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LEED–PDRI FRAMEWORK FOR PRE-PROJECT PLANNING

OF SUSTAINABLE BUILDING PROJECTS
Gamini Weerasinghe,1 Karthik Soundararajan2 and Janaka Ruwanpura, Ph.D, PQS.3

ABSTRACT
Green buildings help in sustainability, in terms of achieving energy efficiency and minimizing the utilization of natu-
ral resources. Additional benefits include long-term sustainable building management and maintenance. There is, there-
fore, compelling motivation for the building of sustainable projects. This inspiration has led to the development of the
leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) rating systems and projects by the United States Green Build-

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ing Council and the Canadian Green Building Council. Proper building project management (BPM) of such projects
is warranted. Pre-project planning is a crucial part of BPM that ensures delivery and performance of construction proj-
ects. Pre-project planning is defined as the process that encompasses all the tasks between project initiation and detailed
design. There is a positive relationship between comprehensive pre-project planning and enhanced project performance.
Given the motivation for environmentally sustainable projects and proper management of constructing such projects,
diligent pre-project planning for such projects is required. This paper investigates the use of the LEED rating system in
pre-project planning of sustainable construction projects by developing a matrix that combines the LEED and the Pro-
ject Definition Rating Index (PDRI) developed by the Construction Industry Institute. The conceptual matrix and its
application to a case study demonstrates that the value of linking pre-project planning with LEED to improve the deci-
sion making process during planning and designing of building projects to improve sustainability.

INTRODUCTION execution of such projects. Best practices for building

Engineers, designers and project managers are pre-
vented from proactively adopting sustainable devel-
opment principles in project development and imple-
mentation, due to a lack of awareness of a project’s
societal and environmental impacts or the unavail-
ability of standardized procedures and techniques to
ascertain these impacts. Some of the current methods
to mitigate project impacts are: environmental impact
assessments, environmental management system, and
leadership in energy and environmental design
(LEED) certification systems. However, there are
challenges in managing and implementing these sys-
tems. The nature of sustainable projects necessitates
additional efforts during the planning, design, con-
struction and maintenance phases, resulting in in-
creased complexity during the planning, design and
project management (BPM) will ensure better project
planning and execution and also reveal the impor-
tance of thorough pre-project planning in ensuring
enhanced project performance. Therefore, there is a
necessity to develop best practices for BPM that aids
in comprehensive pre-project planning of these
unique projects. This paper investigates how LEED
aids in diligent pre-project planning of environmen-
tally sustainable projects.
The work presented in this paper begins by de-
scribing sustainable projects and the motivation for
such projects. An investigation of best practices in
BPM and what pre-project planning encompasses for
construction projects are described next. The LEED
rating system and the requirements for achieving
LEED certification for sustainable building projects is

1
Ph.D. Candidate, Project Management Specialization, Department of Civil Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, 2500, University
Drive NW, Calgary AB T2N 1N4, Tel: 403-220-6185, Fax: 403-282-7026, email: ugweeras@ucalgary.ca
2
Project Engineer, Onquest,Inc./Born Heaters Canada ULC, 3582-118th Avenue, S.E., Calgary, Alberta, T2Z 3X1. Tel: 618-8047,
e-mail: karthik_soundar@yahoo.com
3
Canada Research Chair in Project Management Systems, Director and Associate Professor, Project Management Specialization, Depart-
ment of Civil Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, 2500, University Drive NW, Calgary AB T2N 1N4, Tel: 403-220-6892, Fax:
403-282-7026, email: Janaka@ucalgary.ca (Corresponding Author)

Volume 2, Number 3 123

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briefly introduced. These steps form the background
of this paper and provided motivation for the re-
search, which is the investigation of how the LEED
rating system is complementary to pre-project plan-
ning of sustainable projects. The research methodol-
ogy undertaken for this project is outlined; and, the
challenges in pre-project planning of sustainable proj-
ects are described. A procedure is then proposed for
using the LEED rating system in conjunction with
the major steps of pre-project planning. The analysis,
design and demonstration of the proposed solution
reveal how the LEED rating system, along with the
project definition rating index [Cho and Gibson Jr.
(2001)], for buildings, aids in pre-project planning of
sustainable building projects. The paper concludes
with the findings and recommendations from the re-
search conducted.
BACKGROUND
“In the context of global population growth and the
earth’s finite resources, the way in which human be-
ings are sheltered is a major integral part of the imper-
ative to maintain a global environmental equilibrium”
[Klinker (2004)]. Truly sustainable construction sup-
ports human dignity, while minimizing negative im-
pacts on the natural environment. Appropriate con-
struction techniques can result in buildings that
mitigate environmental damage and, through proper
design, save energy by utilizing renewable resources.
The concept of green buildings offers alternatives on
dealing with sustainability and buildings and, at the
same time, meets occupants’ expectations in the levels
of comfort and quality.
Recent developments in this area have led to the
emergence of the LEED system, which was developed
by the United States Green Building Council
(USGBC) and the Canadian Green Building Council
(CaGBC). The LEED rating system was created to
transform the built environment towards sustainabil-
ity, by providing the building industry with consis-
tent, credible standards for what constitutes a green
building. It is the nationally accepted benchmark for
the design, construction and operation of high-per-
formance green buildings in the USA and Canada.
LEED helps to assess the environmental sustainabil-
ity of building designs [USGBC (2006)], thus pro-
viding motivation for sustainable development. This
inducement and the complexities associated with de-
124 Journal of Green Building
signing sustainable projects pose new challenges to
the project management of green building construc-
tion. There is, therefore, a need to develop best prac-
tices for BPM in the development of green building
projects.
Best Practices in BPM
Principles of management as applied for the success-
ful implementation of a building project constitutes
building project management, which is carried out
through pre-project planning, detailed design, con-
struction and startup phases of a project. Proper BPM
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is required to ensure successful project performance,
which is measured using the criteria that are of im-
portance to the client, namely time, cost and quality.
The goal of best practices in BPM to ensure that
building project delivery is 100% predictable in terms
of specified time, cost and quality. Ineffective BPM
practice would result in cost overruns, delays and
buildings of poor quality, thus making project deliv-
ery unpredictable.
“BPM has two principal purposes; first, to identify
the most appropriate project objective, typically ex-
pressed in relation to time, cost and quality, having
taken due cognizance of the project’s intended pur-
pose, its client and its environment. Second, the proj-
ect management must establish an organizational
structure which allows a project to be managed by its
agreed objectives with respect to its technology, its
contributors and the environment in which it takes
place” [Brown and Adams (2000)].
According to Barnes (1988), the analysis of the
process of cost control demonstrates that completing
within budget depends upon a combination of three
principal factors, which are: (i) a well developed abil-
ity to prompt control decisions, (ii) an ability to make
good cost forecasts, and (iii) an effective policy for
setting and controlling contingencies. All three fac-
tors are made easy to put into effect when decisions
are made early.
Time management involves having a proper pro-
gram in place and determining what tasks lie ahead.
The decisions on the tasks that lie ahead must be
taken by using a forecast of the time effect of the op-
tion on which a choice is to be made. Tasks must be
controlled with tight contingencies with possible
floats to deal with uncertainties, and the progress on
remaining activities must be tracked and managed.
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Quality management involves having a proper
specification and carefully making the arrangements
for working to it. Quality is to be managed, much
like cost and time management, and applied across all
project interfaces. It is essential to ensure that all par-
ticipants are subject to the project quality policy and
procedures [Dingle (1997)].
Similarly, BPM best practices during the briefing,
design, construction and commissioning stages in-
volve proper design management through design con-
trol, cost control during the design stage, financial
control during construction, and proper policies for
dealing with new instructions and unexpected events.
During the design stage, specific design decisions
must be taken regarding the performance, cost and
time forecasts for the project. The management of the
design process itself, especially when several design
agencies are involved, is crucial for the success of the
project since effective exchange of information pre-
vents unnecessary delays. Further, “continuous refer-
ence should be made to the performance objectives
set for the project and the quality standards of the
components which these imply.” [Barnes (1988)]
As most of the decisions affecting the cost of the
project are made during the design stage, the estab-
lishment of effective cost control during this stage is
important. The cost implications of each design deci-
sion must be continually compared with the budget
to assess the decision’s effects during construction.
The establishment of a proper monitoring and feed-
back mechanism will allow key personnel to compare
the initial projections during implementation. It will
also serve to monitor the performance of members of
the team [Pinto et al. (1998)). During the construc-
tion stage, financial control can be achieved by mini-
mizing significant changes and the occurrence of un-
expected events. This can be achieved by the
application of procedures that monitor expenditures
and performance against the progress of the project
with the estimated completion, in order to measure
variances from authorized budgets and allow for ef-
fective action to be taken to achieve minimal costs
[Martin, (1992)].
Importance of Planning
and Pre-Project Planning
The aforementioned BPM best practices are decisive
in the management of sustainable projects. Pre-proj-
Volume 2, Number 3
ect planning forms the core of these practices and,
therefore, plays a vital role in project performance.
Pre-project planning establishes what is to be done
and paves the way to make it happen. It is an impor-
tant facet of planning, which reduces uncertainty and
improves efficiency. Once the work to be done and
the resource needs are defined, it is possible to sched-
ule the work to take advantage of resource availability
and in parallel rather than in series. Thus, it is possi-
ble to maximize the use of resources and complete the
project work in less time than alternative approaches.
Pre-project planning also provides a basis for measur-
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ing work planned against work performed [Wysocki
et al. (1995)].
Previous research has shown the importance of
pre-project planning on capital projects and its influ-
ence on project success. Research results show that ef-
fective pre-project planning on building projects leads
to improved performance in terms of cost, scheduling
and operational characteristics. Specifically, a research
study that categorized 53 capital facility projects into
three different intensities of pre-project planning ef-
forts and compared the total potential cost and sched-
ule performance differences as follows [Cho and Gib-
son Jr. (2001)]:
• A 20% cost savings with a high level of pre-proj-
ect planning effort
• A 39% schedule savings with a high level of pre-
project planning effort
Success during the design, execution and startup
phases of the project depends highly on the level of
effort expended during the scope definition stages of
pre-project planning [Gibson Jr. et al. (2006)]. Thor-
ough pre-project planning also reduces change orders
and rework costs. Studies have also shown that, when
prioritizing the contribution of capital to reduce re-
work, the major root causes for such rework were
identified as: errors and omissions in engineering
work packages, late design changes, document con-
trol, and scope changes. Proper pre-project planning
can minimize the errors due to rework, as docu-
mented by Ruwanpura et al. (2003). The additional
efforts and complexities associated with sustainable
projects makes the importance of pre-project plan-
ning even more pronounced. This raises the question
of what comprises a thorough pre-project planning,
particularly for sustainable BPM.
125
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PDRI and Thorough Pre-Project Planning
Pre-project planning is defined as the process that
encompasses all the tasks between project initiation
and the beginning of the detailed design. It could be
summarized into four major steps: (i) organizing for
pre-project planning, (ii) selecting project alterna-
tives, (iii) detailed scope definition, and (iv) deciding
whether to proceed with the detailed design [Gibson
Jr. et al. (2001)].
The development of the project’s scope definition
is one of the major tasks in the pre-project planning
process. Research has been performed with the objec-
tive of developing effective and easy-to-use pre-project
planning management tools. This effort has led to the
development of the project definition rating index
(PDRI), a scope definition tool by the Construction
Industry Institute [Cho and Gibson Jr. (2001)]. PDRI
is a weighted matrix with scope definition elements
grouped into categories and further summarized into
main sections. The PDRI allows for the quantification
of the completeness of the project’s scope definition.
PDRIs for both industrial construction and build-
ing projects were developed to aid in pre-project plan-
ning [Cho and Gibson Jr. (2001)]. PDRI-buildings
consists of 64 scope definition elements in a weighted
checklist format, which are grouped into 11 cate-
gories and further summarized into three sections.
There are 37 detailed descriptions that define the 64
scope definition elements. Table 1 is an illustration of
the PDRI-buildings score sheet for category D: site
information. The maximum score is 1000 points, and
a lower score represents a more complete scope defi-
nition. Project performance and PDRI data collected
from sample projects show that the PDRI score and
project success are statistically related; that is, the
lower the PDRI score is, the better the project per-
formance [Gibson Jr. et al. (2006)].
The planning process is iterative in nature, and
any changes that occur in assumptions or planning
need to be resolved with earlier planning decisions.
Therefore, PDRI can be used as an effective tool that
allows a planning team to assess the probability of
achieving project objectives during pre-project plan-
ning. However, PDRI alone does not guarantee en-
hanced project performance, but should be coupled
with sound business planning, alignment and good
project execution, in order to achieve project objec-
tives [Cho and Gibson Jr. (2001)].
126 Journal of Green Building
Thorough pre-project planning must include sys-
tems and procedures that encompass the following
recommendations for project management profes-
sionals, according to [Gibson Jr. et al (2006)]:
• Commitment to follow a standardized pre-project
planning process using experienced, technically
proficient personnel, with the facility owner organ-
ization being integrally involved in the process.
• Ensure that the project team is pursuing the
‘right’ project in its work and that the project is
aligned with business drivers. An understanding
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of organizational behavior, as well as sound tech-
nical skills and business acumen, are critical at
this stage for successful planners.
• Generating of the ‘right work product’. Studies
must be performed and scope definition docu-
ments prepared, in order to facilitate a smooth
transition from planning to design and construc-
tion. Using a PDRI checklist, or other planning
tools, is essential to ensuring that the critical
project scope risk issues are addressed.
• Choosing the ‘right approach’ to project execution
during pre-project planning. This task involves
setting adequate cost and schedule baselines,
choosing the right contracting strategy, focusing
on the procurement process for long-lead items,
and setting up a project control system.
These recommendations are even more impor-
tant for sustainable projects, due to the complexities
involved in such projects. Therefore, a logical struc-
ture/system is needed that aids in detailing the scope
definition and checklist assessments and, perhaps, in
developing a unique, effective and easy-to-use pre-
project planning tool for sustainable projects. A sys-
tem that fulfills this objective and assists in the
process is the LEED rating system developed by the
United States Green Building Council. A discussion
of this system follows.
LEED Rating System
LEED green building rating system was originally de-
veloped by the United States Green Building Council
(USGBC) to provide a recognized standard for the con-
struction industry to assess the environmental sustain-
ability of building designs. The Canadian Green Build-
ing Council (CaGBC) has since adopted the USGBC’s
LEED rating system to meet the requirements of build-
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ings in Canada. LEED is now the nationally accepted
benchmark for the design, construction and operation
of high-performance green buildings.
The LEED rating system consists of specific
guidelines within the 6 categories that entail specifics
of green building design requirements. In addition to
the guidelines, LEED consists of checklists for each
category. A sample checklist for the Materials and Re-
sources category is illustrated in Table 2.
A total of 70 points can be achieved by adhering
to the above mentioned six performance categories
and there are four performance ratings that a building
can achieve according to the points scored on the rat-
ing system. They are, Platinum (52 points or more),
Gold (39 to 51 points), Silver (33 to 38 points) and
Certified (26 to 32 points).
The costs of LEED buildings have been compared
to similar structures that do not have sustainability

TABLE 1. Example PDRI-buildings score sheet for category D [Cho and Gibson Jr. (2001)].

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TABLE 2. LEED checklist for the materials and resources category [CaGBC (2006)].

Volume 2, Number 3 127

JGB_Sum07_b05_ruwanpura.qxd 9/25/07 10:55 AM Page 128
goals. The previous studies show that the cost varia-
tion varies greatly due to many factors and types of
buildings. There are so many dynamic variables that
make it difficult to quantify exactly how much more
a LEED project would cost (Da Silva and Ruwan-
pura, 2007). Some studies show that LEED buildings
cost 10% to 25% more than conventional construc-
tion (Reed, 2003). This may be due to lack of inte-
gration of LEED credits with each other at the plan-
ning and design stages. In general, it is believed that if
a team effectively integrates design expertise, project
teams can achieve LEED certifications at 1% to 6.5%
higher costs than comparable projects without sus-
tainable goals (Syphers et al, 2003). Of course, one
can spend significantly more if the credits being
sought are not able to be optimized as a result of ex-
ternal conditions (Reed, 2003). This shows that there
are several project management related issues for de-
signing and implementing LEED projects. The
sources of the cost increase, great or small must be
identified and mitigated at the pre-project planning
stage. Dynamic Schedules are also required to make
sure that LEED aspects are properly identified and in-
corporated. It is assumed that the percentages of cost
increase can then in turn be reduced while developing
project management best practices to LEED projects.
Research Objective
The identification of sustainability goals during the
preplanning stage ensures scope definition for green
buildings. The criteria for achieving sustainability
goals and making design decisions have to be taken
into consideration while planning green building
projects. In the absence of LEED, attempts to make
building designs green during the detailed design
stage, or afterwards, are known to be expensive exer-
cises or even failures as outlined above. The absence
of proper guidelines and of the means to verify or
quantify whether or not a building has achieved sus-
tainability have been major challenges faced by de-
signers. The PDRI-buildings tool, though providing
a good framework for the planning of building proj-
ects, does not specifically address the goals of green
buildings or the criteria for attaining them, and does
not assist in design decisions.
Although PDRI-buildings follow a standardized
pre-project planning process, it does not necessarily
ensure a standardized basis for sustainable design;
128 Journal of Green Building
and, it does not provide clarity and visibility on sus-
tainable requirements and design decisions for clients.
This paper investigates how the LEED rating system
alleviates these deficiencies.
As such, the main research objective of this paper
is to investigate into how the LEED rating system
aids in comprehensive pre-project planning of sus-
tainable projects. This objective is expected to be
achieved through identification of contributions
made to project scope definition—measured using
PDRI-building tool—by LEED rating system.
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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The study has been conducted as a single case study
research, so as to provide in-depth investigation. In
selecting the case, an “exemplary” case, defined by Yin
(2003) as a case reflecting strong, positive examples of
the phenomenon of interest has been given prece-
dence. The important criteria in selecting the case is
that it should altogether add up to as many LEED
credits as possible. As such, a LEED project with a
high rating had been selected as the case.
The research methodology for this investigation
comprises of the following steps:
1. Each LEED credit is analyzed to determine the
sustainable requirements and when, during pre-
project planning, the appropriate decisions need to
be made. These decisions are presented in a matrix
to determine the relationship between LEED and
PDRI-buildings decisions. This matrix, in con-
junction with PDRI and the LEED rating system,
provides a logical and consistent framework detail-
ing the scope definition of green buildings.
2. Then the scope definition, aided by this frame-
work, is explained in detail for section II: basis of
design of PDRI-buildings. This section has been
chosen for detailing, due to its significance in
PDRI-buildings scores and green building design
decisions. Section II accounts for 42.8% of the
1000 points of PDRI-buildings.
3. This procedure is demonstrated with a case study,
which forms the basis for a comprehensive pre-
project planning of sustainable projects.
ANALYSIS
Detailed information on the PDRI-buildings tool
and the LEED rating system can be obtained from
[Cho and Gibson Jr. (2001)] and [CaGBC (2004)].
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From the analysis of these systems, Table 3 has been
devised to illustrate the proposed incorporation of the
green building decisions under project life cycle and
the scope definition of PDRI-buildings. The boxes
marked ‘X’ represent the LEED related decisions cor-
responding to PDRI-buildings and pre-project plan-
ning, as well as the execution phase of a project.
LEED Credits and Section II
of PDRI-Buildings Framework
This section explains in detail the matrix presented in
Table 4 for section II: basis of design of PDRI-build-
ings, providing insight into how the framework aids
in scope definition and thorough pre-project plan-
ning. This section of PDRI is comprised of four
major categories, namely: site information, building
programming, building/project design parameters,
and equipment. These major categories with their
scope definition elements are found in Appendix 1.
The analysis of LEED’s sustainable sites category and
its credit ratings, follows.
a) Erosion and sedimentation control: design of a
sediment and erosion control plan specific to the
site, to reduce negative impacts on water and air
quality. This credit entails decisions under the
scope definition elements D2, D8 and F1 of
PDRI. The LEED requirement to adhere to ero-
sion and sedimentation and control standards re-
quires decisions under D4.
b) Redevelopment of contaminated sites: develop-
ment and implementation of a site remediation
plan, and an environmental assessment for con-
taminated sites. The decision for this credit can
be made under D2 and D5 of PDRI.
c) Public transportation access: performing a trans-
portation survey of future building occupants to
identify their transportation needs, so that the
building can be sited near mass transit. This
credit requires decisions under D1, D2 and F2
of PDRI.
d) Bicycle storage and changing rooms: incorpora-
tion of transportation amenities, such as bicycle
racks, assists in reducing pollution from automo-
bile use within the building. The decision regard-
ing this credit is made under E2, E3 and E7.
e) Hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles: provision of
transportation amenities, such as refuelling sta-
tions for alternative fuel vehicles and provision of
Volume 2, Number 3
parking facilities for fuel-efficient vehicles. The
decision regarding this credit is made under E2.
f ) Parking capacity: minimizing parking lot/garage
sizes to meet local zoning requirements and shar-
ing parking facilities with adjacent buildings re-
quires decisions under D1, E1 and E9.
g) Protect or restore open space: selection of a suit-
able building location and design the building
with a minimal footprint to minimize site disrup-
tion and to conserve existing natural areas re-
quires decisions under D1, D2 and E6.
h) Development footprint: reduction of the devel-
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opment footprint to exceed the local zoning’s
open space requirement for the site by 25%, after
performing a site survey to identify important
site elements. It requires decisions under D1, D2
and E6.
i) Storm water management rate and quantity:
managing storm water runoff by maintaining
natural storm water flows and reusing storm
water for non-potable uses, such as landscape irri-
gation, toilets and urinals. This requires decisions
under D2, D8 and F1.
j) Storm water management treatment: designing
mechanical or natural treatment systems to limit
disruption of natural water flow by eliminating
storm water runoff. Decisions have to be made
under D2, D8 and F1.
k) Heat island effect non-roof: shading constructed
surfaces on the site with landscape features to re-
duce heat islands and minimize impact on micro-
climate, and on human and wildlife habitat. A
decision is required under F1.
l) Heat island effect roof: installing high emissivity
roofing for a minimum of 75% of the roof ’s sur-
face, or installing a green (vegetated) roof for at
least 50% of the roof area, to reduce heat island
effects from roof. It requires decisions under E10,
F2 and and F8.
m)Light pollution reduction: adoption of site light-
ing criteria to maintain safe light levels, while
avoiding offsite lighting and night sky pollution.
Such elimination of light trespass from the build-
ing and the site can be achieved through deci-
sions under F5.
This detailed analysis for all the LEED require-
ments is presented in Table 4. This table illustrates
all the sustainable requirements of the LEED rating
129
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TABLE 3. Project Life Cycle with PDRI-buildings & LEED matrix.

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130 Journal of Green Building

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TABLE 3. Project Life Cycle with PDRI-buildings & LEED matrix (continued).

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Volume 2, Number 3 131

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TABLE 3. Project Life Cycle with PDRI-buildings & LEED matrix (continued).
system pertaining to section II of PDRI-buildings.
Each sustainable requirement has been analyzed,
and the PDRI scope definition elements correspon-
ding to these requirements have been identified.
This analysis signifies that, while performing the
scope definition using the PDRI-buildings tool, the
LEED rating system aids in consistently detailing the
scope definition of green buildings. A published case
study, the Operations Centre for the Gulf Island Na-
tional Park in Sidney, BC [Gulf Island Project
(2006)], has been used to illustrate this framework.
The Gulf Island National Park Reserve was estab-
lished on May 9th, 2003 to protect the ecological in-
tegrity of a representative portion of the Strait of
Georgia Lowlands natural region. It is the first new
national park reserve of the twenty-first century and
132 Journal of Green Building
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includes thirty-five square kilometers of land and in-
tertidal area, spread over 15 islands and numerous
islets and reefs and approximately twenty-six square
kilometers of marine areas.
The design and construction of an operations cen-
tre for this new national park presented Parks Canada
with an opportunity to develop an environmentally
friendly facility. With its successful completion, this
building was the first to be awarded the LEED Canada
for New Construction Platinum rating for its vision
and achievement. The operations centre of the Gulf
Island National Park Reserve demonstrates how the
framework presented in this paper can aid in compre-
hensive pre-project planning of a sustainable building
project. For this case study, the devised framework was
applied to the basis of design section of PDRI.
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TABLE 4. PDRI-buildings for section II, basis of design and LEED.

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TABLE 4. PDRI-buildings for section II, basis of design and LEED (continued).

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TABLE 4. PDRI-buildings for section II, basis of design and LEED (continued).

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During the pre-project planning stages, the design
for what is to be built or done is clearly one of the
most critical decisions of the project; and, it covers
several stages of the overall project life cycle. Design
begins at the very early stages in life cycle. Early de-
sign work involves defining the client requirements
and investigating them within the context of the
overall project strategy. Even at the feasibility stage,
different configurations/alternatives will be developed
and explored. It involves not just shape or aesthetics
but also choice and management of technology, in-
cluding technical risk management, selection of ma-
terials and systems, and so forth [Morris (1998)].
The sustainable design vision for the operations
centre was to demonstrate how, in the isolated island
ecology of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, a
building can be designed to respond to its site and en-
vironment, in order to minimize dependence on out-
side sources of energy and its impact on the environ-
ment. Section II of PDRI-buildings, in conjunction
with the LEED credit ratings for the operations cen-
tre, are as follows [Gulf Island Project (2006)]:
a) Erosion and sedimentation control: strict erosion
and sedimentation control measures were fol-
lowed throughout the construction process, as
the prevention of damage to the existing shore-
line and marine habitat was a priority for Parks
Canada. This required the analysis of site condi-
tions through site surveys (D2 of PDRI-build-
ings), special water treatment requirements (D8),
design of a sediment and erosion control plan,
and the incorporation of the appropriate civil/site
design parameters (F1). The plan had to conform
to the necessary standards and codes for erosion
and sedimentation (D4).
b) Redevelopment of contaminated sites: contami-
nated material discovered on the site was re-
moved, in accordance with federal standards and
procedures. This credit was achieved after the site
survey (D2) and environmental assessment (D5).
c) Public transportation access: the building was lo-
cated close to public transit (D1) to reduce pollu-
tion from automobile use. This objective was
achieved after performing a transportation survey
of future building occupants to identify their
needs (D2). This decision had an effect in the ar-
chitectural design as well (F2).
136 Journal of Green Building
d) Bicycle storage and changing rooms: bicycle racks
and showers have been provided for staff use (E2
and E3) and accommodate five percent of the
building use. These facilities were integrated with
the overall design of the building (E7).
e) Hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles: Parks
Canada has invested in a hybrid vehicle to reduce
its consumption of fossil fuels, which will help in
reducing pollution from automobile use (E2).
f ) Development footprint: the new facility is lo-
cated on the waterfront at the rear of the prop-
erty. This location was selected after performing a
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site survey to identify site elements and after the
preparation of a master plan for the development
of the project site (D1 and D2). By adapting this
strategy, the building was designed with a mini-
mal footprint to minimize site disruption (E6).
g) Storm water management rate and quantity: rain-
water falling on the roof is collected and stored
for non-potable uses, such as in flushing toilets
and washing equipment (D8). This was achieved
after a site survey to determine natural storm
water flows (D2) and the preparation of necessary
site development drawings (F1).
h) Storm water management treatment: Before dis-
charging rainwater into the ocean, sediments and
oils are removed (D8). This credit was obtained
after a site survey to determine site conditions
(D2) and the adoption of a site development plan
(F1).
i) Heat island effect non-roof: The site is land-
scaped with drought resistant planting, so as to
shade constructed surfaces on the site and mini-
mize the overall building footprint. This strategy
helps in reducing heat islands and in minimizing
impact on microclimate and human and wildlife
habitat. The landscape design for the site indi-
cated the planting plan (F1).
j) Light pollution reduction: this credit requires
elimination of light trespass from the building
and site. In this facility, all exterior lights do not
allow light to shine upwards and restrict lighting
to prevent trespass across property lines (F5).
This detailed analysis of the LEED requirements
for this case study are presented in Table 5 (Project
Life Cycle with PDRI-buildings & LEED for Gulf Is-
land Park Operations Centre) and Table 6 (PDRI-
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TABLE 5. Project Life Cycle with PDRI-buildings & LEED for Gulf Island Park Operations Centre.

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TABLE 5. Project Life Cycle with PDRI-buildings & LEED for Gulf Island Park Operations Centre (continued).

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TABLE 5. Project Life Cycle with PDRI-buildings & LEED for Gulf Island Park Operations Centre (continued).
buildings for section II, basis of design and LEED for
Gulf Island Park Operations Centre). These two ta-
bles illustrate all the sustainable requirements of the
LEED rating system pertaining to project life cycle
and specifically section II of PDRI-buildings .
This study demonstrates the use of the LEED
credit rating system in describing the scope definition
of the Gulf Island National Park project. The frame-
work guides the design decisions and aids in detailing
the PDRI-buildings scope definition.
CONCLUSIONS
This paper explains how the LEED rating system aids
in identifying the scope definition of PDRI-build-
ings. Furthermore, LEED aids in the thorough pre-
project planning of sustainable building projects,
since it alleviates the deficiencies of PDRI-buildings.
The LEED rating system provides a standardized pre-
project planning process, which allows for increased
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clarity and improves owner involvement. The rating
system ensures that the ‘right’ project is pursued in
proper alignment with the business drivers. The
framework presented in this paper generates the ‘right
work product’, as it aids in a detailed scope definition
that facilitates a smooth transition from planning to
design and construction. The process reduces uncer-
tainty, thus reducing risks associated with the project.
The pre-project planning facilitated by this frame-
work allows the project managers to set adequate cost
and schedule baselines and helps ascertain procure-
ment requirements. The framework forms a coherent
baseline for project control.
Furthermore, the LEED rating system aids in
quality assurance and facilitates quality management,
as it offers four levels of green building certifications.
LEED helps early decision-making, since it provides
visibility of project requirements. This, in turn, may
reduce change orders, as it provides a good plan in
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TABLE 6. PDRI-buildings for section II, basis of design and LEED for Gulf Island Park Operations Centre.

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TABLE 6. PDRI-buildings for section II, basis of design and LEED for Gulf Island Park Operations Centre (continued).

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TABLE 6. PDRI-buildings for section II, basis of design and LEED for Gulf Island Park Operations Centre (continued).
working towards specifications. The LEED-PDRI
framework organizes design decisions and the associ-
ated requirements. It also aids in the overall pre-con-
struction planning process for the principal contrac-
tor. Therefore, from the research findings in the area
of PPP and from the framework presented in this
paper, it is established that the two systems, the
LEED rating system and PDRI-buildings, comple-
ment each other; and, their amalgamation forms a
comprehensive framework for pre-project planning of
sustainable projects. The framework presented in this
paper also forms the basis for the development of
PDRI-green buildings, i.e. a scope definition tool
customized for sustainable projects.
PDRI is a systematic tool for best practices in pre-
project planning, which is one of the major stages
within the project life cycle. However, integration of
142 Journal of Green Building
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PDRI with LEED is just one step in the intensive
process of ensuring project success. Overall success of
LEED building projects requires the investigation of
how all the phases of BPM can complement LEED
requirements, which can be accomplished by scruti-
nizing the BPM process in detail. Such investigation
will open up numerous avenues for further research
in the incorporation of LEED with BPM. For exam-
ple, providing for the LEED standards in bidding
documents would entail several research studies based
on the type of contract to be adopted. The same can
be done for every stage of the project management
life cycle.
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