As more and more published articles appear that proudly state Projects have achieved LEED~® certification, whether they be in newspapers or magazines, more and more Clients are asking their Design Team or Contractor, "Can we afford LEED certification for our Project?" What is the correct advice to give Clients? In order to provide the advice, estimators must firstly understand the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard. Four levels of certification exist -certified, silver, gold, and platinum. Each level is reached by obtaining points from a LEED rating system that offers 7 prerequisite points and 69 elective points. To achieve any certification a Project must comply with the 7 prerequisite points. The elective points are what determine the LEED rating level with Certified requiring between 26 and 32 points, Silver requiring between 33 and 38 points, Gold requiring between 39 and 5 lpoints, and Platinum, the highest level, requiring between 52 and 69 points.
展开▼
