LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and indoor environmental quality—What about office acoustics?

Kevin M. Powell

doi:10.1121/1.4783383

Evaluating State-of-the-Art LEED-NCv4 in the U.S.

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app10030775 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 775

Author(s):

Pushkar

Keyword(s):

Environmental Quality ◽

State Of The Art ◽

Environmental Design ◽

The Other ◽

Indoor Environmental Quality ◽

Water Efficiency ◽

New Construction ◽

Almost All ◽

Very High ◽

The U.S

To date, no empirical evidence has been published on the certification achievements of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for New Construction (LEED-NCv4) projects. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the trends in LEED-NCv4 Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum projects in the U.S. Boxplots were used to measure the consistency of achievement points in categories; Cliff’s δ was used to measure the effect size between possible points and achieved points in categories and credits. The findings show that (1) the categories Sustainable Sites and Energy and Atmosphere were well designed, with consistency increasing from level to level and almost all their credits achieving low–very high points; (2) the categories Water Efficiency and Indoor Environmental Quality showed an average design, and certification levels were found to be inconsistent across the projects and only approximately half of the credits achieved medium or high points, whereas the other half achieved low points; and (3) the categories Location and Transportation and Materials and Resources were the worst designed, with four certification levels found to be inconsistent across the projects and most of the credits achieved low points.

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A Comparative Analysis of Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for New Construction 2009 Certified Projects in Finland, Sweden, Turkey, and Spain

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app8091496 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (9) ◽

pp. 1496 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Svetlana Pushkar

Keyword(s):

Comparative Analysis ◽

Environmental Quality ◽

Environmental Design ◽

Northern Europe ◽

Indoor Environmental Quality ◽

Southern Europe ◽

Water Efficiency ◽

European Regions ◽

New Construction ◽

The Difference

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is currently intensively applied in several European countries. The aims of the present study were to compare the difference between (i) two countries from the same region (i.e., Finland vs. Sweden or Turkey vs. Spain) and (ii) two European regions (northern Europe [Finland and Sweden] vs. [Turkey and Spain]) when the LEED- New Construction (NC) 2009 Certified rating level certified projects were analyzed. We found that, in the northern and southern parts of Europe, LEED- NC 2009 credit achievements in terms of Sustainable Sites (SS), Water Efficiency (WE), Materials and Resources (MR), and Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ) were similar, whereas credit achievements in Energy and Atmosphere (EA) were different. High achievements were revealed in WE and SS, with values of 80–100% and 70–75%, respectively; intermediate achievements were revealed in EQ, with values of 40–60%; and low achievements were revealed in MR (20–40%). EA achievements were intermediate (60–65%) in northern Europe, while they were low in southern Europe (40%). This evidence can help recognize the categories that are performed with a high number of points and those that are performed with a low number of points.

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INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY IN THE JORDANIAN CONTEXT: INFLUENCE ON OCCUPANTS’ SATISFACTION

Journal of Green Building ◽

10.3992/jgb.16.3.195 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 195-215

Author(s):

Hikmat H. Ali ◽

Sally A. Alazzeh ◽

Ahlam A. Sharif

Keyword(s):

Environmental Quality ◽

Environmental Design ◽

Local Context ◽

Subjective Perception ◽

Paired Comparisons ◽

Indoor Environmental Quality ◽

Rating Systems ◽

Level Of Satisfaction ◽

Mixed Approach

ABSTRACT The applicability of building rating systems has gained attention for achieving indoor environmental quality. Considering the wider internationalized recognition of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and other rating systems, the case of Jordan provides a sense of particularity in consideration to its rather recent history in acknowledging these progressive standards. Utilizing a mixed approach based on paired comparisons between local LEED and non-LEED certified buildings, this research paper explores the level of satisfaction pertaining to Indoor Environmental Quality of building occupants. While it touches on the generality of such satisfaction, it proceeds to unpack and investigate how it resonates with the sustainability of the building measured through various means. The research outcomes reflected an overall appeal of LEED certified buildings and a decent level of comfort of their dwellers. Yet, it conveyed a vague, rather sporadic relation when comparing the subjective perception to the objective measures due to multiple potential reasons. The paper concludes by stressing the need for further appropriation of international environmental codes to better suit the local context. It lays a reliable foundation for further research, utilizing more case studies and exploring the applicability of rating systems in Jordan.

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LEED-CIv4 Commercial Interiors: United States (2014–2019)

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12010069 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 69 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Svetlana Pushkar

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Interior Design ◽

Environmental Quality ◽

Effect Size ◽

Environmental Design ◽

Indoor Environmental Quality ◽

Water Efficiency ◽

Integrative Process ◽

Quality Categories ◽

Very High

This paper analyzes Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Interior Design and Construction: Commercial Interior (LEED-CIv4) projects, thereby presenting the first empirical evidence of these projects. The aim of the study was to reveal trends in Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum LEED-CIv4 US projects, certified in 2014–2019. The effect size between possible and achieved points in categories and credits was measured using Cliff’s δ. The following conclusions were drawn: (i) the Integrative Process, Innovation, and Regional Priority categories showed high achievements only in Platinum projects, so it is necessary to reconsider these categories toward increasing their acceptance at all certification levels; (ii) the Location and Transportation and Indoor Environmental Quality categories were quite well-designed because most credits in these categories showed varying levels of achievement (low/medium/high/very high) at all four certification levels; and (iii) the Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, and Material and Resources categories were badly designed because most credits there similarly showed low achievements at all four certification levels, thus needing more attention toward their improvement in the next LEED-CI version.

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