1.

Green Building
1. Green buildings minimise energy and water consumption and are a key part of sustainable
urban development

2. A green or sustainable building is a building that, because of its construction and features,
can maintain or improve the quality of life of the environment in which it is located.

3. To do this, it is essential to achieve a high level of efficiency: reducing the consumption of

energy, water and other resources minimises pollution.

4. The LEED certificate (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the

internationally accepted official recognition that establishes whether a building deserves to
be considered sustainable.

5. The construction of buildings and other infrastructures using sustainable technologies and
materials is key to this type of initiative.

CHARACTERISTICS OF GREEN BUILDINGS

1. Location and transport

Do not build in environmentally sensitive locations and provide public transport to reduce
private car use.

2. Sustainable sites
Protect and maintain the natural habitat, reduce pollution and the use of natural resources
and facilitate interaction with nature.

3. Efficient use of water

Minimise the use of water during construction and provide mechanisms to reduce the
building's water footprint.

4. Energy and atmosphere

Reduce energy consumption, use renewable energy and increase energy efficiency to reduce
pollution.

5. Materials and resources

Incorporate recycling systems, use sustainable materials and save as many resources as
possible during construction.

2. LEED System
• The LEED system is more associated with the construction of green buildings. This is
not for a particular type of green building, but any type for building that is
constructed to have green and sustainable performance can apply for a LEED
certification.
• The LEED system is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is found to be
one of the most popular green building certification that is used worldwide.
 • The LEED system is developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The LEED
rating system have a series of rating system for the design, operation, construction
and the maintenance of the green buildings.
• The main objective is the development of a structure that make the building owner
and the operator to be environmentally responsible and utilizes the resources
efficiently.

3. LEED Rating
• The LEED rating system is carried out based on points. These point values finally provide an
aggregate at the final stage. All the buildings are compared based on this aggregate
obtained.
• The LEED system comprises a combination of well discipline practices from the area of
architecture, interior design, engineering, landscaping architecture and construction.
• The LEED rating system is a combination of performance standards and prescriptive
standards. When considering the both aspects, the LEED system is more focused on the
performance standards.
• As mentioned before the LEED certification is gained based on the total points that is gained
by the building. There are different levels in which the LEED certification is awarded. They
are:

Certified: This means that the project under the LEED evaluation have scored more
than 40% of the basic points in the system.

Silver: This means the project under consideration have scored more than 50% of
the core points.

Gold: This means the building under consideration have gained more than 60% of
the core points.

Platinum: This is top level, where the building project have gained more than
80%of the core points.
4. ECBC