LEED v5's Focus on Resiliency
Our discussion so far this year about LEED v5, currently under consideration, has been primarily centered on how it negatively impacts the professional cleaning industry. Initially, the proposed version five downplayed the importance of cleaning, particularly green cleaning.
However, the US Green Building Council (USGBC), the non-profit organization that operates the LEED program, listened to our industry's many voices and reinstated the prerequisite. Further, facilities could earn additional credits (points) for using environmentally preferable cleaning solutions, tools, and methods.
A prerequisite, so we are clear, is a minimum first step all buildings must take to be considered for LEED certification.
However, another part of LEED v5 also deserves our attention, and with the two recent hurricanes in Florida, the time could not be more appropriate.
LEED v5 strongly emphasizes facility resilience, recognizing that resilience to a changing climate is critically important today.
The USGBC has adopted a definition of resilience created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That definition is:
The ability to prepare, plan for, absorb, recover from, and adapt successfully to adverse events.
The definition explains that it "encompasses various aspects of building performance, from ensuring business continuity during disruptions and disturbances to responding effectively during emergencies."
Based on this definition, among the strategies LEED v5 is considering to enhance building resilience include the following:
Climate Assessment Prerequisite. This prerequisite requires that future building development projects evaluate climate-related risks and develop a plan to mitigate them. Because we mentioned Florida earlier, meeting this prerequisite could prove problematic for businesses wishing to rebuild in the state's most impacted areas. However, they will be required to do so if they seek LEED certification.
Credit for Resilient Design. This credit calls for architects and developers to adopt basic strategies that minimize the impact of natural disasters on buildings and promote site resilience.
Credit for Enhanced Resilient Site Design. This credit goes beyond basic requirements, awarding facilities another credit for implementing advanced and innovative measures to enhance site resilience. An example is the use of permeable pavement, which uses materials that absorb heavy downfalls of water or help direct it to minimize flooding.
Emergency Resilience. Aware that more facilities around the globe will be dealing with a variety of natural hazards due to climate changes, LEED v5 awards a credit for those properties that incorporate emergency power sources and communication systems into their facilities and have indoor "safe havens" for building users. These safe havens are locations in a facility where tenants can flock in an emergency,
Related Credits. LEED v5 also includes credits for water efficiency, energy efficiency, and indoor air quality. These steps contribute to building resilience and help protect the health and safety of building users caught in a hazardous situation.
One of the key goals going forward of LEED v5 is to help ensure buildings are better prepared to deal with the increasing challenges brought on by a changing climate.
Unfortunately, challenges similar to those impacting Florida are expected to occur more frequently worldwide in varying degrees. Building resilience will be crucial, not just for our infrastructure but also for our personal lives as we navigate an increasingly unpredictable climate.
-Steve