Grand Valley
Society of Architects

building communities

Terri Meyer Boake B.E.S. B.Arch. M.Arch.
 
Associate Professor School of Architecture University of Waterloo

But how do we judge the relative success or non success of sustainable buildings? We need a uniform basis to prepare case studies, categorize methods and compare buildings. It was decided to use the LEED rating system ("Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design") as a comparative tool to assess the level of "sustainability" achieved by the respective buildings. The students, in this process, also carried out a preliminary evaluation of the LEED system as a method of environmental building assessment. It was concluded that LEED, in its numeric favouring of brownfield developments and projects accessible by public transit, was very hard on a number of the case studies whose function as environmental learning centres precluded urban siting.

The LEED "label", however, was felt to be a worthwhile motivational tool and should be adopted by Canadian agencies and cities as an achievable and recognizable goal for new buildings across Canada. The adoption of LEED in a number of cities thus far has proven to be a successful means of promoting a green ethic in new development.

More information on the LEED assessment tool can be obtained at www.usgbc.org and by referring to the
LEED Requirements Version 2.1 ( 360 KB pdf)

Information on the proposed revision Canadian version of LEED can be found at the Canadian Green Building Council website www.cagbc.ca and by downloading the Canadian brief (1.8 MB).

In researching and preparing their case studies, the students used LEED criteria as the basis for the organization of their material. Whether or not a project used LEED, or predated the introduction of LEED as an evaluation system, the building was subjected to a LEED analysis by the student researcher. The preliminary findings of that research can be viewed by following the link below. The chart is a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, in .xls format.

LEED: A Primer: The Canadian Architect Magazine, the January 2004 Sustainability issue, explaining the basic principles of the LEED Assessment System. link

LEED as an Analysis Tool: A paper that was presented as part of the Solar Energy Society of Canada Conference (SESCI), 2004, at the University of Waterloo address the ability to use the LEED tool as a means to analyze and compare buildings. Building comparison is part of the LEED mandate. link to paper
link to pdf of powerpoint from conference

LEED and Passive/Active Solar Design: A second paper was presented as part of the Solar Energy Society of Canada Conference (SESCI), 2004, at the University of Waterloo looks at the connection between passive and active solar design interests and the achievement of LEED Credits.
link to paper
link to pdf of powerpoint from conference

LEED and the Building Envelope: Presented at the National Building Envelope Council Conference in 2005 . link to paper

Additional References/Tools for Green Building Analysis:
Canadian Energy Guidelines and programs:
Model National Energy Code for Buildings (MNECB): info (The MNECB is more or less the Canadian equivalent of ASHRAE for energy performance targets for commercial buildings.)
Commercial Building Incentive Program (CBIP): info (CBIP provides funding to a qualifying project to assist in paying the design fees that will result from additional costs to verify energy efficient/sustainable design).

Green Globes Building Assessment Tool:
This is the system used by Public Works Canada and BOMA to evaluate the "greenness" of commercial buildings.
Green Globes Website: http://www.greenglobes.com
Detailed Green Globes information link

Extrapolation of LEED: The Green Guide for Healthcare
This organization has used the LEED Guidelines as the basis for an extended green assessment and guide tool for healthcare facilities, adding criteria for specific mechanical and supply issues that are peculiar to health facilities.
Their website: http://www.gghc.org/about.cfm
The pdf of their guide: link

Greening the Office:
Public Works Canada Green Office Guidelines: link 1, link 2

The LEED Guide to the Use of Wood: (10.1MB) link

Canadian Green Building Organization
Green Building Canada
US Green Building Association
Advanced Buildings
Sustainability Now

www.cagbc.ca
www.greenbuilding.ca
www.usgbc.org
www.advancedbuildings.org
http://www.sustainability.ca/