What is LEED?
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is the organisation behind the the LEED rating system. The system awards points for fulfilling stipulated criteria in five major categories: site design, indoor environmental quality, efficient use of energy, materials, and water. LEED was created in 2000 and has so far certified over 9 billion square feet! LEED works from design to construction to operation and LEED-certified buildings are designed to have lower operating costs, reduce waste and greenhouse gases, conserve water and energy and be ultimately healthier and safer for inhabitants.
In the USA financial and regulatory incentives exist from state and local government (and even privately funded organizations) for buildings that achieve a high rating.
Although LEED is used all over the world, other countries also have their own programs, such as the U.K.'s BREEAM (Building Research Environment Assessment Method), Holland's Eco-Quantum, and the Swiss ecoinvent life cycle analysis methodology.
How is BIM connected to LEED?
BIM helps users to plan their LEED projects. BIM, supported by other technologies, has the potential ability to reduce the cost (which can sometimes be expensive) by making certain information available that is required for sustainable design, analysis and certification, which are all available as a consequence of the standard design process. BIM also allows users to add multiple levels of information onto a 3-D building design, such as origin of product or materials and allow users to help to assign tasks to team members.
Sometimes BIM allows users overall to use tools to help asses buildings. Users can assess and analyze energy, environmental and economic performance of buildings and help to communicate return on investments for buildings. Additionally, users can compare the abilities of each individual building and then evaluate, compare, and rank the environmental and financial impact of each building. All together these tools allow users to create smarter and more sustainable buildings.
For more in-depth information please see the sources that were used in this post.
Sources: BIM for Sustainable Design and The Advantages of BIM-Enabled Sustainable Design for Improving Commercial Building Performance, which are Autodesk Whitepapers, Constructonomics and USGBC.
