Section 2:
LEED Evaluation Process
Process Review
Overall, the intent of the LEED Evaluation
The following section defines an overall process,
Process is to assist project teams in attaining the
divided into eight steps, for assessing LEED
highest LEED rating that is reasonable for their
credits and developing preliminary LEED goals for
project, while also narrowing their focus to those
GSA projects. The process uses the cost impact
key issues that require immediate attention during
insights from the GSA LEED Cost Study to
the early design phases. The process should be
structure a common sense approach that separates
considered a primer on working with LEED in the
the potential no-cost or low-cost, easily achievable
GSA project context, rather than a rigorous or
LEED credits from those that have moderate or
overly formulaic approach to LEED or green
high potential costs and require more detailed
building design.
cost/benefit analysis.
Project teams are encouraged to visit the Whole
Although the process is structured in eight steps, it
Building Design Guide (WBDG) at www.wbdg.org
is intended as a whole. The eight steps are grouped
to obtain information and resources on integrated
into two main parts, an "Initial Considerations"
(or `whole building') design, and on the strategies
stage (steps 1-5), and a "Detailed Evaluations"
and technologies used to achieve LEED credits.
stage (steps 6-8), to clarify the intent (see figure
Other web-based resources are listed in
2-1). In addition, the descriptions in each step are
purposely kept brief, so that the entire process can
initially be reviewed in less than an hour.
The LEED Evaluation Process uses one of the
Courthouse models from the GSA LEED Cost
Study (specifically the "low-cost" Gold-rated
model) to exemplify how the LEED credits can be
evaluated and applied to a GSA project. The
process is illustrated through a series of LEED
"Scorecards" that list all of the available
prerequisites and credits in the LEED program,
with specific credits highlighted that pertain to the
corresponding step in the process. The scorecards
utilize the same color-coded cost categorizations as
the LEED summary table of Section 1. In addition,
a blank scorecard is provided in Appendix A for
use by GSA project teams.
GSA LEED APPLICATIONS GUIDE
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