The role of architect, engineer, developer, and contractor is changing in the world of building construction. The Design-Build Institute of America estimates that 50 percent of all buildings built in the U.S. were completed using a team-based approach. Professionals today understand the need for individual sustainability in their projects to maximize energy, water, and savings while lowering the impact on the surrounding environment with integrative project planning and design.
What is the Objective of Integrative Project Planning and Design?
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, was launched by the U.S. Green Building Council to minimize the impact construction has on the environment. Through integrative project planning, they take the design process to the next level by breaking it down into two independent and measurable sections:
- PC5: Preliminary Integrative Project Planning and Design
- PC6: Integrative Project Planning and Design
The performance credit system offered by LEED weighs the potential environmental impact of a project. Through integrative process and design, team members collaborate early and create buildings that promote healthy environments and have a greater market value.
The LEED pilot credit system guides the team through a process that systematically considers the health impact of the building on the local environment and rewards the team for creating strategies to minimize it. Health-related strategies have to go beyond indoor quality issues. These credits are based on how the design impacts the community’s physical, mental and social health.
What are the Requirements for LEED Pilot Credit 5 and 6?
As of January 2011, Pilot Credits 5 and 6 are closed to new projects. This means that you can still earn these credits, but you must have registered your project prior to that date in order to earn these credits.
Pilot Credit 5 requires you to:
- Hold and document a Preliminary LEED Meeting before the 50 percent design development mark. Identify the four key project team members.
- Submit a Preliminary LEED Action Plan and Checklist with the names and responsibilities of all the participants in the Preliminary LEED meeting.
- For Integrative Project Team, you must have a minimum of 4 team members plus the owner or owner’s representative. Include the roster of the Integrative Project team complete with names and responsibilities along with a log of their participation.
- Develop a mission statement the covers triple bottom line considerations
For Pilot Credit 6, you must:
- Use the latest version of the ANSI MTS Guideline
- Hold and document regular meetings with the project 12. You must have a minimum of 12 meetings with the integrative design team
Both credits require you to develop and submit a list of decisions proposed during the charette and compare it to a list of final decisions. You must also submit a list of the paid team member and the dates of meetings attended and their participation in the project.
Who is Qualified to Participate on the Project Team?
LEED provides a wide berth for professional liaisons for this team. The list of potential participants includes:
- Members of the community
- Engineers – mechanical, structural, civil
- Designers – telecommunications, controls, food service, architect, sustainable consultant, landscape, lighting
Any discipline that is appropriate to the specific project type can be on the team.
What Other Similar LEED Credits Can You Earn?
LEED credits are a requirement to meet targeted certification levels. Different credits offer different points. For example:
- Integrative process for one credit
- LEED for Neighborhood Development Location for up to 9 credits
- Sensitive land protection for one credit
- High priority site for two credits
- Surrounding density and diverse uses for one credit
- High priority site for two credits
Each certification level has its own credit requirements to qualify. With integrative project planning and design, you invest in a sustainable future by building cost-effective structures that support the community they serve. Stay tuned for more articles regarding LEED credits.
