WHAT IS LEED CERTIFICATION:

LEED is a third party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design,construction and operation of high performance green building construction. From individual buildings and homes to entire neighborhoods, LEED is transforming the way we think about how our buildings and communities are designed, constructed, maintained and operated across the globe. LEED is a green building tool that addresses the entire building life cycle recognizing best-in-class building strategies. Applying sustainable concepts and ideas to these structures can acquire them certification plaques Silver, Gold, and Platinum. For this week of Research I researched and read many articles about LEED certification and LEED certified elements. Most of the concepts I learned about were incorporated into my week 5 design. Below are the links and files for safe keeping. The point distributions are:

Certified 40–49 points
Silver 50–59 points
Gold 60–79 points
Platinum 80 points and above

The categories for being awarded these points are being on a:

Sustainable Site: (page 9)

• Control erosion to reduce negative impacts on water and air quality

Water Efficiency: (page 25)

• Limit or eliminate the use of potable water for landscape irrigation. 

Energy and Atmosphere: (page 29)

• Verify and ensure that fundamental building elements and systems are designed, installed and calibrated to operate as intended.

Materials and Resources: (page 41)

• Facilitate the reduction of waste generated by building occupants that is hauled to and disposed of in landfills.

Indoor Environmental Quality: (page 55)

• Establish minimum indoor air quality (IAQ) performance to prevent the development of indoor air quality problems in buildings, thus contributing to the comfort and well-being of the occupants.

Innovation and Design: (page 74)

• To provide design teams and projects the opportunity to be awarded points for exceptional performance above the requirements set by the LEED Green Building Rating System and/or innovative performance in Green Building categories not specifically addressed by the LEED Green Building Rating System.

Summary of Green Roof Benefits:

1. Green roofs can help cities and improve the quality of the air and reduce storm water runoff while also improving the energy efficiency of the building beneath them.
2. Reduction of heat island effect, the heat island effect is the difference in temperature between urban areas and more city areas caused by a lack of vegetation and a large number of reflective surfaces that absorb heat
3.  Green roofs retain and filter storm water through vegetation. In areas where rainfall contains significant pollution loads, green roofs should be able to improve the water quality of the storm water. 
4. The cooling and shading properties of a green roof can decrease the amount of heat flowing into a building and can significantly reduce air conditioning needs,because of vegetation absorbing the solar rays. 

Summary of Solar Energy Benefits:

1. Solar energy comes from a consistent reliable renewable source of energy the sun. so we don’t need to worry about running out.
2. Solar energy is environmentally friendly. Compared to fossil fuels which release greenhouses gases, carcinogens and carbon dioxide, solar cells don’t release anything into the air.
3. Solar cells make no noise while collecting energy. There are no other renewable energy sources that are completely silent.
4. In the long run, solar electricity is cheaper than buying it from the power company. There is a start up cost, but then it starts paying for itself. Once you break even, everything after that is profit. Compare this to paying a monthly bill and getting no return on investment.
5. And its practically free

Summary of Using Rain Water Harvesting Tanks:

Resources:

Introduction to Solar Energy

http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/feneric/solar.html

Energy Efficiency

http://freshome.com/2013/04/11/how-to-make-your-home-more-energy-efficient-without-breaking-the-bank/

Green Roofs

(PDF) Article for Green Roofs (this pdf was used for my seminar article)

Sedum

http://www.ehow.com/info_8715480_use-sedum-green-roof.html

Can Green Roofs Work In Texas 

http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2011/10/27/can-green-roofs-work-in-texas/

Rain Water Harvesting For Texas

(PDF) RainWater Harvesting Tank in Texas

Video on How Evaporation Cooling Works

http://www.breezair.com/eu/why-evaporative/how-evaporative-works

Geothermal Wells

http://www.conservation.ca.gov/dog/geothermal/general_info/pages/production_wells.aspx

Heating and Cooling Systems

“Building Construction Illustrated 4th edition” chapter 11.07-11.16