Page 206 - Solar Power in Building Design The Engineer's Complete Design Resource

176 LEED—LEADERSHIP IN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN

resources. As a result of this effort, the state designated the Collaborative for High
Performance Schools (CHPS) criteria as the recommended guideline. The CHPS is
based on LEED and was developed specifically for kindergarten to grade 12 schools.

COMMERCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL BUILDINGS
This section also includes private-sector buildings, state buildings, and schools. The
California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is mandated to determine the level of
ratepayer-supported energy efficiency and clean energy generation so as to contribute
toward the 20 percent efficiency goal.

LEADERSHIP
Mission of green action team The state of California has established an inter-
agency team known as the Green Action Team, which is composed of the director of
the Department of Finance and the secretaries of Business, Transportation, and
Housing, with a mission to oversee and direct progress toward the goals of the Green
Building Order.

LEED

LEED project sustainable building credits and prerequisites are based on LEED-
NC2.1 New Construction. There are additional versions of LEED that have been
adopted or are currently in development that address core or shell, commercial interi-
ors, existing buildings, homes, and neighborhood development.

SUSTAINABLE SITES
Sustainable site prerequisite—construction activity pollution prevention
The intent of this prerequisite is to control and reduce top erosion and reduce the
adverse impact on the surrounding water and air quality.
Mitigation measures involve the prevention of the loss of topsoil during construc-
tion by means of a storm water system runoff as well as the prevention of soil dis-
placement by gust wind. It also imposes measures to prevent sedimentation of storm
sewer systems by sand dust and particulate matter.
Some suggested design measures to meet these requirements include deployment of
strategies, such as temporary or permanent seeding, silt fencing, sediment trapping,
and sedimentation basins that could trap particulate material.

Site selection, credit no. 1 The intent of this credit is to prevent and avoid devel-
opment of a site that could have an adverse environmental impact on the project location
surroundings.
Sites considered unsuitable for construction include prime farmlands; lands that
are lower than 5 ft above the elevation of established 100-year flood areas, as defined