LEED Facilities: Going For The Gold, And Even Platinum

Consider this: Buildings are responsible for 39 percent of carbon dioxide emissions; they use 71 percent of the nation’s electricity; and they account for 70 percent of all landfill waste. But green buildings use less energy, water and natural resources; create less waste; and are healthier and more comfortable for occupants, according to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

Going ‘green’ has become the buzzword in these environmentally challenged times, but facility managers are taking the LEED and going for the gold, and even platinum.

LEED, which stands for the USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, is a framework aimed at designing and constructing energy-efficient buildings. Four levels of LEED certification are possible: certified, silver, gold and platinum, and are achieved by gaining points for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

Since its inception, the USGBC has reported more than 1,500 buildings that have achieved LEED certification, and more than 11,000 are currently seeking it.

But, the USGBC does plan to change its certification process. This measure will reorganize LEED’s commercial rating systems by consolidating, aligning and updating them into one system that’s “simpler and more elegant and committed to continuous improvement,” says USGBC spokeswoman Ashley Katz.

Titled LEED 2009, all commercial platforms will transition to a 100-point scale from the current 69-point scale, with a total of 110 points possible. The bonus credits include four regional ones that acknowledge the unique environmental challenges of different parts of the country.

On the performance side, LEED 2009 will increase the value of credits in the energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reductions categories to encourage facility managers to select more environmentally significant changes in lieu of less expensive fixes.

Jim Newman, owner/managing partner of Newman Consulting Group LLC, headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., has headed numerous LEED projects over the years. He says that while LEED certification is a time-consuming process with stringent requirements — expected to become more so with LEED 2009 — it is well worth the effort.

“In the long-term, LEED certification gives facility managers the policies and procedures, along with the knowledge, to keep a building running efficiently,” he says.

The following testimonials from LEED-EB (LEED for Existing Buildings) certified facilities highlight just how environmentally effective LEED certification can be.

LaSalle Bank Financial Center/Bank of America

This 499,000 square-foot building situated on a 26.6-acre site in Troy, Mich., was green before being “green” was cool. Architects built the current financial center of the Bank of America to exacting green standards in 1988. In fact, the structure received an energy award from the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) in 1991 and TOBY (The Office Building of the Year) awards in both 2002 and 2005. It just made sense to obtain LEED-EB certification, says Newman, administrator for the LaSalle Bank project.

The 20-year-old pyramidal-shaped building stands six levels above grade and one below, houses more than 1,000 bank employees and became one of the few buildings in the United States to reach LEED-EB gold certification.

The project replaced the facility’s existing roof with a “green” roof (a roof that is partially or completely covered with vegetation). It’s a worthwhile investment, says Newman, despite the fact it costs about 25 percent more. These roofs offer nearly twice the life of traditional roofs, as well as increase the insulation value of the roof and decrease the amount of rainwater that funnels into storm drains. Not only that, but being able to look out onto a green roof makes workers feel better and can boost their productivity, he adds.

Other decisions including reducing energy use, tighter procurement policies, and changes to operating and maintenance procedures were also incorporated into the project.

It is important to fully ascertain what the custodial staff is or is not doing as it pertains to green cleaning and requires more specific inquiries.

“What exactly are they doing? What products are they using? And how are they training their staff so that they know what green cleaning is and how to do it,” Newman asks.

He adds that training is the most important factor to inquire about.

“In green cleaning, you are using green products, and it’s not like ‘if a little is good, more is better,’ or that you can spray it on and wipe it off immediately,” he says. “Cleaning crews need to be trained in the proper techniques of green cleaning. If people don’t know how to use green products properly, they won’t get any benefit from them.”

In addition to incorporating products that use low volatile organic compounds (VOCs), this site has committed itself to purchasing recycled and environmentally preferred products, such as microfiber wipes; EPA-certified toilet tissue, seat covers and bathroom tissue; 80-percent recycled trash bags; and more.

But educating cleaning crews in green cleaning practices and using products made from recycled materials simply wasn’t enough. Project administrators also found that occupants of the building required education as well. Newman explains that people have been conditioned to believe that clean places smell like cleaning chemicals and must be told that these smells are unnecessary to prove an area is clean.

“It’s like the new car smell,” he says. “Everyone loves that smell, but it really isn’t good for you. It’s the same with bleaches and chemicals used in cleaning. Yeah, they kill the germs, but they may not be good for you to breathe and they are not good for the maintenance staff applying them.”

Capital Area East End Complex

This complex consists of five buildings, housing approximately 6,000 employees in 1.5 million square feet of office and retail space in downtown Sacramento, Cal. The six-story Department of Education building in this complex became the first California facility to earn a LEED-EB platinum rating, and the center’s four Department of Public Health/Health Care Services buildings represent one of the largest complexes in the United States to achieve LEED-EB gold certification.

The project began after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an executive order in December 2004 mandating that all buildings over 50,000 square feet obtain LEED-EB certification.

“In order to do that, we felt we needed to become our own experts in LEED-EB,” says Theresa Townsend, senior architect for the State of California and the California Department Generals Services’ Green Team.

Townsend adds that the education building — the greenest structure in the portfolio — was selected for the first project as it had already earned LEED gold certification for new construction.

“The building already had a lot of bells and whistles. It had a computer energy management system, a cool roof and solar panels,” she says. “We felt we could go after a platinum rating, which would allow us to learn as much as we could about all the credits in the LEED-EB rating system.”

Some of the project’s notable sustainable achievements include: Alternative transportation, which involved offering incentives to promote the use of mass transit, bicycles and alternative fuel vehicles; thermal comfort, which included an under-floor air distribution system; and green cleaning to help improve indoor air quality.

Townsend mentions that the building is now cleaned from top to bottom using a systems approach with each team member having a specialty rather than having crews clean floor by floor.

“This creates a team atmosphere, with people working together rather than on their own,” she says. “They clean the building on a timed, set path. Cleaners turn off lights as they go to save energy.” Green Seal chemicals and other environmentally friendly cleaning tools, such as microfiber and low-decibel equipment are used.

To help communicate their green efforts the State of California developed the California Best Practices Manual: Better Buildings for a Better Tomorrow, a set of guidelines that details how facilities can go about achieving LEED-EB certification. It can be viewed at www.green.ca.gov/GreenBuildings/bbbtmanual.htm.

King Street Center

King Street Center in Seattle, Wash., also has nabbed the gold for its environmentally sound practices. In 2004, this 327,000 square-foot building, home to 1,450 King County employees, became the first facility in the Pacific Northwest to receive this honor from the LEED-EB program.

The building, located in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood, achieved a gold rating for innovations that conserved water, reduced carbon dioxide emissions, saved energy and recycled waste. The building’s reclaimed water system saves more than 1 million gallons of potable water a year by using collected rainwater to flush toilets. Lighting systems that rely on natural light and HVAC systems helped save $100,000 over two years and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 22 to 30 percent. Its recycling program also diverts more than 60 percent of building waste from the landfill each year.

The building’s cleaning practices didn’t require much fine-tuning. According to Beth Humphreys, King County project program manager, management recognized early on that housekeeping chemicals can contaminate plumbing systems and indoor air quality and had switched to green cleaning chemicals prior to the project. The facility also purchases recycled paper towel and toilet paper, as well as biodegradable garbage bags.

To ensure custodians fully understand the green cleaning process, Francine Fielding, assistant property manager of Wright, Runstad & Company, who manages Kind Street Center, says the janitorial staff attends weekly training, which includes discussion of sustainable cleaning practices. In addition, she says the custodial supervisor monitors each custodian’s work to make sure they correctly utilize cleaning products and equipment.

The Metropolitan King County Council recently took an additional step to “stay green” as it “stays clean” by approving a measure to study the benefits of expanding its environmentally preferable purchasing program for cleaning methods and products.

The legislation, adopted by the council in June, directs the county executive to study the environmental, health and economic benefits of expanding the county’s environmentally preferable purchasing program to include cleaning products and cleaning methods. Places where these cleaning products and methods might be used include general office space, public restrooms, health and human service clinics, housing facilities and community centers.

“King County is a national leader in efforts for caring for our environment,” says the legislation’s prime sponsor, Councilmember Jane Hague. “This is yet another way we can lead by ensuring our ‘house’ is green cleaned.”

As time goes on and green initiatives become more main stream, cleaning managers will experience first-hand the benefits of green cleaning. Programs such as LEED will help in the crusade and assist in the implementation of environmental sustainability.

Leigh Hunt is a freelance writer based near Milwaukee, Wis.