If you’re wondering what LEED Certified Projects are, you’re in luck. LEED is the acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and it is a sustainable rating system for buildings in the world. Hence projects that are certified this rating system have to guarantee and maximize the health and productivity of its occupants or workers. In essence, these projects which could be buildings, bridges, roads, etc., need to be practiced in an environmentally friendly manner. Meaning that the project’s design, fabrication, and construction needs to be done in a manner that isn’t detrimental to its occupants/workers. Hence, fewer resources would be used, the project’s environmental impact would be of positive value, and the current life cycle costs humans face would be decreased. It’s all about sustainability and healthier options for all life forms.
How the certification works
A project or building that is certified LEED has been termed ‘green’ on either of the following; its building design, construction, interior design, building operations, and interior design. Even if your project is based on only one of the mentioned activities, depending on your proposed documentation, it can be LEED Certified. Also, when pursuing a LEED certification, your project could earn points across diverse categories like location, water efficiency, materials and resources, innovation, energy, indoor environmental quality, and lots more. Now it is with the accumulation of these points that a project could get on LEED rating levels like ‘Certified,’ ‘Silver,’ ‘Gold’ and ‘Platinum.’
LEED projects in the US
Now, there are a lot of projects scattered across the US that have been LEED-rated and certified. These projects could be public like train stations, schools, corporate buildings, or they could be private homes and properties as well. Here are some of them:
- Westlawn Gardens, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Milwaukee is big on their green policies, and the state’s housing authority has turned a once-distressed site into an award-winning community. This housing community has got it all; 24 acres filled with community gardens, over 100 homes, geothermal heat systems, rain gardens, and so much more. It attained the highest level of certification for the 2009 LEED Neighborhood Development Project.
- King St. Stallion, Seattle, Washington: This train station is a pretty magical sight to behold. This LEED Platinum certified project went through intense renovations, which quadrupled its size but still managed to decrease its energy consumption a staggering 68%, talk about innovation.
- Lake Area High School, LA: The site which hosts this school was once a hurricane Katrina affected spot. This silver certified High School uses innovative designs as a preventive mechanism for future weather extremities. The classrooms are on the upper levels of the building, 8ft above the ground to be precise, with nothing underneath.
This is only a handful of LEED Certified Projects in the US, but there’s something common with all these projects, and that is innovation. These locations and projects aim at offering something better, something safer and more thoughtful than others, and this is what sets them apart.