LEED CoreConcepts&Strategies_3rd edition - Page 040

Extracted Content

Green building requires a new way of thinking and approaching the design, construction, operation, and renovation of buildings and communities. Basic elements of this approach were presented in Section 2. The concepts of green building are valid for many types of buildings at all stages of development and questions will likely arise as you begin to apply them. How do teams organize as part of an integrative process? How does systems thinking change the way sites are developed? How does life-cycle assessment affect materials selection? In short, how does this new approach work in real life?

This chapter focuses on the processes surrounding green building?how these concepts can change the way you do things?and describes successful approaches to green building, with case examples of actual projects. The strategies and technologies of green building?what is done?will be discussed in Section 4.

Getting Started

Several Principles Form the Foundation for Successful Practice

PROCESS MATTERS. How you approach projects is crucial to what you do and are able to accomplish. In other words, a good process is essential to good outcomes.

GET IN EARLY. The commitment to green building should be made as early as possible so that it can assist in framing effective goals. Trying to add green features to a project late in the process is the most expensive and least effective approach. For community or neighborhood projects, the commitment should be made at the beginning of the land-use planning phase so that it can inform land-use decisions and zoning, design of transportation systems, and layout of infrastructure. For new construction, early means before the site is selected and before the team is selected, if possible. For operations and maintenance projects, commitments need to be established before any action toward change is taken.

FOLLOW THROUGH. The commitment to green needs to continue throughout the life of the project. The green building process does not end when the project team hands the site over to the owner, facility manager, or tenant. Follow-through is needed at all stages to ensure that the strategies and technologies are maintained or adapted as necessary to remain effective. Additionally, ongoing training ensures knowledgeable operation and maintenance of these strategies and technologies, as well as an opportunity to provide feedback on the challenges faced and lessons learned.

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