GSA Moves to LEED Gold for All New Federal Buildings and Major Renovations
Over the past several years, substantial regulation has been passed mandating the “greening” of federal government buildings. Last month was no exception and saw the declaration of a new “gold” standard.
In late October 2010, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) issued a new mandate requiring that all federal building construction projects and “substantial” renovation projects achieve a minimum LEED Gold certification in their quest to improve energy efficiency.
Leadership in Environmental Efficiency Design (LEED) is an internationally recognized and widely-accepted third party green building certification program, established by the U.S. Green Building Council, that determines the energy efficiency and sustainability of building projects.
“Sustainable, better-performing federal buildings can significantly contribute to reducing the government's environmental footprint,” said Robert A. Peck, GSA's Commissioner of Public Buildings.
For projects funded prior to FY 2010 that are currently in the design phase, GSA is requiring that LEED Gold be incorporated into ongoing designs where possible, after considering budget and schedule constraints on the current design and construction contracts.
The LEED Gold level is the second highest certification level. Previously, federal building projects needed to be certified at the LEED Silver level, the third-highest rating, or higher.
The LEED rating system is a 100 point scale (with 10 bonus points available) that awards weighted points proportionate to their ability to impact a list of environmental and human health priorities, with emphasis on climate change and energy savings. Categories of emphasis include sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and green design innovations.
Meeting those Mandates
So moving forward, how can the Federal government and its contractors ensure their projects meet the newly-imposed energy efficiency standards? In addition to water efficiency and responsible waste management, the right software can lend a hand.
Autodesk’s Revit Architecture 2011 has a new feature – Sun Path. Sun Path enables users to simulate the path of the sun in order to better understand the impact of the sun in relation to your project and its surrounding context. You can grab and move the sun in a 3D view and interactively drag the sun around. Depending on your geographic location, you can see the impact of solar shading on your design. This sustainable design analysis feature helps measure the impact of environmental factors on a building’s performance. This allows designers to quickly evaluate multiple design alternatives for energy efficiency. Whether your agency is retrofitting or redesigning, using Sun Path can result in improved building performance, faster time to the market, and lower project costs as well as lower TCO over time.
This YouTube video gives a good the role of Autodesk geospatial products such as AutoCAD Map 3D and AutoCAD Civil 3D in verifying and documenting LEED certification points for Neighborhood Development. If you are an architect, land developer, engineer and or other professional engaged in neighborhood development activities and interested in how geospatial tools can help with LEED certification then this video is for you.
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Leadership in Environmental Efficiency Design (LEED) is an internationally recognized and widely-accepted third party green building certification program, established by the U.S. Green Building Council, that determines the energy efficiency and sustainability of building projects.
“Sustainable, better-performing federal buildings can significantly contribute to reducing the government's environmental footprint,” said Robert A. Peck, GSA's Commissioner of Public Buildings.
For projects funded prior to FY 2010 that are currently in the design phase, GSA is requiring that LEED Gold be incorporated into ongoing designs where possible, after considering budget and schedule constraints on the current design and construction contracts.
The LEED Gold level is the second highest certification level. Previously, federal building projects needed to be certified at the LEED Silver level, the third-highest rating, or higher.
The LEED rating system is a 100 point scale (with 10 bonus points available) that awards weighted points proportionate to their ability to impact a list of environmental and human health priorities, with emphasis on climate change and energy savings. Categories of emphasis include sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and green design innovations.
Meeting those Mandates
So moving forward, how can the Federal government and its contractors ensure their projects meet the newly-imposed energy efficiency standards? In addition to water efficiency and responsible waste management, the right software can lend a hand.
Autodesk’s Revit Architecture 2011 has a new feature – Sun Path. Sun Path enables users to simulate the path of the sun in order to better understand the impact of the sun in relation to your project and its surrounding context. You can grab and move the sun in a 3D view and interactively drag the sun around. Depending on your geographic location, you can see the impact of solar shading on your design. This sustainable design analysis feature helps measure the impact of environmental factors on a building’s performance. This allows designers to quickly evaluate multiple design alternatives for energy efficiency. Whether your agency is retrofitting or redesigning, using Sun Path can result in improved building performance, faster time to the market, and lower project costs as well as lower TCO over time.
This YouTube video gives a good the role of Autodesk geospatial products such as AutoCAD Map 3D and AutoCAD Civil 3D in verifying and documenting LEED certification points for Neighborhood Development. If you are an architect, land developer, engineer and or other professional engaged in neighborhood development activities and interested in how geospatial tools can help with LEED certification then this video is for you.
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Digital Design
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Channel Partners, Digital Design
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Carly Bell
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Carly Bell
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Carly Bell
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Carly Bell
Digital Design
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Carly Bell
Digital Design
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Article originally posted to the GovDesignHub here.
Brandon Norris
Digital Design
Article originially posted to the GovDesignHub here.
Brandon Norris
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Civil 3D Version Interoperability
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A new version of AutoCAD is now available.
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Digital Design
From design, construction, to facilities management, the need for closer ownership is clear.
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AutoCAD 2021 is here!
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Article originally posted to GovDesignHub here.
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Article originally posted to GovDesignHub here.
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Holly Chapman
Digital Design
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In the words of one of our top contributors, Lynn Allen, of Autodesk fame:
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Holly Chapman
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Holly Chapman
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1. Training
Holly Chapman
Digital Design
Download the eBook here!
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Grace_Bergen
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Grace_Bergen
Digital Design
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Digital Design
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DLT Solutions
CAD General, Digital Design, Technology, Tips and How-Tos
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Taking 3D Contextual Design to the Next Level
DLT Solutions
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DLT Solutions
CAD General, Digital Design, Technology, Tips and How-Tos
The holidays have arrived early to the government CAD community. Lynn Allen is coming to town and online in a city near you!
DLT has partnered with everyone’s favorite Autodesk evangelist and tips and tricks queen to bring you a series of tech breakfasts and webinars.
Starting this May and continuing over the next few months across the U.S., Lynn will share what’s new with AutoCAD 2019 (aka One AutoCAD) and dive into trends and happenings in the world of government digital design.
Here’s what May has in store:
DLT Solutions