Indoor environmental quality and LEED v4

By Taryn Holowka, USGBC National

 

 

At Greenbuild 2017, get the info you need on IEQ credits for LEED v4.

At USGBC, we always say that every story about LEED is a story about people. When USGBC set out to create the LEED standards, we wanted to build something that helped people and made their lives better. After all, we spend 90 percent of our time indoors, whether at work, school or home. Knowing this, wouldn’t we want those indoor spaces to be the healthiest and most comfortable places possible?

Better buildings, better productivity

There is also a business case to be made for healthy indoor environments, one that employers, investors, building developers and owners are discovering. A better indoor environment is better for people—and people are the most valuable resource in most organizations, typically accounting for 90 percent of business operating costs. Even a 1 percent improvement in productivity or in reduced absenteeism can have a major impact on the bottom line and competitiveness of any business. A 2012 study found that companies that adopt more rigorous environmental standards are associated with higher labor productivity, by an average of 16 percent, over non-green firms.

LEED has an entire credit category dedicated to the indoor environment: Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ), which includes prerequisites and credits for design and construction projects, interiors, homes and existing buildings.

The EQ credit category in LEED rewards decisions made by projects teams about indoor air quality and thermal, visual and acoustic comfort. Green buildings with high indoor environmental quality protect the health and comfort of building occupants, enhance productivity, decrease absenteeism, improve a building’s value and reduce liability for building designers and owners.

A holistic system for IEQ results

To have a high-quality indoor environment, you need a high-quality building—one that is holistically developed using a system like LEED. You can’t have a high-performing indoor space if the building itself is wasting energy, water and other resources. You can’t ensure health in a building that is constructed on land unsuitable for development. You can’t ensure well-being in a building that is not optimized for the systems inside. You can’t have a more comfortable indoor environment in a building that is contributing to the heat island effect. All of these components contribute to the LEED rating system and what ensures a high-performing building from the inside out.

The relationship between the indoor environment and the health and comfort of occupants is complex. Local customs and expectations, occupant activities and the building’s site, design and construction are just a few variables that make it harder to measure. However, there are many ways to quantify the direct effect of a building on its occupants. LEED balances the need for prescriptive measures with more performance-oriented credit requirements. For example, source control is addressed first in a LEED EQ prerequisite, and a later credit then specifies an indoor air quality assessment to measure the actual outcome of these strategies.

The EQ category also combines traditional approaches with emerging design strategies. Traditional approaches include ventilation and thermal control, while the emerging design techniques involve advanced lighting metrics, acoustics and a holistic emissions-based approach.

Here is the breakdown of the LEED EQ category for existing buildings:

  • Prerequisite: Minimum indoor air quality performance
  • Prerequisite: Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control
  • Prerequisite: Green cleaning policy
  • Credit (2 points); Indoor air quality management program
  • Credit (2 points): Enhanced indoor air quality strategies
  • Credit (1 point): Thermal comfort
  • Credit (2 points): Interior lighting
  • Credit (4 points): Daylight and quality views
  • Credit (1 point): Green cleaning—custodial effectiveness assessment
  • Credit (1 point): Green cleaning—products and materials
  • Credit (1 point): Green cleaning—equipment
  • Credit (2 points): Integrated pest management
  • Credit (1 point): Occupant comfort survey

To learn more about LEED, indoor environmental quality and human health, join us for Greenbuild 2017, being held this year in Boston, India and China.

In Boston, you won't want to miss USGBC’s session D14, dedicated to LEED credit strategies for healthy spaces:

Course: LEED Credit Strategies for Healthy Spaces

Thurs., November 9, 1–2 p.m.

In LEED, the Indoor Environmental Quality category addresses design strategies and environmental factors—such as air quality, lighting quality, acoustic design and control over one’s surroundings—that influence the way people learn, work and live. LEED subject matter experts will review the credits, discuss how teams can prioritize their time and present strategies for implementation.

Register for Greenbuild

Grand Central On The Fast Track to Sustainability By Partnering With Excel Dryer

By Rebecca Collins


Spanning 48 acres in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, Grand Central Terminal hosts approximately 750,000 visitors daily, 10,000 of which are lunchtime diners. In addition to housing 68 shops and 35 restaurants. Esteemed for its Beaux-Arts architecture, the high-profile venue also holds another distinction: busiest train station in the country.

Given its popularity and historical significance, it’s hard to fathom that the terminal was once in danger of being destroyed in favor of a high-rise office complex. Through a preservation campaign led by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and a favorable ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States, Grand Central was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and declared a historic landmark in 1976.

With the building and its rich history preserved, the first of many restoration projects commenced. Over time, as new technologies emerged, thoughtful planning was given to upgrading systems and integrating energy-efficient and sustainable products. “Everything we do, we must look at with sustainability in mind. We’ve made a number of upgrades to Grand Central Terminal over the years, including updating the electrical, plumbing and lighting systems led by our sustainability team,” said Steve Stroh, assistant deputy director of electrical and mechanical maintenance.

An area receiving particular attention were the restrooms throughout the facility. Originally outfitted with paper towel dispensers, restroom floors were often strewn with errant waste, and the sinks and toilets, clogged with improperly disposed of paper towels, despite routine cleaning and maintenance. To eliminate these problems and other issues associated with paper towels like the inherent labor, maintenance and waste, hand dryers were considered as a sustainable solution. An added challenge, however, was finding a product that could meet performance needs without compromising the integrity of the original architecture.

While at a rest stop, Stroh experienced the XLERATOR® Hand Dryer, produced by USGBC MA sponsoring partner Excel Dryer. Impressed with its performance, he and his boss researched the product and surmised it could meet all of their objectives relative to performance, reliability and sustainability. “We thought if they could hold up to the abuse of a public rest area, they would be a great option at Grand Central,” said Stroh. “With the XLERATOR, we don’t have to worry about paper towels ending up outside the garbage cans, clogging toilets or plugging up on our sewers. It’s eliminated the need for paper towels in our restrooms,” he furthered. “We dug around and researched the XLERATOR and saw that it also had a lot of green certifications.”


Ultimately, XLERATOR Hand Dryers proved to be the perfect solution at Grand Central, with 24 units replacing paper towels throughout the public and office spaces of the terminal. The XLERATORs provide more benefits than cleaner restroom environments; touch-free, sensor-activated technology reduces touch points and significantly improves hand hygiene. “Visitors don’t want to touch something that hundreds of other people have touched,” Stroh said.

“XLERATOR changed the standard for performance, reliability and customer satisfaction,” explained William Gagnon, vice president of marketing and sales at Excel Dryer. “We knew it would be put to the test at Grand Central with their tremendous amount of traffic. If the XLERATOR can make it here, it can make it anywhere.”

Working with Stroh and understanding the unique needs of the facility, custom covers were recommended and ultimately selected. Offered in a plethora of colors, textures and finishes, Stroh had no trouble selecting one to fit in with the décor. An added benefit was the vandal-resistant coating and finish. The XLERATOR Hand Dryers “take a lot of abuse,” he said. “The new covers are great for our application because we can scrub them to get rid of graffiti and keep them clean.”

Others have taken notice of the newfound cleanliness of the restrooms; since the installation of the XLERATOR Hand Dryers, Grand Central Terminal restrooms have been nominated among America’s best public restrooms.

Matching the décor and meeting desired performance and energy-efficiencies, XLERATOR Hand Dryers support the sustainable transformation of the Grand Central Terminal. Iconic in their own right, the XLERATORs provide a new train of thought on performance, reliability and sustainability.

For more information about Excel Dryer or its product line, visit exceldryer.com

The Annual Bike Tour Is Approaching!

By Rebecca Collins


Another year, another fantastic chance to tour some of Boston's most innovative and sustainable building projects by bike! This year's bike tour is scheduled for August 26, and participants will have the pleasure of touring green building projects in Allston and Brighton. Allston/Brighton is very much a place in transition with various climate exposure risks that need to be considered in the development process.  Come view how some projects are getting that right, and be prepared for a highly informative exploration of landscape architecture along our bike tour stops. You can sign up here.

Organized by the Emerging Professionals (EPMA) Committee, the annual bike tour is one of our most popular events. What's better than fresh air, exercise, and Green Buildings? 


Bring your helmet for safety, a bike lock for when you go in the buildings, water for hydration, and, as always, good vibes for this fun event. Sign up now and stay tuned for more updates!

Thank you to NB Development Group for their generous sponsorship of this event!


 

“A Building and a Landscape Should Work Together”

By USGBC Communications

Levi + Wong Design Associates (LWDA) have embraces an approach to landscape architecture that is grounded in holistic observation. LWDA creates healing gardens, courtyards, and campuses that bring landscape and building together. The firm's mission? Design with purpose, solve spatial problems with imagination, and implement solutions that are both beautiful and sustainable. LWDA works in harmony with existing natural conditions so that building and landscape work together.



The firm is able to unite building and landscape to serve as extensions of one another, creating smooth transitions between indoor and outdoor spaces.

For example, the adult day living courtyard at Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital was inspired from an idea to use the outdoors as an extension of the hospital’s physical therapy program. A former overgrown and little-used side entrance yard was transformed into a new garden that integrates everyday outdoor activities into a patient’s rehabilitation The garden now serves multiple functions including therapy, meditative, and family gathering, and the space successfully mixes patients, families and caregivers in an equitable outdoor environment. A variety of New England pavement types, sidewalks curbs, garden gates and latches, and ramps become activities patients can use to rehab and relearn everyday outdoor living: mailboxes, benches, curbs, curb ramps, outdoor handrails, plant potting, basketball, and miniature golf. Offering comfortable venues of outdoor seating and rehabilitation activities, the garden has become the centerpiece of the hospital.

August 10 Greenbuild Mixer – Excitement for Greenbuild is growing!

By Rebecca Collins


Around 100 green building professionals gathered Thursday, August 10, to mix, mingle and get updates on the Road to Greenbuild. Guests networked while enjoying food, drink and a lovely view of Atlantic Wharf. USGBC MA was proud to host this event in partnership with Boston Properties.

There were brief remarks from Celis Brisbin, Executive Director of USGBC MA, thanking attendees for coming to the event and for helping forward the mission of USGBC MA through their professional and personal dedication to green building. Emily Kingston, Corporate Relations Manager for USGBC MA, gave a presentation highlighting updates on the road to Greenbuild, including the July 25 Cultivation Luncheon, the legacy project bringing education for green building maintenance to Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, and other updates from the Greenbuild committees. After thanking attendees and Greenbuild Committee volunteers, Ben Myers, Sustainability Manager at Boston Properties, commented on the positivity among green building professionals and the importance of working together to promote green building in Massachusetts.


It was clear that all of the attendees are excited for Greenbuild – now less than 90 days away! USGBC MA hopes to keep that excitement growing through the coming months, so stay tuned for upcoming events and announcements on the road to Greenbuild!

Click here to see all of the pictures from the evening.

Thank you to Boston Properties for hosting this event!

Zipcar Green: How Car Sharing Helps the Environment [Infographic]

By Zipcar

Zipcar isn’t just about car sharing—it’s about redefining transportation to make cities better places for you and me. For us, Earth Day isn’t confined to one day on the calendar. We’re a fan of the idea that the more we give up personally owned cars and adopt car sharing, the closer we get to smarter, cleaner cities. After all, less congestion on the streets could open up space for more bike lanes. Fewer parking lots could lead to more parks. And fewer carbon emissions could help us ensure a healthier future for the planet.

New population trends support the movement. More people are moving to urban centers, which has prompted city planners to wonder how the heck we’re going to fit in already crowded areas. Outdated zoning laws and wildly expensive parking are making people think twice before bringing the family sedan from the ’burbs, but that doesn’t mean they’re ready to rely solely on public transit. We get it—sometimes you just need a car. Lucky for you, a Zipcar membership unlocks 10,000 of ’em (and you never have to circle the block to find a spot). Want to know more about the positive impact our members have had on the environment? Check out the infographic.

Planning a more resilient future: Four takeaways from the 2017 Resilient Cities Summit

By Katharine Burgess (the Urban Land Institute) and Cooper Martin (Sustainable Cities Institute, National League of Cities)

 

 

The 2017 summit centered on financing resilient infrastructure and building more resilient communities.

This article was co-authored by Katharine Burgess, Director, Urban Resilience at the Urban Land Institute, and Cooper Martin, Program Director, Sustainable Cities Institute, National League of Cities.

Last week, an inspirational group of mayors, senior city officials, and nationally recognized experts gathered in Stowe, Vermont, for the 2017 Resilient Cities Summit, hosted by the National League of Cities (NLC), the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Against the scenic backdrop of Stowe’s mountain views and rustic charm, the group of 60 attendees from across the nation discussed how cities can be more prepared for climate risk and achieve a more resilient future.

After a successful 2016 summit focused on successful environmental planning and solutions for sustainable land use, the 2017 summit centered around how to finance resilient infrastructure and implement actions to build more resilient communities. Summit sessions discussed identifying funding sources, prioritizing equity in resilience planning and motivating support for investing in a more resilient city.

While the challenges that attendees face back at home vary from sea level rise and heat islands to earthquakes and severe storms, it was striking how much city leaders found they had in common in their approaches to community resilience. Here are four key takeaways from this year’s summit:

1) Local leaders must be willing to reimagine their city.

At its core, a resilient city is one that is thriving and evolving, rather than simply surviving. Resilient cities are adaptive, competitive and equitable, and this requires local leaders to position their city to respond to changes. Resilient city leaders should have an outlook for infrastructure and land use that incorporates the next 20, 30 or even 50 years, as opposed to a time frame that only extends through the length of their term. This often requires cities to do something they’ve never done before, whether it’s changing how they finance redevelopment projects or how they use data to inform decision-making.

Resilient Cities conference 2017

Mayors Lily Mei of Fremont, California, Dennis Doyle of Beaverton, Oregon, and Mark Mitchel of Tempe, Arizona, join other mayors, city staff and national experts at the 2017 Resilient Cities Summit.

The status quo might be comfortable, and governments are rightfully risk-averse, but elected leaders also have a responsibility to reach for the future. In today’s world, contexts are constantly in flux, whether they are based on economic, social, climatic or other factors. The city that thinks about tomorrow’s risks and vulnerabilities and acts on that future in a collaborative, equitable fashion will ultimately be more resilient.

Read the full article

The Walden Pond Visitor Center Earns LEED Gold

By USGBC Communications

This month marked the 200th Anniversary of Henry David Thoreau's birthday, and in sync with this anniversary, the new, netzero Walden Pond Visitor Center in Concord, MA has earned LEED Gold Certification.  The new facility will house interactive exhibits on writer, Henry David Thoreau, and a film about Walden Pond.  

 


The LEED Gold Walden Pond Visitor Center, Concord, MA.

The visitor center – a project that's been 40 years in the making – includes a high-performance exterior envelope; energy-efficient heating and cooling systems; landscaping that mimics the natural habitat, as well as wood grown and processed in Massachusetts. The A/E team anticipates the design will provide a 48% reduction in energy costs and 37% reduction in water consumption compared to baseline building.

The new state-of-the-art Walden Pond Visitor Center welcomes guests from around the world to the state reservation. Walden Pond State Reservation, which is a National Historic Landmark, was made internationally known because of the literary works of naturalist Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau, who wrote ‘Walden; or, Life in the Woods’, which reflects on his time spent over the course of two years, two months, and two days in a cabin he built near Walden Pond, inspired the land conservation movement in the United States. To this day, Walden Pond State Reservation remains a heavily used state park with a popular public swimming beach, as well as other outdoor recreational opportunities such as hiking, boating, and fishing.

The new Walden Pond State Reservation Visitor Center features:

  • 5,680 net square feet, approximately two-thirds of which will be dedicated to publicly available interpretive displays related to the life and legacy of Henry David Thoreau;
  • A south-facing orientation providing a wood and glass façade to maximize solar efficiency;
  • Superinsulation with increased roof, wall, and window values to conserve energy;
  • A 9 kilowatt (kW) solar hot water system;
  • A Variable Refrigerant Flow heat pump system;
  • A low flow plumbing system to reduce water consumption; and,
  • A 100 kW solar canopy array in an adjacent parking lot that will generate more than enough clean renewable power over the course of a year for the visitor center.

Congratulations, The Green Engineer (USGBC MA Chapter Sponsor), on the achievements of this wonderful project!

Materials strategies in LEED v4

By Selina Holmes, USGBC National

 

 

At Greenbuild 2017, get the info you need on materials credits for LEED v4.

The topic of materials is one that spans every phase of a building’s life cycle. It includes considerations about construction waste, specifying materials for the building’s structure in the design and construction phase, making green cleaning choices while the building is in use and determining what happens to the building in the demolition phase.

Quick facts about construction waste:

  • Construction and demolition waste constitutes about 40 percent of the total solid waste stream in the United States and about 25 percent of the total waste stream in the European Union.
  • In aggregate, LEED projects are responsible for diverting more than 80 million tons of waste from landfills, and this volume is expected to grow to 540 million tons by 2030.

Materials decisions are impacted by an array of stakeholders who work with the built environment and those who support it, as well as by those who work, learn, live and play within those buildings.

 

LEED projects divert more than 80 million tons of waste from landfills

 

What LEED does with materials

Since its initial launch, LEED has always addressed materials, and the newest version of the rating system is no different. LEED v4 brings a shift that goes beyond materials decisions focusing on single attributes and moves the market toward conversations about optimizing environmental, social and health impacts and gaining a better understanding of the trade-offs.

The LEED Building Design and Construction materials credits and prerequisites include:

  • Prerequisite: Storage and Collection of Recyclables
  • Prerequisite: Construction and Demolition Waste Management Planning
  • Prerequisite: PBT Source Reduction—Mercury
  • Credit (5–6 points): Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction
  • Credit (2 points): Building Product Disclosure and Optimization—Environmental Product Declarations
  • Credit (2 points): Building Product Disclosure and Optimization—Sourcing of Raw Materials
  • Credit (2 points): Building Product Disclosure and Optimization—Material Ingredients
  • Credit (1 point): PBT Source Reduction—Mercury
  • Credit (2 points): PBT Source Reduction—Lead, Cadmium and Copper
  • Credit (2 points): Furniture and Medical Furnishings
  • Credit (1 point): Design for Flexibility
  • Credit (2 points): Construction and Demolition Waste Management

The LEED Operations and Maintenance materials credits and prerequisites include:

  • Prerequisite: Ongoing Purchasing and Waste Policy
  • Prerequisite: Facility Maintenance and Renovation Policy       
  • Credit (1 point): Purchasing—Ongoing           
  • Credit (1 point): Purchasing—Lamps  
  • Credit (2 points): Purchasing—Facility Management and Renovation
  • Credit (2 points): Solid Waste Management—Ongoing
  • Credit (2 points): Solid Waste Management—Facility Maintenance and Renovation

Join USGBC at Greenbuild 2017 in Boston, India and China, to learn more about LEED and materials. In addition to educations sessions, Greenbuild in Boston and India will feature expo halls where attendees can interact with the newest and most innovative products the market has to offer.

The Boston Greenbuild event will also include a special session on LEED v4 and its materials and resources section:

Course: LEED v4 and Materials: Interactive Session

Thurs., November 9 from 5–6 p.m.

During this session, attendees will get an overview of the LEED v4 materials section, learning what has changed, what’s been added and how to implement key strategies, including reading and comparing EPDs.

Register for Greenbuild Boston

Greenbuild Cultivation Event brought leaders together

By Emily Kingston

USGBC MA, USGBC, Informa and other green building professionals joined together for the Greenbuild Cultivation Luncheon Friday, July 28th 2017. This wonderful event was a celebration towards Boston being chosen to host the world's largest green building conference that is happening this November.  Regional industry leaders and sustainability VIP's came together to discuss their poignant perspectives on sustainability along with getting the opportunity to network and connect with other professionals in their field. 



USGBC President and CEO Mahesh Ramanujam came to speak about the growth and future of green buildings, both locally and globally.

Mahesh was joined by special guests Bryan Koop, Executive Vice President of Boston Properties, and Austin Blackmon, Chief of Environment of Energy & Open Space for the City of Boston. Bryan discussed Boston's innovation and growth as a leader in green buildings while Austin noted the importance of sustainable planning for Boston, a city at risk of sea level rise.

The opening remarks were made by Judy Nitsch, Founding Principal at Nitsch Engineering and Chair of the Greenbuild Host Committee, who introduced the dedicated staff and volunteers that are making Greenbuild possible. 

The work in sustainability that is accomplished now will be felt long into the future. We want to ensure we use the lessons learned and the new ideas offered to move forward with our mission for more green and net positive buildings.