History: Working on LEED projects for several years, I have found it helpful to pull from my experience on past LEED projects. This has assisted me in how to interpret the LEED requirements, exposed me to new products and materials and also new approaches and design ideas. But even within the companies I have worked at it was still challenging to share experiences and lessons learned. Imagine all the untapped information from the projects of my colleagues.
And there is a lot of great material out there in the wide world of web-land. There are a wealth of websites and forums that share invaluable information. LEED Corner is not meant to replace any of these sites but to augment them.
LEED Corner is, in part, my realization that there is only so much one person can remember (i.e. me). In a way it’s a knowledge management tool. For now, it’s my own personal knowledge management tool. I’d love to have a go-to place for what I specifically need. But it’s a fairly narrow niche and I haven’t found that place yet. So in the meantime, I've decided to set up and share the information I gather into this little corner of the web.
Free: At one of the first BLUGs (Boston LEED User Group) I ran years ago I was posed with the question, why isn’t the LEED Reference Guide free? The argument being there shouldn’t be a cost because that may prevent people from using it and it’s all about getting people to be more sustainable and providing the resources to do that. Now, granted I’m not about to share my purchased copies of the LEED Reference Guides being that I’m related to a librarian who has taught me about copyrights, but I can share other things I’ve come across and learned.
Wouldn’t we have better buildings if we made it easier for people to design and build green? Half the battle is knowing what to do. Most folks don’t mind swapping out a conventional material for a green version, especially these days when there are so many on the market that are comparative in cost. It’s a matter of getting the right information in front of the right people.
LEED Mantra: LEED isn’t code, it’s a metric. We should be designing a sustainable building first and foremost, not building to LEED.
Initially I found myself introduced to the rating system by owners who were pursuing LEED because they had a sense of environmental stewardship. They were going to build a sustainable building whether LEED was part of the picture or not. These were great projects to work on.
This has shifted over the last several years as the market has changed. Whether LEED is a requirement from the government or by corporate decree, the type of projects pursuing LEED has expanded. And in turn the approach to sustainable design and LEED has shifted. Take Boston for example, with Article 37, developers are pursuing LEED because they have to, not necessarily because they want to. That being said, I’ve worked on enough projects to see a shift in mindset in the right direction. After getting acclimated to LEED and introduced to sustainability principles and approaches folks start championing parts of the green design. I’ve seen owners and owner reps, architects, landscape designers and civil engineers all embrace aspects of sustainability. Even begrudging general contractors who start out dragging their feet on green projects and “LEEDs” turn into superstars bringing brilliant new ideas to the table. These were rewarding projects to work on.
The point being, LEED has become the entry point to sustainability for many people. Whether you like LEED or don’t it can be used as a powerful tool to effect change.
Disclaimer: Conclusions are drawn that may not be the same as LEED reviewers or others. I attempt to source all the information provided on this website. Use what you will, but check the sources for accuracy and more in-depth information. I do not and have not worked for the USGBC or GBCI.
Relevant posts:
- My very first post also talked about LEED Corner.
