24 Handbook of Green Building Design and Construction

makes NYC one of the first and largest school districts in the nation to have
sustainable guidelines stipulated by law. Local Law 86 (LL86) requires many
capital projects that involve building construction and receive city funds, to be
constructed in accordance with the standards of the national LEED, a green
building rating system developed by the USGBC.
The NYC Green Schools Guide was released in 2007 and updated in 2009.
This Guide focuses primarily on addressing IAQ, including addressing indoor
air contaminants, such as hazardous chemicals of concern associated with PVC
such as phthalates. The Guide states that schools should: “Reduce the quantity
of indoor air contaminants that are odorous, irritating and/or harmful to the
comfort and well being of installers and occupants.This credit is required for all
projects” and “Reduce exposure of building occupants to potentially hazard-
ous particulates and chemical pollutants.This credit is required for all projects.”
In this respect, Philadelphia has recently enacted a Green Roofs Tax Credit
for costs incurred by installing a roof that supports living vegetation. Likewise,
Philadelphia has proposed a sustainable zoning ordinance mandating the incor-
poration of green roofs for buildings that occupy a minimum of 90,000 square
feet (Fig. 1.2 www.facilities.upen.edu).

Figure 1.2 One of two University of Pennsylvania building projects that received
LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC): Wharton School’s
Steinberg-Dietrich Hall West Tower Entrance addition was opened in early 2013. The
project was designed by Kling Stubbins and was originally built to achieve LEED
Silver but exceeded that in its use of green features, having green roofs that man-
age stormwater runoff and reduce cooling loads and heat island effects, which utilize
high-performance building materials with high-efficiency mechanical, lighting, and
ventilation systems.