LEED & Building Commissioning

1. LEED & Building Commissioning A how to for the process, development & integration of designers, consultants & trades into a LEED Project

2. Introductions • Bill Doty • Principal – LEED AP, AIA • JerimiahLuckett • Sustainability Specialist – LEED AP

3. Early Beginnings

4. William A. Doty, LEED AP • Cleveland Green Building Coalition • US Green Building Council • Earthday Coalition, Past President • Green Energy Ohio, Chairman Solar Energy Committee • Entrepreneurs for Sustainability • Past Chairman of the Board • Board of Trustees • CCC Sustainable Curriculum Development Committee • Habitat for Humanity, Advisory Board • Green Contractors, Advisory Board

5. Jerimiah Luckett, LEED AP • Masters Degree in Environmental Studies, Real Estate Development & Finance from Cleveland State University • Focused predominantly on Green Building Promotion, Development & Financing • Currently has 15 LEED Registered projects • Currently consulting on over 30 sustainable, green and LEED jobs including: • Schools, Office Buildings, College Buildings, YMCA’s, City Buildings, Zoos and etc… • Providing consulting services to a variety of clients including: • Institutions, Non-profits, Private Owners, Architects, Construction Mangers, Contractors

6. Sustainable Development • “Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” Term coined from “Our Common Future” World Commission on Environment and Development The 1987 Brundtland Commission

7. Sustainable Design • “The process of sustainable or healthy, high performance or green design involves a universal integrated approach to solving the needs of the built environment while conserving energy and natural resources, and promoting community, history, and the environment for all time”

8. Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies in five categories: Sustainable Site Development Water Savings Energy Efficiency Materials & Resources Selection & Indoor Environmental Quality

9. What is LEED v3 or LEED 2009? • LEED v3 is the next version of the LEED green building certification system released by the USGBC. • LEED v3 builds on the fundamentals of the current rating system, but provides a new structure, new technology and new focus on key priorities like energy use and the carbon footprint. • Entails new credit weightings, alignment & harmonization of credit values across multiple previous rating systems & regionalization specific credits.

11. NEW OLD VS

12. Key Improvements of LEED v3 • Consolidation of the many (9) various reference guides into three main reference guides • A faster more intuitive LEED Online • Point weightings to reflect priority credits that inherently have a more sustainable impact • Regionalization to allow each different project to achieve additional points for incentivizing key concerns for their projects location

13. Other Key Changes • The USGBC has created a sister organization called the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). • The USGBC will no longer take on the responsibility of certifying individual projects, this will now be the role of the GBCI. • Involvement of third party verification and certification bodies (10 organizations in total) will assist and expedite the review of LEED project submissions. • New “Minimum Project Requirements” which include: • Compliance with all Environmental Laws • Complete, Permanent Building or Space • Reasonable and Realistic Site Boundaries • Minimum Floor Area Requirements • Minimum Occupancy Rates • Commitment to Sharing Whole-Building Energy & Water Usage Data & • Minimum Building Area to Site Area Ratio

14. Regional Priority Credits in LEED v3 • Every project zip code will have a somewhat unique set of 4 Regional Priority Credits (RPC’s) • RPC’s are not new credits, but rather existing credits that local USGBC chapters and regional councils have designated as being particularly important for that area. • The incentive to achieve the regional priority credits is a bonus point toward the projects total points. • Every project zip code will have 6 possible RPC’s of which the team can achieve 4 bonus points. • Vicinities tend to be similar, region gaps have larger variation • Examples: • 44106 (Cleveland) • Stormwater Quantity, Stormwater Quality, Innovative Wastewater Tech, Onsite Renewable Energy, CWM & Rapidly Renewable Materials • 44035 (Elyria) • Brownfield Redevelopment replaces Stormwater Quantity above, the rest remain the same • 02116 (Boston, MA) • Brownfield Redevelopment, Stormwater Quantity, Heat Island Effect: Roof & Non-Roof, On-site Renewable Energy, Building Reuse

15. Commissioning as Part of the Design Process Incorporating and utilizing expertise early in the design and development process can lead to higher efficiencies and fewer design errors

16. Commissioning, cont’d • ASHRAE defines commissioning as: • “the process of ensuring building systems are designed, installed, functionally tested and capable of being operated and maintained to perform in conformity with the design intent.” • GSA utilizes a Total Building Commissioning Process and defines TBC as: • “the process for achieving, validating and documenting that the performance of the total building and its systems meet the design intent and requirements of the owner.” • Commissioning should be performed by an objective, independent third party. • The commissioning authority must be an advocate of the building owner. • If the commissioning authority has additional project responsibilities, or is not directly responsible to the owner, a conflict of interest can develop. http://www.closerlookinspection.com/commissioning.htm

17. Commissioning, cont’d • Discovering these deficiencies and correcting them on a proactive basis reduces the overall cost of operating and maintaining the building. • This costs savings is achieved through energy efficiency, reduced liabilities, longer life cycles for systems and higher productivity. • Many building owners look only at initial costs but this can be costly. • Once the building is in operation, many of the problems which should have been detected, diagnosed and corrected during design and construction have become a major failure and may involve damaged building components, litigation, increased insurance costs, etc. http://www.closerlookinspection.com/commissioning.htm

18. Commissioning, cont’d • The Commissioning Process begins at project inception during the Pre-Design Phase and continues for the life of the facility through the Occupancy and Operations Phase. • During the Pre-Design Phase, the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR) are determined and documented by the Commissioning Team, which includes the Owner, Commissioning Authority (CxA), design professionals, operation and maintenance personnel, occupants, and users. • Throughout each phase of the project, deliverables (drawings, specifications, submittals, construction, training, documentation, etc.) are verified against the OPR. http://www.closerlookinspection.com/commissioning.htm

19. Fundamental Commissioning Design & CD Requirements Post Construction Requirements • Engage a commissioning authority • Develop the design intent and basis of design • Include commissioning requirements in the construction documents • Develop and utilize a commissioning plan • Verify installation, functional performance, training and documentation • Complete a commissioning report http://www.closerlookinspection.com/commissioning.htm

20. Enhanced Commissioning Design & CD Requirements Post Construction Requirements • All items required in Fundamental requirements as well as: • Conduct a focused review of the design prior to the construction-documents phase • Conduct a focused review of the construction documents when close to completion • All items required in Fundamental requirements as well as: • Conduct a selective review of contractor submittals of commissioned equipment • Develop a recommissioning-system-and-energy-management manual • Have a contract in place for a near-warranty-end and post-occupancy review http://www.closerlookinspection.com/commissioning.htm

21. Three Key Myths of Commissioning • That commissioning can fix a bad design • That commissioning can solve problems with unscrupulous contractors • That if construction documents are precisely followed, systems will work well when installed http://www.closerlookinspection.com/commissioning.htm

22. The LEED Consulting and Review Process From project inception to project completion there should be a complete and integrated process of design and decision making and the LEED goals of the project. It is never by accident that one will end up with a LEED certifiable building, nor is it easy in any way to take a project that is half way or further into design and construction documents and decide that LEED should now be a project goal and to expect the conversion process to be a simple one. By phase we will now provide an outline for the review and coordination process that Doty & Miller utilizes to guide projects that are intended to be LEED certified to their goal certification.

23. Phase 1: Scope Development & LEED Feasibility • Facilitate LEED design charrette/kick-off with design team members to discuss various sustainable design options, features and requirements. • Review requirements of “LEED NC v2.2 OR v3” (as of June 27th only LEED v3 will remain) to determine which points are available to the project based on integrated design team discussions. • Identify unique features of the project to establish if there are sustainable opportunities available to be explored or developed further. • Review preliminary design drawings as available.

24. Phase 1: Scope Development & LEED Feasibility • Prepare an SD report of green building strategies integrated into the project to determine compliance with selected LEED points identified during the LEED kick-off and based on the SD drawings and specs. • Based on the report attend follow up meeting and / or provide additional consultation regarding the further development and interpretation of requirements into design team members responsibilities. • Obtain proposals, review and select consultants for the following services: Building Commissioning, Energy Modeling and Measurement and Verification (if desired by Client).

25. Phase 2: Construction Document Implementation • Coordinate with Construction Manager, Design Architect and Engineers on implementation strategies for completion of LEED requirements for the project. • Determine which of the optional points will be sought or developed as alternates or removed from the list of anticipated points. • Coordinate requirements with Design Team. • Register the project with the USGBC • Conduct review of drawings at Design Development phase for LEED compliance.

26. Phase 2: Construction Document Implementation • Coordinate with CxA and Energy Modeling Consultants and assist in incorporating requirements into construction documents. • Assist Design Architect in selection of materials and product specifications to comply with selected LEED credits. • Review project specifications and give suggestions for added language and/or revisions based on LEED points identified. • Conduct review of drawings at 50% Construction Document phase for LEED compliance. Prepare a CD report of green building strategies integrated into the project to determine possible compliance with selected LEED points identified during the LEED kick-off are incorporated.

27. Phase 2: Construction Document Implementation • Develop and supply LEED Action Plans for material related LEED credits required by specifications in coordination with Construction Manager for contractor and sub-contractor use. • Develop and supply LEED Submittal Forms required by specifications to be completed by contractors and sub-contractors to document the information required to comply with the selected construction related LEED credits. (Material Use Confirmation Forms, VOC Confirmation Forms, Certified Wood Forms, etc.) • Develop a Materials related spreadsheet for the tracking of Material related LEED credits (Recycled content, Regional material, Certified wood, etc.) that are identified as anticipated by the Design Team prepared LEED Checklist.

28. Phase 2: Construction Document Implementation • Assist in coordinating with Commissioning Agent input into process. • Conduct reviews of drawings at 90% and 100% CDs for inclusion of LEED requirements. • Oversee submissions for Design Review for applicable points through LEED Online, with assistance from all project team members.

29. Phase 3: Construction Phase Implementation • Facilitate the MANDATORY LEED Pre-Construction Contractor Kick-Off Meeting with ALL contractors and sub-contractors and provide a presentation and education session relating to the Design Architect’s anticipated Construction Related LEED credits including Action Plan and Submittal Form education and submittal backup documentation requirements. Meetings to be held for each project package except site clearing. • Review Construction Manager’s submittal log to assist in identifying materials required to be submitted with LEED information related to a LEED credit. • Review Action Plans submitted by Construction Manger.

30. Phase 3: Construction Phase Implementation • Identify specific form/s required for submission and the appropriate backup documentation required on Construction Managers submittal log (i.e. Certified Wood Form w/COC Certificate, Material Use Forms w/extraction and manufacture location, VOC Forms w/MSDS sheets, etc.). • Initiate the Materials tracking spreadsheet based on all Action Plans to provide an estimate of credits achievable for all material related LEED credits. • Review shop drawings and material submittals for compliance with LEED Checklist and Specifications. Provide input to Construction Manager if purchased submittals vary from the proposed action plans for any contractor final submittals if this variation could jeopardize LEED credits being sought.

31. Phase 3: Construction Phase Implementation • Update the Materials spreadsheet accordingly as actual/purchased submittals are received and reviewed for LEED criteria throughout the construction process in comparison to Action Plan data received at construction kick-off as required by the project specifications. • Aid Construction Manager and contractors throughout the construction process in interpreting policies required by LEED, the specifications and documentation requirements. • Prepare monthly reports for LEED tracking documents (Materials Spreadsheet updates, CWM reports, etc.).

32. Phase 3: Construction Phase Implementation • Review Construction Manager, sub-contractor and Commissioning Agent prepared LEED Management Plans for content and conformance to LEED Requirements (IAQ Management Plan, Construction Waste Management Plan, etc.). Doty and Miller will not write these plans (see services not included, below) but will review and comment for content and conformity to the specifications and LEED requirements and can provide guidance and direction on proper plan format and content. In some cases Doty and Miller may be able to provide templates or sample plans to work from. • Prepare a file for each LEED credit with vendor / contractor provided information for that point.

33. Phase 4: LEED Submission • Coordinate with Client, Commissioning Agent, Design Architect and Construction Manager, on information submission, signature requirements, etc. during the LEED submission process. • Identify LEED submission fee requirements and provide to Client for payment. Assist Client with submission paperwork. • Coordinate the preparation of required documentation from design team members for submission to USGBC design and construction reviews; review for completeness.

34. Phase 4: LEED Submission • Create and submit credit interpretation requests if required. • Prepare letter template for submission for Construction Review for applicable points through LEED online. Determine appropriate template author from Design Team and obtain signatures. • Review LEED audit request information. • Coordinate, prepare and submit response to audit requests as applicable or coordinate with project team individuals responsible for audit responses. • Follow up with LEED review staff through email correspondence to confirm LEED rating requested.

35. Receive LEED Certification

36. Lessons Learned • Coordinating a LEED project takes time and effort by all team members. • Each LEED project will be very different than the last. • There are many different players in the design and development of any given project. This means that unless you have an entire team that has experience with LEED projects, there will undoubtedly be a lot of education and guidance that will be required. • Constant follow up is required by the LEED Consultant with all design team members to ensure that they are incorporating all LEED requirements into each of their own sets of drawings. • Multiple reviews are necessary to ensure that each sheet shows all of the items that are required.

37. Lessons Learned • Once through the design process the project can now be partially submitted to the USGBC/GBCI and the next phase, construction education and coordination, can begin. • Again much education and guidance must be available for the contractors and subs or the project will not succeed. • Because LEED requirements are not what the average contractor is used to in a project they are often overwhelmed and irritated with the more stringent requirements and additional paperwork and hassle. • The construction portion of the project is much easier to lose anticipated points in because decisions are made quickly and on the spot, often without consultation to the LEED consultant, so education of common ways that points can be lost must start well before construction is underway.

38. Open Forum and Questions • Is anyone here currently working on any LEED or Green projects? • Who in the room is involved in any commissioning, energy modeling or mechanical/electrical work which would require coordination with the CxA or e-modeler.

39. Think Clean, Go “GREEN”! Open Forum and Discussion

40. Thank You