Ace Your LEED-AP-BD+C Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Exam

Discovery

The discovery phase of the integrative process gives the team the greatest chance of success in meeting the project’s environmental goals cost-effectively. The discovery phase is the initial stage of the project, where the team establishes the vision, goals, and performance criteria, conducts a site assessment, identifies synergies and trade-offs among systems, and performs preliminary analysis and modeling of energy and water use1. By engaging in this phase early and iteratively, the team can explore various design options, identify potential savings and benefits, and optimize the project outcomes2.

References:

Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction v4 – Pages 28-291

Understanding Integrative Design in LEED v4 - BuildingGreen2

The Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR) is the document that should be used to record the project goals to be used throughout the design of the project. The OPR is a written document that details the ideas, concepts, and criteria that are determined by the owner to be important to the success of the project1. The OPR is developed during the pre-design phase and is used as a basis for the design team to prepare the Basis of Design (BOD), which describes how the design of the building systems meets the OPR2. The OPR is also used to evaluate the design, construction, and commissioning of the project to ensure that the owner’s expectations are met3.

References:

•LEED v4 for Building Design and Construction, p. 63

•LEED v4 for Building Design and Construction, p. 64

•SECTION 018114 - SUSTAINABLE DESIGN REQUIREMENTS - LEED v4 BD+C, p. 5

Showers are addressed under Water Efficiency (WE) Prerequisite: Indoor Water Use Reduction and Location and Transportation (LT) Credit: Bicycle Facilities. Showers in indoor water use reduction help minimize potable water consumption, while in the Bicycle Facilities credit, they support cycling commuters by providing end-of-trip facilities. The other options refer to credits or prerequisites unrelated to shower facilities.

The system boundary that a building life cycle analysis must be defined to account for is the cradle-to-grave stage, which includes the production, construction, use, and end-of-life stages of the building. This stage covers all the inputs and outputs of the building system, such as materials, energy, water, emissions, waste, and maintenance.

References:

•Life Cycle Assessment of Buildings: Technical Guidance

•Life-cycle assessment - Wikipedia

•Conducting a Life Cycle Assessment - GSA Sustainable … - SFTool