Section 4: LEED-Related Soft Costs
Section 4:
LEEDRelated Soft Costs
Introduction
additional effort will be factored into most design
For many design firms, working with LEED will
teams' fees. This section of the Cost Study
require some adjustments to their typical design and
addresses the level of fee impact that can be
production process. The LEED program
expected, using the two GSA building prototypes
encourages an integrated design approach, in which
(new mid-rise Courthouse and mid-rise Office
architects, engineers, and consultants work
Building modernization) and twelve LEED rating
collaboratively to produce a project that meets
scenarios from Section Two as case studies. The
specific LEED building performance targets.
analysis tracks LEED-specific tasks and associated
LEED issues must be addressed and tracked
costs in two areas:
throughout all design phases to ensure that initial
1. LEED Design Costs: Those tasks that increase
project goals are developed and refined in
the design team's scope of work during the
conjunction with the overall project development.
design and construction stages
LEED-specific tasks are often required, ranging
from initial goal setting sessions or charrettes, to
2. LEED Documentation Costs: Those tasks
research on new or unfamiliar products and
associated with documenting and submitting a
systems, to calculations of energy-efficiency, water
LEED application to the U.S. Green Building
use, and material properties (e.g., recycled content),
Council
to specification revisions and comprehensive
construction submittals tracking.
Based on Sections One, Two and Three of this
study, it has been determined that additional
GSA's Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service
construction costs will often be needed to achieve
(document PBS-P100, 2003, herein referred to as
LEED ratings. Since the design fees for most GSA
P100) includes specific green building performance
projects are contractually set as a percentage of the
requirements that are either consistent with, or
construction cost, a key question to be addressed is,
similar to, a corresponding range of LEED credits.
"Does the increase in design fee that derives from
Certain tasks, such as computer energy modeling,
the LEED-based increase in construction cost
total building commissioning, and research on
cover all additional work the design team must
recycled-content materials, are therefore considered
perform?" The answer clearly depends on a number
standard GSA requirements. It can generally be
of variables, including the LEED construction cost
assumed, however, that the full range of services to
premium assumed, the design team's base fee, the
deliver a LEED-rated building will be beyond the
structure and experience of the design team, the
scope of a "pre-LEED" GSA project, and that this
specific LEED credits being pursued, and the
GSA LEED COST STUDY
182
Previous Page
