- Efficient use of resources
- Improved air and water quality to minimize solid waste
- Beneficial to the owner, occupiers and the society
LEED certified buildings are usually guided by well trained leaders with exclusive expertise on management of resources. These people are usually construction engineers. They are renowned to balance excellent use of resources and maintenance of quality buildings. Therefore, LEED is an efficient construction strategy.
The other main aim for LEED is to ensure proper maintenance of the environment. It achieves this aim through extension of exclusive benefits of clean air and water to a customer as well as the society. LEED standards are extensively keen on ensuring that the building constructed has access to clean air as well as water (USGBC, 2012).
Excellent construction of a building through LEED standards is not only beneficial to the owner, who attracts rent but it remains beneficial to occupiers and the society. Occupiers benefit from living in safe houses while the society is protected from dangers that may result from poor construction through conventional techniques.
( Kubba, 2011).
Demerit
High cost
Securing LEED services calls for extensive investment for the customer. Following the high standards maintained by LEED, services offered are a bit expensive. This means that the customer has to invest more than if he or she used conventional construction methods. High cost in construction is a limit.
LEED certification process
- Choose
- Register
- Submit
- Review
- Register
The first step involves choosing the most outstanding rating system to use. Some projects may fit the defined scope of one LEED rating system while others are appropriate for two or more.
The second step is register which is the mandatory beginning for LEED process. Once registration forms are submitted with full payment having been made the project becomes accessible in LEED Online (USGBC, 2012).
The third step is submitted where one presents his or her certification application as well as pays a certification review fee. There are variant fees depending on the type and size of a project.
The fourth step is Review. This is the step where the client has to await the review of his or her application. Review processes vary from one type of project to another.
The fifth and the last step is certification where the client receives the certification decision, which he or she can accept or appeal (Kubba, 2011) An assenting decision indicates that client’s building is now LEED certified.
LEED process incorporates the sustainable development practice
LEED plays fundamental role in citing significance for new buildings as well as existing buildings. Understanding how LEED operates on the two construction elements is essentially fundamental in understanding how certain activities should work in other projects. It is significant to understand that LEED operates under critical standards. This should be the basis for any project. Therefore, for students working on certain projects it is vital to understand standards that should be set to make the project outstanding.
LEED is an example of how various projects should be undertaken. It is made of a set of steps that must be followed before approval by the LEED organization. This is beneficial to individuals undertaking projects. It is vital in the sense that it defines steps as most critical elements of defining how certain things should be done. The success of LEED in its activities is a representation of how processes should be defined and how projects should be undertaken (Cottrell, 2012). Therefore, LEED remains fundamental in undertaking certain projects either in class or livelihood activities.
Works Cited
Cottrell, Michelle. Guidebook to the LEED certification process: for LEED for New Construction, LEED for Core & Shell, and LEED for Commercial Interiors. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2011. Print.
Kubba, Sam. LEED practices, certification, and accreditation handbook. Burlington, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann/Elsevier, 2010. Print.
USGBC. "How to certify a building project." LEED Certification Process. N.p., 18 Feb. 2013. Web. 9 Nov. 2013. <http://www.usgbc.org/leed/certification>.
USGBC. "LEED Rating Systems." LEED rating systems. N.p., 12 Jan. 2013. Web. 9 Nov. 2013. <http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=221>.
