Components of Sustainable Design and Construction 59

  Objective: Minimize environmental hazards, conserve environmental and

energy resources, minimize life cycle cost and liability of DOE programs,
and maximize operational capability by incorporating sustainable environ-
mental stewardship in the commissioning of site operations and facilities.
5. Goal: Protect the environment through postconsumer material recycling.
  Objective: Protect environmental resources, minimize life cycle cost of
DOE programs, and maximize operational capability by diverting mate-
rials suitable for reuse and recycling from landfills thereby minimizing
the economic and environmental impacts of waste disposal and long-
term monitoring and surveillance.
All project team members need to have a clear understanding of LEED
certification and the role it can play in improving property owners’ com-
petitive edge in an increasingly green market. Certification also gives inde-
pendent verification that a building has achieved accepted standards in these
areas, as outlined in the LEED Green Building Rating System. LEED cer-
tification of a project provides recognition of its quality and environmental
stewardship and is widely accepted and recognized by both the public and
private sectors, further fueling the demand for green building certification
systems, both in the United States and globally.
Since its inception in 1998, the LEED rating system has made significant
inroads into the mainstream design and construction industry, and con-
tractors and property developers are realizing that they too can contrib-
ute toward a project’s success in achieving green objectives. This would be
accomplished first by understanding the LEED process and the specific role
they can play in achieving LEED credits, and then, through early involve-
ment and participation throughout the different project phases by incorpo-
rating a team approach in an integrated design process.Though, measureable
benchmarks are required to achieve verification and confirm a building’s
acceptable performance. In this respect ASHRAE puts this responsibility
of defining design intent requirements squarely on the shoulders of the
owner. However, it is not possible to correctly evaluate a building or project,
unless certain relevant information is made available regarding the criteria
on which the project’s design and execution was based. A project’s plans
and specifications, etc. need, therefore, to be prepared in a manner that can
achieve measurable results. Otherwise a meaningful assessment to see if a
project has met the required results and original design intent is not pos-
sible. Moreover, before measureable green criteria can be established, it is
necessary to first agree on a finite definition of green construction and to
specify exactly what is required to be achieved.