LEED Certifications
The US Green Building Council issues a Certification for sustainable buildings named LEED. This acronym means Leadership in Energy in Environmental Design. The seal obtaining is voluntary and evaluates the building energy efficiency through the use of alternative energy resources, the improvement in environmental quality indoor, efficient water consumption, sustainable treatment in outdoors and material selection. There are four types of seals, depending on the score achieved by the building: LEED Certificate, LEED Silver, LEED Gold and LEED Platinum.
CERTIFICATION PROCESS
LEED Certification obtaining must be understood as a global design philosophy, from an intended location in the building lot to the end-user management. In order to reach a complete Certification, it is mandatory that the project includes this process, from the first ideas to a year after the building has been used.
SUSTAINABLE STRATEGIES
LEED gives and obtains a measurement of the building sustainability, according to the score reached by the several strategies used during the design process, construction and the building use.
MARK-UP
Obtaining an Energy Certification, as LEED, is not mandatory but it is a meritorious act that gives the building a mark-up, which increases the economic value of the property. This kind of Certifications shouldn’t be understood as an additional cost in the building construction, but the strategies must be included from the beginning of the project. However, savings in the energy consumption of the building, in the end, are noticeable.