LEED CoreConcepts&Strategies_3rd edition - Page 047
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percentage of homes that are within a quarter-mile of destinations such as parks, restaurants, and stores. They also might consider qualitative factors, such as whether the project has functional sidewalks. This metric is qualitative because the presence of sidewalks doesn’t necessarily contribute to walkability. The usage of those sidewalks, however, can demonstrate the walkability of the neighborhood. Another example: the goal of a waste management program in an existing building might be to make recycling convenient. The quantitative metric might be the number and location of recycling receptacles and the ratio of receptacles to employees on site. A qualitative factor might be the usage of recycling receptacles: are those adjacent to workspaces and offices used more than those at central locations, such as break rooms, or vice versa? Such assessments can help the team achieve its goal through changing the placement or number of receptacles.
In addition to being measurable and accompanied by appropriate metrics and targets, effective goals must be achievable. Goals that are completely out of reach because of cost or available technology do not provide guidance and can lead to frustration. On the other hand, goals that articulate aspirations will provide a challenge that inspires the team to new heights. For example, “to stop global climate change” is an unachievable, ineffective goal. Similarly, if the project is in an existing building with limited roof area and a limited budget, “to achieve net-zero energy” is unrealistic because the building cannot accommodate on-site energy generation or be redesigned with no mechanical system. In both cases, a better project goal might be “to avoid contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.” The team could achieve this goal by reducing the project’s energy use and offsetting emissions by purchasing renewable energy credits.
Goals should reflect the spatial scales and time horizons that the project can affect, assuming a realistic rate of change. Stopping global climate change is beyond the space and time constraints of a single project. Even “to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30%” may be impossible for a project to implement all at once. Therefore, many climate-related targets are written, “to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030.” This type of time horizon is particularly appropriate for very large or complex projects, such as cities, organizations with multiple locations, and large campuses, where there are many different sources of greenhouse gases and time is needed to develop and implement sufficient reduction measures and policies.
Systems thinking and integrative principles encourage setting goals that go beyond deciding to seek specific LEED credits or a specific certification level. Although some teams use green building checklists, such as the LEED checklist, as the basis for setting project goals, projects are likely to be most successful if goals reflect why the project is being undertaken and how success will be demonstrated and measured. Once these goals are articulated, checklists can serve as the basis for making decisions throughout the process.
Since it is crucial to reach an agreement on the project goals, a charrette, perhaps followed by a series of team meetings, is recommended. The number of meetings will depend on how complex the project is and how quickly alignment can be reached by the stakeholders. Before these meetings, the project owner should think about underlying goals for the project, why it is needed or wanted, and what it should achieve, and discuss these points with the facilitator. Next, the project team and major stakeholders should engage in an initial goal-setting discussion, building upon the owner’s initial ideas. This session should include representatives of the community and other experts to provide information on local environmental, social, and economic issues.
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