LEED
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Roundtable experts share their successes and observations of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), an internationally recognized green building certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Kath Williams + Associates, Bozeman
Williams is a LEED-AP and was involved in a pilot project for the original version of LEED and has been part of 54 LEED-New Construction or Existing Building projects in five countries.
Mike Wiseman, Bozeman
Dowling Sandholm Architects
This architect designed the first LEED for Homes-rated residence in the state of Montana (Gold) and another that is awaiting certification.
Todd Thesing and Rob McRae, Big Sky
Highline Partners
LEED projects include a family camp with barn and a rustic cabin that received Platinum and another home submitted for LEED Certification in April 2011.
Robert B. Morton, Helena
Robert Peccia & Associates Inc.
Morton was the LEED AP for the LEED-certified Montana Veterans Benefits Building in Helena, designed by CWG Architects and built by Diamond Construction. Morton serves as USGBC Montana Chapter Director and Treasurer.
Mike Tuss and Anya Fiechtl, Billings
CTA Architects Engineers
CTA currently has over 50 projects registered with the LEED program including 21 that have been certified, including the LEED Platinum MET Transfer Center.
John Wells and Colin Lane, Missoula
MMW Architects
LEED projects include the Missoula Federal Credit Union Russell Branch, the first new construction Platinum rating in Montana, and a new hospital under construction in Dillon, Montana, and on-track to be the first
LEED-certified Hospital in Montana.
Doug Averill, Bigfork
Saddlehorn
Architect and visionary for the Saddlehorn community, where homes are required to reach a minimum level of LEED Silver construction design and build process and includes what is thought to be the oldest reclaimed log structure in the U.S. to reach Platinum level.
Mike Wiseman
The LEED Standard for sustainable buildings is probably the most comprehensive standard in use. It provides rating criteria for site location, site and landscape design, water efficiency, energy use, material use, indoor air quality and design innovation. Its broad scope is probably its most defining characteristic.
John Wells
There is a common misperception that LEED is all about sustainability and environmentalism. It does have that component, but also focuses on the comfort and functionality of the built environment for the users of the space. The bottom line three P’s — People, Planet, Profit — is very apropos in this context.
What kind of client makes a good candidate for a LEED building or home?
Robert B. Morton
A good LEED owner/ client is one that is dedicated to and will champion the LEED goal.
Colin Lane
Any client who cares for the environment is a good candidate for a LEED project. However, LEED certification is not the only way to ensure sustainable goals are achieved. In all of our work, we strive to improve the performance of the building and its impacts on our environment.
In single-family homes, LEED certification is not often seen as a cost-effective — or necessary — way to ensure these goals are achieved.
Which of the LEED criteria are the easiest to meet? The hardest?
Todd Thesing and Rob McRae
The MR (Materials & Resources) credits tend to be the easiest as many of the projects extensively use reclaimed and local materials. The WE (Water Efficiency) credits are also targetable as water conservation is a given for a lot of people. The EA (Energy & Atmosphere) can become difficult, as the mechanical systems can get very complicated.
Mike Tuss and Anya Fiechtl
LEED scoring tends to favor urban environments. Working in places like Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho, our projects must often compensate for their rural or small town location by focusing on other green building strategies like increasing energy efficiency and reducing water use.
What energy-efficient features and green materials do you use in LEED homes and buildings?
Mike Wiseman
We continually pursue Energy Star as part of our LEED rating and include a HERS rating. These two practices almost guarantee a high level of performance in the building and go a long way to gaining points in the LEED Energy and Atmosphere Category; this is where much of the effort in LEED pays for itself. Many of the material choices we leave to the owner’s discretion, but we always manage our trash, recycling, and material efficiency. Also foremost in our minds is the durability and life-cycle cost of the materials we use.
Mike Tuss and Anya Fiechtl
All LEED rating systems encourage but don’t dictate products and materials such as low VOC paints, recycled content materials, and regional materials (harvested and manufactured within 500 miles of the project site)...Low VOC products and materials are important for occupant health and well-being. Other materials such as recycled content carpet, concrete countertops, bamboo flooring, re-purposed doors and furniture are not only good for the environment, but they are great ways to make the green building story come to life. People light up when they interact with these exposed materials, which serve as a reminder of the values embodied by that building.
What do you feel are the most significant benefits of LEED certification?
Kath Williams
Going for LEED certification creates a tangible, unifying opportunity for the owner and team because it sets a measureable goal. Recognition of leadership and a job “well done” is an extremely important benefit. An often-overlooked benefit is that LEED requires extensive documentation to prove the team did what they said they did. This documentation puts into the owner’s hands the complete story and details of the building or home. In the future, i.e. for operations and maintenance questions, all of the information on design, products, installation, etc. is in one place. Very few building owners have that in their hands at the end of their conventional project.
Doug Averill
Reaching any level of LEED confirms that your structure has been highly scrutinized to be the best of everything, from materials, to craftsmanship, to thermal efficiency, to minimal lighting and more. A LEED home is highly energy-efficient, which will not only save on monthly energy bills, but also bring a higher resale value. LEED homes are particularly appealing to people with allergies.
What are some of the incentives for homeowners and business owners? How about additional building costs and how they are offset by operational and maintenance savings over time?
Doug Averill
Pride of doing it right. Long term cost savings. Higher resale.
Todd Thesing and Rob McRae
Both homeowners and business owners can take advantage of significant tax incentives at the Federal level, as well as potential higher resale values and recognition from peers. We have found that the custom high-end LEED homes we have built only cost 3-6% more at the construction end and operate 50-60% more efficiently.
Kath Williams
LEED projects do not have to cost more than a conventional project. There is plenty of documentation that the “green premium” argument can be, but often is not valid.
How do you think LEED changed the building industry since its launch in 2000?
Todd Thesing and Rob McRae
We believe LEED has created many partnerships, as well as a successful verification system and marketing campaign that mainstream and legitimize the green building process.
Mike Tuss and Anya Fiechtl
“Green” has become a household word, much to the credit of LEED, the USGBC, and the architectural profession in general. Specific to the building industry, discussions about energy and water reduction, environmentally friendly building materials and systems, and indoor environmental quality occur on every project, whether a LEED project or not. LEED was developed to pull the entire building industry towards more sustainable practices. As green building standards become conventional standards, LEED raises the bar higher.
What are some of the challenges of meeting LEED certification? What aspect are you most proud of?
John Wells
To obtain certification at the Platinum level at the Missoula Federal Credit Union, we had to push the envelope of what is currently being done. On that project we used a concrete composed of 100% recycled ingredients. [...] This project was the first in the world to use 100% recycled concrete for all the concrete in the building. We are also working on a historic building currently undergoing LEED certification. This project shows that sustainable principles can be incorporated into older and that the finished product can retain its historic character. We are proud to work through the challenge of creating buildings that are both beautiful and sustainable.
Robert B. Morton
I am proud to be part of the LEED program which can really be boiled down to doing what is right for the environment, energy efficiency, ourselves, and ultimately what we leave our future generations.
For more information about LEED: www.usgbc.org
Anders Lewendal, Chairman of the Southwest Montana Building Industry Association and Chairman of the Green Building committee, talks about the numerous green standards for the building industry.
“In Montana, the building industry promotes voluntary, sustainable and efficient building practices through its national association (NAHB), its state association (MBIA), and our nine local associations. I belong to the Southwest Montana Building Industry Association (SWMBIA). Within SWMBIA, our Green Building Committee is committed to educating our members, the public, and collaborating with the many local stakeholders involved in green building science.
While our association promotes the ICC 700 National Green Building Standard, we believe our builders and clients have several local options including LEED for homes, Northwest Energy Star, and programs supported by the DOE like HERS (Home Energy Rating System).”
~ Kay Bjork tries to live a sustainable life on Swan Lake in a small house constructed in part with recycled, reused, and local materials and by living gently and treading lightly.
Leave a Comment Here
Leave a Comment Here