED points only for the spec'd products?

Bob Kovacs

The project gets one point for having a LEED Accredited Professional on the project team- it can be someone from the owner, the designer, or the contractor. Other than that, it's all about the products and the design.

Bob

BKA

yea and every arch who is going to design a LEED building is going to get that point, so not worth it for me. too bad. I'm sure that will change over time.

atlas06

There are a multitude of ways for a contractor to be green.

Sustainable site - SS
don't disturb or minimize land disturbance, implement a storm water management (dikes, retaining fences..) to divert surface run-off; plant fast growing grasses, mulching over disturbed grass.,etc..
Offer alternate fuel Vehicle refueling stations in new or renovated buildings (design/build jobs), 240 Volts outlets for electric vehicles; use impervious materilas for parking.
If you are a developper, you can have a much bigger impact by chosing a sustainbale site near transportation, etc..

Water efficiency - WE
Capturing rain water for irrigation or for cooling tower make-up are popular features; dual flush toilets; waterless urinals (where allowed by code), use on-demand water heaters, etc..

Energy and Atmosphere - EA
Use R-410A, R-134A refrigerants; High eficiency AC units; Assist in Commissioning process during construction, connect to a green power source, use of co-generation if design/build, seek federal or stae incentives that you may find economically attractive, etc..

Materials and Resources - MR
This is one area where a contractor has a very big impact, contractors have access to used materials of all kinds, you could DE-CONSTRUCT buildings instead of demolishing them and re-use the lumber, the windows, etc.. when you can, especially the lumber. Or re-direct recyclable materials to sources that will re-use them such as community-forklifts programs; use materials with high recycled content; use local products instead of imported all the way from China or Nafta, or whatever.

Indoor Environment Quality - IEQ
Flush your building with 100% fresh air one month prior to occupancy to remove VOC's from new carpets, paints or buy your carpets early and have it stored in an aired out warehouse prior to installation.

There are several ways a contractor can contribute, it starts with getting involved and asking the question just like what you just did.

Welcome!!!

BKA

If being LEED would help to get more contracts then that would be better. But to just do it out of the kindness of my heart .. that costs money that I can use to lower my bid instead.

Yey Low bidder

atlas06

Green is the name of the game of the next construction movement. Those that recognize it will ultimately do better than those that don't.

You need to learn how to sell green, in addition to low bids of course. A kind of way of diversifying youself, take it like learning a new hot software. Yes there will always be bottom line clients, but I can tell you that I see municipalities (cities, states, universities,... ) willing to shell a million dollars extra in a building just to be "LEED Silver" certified.
"The question is not whether to adapt to the global economy, the question is how fast you adapt" (from a speach by Tom Friedman of the New York Times), the same thing can be said of the green design and construction movement.
Document yourself and see if it's for you. Construction is not always about bottom line.
Did you know that the top fortune 500 corporations in the US now have a policy to house their staff in LEED buildings? Green is here alright, jump in or you will be left out.

ICON Structures

Well said Atlas06!!!