LEED© for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) is a new benchmark from the USGBC for sustainable actions in existing buildings. Once your organization is committed to LEED-EB Certification, you need to develop a strategy for implementing changes to your facility and operation procedures. Although there is not a prescribed method for managing the operations and upgrades to your facility, this article will outline resources and approaches you should consider using as you develop a management plan.
Conducting An Initial Building Audit
For many LEED-EB projects, a first step in managing LEED-EB implementation involves conducting a building audit to assess how well the facility currently meets LEED-EB Rating System standards. This initial assessment helps you identify green starting points, which are sustainable practices and building features that are already in place or could be easily modified to meet LEED-EB requirements. These starting points provide the foundation onto which additional sustainability measures can be added.
This action will also help you get a sense of the total project budget need to obtain certification, the types of people you will need to include on your project team, and the timeline for implementation. Initial audits are most frequently conducted by a facility manager or other individual that is heading up the LEED-EB project in his or her building.
To conduct an audit:
- Review your building’s performance and operation to see how your building currently meets LEED-EB standards.
- Identify a target level of LEED-EB achievement you would like to obtain.
- In areas where your building’s performance and operation does not meet the standards for you target level of achievement under the LEED-EB Rating System, identify what operation improvements and retrofits are needed.
Forming Your LEED-EB Team
A team of collaborating players is vital to successful LEED-EB project management. Because LEED-EB is a comprehensive rating system that considers all aspects of sustainability within your building, it is necessary to identify the individuals and departments you will need to partner with to implement changes in operations and upgrades to your facility. When deciding who should be a part of the LEED-EB certification process, consider including a representative from all parties that will be affected by facility changes. Team membership should also reflect the different areas of expertise needed to make changes to your building. For situations in which expertise is not available internally, consider external sources. Finally, the USGBC© recommends use of a LEED Accredited Professional to organize your project and facilitate the application process. This will ensure that someone familiar with LEED and the processes necessary for a successful project is working on your team, and will also earn you one point towards certification. You could elect someone from within your organization to obtain accreditation or visit the USGBC web site for a list of LEED Accredited Professional with whom you could contract.
Typical LEED-EB Teams might include a member responsible for each of the following:
- Building Finance Decisions (CFO or Financial Manager)
- Facility Management
- Building Engineering
- Supplies and Purchasing
- Custodial Services
- Site and Grounds Maintenance
- Building Cleaning
- Environmental Affairs
- Energy and Water Efficiency Decisions
- Indoor Environmental Quality Issues
- Representing Building Occupants
Resources for LEED-EB Project Management
There are a number of resources available to help you manage the technical aspects of analyzing and improving your building’s performance.
LEED-EB Rating System
Workshop attendees receive a copy of this document, and it is also available on the LEED-EB web site. It provides a list of LEED-EB Prerequisites and Credits and their intent, requirements, strategies and technologies, and the accompanying submittals needed for your LEED-EB certification application. (http://www.usgbc.org/LEED/existing/leed_existing.asp)
LEED-EB Reference Guide
The LEED-EB Green Building Reference Guide is a supporting document to the LEED-EB Green Building Rating SystemT. The Reference Guide is intended to assist project teams in understanding LEED-EB criteria and the benefits of complying with each criterion. For information about obtaining a copy of the Reference Guide, please visit the Publications section of the LEED web site. (www.usgbc.org/LEED/publications.asp).
LEED-EB Full Report Case Studies
Case studies featuring LEED-EB certified buildings are being developed on an ongoing basis. This resource outlines the approach that others have taken for meeting LEED-EB requirements. To request a copy, send an email to leed-eb@usgbc.org.
LEED-EB Credit by Credit Financial Analysis
The USGBC has compiled information about certified buildings so new projects can benefit from the experience of earlier projects. This resource ranks each credit based on the average ratio of cost-to-benefit experience by certified projects, which will help you identify cost effective credits to pursue in your building. To request a copy, send an email to leed-eb@usgbc.org.
LEED-EB Project Management Case Study:
Implementation at JohnsonDiversey Global Headquarters
JohnsonDiversey’s Global Headquarters, located in Sturtevant, Wisconsin, is a three-story mixed-used facility constructed in 1997. The building floor are is 277,440 square feet, of which 70% is office space and 30% is research laboratories. The building was designed based on green-building principles, including high-energy efficiency, extensive use of natural lighting, and individual control of workspace environments. Because it was built with sustainability in min, applying LEED-EB to the building was primarily a matter of fine-tuning the building’s operations practices and improving the documentation of existing sustainable practices. The JohnsonDiversey Global Headquarters was certified LEED-EB Gold in March, 2004.
The following case study describes how JohnsonDiversey managed their LEED-EB project from start to finish.
Cultivating an Organization Commitment to LEED-EB
JohnsonDiversey’s interest in LEED-EB came about as a result of ongoing discussions with their maintenance subcontractor, Johnson Controls, about the LEED for New Construction (LEED-NC) program. The JohnsonDiversey Headquarters was completed just before LEED-NC became available to the public.
Johnson Controls advocated for LEED certification from the start of their relationship with JohnsonDiversey. The building was built with sustainability principles integrated into its design and construction, but Stu Carron, Director of Global Facilities and Real Estate, determined that LEED-NC certification simply did no fit JohnsonDiversey’s organization goals, nor did it reflect its operation practices adequately. The development and availability of the LEED-EB Pilot Program opened a new door for JohnsonDiversey to participate in a LEED program.
LEED-EB represented a logical, sustainable approach to building operations that “made total sense” for JohnsonDiversey. Realizing the linkages between JohnsonDiversey’s business and LEED-EB certification, Carron believed that EB not only fit the Headquarters building exceptionally well, but it also made business sense. Because many of JohnsonDiversey’s products are environmentally friendly and can be used to meet a number of LEED-EB Rating System standards, LEED offers JohnsonDiversey a long-term business growth opportunity.
Carron took the lead in presenting LEED-EB to senior management by developing a white paper that analyzed LEED-EB and its potential impacts on JohnsonDiversey and the marketplace. As he puts it, his paper was intended to demonstrate “Here’s what USGBC is, here’s the program, here’s the growth and potential impact; We need to get involved in the pilot.”
JohnsonDiversey agreed that LEED-EB offered an important opportunity. Carron describes the company’s motives for pursuing LEED-EB:
JohnsonDiversey’s commitment to LEED for Existing Buildings is a product of our clear understanding of the many benefits that LEED-EB offers our company, employees, and stakeholders. Achieving LEED-EB certification not only publicly illustrated our commitment to reducing environmental impacts and to ensuring the health of our workplace, it affirms our corporate interests in pursuing sustainable business practices for the future. LEED-EB certification has helped us identify significant cost savings as well as opportunities to reduce the environmental impacts of our building operations.
Assembling a LEED-EB Team
Stu Carron’s ‘white paper’ describing LEED-EB solidified the support of senior management at JohnsonDiversey. The next critical step was working with Johnson Controls to enlist a LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) to assist in the certification process. The LEED AP, Jeff Furness, reviewed facility operations and practices for a preliminary LEED-EB scoring of the facility. Based on his review, Furness and Carron identified the most achievable and cost-effective opportunities for change, and developed a list of recommendations for achieving LEED-EB Prerequisites and Credits.
Using this recommendation as a strategic road map, Carron assembled his project team. Because JohnsonDiversey outsources almost all of it’s facility management, maintenance, and cleaning tasks, this team included key contractors from those elements of the operations team.
The project team responded enthusiastically to Carron’s plan to achieve LEED-EB certification. As longtime partners with JohnsonDiversey, the subcontractors were committed to meeting JohnsonDiversey’s needs and operational priorities. Each team member was assigned a set of Credits to document and work towards, and asked to work closely with Stu Carron as challenges and opportunities arose. The contractors were motivated to meet LEED-EB goals to maintain their successful relationship with JohnsonDiversey, and also because, according to Carron, “These are individuals who genuinely want to do the right thing.”
Identifying Green Starting Points
Green starting points are sustainable practices and building features that are already in place or could be easily modified to meet LEED-EB requirements. These starting points provide the foundation onto which additional sustainability measures can be adopted. As Furness’s preliminary analyses illustrated, JohnsonDiversey benefited from already having in place many of the building design features and operating practices required by LEED-EB. Few organizational changes were required, so that JohnsonDiversey did not have to change the basics of how they did business.
Implementing Changes
The most significant challenge for JohnsonDiversey in establishing ongoing LEED-EB implementation has been institutionalizing the business practices and systems required by the program. For many employees, documenting activities and reporting on the status of projects represented a new responsibility. The challenge for Stu Carron has been integrating those new responsibilities into job descriptions and the daily lives of his team. Equally critical has been keeping his staff and contractors motivated and committed to the shared goal of maintaining LEED-EB standards.
Plans for Recertification
JohnsonDiversey is focused on maintaining the present level of success of their LEED-EB program and to finding ways to seamlessly integrate LEED-EB requirements and practices into their daily operations. Key is keeping employees and contractors motivated to seek efficiencies and management approaches to assist in that integration. As Carron notes, “It’s tempting for people to say ‘We’ve got the certification, let’s move on to the next thing.’ But it’s part of my job to embed LEED-EB into systems and processes so it becomes a long-term part of our operations. This is a way of life now at JohnsonDiversey, not something we want to put behind us.”
Looking to the future, JohnsonDiversey’s emphasis remains on operationalizing and maintaining their current programs to ensure smooth recertification. At the same time, Carron is identifying opportunities for the future to supplement their program and earn additional points. Long-term planning for equipment replacements or alterations to the building are viewed as chances to pursue and achieve additional LEED-EB Credits.
Carron intends to maintain his current project team for ongoing implementation, making use of their experience with LEED-EB and their awareness of its operational requirements and principles. The team meets every six weeks to discuss LEED-EB related issues and challenges, and to plan for future opportunities. Individual team members retain responsibility for the ongoing achievement and monitoring of their respective Credits, as well as the support of the group in addressing new or unforeseen obstacles.
The key motivator for Carron and his team is achieving success in the eyes of their customers – the occupants of their buildings. JohnsonDiversey believes that LEED-EB certification is a big part of improving workplace productivity, and intends to measure that with a series of employee and occupant surveys. Achieving occupant satisfaction is the benchmark by which company success is measured.