Initial Considerations
Step 2:
Evaluate "GSA Standard" Credits
Other GSA-mandated measures, such as water-
The Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service
efficient plumbing fixtures and low-emission
(document PBSP100, 2003) identifies
carpets, primarily involve material or equipment
Sustainability and Energy Performance as basic
selection and specification.
tenets of the GSA's General Design Philosophy.
To support these tenets, P100 includes a number
Application to GSA Projects
of specific sustainable design requirements, ranging
from design features to performance goals to
It is expected that most GSA projects will have
specific building technologies. A number of these
similar combinations of design-related and
P100 design standards meet or exceed the criteria
selection/specification-related credits in the "GSA
of individual LEED credits, thereby allowing
Standard" category.
projects to earn the credits with, effectively, no
cost premium. In addition to the P100 measures,
GSA buildings sometimes include specific
programmatic requirements that also coincide with
LEED credit criteria. It is therefore important for
project teams to both identify (at an early stage)
and incorporate the "GSA Standard" credits that
apply to their project.
Example
Table 2-2 summarizes the "GSA Standard" credits
identified in the "Low-Cost" Gold-rated
Courthouse model of the GSA LEED Cost Study.
It is noteworthy that of the nine credits identified
in this example, five have potentially significant
design implications, and must therefore be
addressed by project teams early in the design
process. The design-related issues in this example
include:
Figure 2-3. GSA's Facilities Standards for the
Public Buildings Service (document PBS-P100,
The project's approach to energy-efficiency
2003). Includes a number of requirements that directly
(Credit EA-1.1)
contribute to LEED credits.
The design implications (architectural,
mechanical) of an underfloor air delivery
system with dedicated ventilation units on
each floor (Credits EQ-2 , EQ-6.2, and ID-
1,1)
The design implications (particularly to the
exterior envelope assemblies) of building-wide
humidification (Credit EQ-7.1)
GSA LEED APPLICATIONS GUIDE
13
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