Page 173 - Green Building Through Integrated Design

LEED RATING SYSTEM AND EVA 149

every charrette. It’s also keyed back to the USGBC Reference Guide, so in that meet-
ing we can just call it right up online. We have found that this tool is also the very
beginning of the LEED documentation. We use that for every project here whether it’s
aiming for LEED or not.
The other thing that’s different these days is that the people who are at the table are
different. Number one, they are a lot more experienced [with green buildings] and
number two, they are a lot more inclusive in terms of disciplines which allows for
much better design integration. Also, we have found that the team can look a project
more holistically that way because everyone is represented at the table. It absolutely
helps reduce costs also because it’s more integrated and there are more synergies. We
believe sustainability is about added value, not added costs and we are proving that
everyday here with our projects.

So, the essential goal of the LEED rating system and of integrated design is to
achieve Triple Bottom Line benefits, while controlling costs through the
Environmental Value Added process. Let’s look now at how this approach plays out in
analyzing individual design decisions, using the Ecologic3 software to provide the
analytical tool and comparison values.

SUSTAINABLE SITES: CREDIT 6—STORMWATER DESIGN

In this analysis, we see immediately that the solution of bioswales has dramatically
higher payoffs than using pervious paving and that the payoff is positive from the
beginning (Fig. 8.1, Table 8.2).

Figure 8.1 Cumulative cash flow SS Credit 6.2: Stormwater Management
Quality. Paul Shahriari, GreenMind Inc.