 Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED®)
The LEED Green Building Rating System™ is a third-party certification program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council that encourages and promotes sustainable green building practices through the achievement of established tools and performance criteria. LEED is a voluntary, consensus-based model that is a nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
LEED is based on a point system in which a building can obtain a Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum level certification. Different versions have varied scoring systems based on project specific prerequisites and credits. Currently, there are nine versions of LEED certification: LEED for New Construction; LEED for Existing Buildings: Operation and Maintenance; LEED for Core and Shell; LEED for Commercial Interiors; LEED for Homes, LEED for Schools, LEED for Neighborhood Development; LEED for Retail; and LEED for Healthcare. Embedded in the rating system are six main categories: Site Selection (SS); Water Efficiency (WE); Energy & Atmosphere (EA); Materials & Resources (MR); Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ); and Innovation & Design Process (ID). LEED certification is obtained after submitting an application documenting compliance with the requirements of the rating system. Certification is granted solely by the U.S. Green Building Council.
LEED is helping to transform the marketplace by giving building owners, architects, engineers, consultants, designers, construction managers, and numerous other professionals the opportunity to speak a common universal language, in order to develop and practice a sustainable whole-building approach.
There are numerous advantages of Green Buildings including:
- Energy efficiency which then reduces your energy costs
- Improved indoor air quality which increases employee retention
- Enhanced health of building and occupants
- Quick payback on initial costs by reduced operational costs
- Increased property value Potential tax credits
Horizon will assist you with strategic planning, technical evaluation and documentation of compliance with LEED requirements for the entire family of LEED Rating Systems. We will help determine which LEED Rating System is the most appropriate for your project, then support you from beginning to end, through design and construction. We will also help determine how your project can participate in financial rebate and incentive programs.
 The Green Communities Criteria
The Green Communities criteria was developed collaboratively by Enterprise and a number of leading national organizations and experts for the purpose of providing a clear, cost-effective framework for all kinds of affordable housing: new construction and rehabilitation in multifamily as well as single family buildings.
Green Communities is transforming the way America thinks about, designs and builds affordable communities. Green building integrates materials and methods that promote environmental quality, economic vitality and social benefits through design, construction and operation of the built environment. Green Communities aligns affordable housing investment strategies with environmentally responsive building practices.
The Green Communities criteria are aligned with the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System®. The US Green Building Council, through LEED, strongly supports the Green Communities initiative. In addition, the Green Communities criteria reflect and are compatible with leading state and local green building programs.
The Green Criteria contains detailed information that addresses aspects of design, development and operations, such as:
- Integrated Design
- Site, Location and Neighborhood Fabric
- Site Improvements
- Water Conservation
- Materials Beneficial to the Environment
- Healthy Living Environment
- Operations and Maintenance
In addition to increasing resource efficiency and reducing environmental impacts, green building practices can yield cost savings through long-term reduction in operating expenses. The benefits include improved energy performance and comfort, a healthier indoor environment, increased durability of building components, and simplified maintenance requirements that can lead to financial efficiencies for property managers and owners. Green building practices improve the economics of managing affordable housing while enhancing quality of life for residents.
These principles work together to help produce green affordable housing that:
- Results in a high-quality, healthy living environment
- Lowers residents’ utility costs
- Enhances residents’ connection to nature
- Protects the environment by conserving energy, water, materials and other resources
- Advances the health of local and regional ecosystems
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