What is LEED certification?
LEED certification is an internationally recognized green building certification system that verifies that a building has been built and designed in an environmentally friendly manner. Specifically, the acronym LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
A LEED rating primarily addresses the environmental impact of buildings and secondarily considers the social impact related to sustainability. The main focus is on environmental issues. LEED certification is classified into different categories:
- Design and Construction of Buildings (BD+C): System for New Plant or Great Rehabilitations.
- Interior Design and Construction (ID+C): Valid system for the Implementation of Interiors; new or rehabilitations.
- Operation and Maintenance (O+M): System valid for Operation and Maintenance in Existing Buildings.
- Residential: Scheme for any type of housing development.
- Cities and Communities (CC): Valid regime for urban development.
It is a certification flexible enough to apply to all types of buildings, both commercial and residential. In addition to being able to apply to the entire life cycle of a building: design, construction, use and maintenance.
Constructions that have this certification are designed to reduce the waste generated and be more efficient and safer. Among its main characteristics is the reduction of harmful gas emissions that cause the greenhouse effect, saving water and energy.
Requirements for LEED certification
One of the fundamental questions is how to achieve LEED certification. According to the page of the Spain Green Building Council must follow certain steps to request and obtain this LEED certification.
- Eligibility: For a building to qualify for LEED certification, it must meet all of the sustainability and efficiency specifications required for a project. You can visit the manual prepared by the USGBC that includes the minimum requirements to obtain LEED certification.
- Registration: Once the project has been approved and the requirements have been verified, it is necessary to register on the official platforms that grant this certificate.
- Preparation of the application: It is essential that the architectural studio or the team of the project presented, collect all the information and make the pertinent calculations for each and every one of the credits that they want to present.
- Resolution of credits: For the resolution of interpretation of credits it is necessary to be part of the USGBC, SpainGBC or to be the administrator of a registered building with LEED certification.
- Presentation and review of the application: The project administrator will be in charge of presenting the application, since once registered they will have access to the review of the credits presented.
- LEED Certificate: When all steps are passed, you receive an official certificate and plaque to place on the building. In addition, the building that has obtained LEED certification may be included in the SpainGBC Online Directory and in the High-Performance Buildings Database of the US Ministry of Energy.
Pacheco architects committed to sustainability
Architects use LEED certification to contribute to the sustainability of the built environment. In other words, it is the way to promote the development of ecological buildings and spaces. At Pacheco Architects we have been building sustainably for more than 25 years. Our projects advance in the same way that the technology and materials we use to build efficient and environmentally friendly houses advance. We offer you advice without obligation and we invite you to visit the articles written by our professionals on topics related to efficiency in buildings and homes, such as:
- Guide on photovoltaic installation in a community of owners: Communities of owners can install solar panels and produce their own electricity. In addition, the Spanish government has recently changed the necessary majorities in the owners' meetings to facilitate the photovoltaic installation.
- Everything you need to know about thermal insulation in Spain 2022: The correct thermal insulation of a home or building will produce immediate energy savings and, therefore, immediate economic savings.
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