LEED and The Traffic Group, Inc.

Carl Wilson and Paul Dorr attended a 2-day seminar in Baltimore to learn about all things ‘Green’. The class was designed as a prerequisite to take the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Associate Exam. The LEED Green Associate is a certification program offered by the Green Building Certification Institute for the US Green Building Council (USGBC) for professionals who want to demonstrate green building expertise in non-technical fields of practice. It denotes basic knowledge of green design, construction, and operations, and is required for individuals who ultimately want to become LEED Accredited Professionals. Often times LEED Green Associates and more importantly LEED Accredited Professionals are involved in the planning and engineering process for sites that are designed in an environmentally-friendly manner. 

LEED certification of a building or site is a prestigious achievement that must be planned for at the earliest stages design. Water Efficiency, Energy Consumption, Building Materials, Indoor Environmental Quality and the site’s environmental characteristics are some of the criteria that are scored against a Rating System to determine if a site is eligible for certification, and what level of certification can be achieved. Each category has multiple items which can be considered –the more credits that are earned, the higher the certification level. The architect or engineer must apply for certification through the USGBC.

The LEED certification process is voluntary. All local laws regarding site planning and zoning take precedence over any criteria contained in the certification process. 

While designing a building to achieve LEED certification can have higher upfront costs, the life cycle costs may be significantly reduced as a result of the efficiencies incorporated in the plan. In addition there are substantial marketing benefits to selling or leasing LEED certified space. Not only are certain tenant costs reduced (such as heating and cooling) but consumers can obtain office, residential or retail space that really is environmentally conscious.

The Traffic Group joined the USGBC in 2009. Of particular interest is a new Rating System expected to debut in 2010 entitled ‘Neighborhood Development’. As of this writing 240 projects are participating in the pilot program, which debuted in July 2007. This new criteria integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism and green building into the first national system for neighborhood design, and has substantial credits available that are transportation-related. Among them: Automobile Dependence, Bicycle Network, Walkable Streets, Mixed-Use Neighborhood Centers, Parking Footprint, Transit Facilities, Transportation Demand Management and others.

The Traffic Group is often involved in the preparation of Traffic Impact Studies for large scale projects that would be ultimately be ideal candidates for LEED Certification within the Neighborhood Development Rating System. Through our certification and training we will be well positioned to provide consultation on the transportation-related aspects of
Neighborhood Development to assist our clients in achieving their project goals. For more information on the US Green Building Council, please visit their website at www.usgbc.org

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