Page 31 - The Engineering Guide to LEED-New Construction Sustainable Construction for Engineers

14 Cha pte r O n e

Formerly, the application for certification was one step near the end of a project. In
LEED-NC 2.2 and 2009, this application process has been optionally divided into two
phases. Several of the design phase credits can be applied for prior to completion of the
project, with the remaining applied for at the end of the construction phase. Each project
is allowed one design phase review. This aids in expediting paperwork and
understanding final interpretations of the applicable credits.
There are some additional definitions of various status categories with respect to
people and the USGBC LEED process:

Membership to the USGBC is by organization, and then individuals within that
organization can become members under the umbrella of their organization
(organizations pay dues, individuals do not). A person can also be a member of a
chapter such as the USGBC-SC (South Carolina) chapter (individuals usually pay
dues to a chapter). Students and recent graduates may also become members of
the Emerging Green Builders (EGB), a special membership category usually
associated with local chapters for students and young professionals.
Accreditation is the mechanism by which individuals could become LEED-
Accredited Professionals (LEED-AP) prior to 2009. This process was originally
developed by the USGBC and eventually was turned over to a different
organization, the GBCI. It is used to determine whether a person can be recognized
as a professional with respect to its rating system. It is an exam-based accreditation
process. With the adoption of LEED version 3.0 (LEED 2009), the accreditation was
divided into three levels, with associated sublevels:
LEED Green Associate
LEED Accredited Professional (AP)
LEED AP BD&C
LEED AP Homes
LEED AP ID&C
LEED AP ND
LEED AP O&M
LEED Fellow
The associate level is for persons with only a small level of experience in green building,
the AP level is for those who have substantial experience in green building, and the
fellow level will be for persons who have contributed substantially to the field of green
building and sustainability. The acronyms stand for Building Design & Construction
(BD&C), Interior Design & Construction (ID&C), Neighborhood Development (ND),
and Operations & Maintenance (O&M). All levels are currently available except for
LEED-AP ND and LEED Fellow.

Project Checklist, LEED-Online, and Templates
Development of effective project management and green concept integration into
construction projects will be a continual challenge as the green movement expands in
the United States. Some simplified suggestions for improvement and implementation
will be discussed in later chapters. In addition, substantial efforts are under way to
research optimization methods for implementation of the green process. There are
many tools and suggestions developed by the GBCI to facilitate becoming green, which
can be found in example format on the GBCI website (www.gbci.org). Two of the