Evaluation of a Residential Project in Light Steel Framing According to LEED for Homes

The construction industry is responsible for high energy consumption, high carbon dioxide emissions, high extraction of non-renewable materials, and large generation of solid waste in the world.The use of prefabricated, industrialized, and technological construction methods can reduce environmental impacts.This research aimed to analyze a single-family residential project in the construction system in Light Steel Framing (LSF), to be implemented in southern Brazil, regarding the prerequisites and credits of the environmental certification Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Homes of the Green Building Council (GBC) Brazil Homes.For this, it was necessary to apply the Technical Quality Regulation for the Energy Efficiency Level for Homes, achieving the A-level classification in this analysis, with 5.06 final points.Therefore, it was considered the constitution of the building wrap in LSF, the energy efficiency of the materials used, the water heating and lighting systems. The external sealing system used in the residence was the External Insulated Finish System, and the acoustic and thermal insulation occurred through the use of glass wool on the walls and lining. In order to obtain the highest level of LEED certification, the project has received suggestions for improvements. The project obtained 60 final points in the analysis, which would allow the achievement of the gold certification seal.

Urban Development and Sustainable Utilization: Challenges and Solutions

Many countries are contemplating a smart sustainable approach to the next generation of cities. However, there are many obstacles to achieve this objective, such as planning and implementing sustainable dimensions. The aim of this study is to (1) investigate the level of importance of the different sustainable dimensions in Riyadh and (2) distinguish the effect of two proposed solutions on dimensions for a smart approach to rank the proposed solutions based on their level of impact in Riyadh. In this study, the sustainability dimensions are six main measurable criteria that include Smart Economy, Smart Mobility, Smart Environment, Smart People, Smart Governance, and Smart Living. The research also utilized a multi-step methodology that involved an expert-based survey and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (F-AHP) to assess the performance indices of components for a smart method in Riyadh and evaluate the proposed solutions, namely, the construction of a metro network to link all of Riyadh to align with the government objective for 2030, and encouraging the construction of smart buildings through Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The results show that Smart People, Smart Mobility, and Smart Living were the three most important sustainable indices for Riyadh. Furthermore, the results of the proposed construction projects illustrate that both projects had the same impact on five of the six sustainable indices, but that the metro project had a significantly higher impact on one of the indices. The study is also envisaged to aid decision-makers in prioritizing the upcoming public construction projects. Finally, this is the first study of its kind to address ranking real public construction projects in terms of sustainable development.

APPLICABILITY OF LEED REQUIREMENTS TO ACHIEVE WATER EFFICIENCY IN SRI LANKAN HOTEL INDUSTRY

LEED is an universally used green ranking system in the world. Among the six evaluation factors it specifically focuses on water use reduction, water efficient landscaping and innovative wastewater technologies. LEED provides a structure or collection of metrics to determine the water efficiency level that a building can achieve. Most of the hotels worldwide are inclined towards gaining LEED certification which is prompted by the higher volumes of water consumption in the facility. LEED is a US created rating system and the most categories of LEED certification are built according to the US aspects. Being an Asian country, Sri Lankan hoteliers also attempt to obtain LEED certification to their hotels with the motive of becoming in order to be more efficient. However, some of LEED requirements under the water efficiency category does not match the Sri Lankan hotel industry requirements. Therefore, the aim of the study to identify whether the LEED requirements under the water efficiency can be applied to Sri Lankan hotel industry. To accomplish the aim, literature synthesis was conducted to explore the water efficiency practices used by LEED certified hotels in other countries. A qualitative research methodology was subsequently adopted, directing semi-structured interviews with two LEED certified hotels in Sri Lanka to identify the LEED practices used in Sri Lankan hotel industry. Thematic analysis was conducted to analyse the collected data. Finally, a framework was developed to compare and contrast the water efficiency practices used in LEED certified hotels in other countries and Sri Lanka.

Decisions by Key Office Building Stakeholders to Build or Retrofit Green in Toronto’s Urban Core

The environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions from buildings—especially in global cities such as Toronto—is well documented. Green mitigation of new and existing buildings has also been researched. Few studies, however, have focused on the decision to build or retrofit green. Are key stakeholders in Toronto’s office building sector aligning their decisions to achieve sustainable environmental goals? Do they support LEED certification regardless of the impact on market valuation? Are tenants willing to pay higher rents in LEED office buildings? The study first obtained data on 16 LEED and 52 conventional buildings to determine if LEED certification has a significant impact on net asking rent. Pearson correlation and linear regression analysis did not find LEED certification to be statistically significant in explaining the variance in net asking rent (market value). The second stage included interviews with senior executives engaged in Toronto’s office building sector. The expert informtabants were asked to assess if financial drivers are the deciding factor in decisions to pursue LEED certification. They concurred that LEED certification is not the primary driver. It is a combination of numerous factors that overall have an impact on a firm’s financial bottom line.

Green Building Adoption on Office Markets in Europe: An Empirical Investigation into LEED Certification

The goal of the paper is to evaluate the impact of selected factors on the adoption of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building certification in Europe. In the empirical part of the paper we track the fraction of LEED-registered office space in selected European cities, and assess the impact of selected socioeconomic and environmental factors on the certification adoption rate. This research contributes to the ongoing debate about the adoption of green buildings in commercial property markets. In this paper, we investigate factors affecting the adoption of LEED certification using the Arellano and Bond generalized method-of-moments estimator. Compared to prior studies, which relied on cross-sectional data, our research uses a panel approach to investigate the changes in green building adoption rates in selected European cities. Among the cities that are quickly adopting LEED are Frankfurt, Warsaw, Stockholm, and Dublin. The adoption process was not equally fast in Brussels and Copenhagen. Using the dynamic panel model approach, we found that the adoption of green building certification is linked to overall innovativeness in the economy and the perceived greenness of the city. Contrary to some previous studies we did not observe links between the size of the office market and the LEED adoption rate.

LEED Study of Green Lightweight Aggregates in Construction

Decreasing the demand for natural aggregates is doubly justified by the significant contribution of the construction industry to the unsustainable development path of the natural environment, and the projected global increase of the consumption of construction aggregates. Extensive research has been carried out on the physical and mechanical properties of concrete which incorporates plastic as aggregates; yet, no single study has been able to draw on structured research which demonstrates the improved sustainability performance of plastic-based aggregates to support sustainable development in the construction industry for a project seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The goal of this research is to explore the potential benefits that green processed lightweight aggregates (PLA) can provide to a project seeking LEED certification in accordance with the requirements of LEED v4 for Building Design and Construction. The objectives are to: (1) determine which LEED credit requirements can be met through using the studied material; (2) provide a comprehensive analysis of the applicable attainable LEED credits, given the existing technical information of the selected material, and (3) provide guidelines to maximize further credit attainment. To this end, the findings indicated that the use of PLA as a total replacement for coarse aggregates in lightweight concrete applications would contribute to earning directly up to 8 points (out of 110 total points) towards LEED certification. Such significant number allows for the potential increase of the project’s certification by one level. This is the first study of its kind to investigate the improved sustainability performance of recycled plastic aggregates from a LEED point of view. Moreover, the guidelines provided by the research will enable developers to maximize the financial and environmental benefits of their buildings through the reduced lifecycle cost and the enhanced LEED score. This research should encourage project teams to incorporate the knowledge of sustainable practices, and play an active role in sustainable development.