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Say Goodbye to the 500 Mile RadiusĪ significant change related to building products is the elimination of the regional materials credit. The Table shows the old and new MR credits side by side.Ĭomparison of materials and resources credits in LEED v4 versus LEED 2009. In fact, six of 13 available points in the Materials and Resources (MR) category relate to building product disclosure in the form of environmental product declarations (EPD), supply chain reporting, material ingredient reporting and the like. In LEED v4 the focus has shifted from “green” attributes of products (recycled content, bio-based content, certified wood, and regional sourcing) to product disclosure. Structural systems fall under the broad category of building products, and when it comes to building products, LEED has changed dramatically. Changes in Materials and Resources (MR) Category/Building Products Structural engineers involved with wall systems would benefit from understanding these changes. EA credit 1: Optimizing Energy Performance has been adjusted to reflect the more stringent base standard. The change from the 2007 to the 2010 version represents a nearly 20% savings in overall building energy use according to the U.S. Perhaps the most significant change, though, is that the minimum energy standard is now the 2010 edition of ASHRAE 90.1. The Energy and Atmosphere (EA) category has a new prerequisite for building-level energy metering and two new credits, one for advanced metering and one for demand response programs. Changes in Energy and Atmosphere Category Sustainable Sites is a category where the civil/structural engineer will want to closely review the new requirements. This category also had numerous smaller changes to existing credits such as renaming the Storm Water Management credit to Rainwater Management, and combining the Heat Island credits for roof and non-roof surfaces into one credit with slightly revised criteria. Issues such as topography, hydrology, climate and soils are among the issues to be addressed.
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Sustainable Sites includes a new credit on Site Assessment whose goal is to encourage early analysis of the site to inform design. This credit requires preliminary analysis in the areas of energy and water use, including site conditions, massing and orientation of the building, and the building envelope – all areas where the structural engineer can provide valuable input. The new category, Integrative Process, focuses on achieving “synergies across disciplines and building systems” through collaborative efforts across disciplines. Structural and civil engineers should pay particular attention to the Materials and Resources, Sustainable Sites, and Location and Transportation categories. The Figure shows the points allocated to each category with the new categories in green. However, the total number of available points has remained constant at 110 points, and the certification levels remained unchanged.
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Those credits related to site development, rain water management, and heat island effect are found in the SS category, and those related to site selection, density, and transit land in the LT category. In addition, the credits related to the building site and location are split into two separate categories in LEED v4, Sustainable Sites (SS) and a new category, Location and Transportation (LT). A new category, Integrative Process, was added. LEED v4 boasts 9 distinct categories in which projects can earn points toward certification. For a look at other changes, particularly in the area of building products, see LEED v4 – New Categories and Credit Shake Up Ways of Contributing, in a 2014 issue of SMART/dynamics of masonry magazine. While this article is intended primarily for structural engineers, it cannot provide detail on all of the changes in LEED v4. Thus, structural engineers are encouraged to become familiar with the whole of LEED, as well as those credits they are most likely to work with directly. The spirit of a LEED project is that of a collaborative nature, encouraging dialogue between design disciplines, contractors and the owner. For specific credit information and criteria, and a copy of the LEED v4 rating systems and Reference Guide, readers are referred to the U.S. This article provides an overview of changes in LEED v4 most likely of interest to structural engineers. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design TM Building Design and Construction (BD+C) New Construction and Major Renovations rating system (LEED ® v4) contains numerous substantive changes, including a reorganization of the credit categories, a shifting of category point totals, new credits in every category, revisions of existing credits, and a totally revamped materials section.