Trends in pursuing LEED certification credit points
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abstract
Conservation of energy and protecting the environment has becoming a rapidly increasing global concern. To address these concerns, initiatives are being taken worldwide and specifically by the construction industry. One such initiative in the construction industry is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). It is a building rating system developed by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) that sets benchmarks to make building design and construction green and sustainable and then assess the building performance. USGBC has developed a suite of rating systems based on the different types of buildings including LEED NC for New Construction, LEED CI for Commercial Interiors and many more. LEED NC has total of 69 possible points that can be earned, where a building is rated as Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum based on the number of points achieved by the design and construction. In a preliminary analysis of these points pursued by LEED 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2 versions, it is apparent that there are a number of points that are used infrequently. The reasons why these points are seldom used has not been studied. This research aims to identify LEED certification points that are not pursued in most construction projects. The findings from this research will help in identifying the under-utilized points in the current rating system. Furthermore, the outcomes of this study can be used to assist USGBC to improve the rating system, by focusing on the possible motivation for LEED Accredited Professional (AP) to go for these points.
