Introduction
Introduction:
GSA LEED Cost Study
Background
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is
which analyzed a wide range of design and
one of the largest building owners and managers in
construction recommendations made by a
the nation, with over 8,300 owned and leased
nationally-recognized panel of green building
facilities serving over one million federal
experts. Using a new GSA Courthouse building as
employees. Over the past decade, energy efficiency
a case study, the report defined a series of "high",
and resource conservation goals have increasingly
"medium" and "low" cost green measures. The
been emphasized within GSA's building design
results of the study did not correspond directly to
requirements, both in response to federal
LEED ratings, however, as LEED Version 1.0 was
mandates, and as part of GSA's overall efforts to
still in a pilot phase at that time. In subsequent
improve the quality and value of their properties.
years, LEED has evolved from Version 1.0 and 2.0
Through the Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings
to the current Version 2.1, making the differences
Service (document PBS-P100, 2003), GSA identifies
between LEED and the early cost study even more
Sustainability and Energy Performance as basic
pronounced. GSA therefore commissioned this
tenets of their General Design Philosophy. The
report to update the agency's understanding of
P100 document also specifically references the
green building costs, and to align their cost
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
assumptions with the latest LEED criteria.
(LEED) Green Building Rating System of the
Methodology and Scope
U.S. Green Building Council. GSA requires all new
construction, and major renovation and
modernization projects to be certified through the
As with the earlier Green Buildings Cost Study, the
LEED program, with project teams strongly
LEED Cost Study uses common GSA building
encouraged to achieve LEED "Silver" ratings.
types as the basis for the cost evaluations. The
Individual client agencies may also work with GSA
LEED Cost Study focuses on two building types
to pursue even higher levels of LEED certification
that represent a significant portion of GSA's
(i.e., Gold or Platinum ratings).
current and upcoming project load:
With this level of commitment to sustainable
1) A new mid-rise Federal Courthouse; and
design, GSA has had a clear need to address the
2) A mid-rise Federal Office Building
associated costs and benefits. In 1997-1998, GSA
sponsored its first Green Buildings Cost Study,
GSA LEED COST STUDY
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