While Certified and Silver projects don't usually require noticeably greater
investment for the process, upgrading to Gold adds 1-2 percent more and
Platinum can add 5-6 percent up front. Jessee lays out the LEED (Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design) process, run by the U.S. Green Building
Council (USGBC), with five steps focused on design, construction and operations
that businesses of any size can handle regardless of the desired level:
1) Choose which version of the rating system you will follow. Typically,
there are a couple available at any time as the USGBC
constantly works to remain up to date.
2) Register the project with the USGBC.
3) Document the project as it unfolds and tally the points you will
attempt to win (all online). The team can log in to sign
off on documents and attach them within a single location.
4) Submit for a preliminary review, which provides information on how
close you are to obtaining a specific level. Make any adjustments and
then submit a final application, which may take between 15 days and a
month.
Section 1
Five Steps to Platinum
2
The 18 foot tall tank in the courtyard collects water for flushing toilets.
"There is no architect or constructor who doesn't
know how to approach LEED projects. The
landscape for building LEED is drastically
different from five years ago. Small businesses
assume only large companies can afford it, but
additional cost is minimal." _ Erick Jessee
