Reaching for LEED

In the realm of sustainable development, some Springfield businesses are reaching for platinum.

That's the highest level of certification that can be achieved through the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system, an initiative aimed at inspiring and regulating green construction.

In addition to platinum, there are certified, silver and gold levels of LEED approval. Only two commercial buildings in Springfield have been awarded any level of LEED certification, though roughly 12 more have been registered as hopefuls.

The Discovery Center's $6 million renovation earned the city's first LEED-Gold certification in April 2007, and Cycles Unlimited's new digs earned the second in May 2009.

The certification level a project achieves is determined through points that are accrued with one-time green actions, such as responsibly disposing of waste during the building process, and long-term efforts, such as reducing water use, to mitigate a building's long-term environmental effect.

Achieving any level of certification can take years, it is documentation-intensive, and it might, at least in the short term, be more expensive.

Square one

The first textbook step toward getting a LEED plaque on the wall is registering a project with the U.S. Green Building Council, a nonprofit organization founded in 1993. The USGBC first introduced the LEED system in 2000, and as of April, there were almost 20,000 registered LEED projects worldwide.

To be registered - and therefore in the running for certification - a project has to meet certain minimum requirements, such as having at least 1,000 square feet for new construction, which also must use no less than 2 percent of a building site's land area.

Specific point goals are set after registration. Under the updated LEED 2009 scoring system, which all projects registered after June 26 must use, there are a maximum 110 points available.

Reaching the platinum level requires a minimum of 80 points; gold takes 60, silver 50 and certified 40.

Certified and silver rankings are the most common, especially among commercial developers, said Bryan Yates, project manager in Springfield for green-consulting firm Environmental Management Services Inc.

"They can do something good ... for a lower level of cost," Yates said, noting that LEED certification in general adds about 4 percent to a project's construction costs, and there are other fees to absorb.

Take two

Deciding which specific points to go for and documenting efforts to achieve them is the next stage.

Of the 110 possible points, 100 are broken down into five main categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. Ten bonus points can be earned by projects that use innovative design techniques or address specific regional issues.

In Springfield, Yates said one of the most pressing needs is protecting abundant water resources, so more points are given to projects that overshoot the usual requirements for reducing water usage.

Such measures could include minimizing runoff, he said, and subcategories are weighted according to their environmental impact.

Individual project limitations can put certain points out of reach, which was the case for Cycles Unlimited owner Ashley Burchfield.

Prior to learning about the LEED process, Burchfield chose a site with no link to public transportation, so he had to forgo the points associated with such access.

He noted that at the time, however, green expertise was somewhat limited locally, and he found himself explaining what the word "sustainable" meant often in the building process.

"Getting into it should be easier as time goes on," Burchfield said.

Documentation is continually submitted to the USGBC as requirements are met and can include everything from showing communal space for recycling to a more elaborate hour-by-hour analysis of projected energy use, Yates said, noting that tracking those factors is often where his firm enters the picture.

The third party

In addition to documentation, the USGBC requires that an objective third-party commissioner - who does not have to be LEED accredited - be brought to the project's site to verify that what was in the plans has been installed and is performing correctly.

Basic consulting costs generally run between 10 cents to 30 cents per square foot, he said, while more in-depth commissioning - which comes with an additional point toward certification - can run between 25 cents and $1 a square foot.

Green Circle, a local retail center in the final stages of seeking LEED certification, just finished the commissioning process, said developer Matt O'Reilly, whose company, Dynamic Earth, is one of the building's tenants.

"LEED has everything to do with third-party accountability," O'Reilly said, noting that he worked with engineering firm Malone Finkle Eckhardt & Collins Inc. for commissioning.

The last step is sending a final submittal to the USGBC, detailing actual energy-use levels. Once that's done, the certification results can take four or five months, Yates said. Theoretically, the final step is supposed to take just 25 days, but LEED has a project backlog that causes delays, he added.

Calculating and recouping costs

Beyond the 4 percent cost increase, certification fees paid to the USGBC vary depending on USGBC membership, dues for which range between $300 and $12,500 a year depending on the member's purpose and revenues. Schools, for instance, pay less than project manufacturers.

Certification costs are 3.5 cents per square foot for members and 5 cents per square foot for nonmembers.

There are, however, avenues of payback. Many LEED projects can expect to recoup those initial costs and then some over time by reducing utility bills. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a LEED-certified building typically uses 30 percent less electricity and up to 50 percent less water.

In Green Circle's case, O'Reilly said the owners are paying the extra charges upfront because they'll be able to increase tenant rent based on utility savings, O'Reilly said, although he declined to disclose lease rates. He added that utilities at Green Circle run about 60 cents a square foot.

The bragging rights associated with green building are also a benefit, Yates said, though they're hard to speak of in terms of numbers.

And O'Reilly noted that the features of green buildings - windows and roof access among them - have aesthetic value.

Studies also have shown that people in green buildings generally perform better. A daylighting study for The Pacific Gas and Electric Co. showed that people in green buildings performed 18 percent better on tests when exposed to increased daylight.

But for those zealous about the green movement, the cost-benefit analysis of LEED certification is simpler.

"That's what it takes to do it right," Burchfield said.[[In-content Ad]]