Gaining LEED certification for a green project is not always a black-and-white issue. Certainly the LEED process lays out specific guidelines and point structures, but designers and builders need to understand another important aspect: In its efforts to create and refine the LEED evaluation program, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) focuses on the project’s ability to fulfill the intent of the respective credits and not necessarily fastidious adherence to individual credit specifications.

The LEED process is not a perfect one, and the credit requirements cannot account for every situation. So, the LEED process includes a framework that gives designers and engineers an opportunity to explain why they feel their project meets the intent of the various program credits. Submissions for LEED certification, therefore, should emphasize how the project’s elements meet the intent of the guidelines in addition to meeting the guideline’s specific parameters.

The best way to demonstrate such intent, which might not otherwise meet the basic qualifications, is to submit a Credit Interpretation Ruling (CIR) request. The CIR is an opportunity for the project team to have a formal judgment made regarding atypical project parameters that might meet the intent of a credit but not specifically the requirements.

The premium for a robust thermal envelope and high-efficiency window system was eliminated through the reduction of other first costs and the reduction of life-cycle cost through the intelligent integration of the building systems at the Penn State University Recreation Hall Wrestling & Student Fitness Center addition. Photo by Ed Massery.

Additionally, it is possible to rely on past CIRs from other projects. Just as an attorney would prepare a case for trial or appeal by reviewing past decisions and common law, building professionals should review past CIRs and bring to the attention of USGBC the past rulings that support the project’s intent. It is the responsibility of the project team to evaluate every credit and take the time to review all relevant CIR rulings to build a case and establish a precedent for the project. It is worth noting that LEED version 3.0 has attempted to “scrub” previous CIRs and incorporate the interpretations into the latest credit requirements/guidelines. It is not known at this time how this will affect future CIR rulings.

Studying past CIRs can make a significant difference in certification levels. For example, when L. Robert Kimball & Associates (Kimball) prepared the Penn State University’s Recreation Hall Wrestling & Student Fitness Center addition, we knew we had a solid LEED Silver. But we believed that some of the credits that we were going to concede were met by intent. By reviewing past CIRs, Kimball was able to establish precedents and gain points for fulfilling the credit intention as well as gain consideration for innovation. Therefore, we were able to boost the project’s certification level to Gold status.

How can you increase your project’s chances for LEED certification and even elevate its status to a higher level on the LEED scale? Consider these five steps:

1 Examine every credit. Assemble your project team, including the owner, early in the process and discuss the project’s programming and goals. Involve the project stakeholders in a workshop reviewing each credit to gauge their expectations and to evaluate and prioritize all of the possible credits that you might gain.

2 Forethought is important. There are dozens of no-cost decisions that can play into sustainable design principles. For example, low-VOC paints and finishes can be used, or indigenous plant species can be specified to eliminate the need for potable water for site irrigation.

3 Think in terms of integrating the design process rather than simply earning points. If it truly is a sustainable project, any one decision you make about your project’s design or implementation should play into the achievement of as many as five to eight credits. If you’re making single decisions to acquire one credit point, you’re not working from an integrated perspective. But if your team makes a group of decisions at the beginning of the project and then carries them out through implementation to achieve the goals you’ve set, you’re meeting the intent of LEED, and you’ll attain a high score and rating in the process.

4 Examine all past CIRs that may apply to the aspects of your projects that need the most explanation and support to gain LEED credits. Readjust your thinking and refocus your content around the concept of intent. For each credit you claim, write a narrative that cites past CIR decisions. An applicable CIR will often refer to previous CIRs, and it’s not difficult to develop a whole string of rulings that support your environmental intent as it relates to a particular LEED credit item.

5 Balance your concerns about the initial cost of going for LEED certification with an understanding of the life-cycle savings that your choices may produce. Calculating how much money to spend for each LEED point is “à la carte” thinking. Consider the building as an entity bigger than its parts, and achieve credits through the intelligent integration of complementary systems. With this approach, you will realize that a LEED-certified building gives you or your client more than just a plaque. You can gain a robust, efficient, healthy environment that has limited its environmental impact and ends up being a gift that keeps on giving over many decades.

An example of the integrated approach is the strategy pursued by Kimball in the design and implementation of the Penn State University Recreation Hall Wrestling & Student Fitness Center addition. We specified and detailed a robust thermal envelope and high-efficiency window system. That might sound like a premium “à la carte” cost for a project, but consider the following:

* The robust thermal envelope allows an engineer, through energy modeling, to reduce the heating and cooling systems, resulting in lower first cost (less equipment cost) and lower life-cycle cost (less energy usage).

* High-efficiency window systems allow larger glazed areas while still minimizing heat gain and/or heat loss. An engineer, through daylight modeling, might determine that 10 percent of the light fixtures can be eliminated, lowering first cost (fewer fixtures) and lifecycle cost (fewer fixtures equals less energy usage). In addition, 10 percent fewer fixtures generates less heat, allowing the cooling system to be downsized even further, equating to additional lower first and life-cycle cost.

* Although difficult to quantify, healthier levels of daylighting hold the potential for higher productivity.

* As a bonus, the high-efficiency window system gave the design team the ability to eliminate the perimeter heating system usually prevalent to all high percent glass areas. Generally added to mitigate the effects of radiation heat loss during the winter season and nighttime use of the space, a perimeter heating system prevents the interior glass surface temperature from falling below the dew point, which results in condensation on the glass. Furthermore, the comfort of the occupants was increased by limiting the effect of radiation heat loss from the people who will be working out in the space.

The final tally? The “à la carte” premium for the robust thermal envelope and high-efficiency window system is eliminated through the reduction of other first costs and the reduction of life-cycle cost through the intelligent integration of the building systems.

You can maximize your project’s LEED credits by making decisions that affect a whole range of environmental savings and impact multiple credits. By looking at the end result rather than the individual pieces leading to the project’s completion, your LEED certification effort becomes much more efficient and effective. Conversely, “à la carte” strategies often result in spending more money than necessary and still not achieving the optimum number of credits possible. If your design process is geared toward integration, the building will be truly sustainable — and all of the credits will fall into place from the decisions you make from the start.