GreenDigs Blog

The LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system was published in July 2007. We reviewed the 106 point checklist and realized the Uptown project might be a good fit. Registration cost was $8,000 (yikers – most LEED NC projects cost about $500 to register with the US Green Building Council). The project was also selected as part of a special study group, one of 60 nation-wide.

There are 4 categories – Smart Location & Linkage, Neighborhood Pattern & Design, Green Construction & Technology, and Innovation & Design Process – 106 credits, and 9 prerequisites. There are multiple options in many of the credits and some prerequisites which offer a lot of flexibility. I’d like to include a few highlights just to give a bit of a preview.

Smart Location & Linkage

6 prerequisites

• Avoid floodplain and ecologically sensitive areas such as wetlands
• Develop in or near existing communities with a good proximity to public transportation infrastructure to cut down on vehicle travel when possible

11 credits (30 points possible)

• Remediate and build on a brownfield site, or on previously developed sites
• Develop in areas with a regular grid of streets(10 points for this one area)
• And within ½ mile walking distance from support businesses and services, etc. The proximity to businesses, schools, and services such as a grocery store on a regular grid of streets encourages walking or biking as well as investing time within the immediate area instead of in a car driving to work or running errands.
• Conserve, restore, or create wetlands and habitat (naturally planted areas)

Neighborhood Pattern & Design

2 prerequisites

• No gated communities – all sidewalks are public
• Develop compactly – build residential with an average density of seven dwelling units per acre and non-residential at .5 FAR (Floor Area Ratio) or greater per acre.
• Develop compactly (7 points possible depending on how compactly)
• Develop diversely to promote community livability, transportation efficiency, and walkability
• Provide housing diversity for different levels of income
• Reduce parking footprint (smart parking)
• Create walkable and a gridded street network (10 points possible)
• Develop in areas where access to public transportation is available, augment or create additional programs
• Provide great open spaces encouraging participation from all community sectors
• Promote community-based and local food production – Farmer’s Market….

16 credits (39 points possible)

Green Construction & Technology

This category utilizes many of the strategies used in the LEED rating systems.

1 prerequisite

• Erosion Control Plans to prevent soil run-off during construction. Currently Sioux Falls requires this for most, but not all projects.

20 credits (31 points possible)

• Encourage green building practices
• Reduce energy and water use
• Reuse existing building stock (there are 5 buildings being renovated)
• Maximize open space and native plantings to create habitat and use less water
• Manage stormwater (5 points here)
• Design with good solar orientation
• Use construction waste management practices
• Set up occupant recycling centers
• Design buildings to educate their occupants

Innovation & Design

2 credits (6 points possible)

• Work with a LEED Accredited Professional (that’s me or a couple others in the office)
• The rest of the points are awarded for creativity or going beyond the normal requirements.

Uptown has a LONG phasing schedule. LEED ND allows submitting in 3 stages over the period of development. At first blush, Uptown has a high SILVER or low GOLD rating by virtue of it’s location and layout. We’ll see how it all works out, we’re looking to submit Stage 1 by October 1, 2008.

South Dakota officially moved into the green arena late February with the passage of Senate Bill 188, the 28^th state to require a green building certification involving LEED. According to 188, all state-owned buildings need to attain LEED Silver, Green Globes 2 globes, or other sustainable building certification program recognized by ANSI. This includes any new construction or renovation by state agency, department, or institution and per the following:

• Cost exceeds $500,000 and 5,000 sf or more of space
• The building has hvac elements (i.e. pump houses or storage facilities would not be included)

Somewhat controversial (but included to be sure the measure passed) waivers would be granted in certain cases:

• If there are no human occupants
• If increased front end costs due to green cannot be recouped from decreased operational costs after fifteen years (rules are being written for this, but will likely include lifecycle cost analysis which we should all be doing anyway)
• If meeting LEED or Green Globes certification requirements would somehow pre-empt meeting the standards for national historic preservation for buildings on the national register
• If less than half of the building’s square footage is being renovated (phased projects need to include the total all phases)
• OR if the Bureau of Administration rules extenuating circumstances are preventing certification

Here’s the Bill – http://legis.state.sd.us/sessions/2008/Bills/SB188ENR.pdf

Some comments on the waivers.

15 Year Payback

• According to a summary of case studies done by the US Green Building Council, the average payback is 2-5 yrs.
• Our experience tells us additional costs are 1-2% for larger buildings, 2-4% for smaller buildings and of course depend on which strategies are incorporated, i.e. photo-voltaic panels may have a 30-40 yr. payback.
• Energy savings alone will likely drive the payback down below 15 yrs.
• What does it include? The obvious savings are in energy costs, water costs, and improved O&M due to commissioning (a bit harder to measure), but what about improved worker productivity, higher rental rates, improved corporate image?

National Register Buildings

• The LEED and Green Globes rating systems are quite flexible in the range of credit or point possibilities and shouldn’t pose a conflict. The biggest issue I see may be with energy requirements in that historic standards encourage maintaining original interior finishes or even windows if they can be salvaged, when building envelope R-values should be maximized for energy efficiency – something to work on with the National Park Service.

½ Building Area

• One step at a time, I realize. But this waiver may help dodge one of the biggest payback potentials – renovating building hvac systems. Energy efficient mechanical and electrical systems are where dramatic savings are seen, and often overlooked during a smaller project. In the larger scheme of things, maybe another bill for building O&M improvements will be introduced. LEED has one in pilot phase already, which can provide a great framework for O&M improvements even if a certification isn’t pursued. See http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=221

Bureau Of Administration Rulings

• BOA wrote the bill and I believe is serious about making this a success story within our state. The hard work begins, and It does show we have our state attitude in the right place.

Welcome to GreenDigs, Koch Hazard Architects’ site dedicated to discussions about going green, be it new or old buildings (mostly considering our point of view) developments, processes, happenings, what’s going on in our part of the world or how we can all make our environment a little better. We hope you’ll join us in finding ways to build and participate in a greener world.