SUMMARY OF TRADE‐OFFS AND

SYNERGIES
RAINWATER MANAGEMENT
Synergies:
 Reuse for flushing toilets or urinals
 Reuse to water landscaping
 Increase pervious pavement to recharge groundwater
 Reduces pollutants from entering water bodies

CAPTURING RAINWATER

Synergies:
 Reuse for flushing toilets or urinals
 Reuse to water landscaping
 Reduces rainwater runoff

CHOOSING A BROWNFIELD SITE OR PREVIOUSLY DEVELOPED SITE

Synergies:
 Development density (infrastructure exists)
 Community connectivity
 Public transportation access
 Preserves open space, habitat, and greenfield sites

LIMIT PARKING
Synergies:
 Helps to maximize open space
 Reduces heat island effect
 Rainwater management opportunities with paving materials
 Encourages the use of mass transit

VEGETATED ROOF

Synergies:
 Reduces rainwater runoff from roof

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  Reduces heat island effect
 Provides thermal barrier to save energy
 Qualifies as open space and preserved habitat

Trade‐offs:
 Can be costly and challenging to coordinate
 Reduces the amount of rainwater to be captured for nonpotable
water uses

WATER EFFICIENT LANDSCAPING

Synergies:
 Xeriscaping can provide buffers can help to optimize energy
performance
 Xeriscaping can add efficiencies to passive designs
 Vegetation can restore habitat
 Reduces demand for potable water

INCREASED VENTILATION
Synergies:
 Improves air quality
 Operable windows contribute to earning Thermal Comfort credit
 Natural ventilation reduces operating costs

Trade‐offs:
 Requires mechanical systems to work harder to heat and cool
 Increases HVAC capacity
 Increases capital and operating costs

BUILDING AND MATERIAL REUSE

Synergies:
 Reduces the need for virgin raw materials
 Reduces burden on budget as new typically costs more
 Reduces landfill contribution

DAYLIGHTING
Synergies:
 Reduces need for artificial lighting

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  Provides connection to exterior environment for occupants

Trade‐offs:
 Windows provide poor thermal break
 Increases glare problems for occupants
 Requires increased heating loads in winter and higher cooling loads in
summer

PROVIDING OPERABLE WINDOWS

Synergies:
 Increases natural ventilation
 Operable windows contribute to earning Thermal Comfort credit

Trade‐offs:
 Can cause acoustic issues

LEED GA Exam Prep – Blended Learning Program