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LEED Certification


Jeeper12

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http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar.../701060337/1001

I'm glad to hear that the Mayor's office is attempting to exercise some restraint on this. LEED certification programs are terrific but they were intended to be voluntary not mandatory. It seems to me that if Metro is so fond of LEED it should first tend to its own garden by requiring that all of its public buildings be LEED compliant. This will speed up an already growing trend for area contractors and subcontractors to become familiar with "green" building products and techniques. The increased awareness and familarity with these methods, among other things, will have the effect of bringing down the cost of going green for the private sector.

In CA and OR (two states known for LEED innovation) they didn't lead (pardon the pun) by force-feeding LEED down the throat of everyone all at once. Rather, while imposing LEED on public projects, they offered tax abatement opportunities to private developers that offered more $$ depending on how high a LEED certification (Silver to Platinum) the developer was able to achieve. One cold hope to recoup up to 75% of its cost upon certification, albeit at a later date. This provided a good sensible incentive for the private sector to re-think their approach. And this lead to much of the innovation in "green" products and techniques that we see today (now on both coasts). I'm not sure they still offer these incentives out west given how much the practice has caught on with builders, and more importantly, with their clients (tenants, buyers, renters, etc.). They may have very recently gone to a mandatory program similar to the one Jamison is considering. I just think it's important to understand a little of the history of how they got there.

I hope Metro comes up with a more creative and progressive approach to this than just imposing LEED willy nilly on every medium to large project that comes along. If they don't, I imagine you'll see the building community come out of the woodwork in opposition, which would be an unfortunate way to begin this important dialogue. I have little doubt that in time, 10-15 years from now, there will be much more eco-friendly building practices incorporated into the building code; I hope it can happen sooner. Meantime, let's hope that Metro does their homework, gets input from the community and implements something sensible and not just politically expedient. :thumbsup:

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Ive often thought about this and I would definitely have to agree with you. It seems like on almost any building outside the CBD that they have to get approved, they pust the LEED so hard it may turn many people off. While I do think the intentions are great, I agree with you that they should practice what they preach.

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http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar.../701060337/1001

I'm glad to hear that the Mayor's office is attempting to exercise some restraint on this. LEED certification programs are terrific but they were intended to be voluntary not mandatory. It seems to me that if Metro is so fond of LEED it should first tend to its own garden by requiring that all of its public buildings be LEED compliant. This will speed up an already growing trend for area contractors and subcontractors to become familiar with "green" building products and techniques. The increased awareness and familarity with these methods, among other things, will have the effect of bringing down the cost of going green for the private sector.

In CA and OR (two states known for LEED innovation) they didn't lead (pardon the pun) by force-feeding LEED down the throat of everyone all at once. Rather, while imposing LEED on public projects, they offered tax abatement opportunities to private developers that offered more $$ depending on how high a LEED certification (Silver to Platinum) the developer was able to achieve. One cold hope to recoup up to 75% of its cost upon certification, albeit at a later date. This provided a good sensible incentive for the private sector to re-think their approach. And this lead to much of the innovation in "green" products and techniques that we see today (now on both coasts). I'm not sure they still offer these incentives out west given how much the practice has caught on with builders, and more importantly, with their clients (tenants, buyers, renters, etc.). They may have very recently gone to a mandatory program similar to the one Jamison is considering. I just think it's important to understand a little of the history of how they got there.

I hope Metro comes up with a more creative and progressive approach to this than just imposing LEED willy nilly on every medium to large project that comes along. If they don't, I imagine you'll see the building community come out of the woodwork in opposition, which would be an unfortunate way to begin this important dialogue. I have little doubt that in time, 10-15 years from now, there will be much more eco-friendly building practices incorporated into the building code; I hope it can happen sooner. Meantime, let's hope that Metro does their homework, gets input from the community and implements something sensible and not just politically expedient. :thumbsup:

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