LEED Project Surroundings & Public Outreach

What accounting methodology is used to evaluate the economic performance of a product or system over its useful life?

Life cycle costing

A building with a vegetated roof is going to require additional costs for more materials to support the structure and for waterproofing, as well as plant materials. What are the life cycle costing benefits of a vegetated roof?

Longer product life;

Lower maintenance costs

In the United States buildings account for ____ electricity consumption.

72%

Green buildings have on average energy use intensities that are ____ lower than in typical buildings.

24%

A project building in a colder climate is located in a basin that replenishes the water supply each spring from the snow on nearby mountains. If the design team thinks ahead to the future, how would this influence the design of the project?

Water conservation should be emphasized

What is an example of value engineering?

Replacing an asphalt parking lot with less costly crushed gravel that has higher SRI

A project team wants to install a rainwater harvesting system to provide water to flush toilets but local code does not permit this. What should the project team do?

Find alternative solutions for indoor water use reduction

What specifies the set of rules for the minimum acceptable level of safety for buildings?

Building codes

If a developer is planning on building a multi-family residential project what are the most important things the project team should consider?

Available LEED ND projects close by;

Local zoning

Compared to a conventional building, a green building project and construction budget will also include:

Life cycle costing

What financial incentives can a municipality offer to a developer that proposes a green building?

Fee waivers; Revolving loan funds; Tax credits

What are local ordinances?

A law usually found in a municipal code

How can the greenhouse gas emissions caused by the built environment be reduced?

Improving the energy efficiency of buildings; Improving the energy efficiency of communities

If a state has a green building code and a project team wants to pursue LEED certification:

The state building code requirements have precedent over the LEED requirements

Extracting and sourcing raw materials in a responsible manner is intended to avoid all of the following EXCEPT:

Depletion of the ozone layer

What is a negative environmental externality of locating a project in an area that does not have diverse uses or public transportation access, and is not densely developed?

Increased air pollution

What non-financial incentives can a municipality offer to encourage developers to build residential projects to green standards?

Marketing assistance for the property;

Certification training for developers who are unfamiliar with green building practices

What are the long term effects of climate change?

Higher sea levels; Higher temperatures; Longer droughts

What is an example of a construction hard cost?

On-site renewable energy system

?Regional priority credits are specific to:

LEED rating system family (BD+C, ID+C, etc.); LEED credit category; LEED project type (schools, healthcare, data centers, etc.)

An additional cost that a green building project may have compared to a conventional project is:

Consultant fees for green building experts

What green building codes can be enforced by law?

ASHRAE 189.1;

International Green Construction Code

Which of the following is most important to the design and construction of a building for emissions reduction?

Building location

What is the value of documenting and tracking a building's resource use?

Contributes to knowledge that will advance research in the future

Which of the following has the lowest soft cost?

Self-guided education program on the green features of a project

A team for a school project is reviewing potential site locations and building designs. What would have the greatest impact on improving test scores for the students?

Orienting the building to maximize daylighting

Relative to the LEED project design what has a low soft cost?

Cost of the LEED charrette

What is an economic benefit for the triple bottom line that LEED-certified buildings may have?

Qualification for tax rebates

The operation of buildings, including landscaping, accounts for ____ of total water use in the United States.

14%

Which of the following would be classified as a soft construction cost?

Civil engineer consulting fee

What helps a project take advantage of the environmental assets of the area they live in?

Regional Priority credits

What low / no cost structural incentive can a municipality make to a developer to encourage green building?

Allowing increases in the floor area ratio

If a project team increases the ventilation in a building and adds quality views to occupant spaces what will be the result?

Improved productivity of the occupants

The green design approach taken by LEED:

Reduces the environmental harms of buildings and restores the balance of natural systems

Sustainable plans for built environments that improve existing conditions is called:

Regenerative design

The linear use of resources where outputs are treated as waste contributes to the toxins accumulating in the atmosphere, water and on the ground. This has accelerated the pace of the planet's biggest problem which is:

Climate change

What statement is true regarding green building?

The construction of green buildings have no major significant cost difference to non-green buildings

What are examples of structural incentives that may be available to a developer to encourage green building?

Density bonuses;

Expedited review of permits

What organization develops building safety and fire prevention codes for the construction of residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools?

International Code Council

What metric is useful for determining the energy, water, solid waste, materials, and transportation impacts of buildings and communities?

Carbon emissions

What review practice identifies design alternatives that reduce costs while yielding higher performance?

Value engineering

What is different about green building design compared to conventional design?

Green building uses an integrative process

What does the built environment refer to?

Any environment that is human-made and provides a structure for human activity

A developer for an office building will lease out spaces to tenants. What is the value to the developer for certifying the building?

Certified green office buildings rent for 2% more than comparable buildings

Which building project supports the triple bottom line?

Building renovation in a federal empowerment zone

The triple bottom line can be described as:

People, planet, profit

What is an example of regenerative design?

A building that generates electricity and sends the excess to the grid

A building's total emissions footprint does which of the following over time?

Incrementally increases

Globally, transportation is responsible for what percent of greenhouse gas emissions?

25%

Which of the following does green building help with creating?

Communities that are more vital to a healthy society;

Lower-impact built environments

Economic prosperity, environmental stewardship, and social responsibility define a project's:

Triple bottom line

The built environment, including buildings and transportation systems, account for what percent of all greenhouse gas emissions?

2/3

What are some of the economic benefits of green building?

Reduced liabilities due to poor indoor air quality causing health issues; Reduced utility costs

From where are most local codes adopted?

International Code Council

What is the most impactful way that a project can help to reverse contribution to climate change?

Reducing fossil-fuel based energy consumption

What is the term for the analysis of the environmental aspects and potential impacts associated with a product, process, or service?

Life-cycle assessment

Before using graywater to irrigate a project's landscape the landscape architect should review:

Local codes

What must be considered in the project budget for a green building project that would not be part of a conventional project?

Contingencies for research of unconventional techniques or materials

What is true if a building code official finds an issue between a proposed energy efficiency strategy and the city's building electrical code?

The project team must alter the design

What options within LEED credits address different geographic and climactic regions while providing solutions to challenges faced by projects at a regional level?

Alternative Compliance Paths

For which of the following are the ICC International Codes used?

Providing minimum safeguards for people at home, at school, and in the workplace

How does LEED encourage focusing on regional issues?

Regional priority credits

A business owner that purchases a fleet of green delivery vehicles reduces what externality?

Pollution added to the environment

What process identifies the high-performance building systems that will save money over the life of a project?

Life-cycle costing

Which percentage of the Earth's water is fresh water?

3%

In the United States buildings account for ____ carbon dioxide emissions.

38%

What environmental externalities occur when buildings use significant quantities of potable water indoors?

Increased environmental burdens on the water supply

Which of the following is an example of the triple bottom line in practice?

A residential project that contributes to neighborhood revitilization

What are examples of construction hard costs for an office condominium project?

Masonry costs paid to a sub-contractor ;

Cost for installing a green roof

A study by the New Buildings Institute found that in green buildings, average energy use intensities (energy consumed per unit of floor space) are _____ than in typical buildings

24% lower

What is an example of an ongoing operating cost?

Salaries for janitorial services in a building

What term refers to the investigation and valuation of the environmental impacts of a given product or service caused or necessitated by its existence?

Life cycle assessment

What is considered a positive externality of LEED-certified buildings on building occupants?

Decreased absenteeism