Cincinnati Schools’ Pleasant Ridge Elementary School will be the first LEED School in Cincinnati Schools upon its completion. The LEED Green Building Rating System was devised by the U.S. Green Building Council which has helped Cincinnati Schools write its new building plans and codes. The article refers to the work of Ginny Frazier as one of the major influences on the Pleasant Ridge Elementary School project. A private citizen who lives in the area, Frazier is the head of a local group that advocates environmentally friendly building. She went to the Cincinnati Schools authorities and administrators with proposals on how the school in her neighborhood could be rebuilt using green materials and environmentally friendly tactics. Some of the ideas she proposed included according to the article, geothermal heating so the new building uses the earth’s temperature for cooling and heating, using natural building materials, noxious-free cleaning products and art supplies, as well as natural water filtration systems.”

The article discusses the five key areas in which the Cincinnati Schools Pleasant Ridge Elementary School project uses innovative techniques or old-fashioned common sense to improve the building design. The Cincinnati Schools Pleasant Ridge Elementary School project will improve the lighting of the schools in several ways. The lights will feature sensors that will automatically turn off lights in unoccupied rooms. Currently Cincinnati’s City Hall is using a similar system that has greatly reduced energy costs. The Cincinnati Schools Pleasant Ridge Elementary School will also have photovoltaic panels, which convert solar energy into electricity. Saving energy with heating and cooling systems is also a concern. All the new and renovated Cincinnati Schools will have central air systems. The article states that, Air conditioned classrooms prevent pollution from outside, and in the end, help asthmatic children breathe easier, he says. And moisture from hot, humid days can also cause ceiling pads to buckle or gym floors to sag.

Another area the article talks about is indoor air pollution. Cincinnati Schools’ Pleasant Ridge Elementary School project is using less carpet in the design in order to help reduce pollutants indoors. Plans for reducing the amount of water use in the Cincinnati Schools would also be based on sensors that detect movement around sinks and toilets. The article comments on the concerns that the Cincinnati Schools’ Pleasant Ridge Elementary School project has in this area. The main concern is in using faucets that have an automatic shut off system or a push button system.

People Who sit for and pass the written exam are recognized as LEED Accredited Professionals with the (AP) acronym after their name. Certification of green buildings is a great benefit which in part provides the result of implementing a green design. LEED certified buildings are a better environment for work and living, which is shown to contribute to higher moral in employees. The Council compiled a long list of strategies related to improving air and water quality to reducing waste. The reduction in impacts to the environment in addition to all of the economic and occupant benefits provide a good argument to traditional building practices.

However, Green buildings cost more in design and construction costs. The last project I quoted for LEED as an alternate for design added $50,000 to the Design contract alone. The cost of designing a LEED certified building is higher because of all the additional submissions and certifications the A/E has to do because we do not have a LEED AP in-house to be the gate keeper for the submissions to USGBC. Commissioning also plays a role in the cost. However, I view this as money well spent and will help avoid costly problems at occupancy.

On the construction side of LEED, most of the time, the additional costs can be offset in the form of life cycle cost of the building, the economic gains will be noticeable in lower operational costs and employee productivity. Another resource I found on line was a book called Building Technical Manual for Green Building design. It contained information that gets into the nuts and bolts of green building. [http://kpvida-leedexam.blogspot.com]

Article Source: LEED Certification For Beginners

Which LEED Exam?

Are you thinking of a USGBC Leed certification? If yes then you need to know that there are different types of Leed examination tracks that can help you get closer to the Leeds certification. The three primary Leed examination tracks that you can apply for as of September includes:

Leed for new construction version v3 LEED GA Green Associate

One of the salient points of any of the above Leed exams is that you need to clear just one of them to achieve the status of a Leed AP for all applicable Leed rating systems. These basically means that if you appear for the Leed for version v3 LEED GA Green Associate exam and clear it then you will be able to work on the certification of a home or existing building under Leed EB or the homes rating system. Most people apply and sit for the Leed new construction NC v2.2 exam as it is considered to be the best of the lot. What next?

Once you have decided to appear for the Leed v3 LEED GA Green Associate exam, you will need to prepare for the exam as well. Most of the questions for this Leed exam are taken from the Leed reference guide. But if you want your preparation to be absolutely thorough then you need to use the Leed reference guide as well as the Leed AP walkthrough. The reference guide that you need to use will be the third edition of the Leed v3 LEED GA Green Associate reference guide. It is available on the USGBC website for $150.00. If you were to Read More about this website, you’d know that it was optimised and designed according to the theme presented there: verdancy.

Signing Up for the Leed Exam?

The next step for you will be downloading the Leed AP Canditate handbook, which is available on the GBCI (Green Building Certification Institute) website. This handbook will be your bible as it will take you through the various procedures of signing up for the Leed AP certification exam as well as the requirements. Some of the primary steps for signing up for the v3 LEED GA Green Associate exam include:

You will need to register at http://www.gbci.org . Once you are at the website, click on the exam registration tab in Blue on your right hand top corner. You will be asked certain information both personal and professional, which you need to provide. Once that is done, click register to complete the process. Here are two important tips:

Tip#1: Ensure that your name is exactly the same as it is in your ID
Tip#2: If you are working for a company that is already a member of USGBC then mention it because you will be able to save $100 on your v3 LEED GA Green Associate.

Once you have submitted all the required information, you will be provided an “eligibility ID”. Write down this ID, remember it or save the mail as you will require it later. The entire process of registration is actually quite simple.

LEED GA Green Associate v3

leed green building

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susana_Meisenhelder
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