Alfa Builders
What is LEED Certification for Construction?
These days, we hear quite a bit of discussion on “sustainable construction”, “green building techniques”, and “environmentally friendly materials”.
All of these sound great, but what does it actually mean for our industry?
Well, LEED actually stands for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design”.
LEED standards were created to do several things:
To define “green building” by establishing a common standard of measurement
To promote integrated, whole-building design practices
To recognize environmental leadership in the building industry
To stimulate green competition
To raise consumer awareness of green building benefits
To transform the building market
LEED Certified Buildings are supposed to use resources more efficiently that buildings constructed simply using standard building codes. A LEED building often creates a healthier working environment for the employees which has been linked to higher productivity among the workers in the building.
However, there are currently some “downsides” to building a LEED building. When an owner wishes to pursue a LEED Certification, there are often additional design and construction costs that will be incurred. Also, due to a lack of availability of manufactured construction products that meet LEED standards, there can be significant construction delays. These negative aspects of “green construction” should diminish as more construction of this type takes place, so in the future things should only get better in this regard.
Additional articles will follow soon to provide additional information on LEED standards and construction practices. So come back often to check on that. If you have any comments or questions about LEED Certification or green construction practices, please leave a comment below or contact me.
