GO GREEN

LEED 2009 for Existing Buildings is the latest version the USGBC and GBCI have developed for existing buildings and is called Green Buildings Operations and Maintenance (GBOM).  The content within the reference guide is slightly different than the previous version – Existing Buildings Operation and Maintenance (EBOM), however, the credit points have changed significantly while the pre-requisites have stayed the same.

The credit points now have the following scale:  Certified – 40 – 49, Silver – 50 – 59, Gold – 60 – 79, Platinum – 80 – 110.  Although there are more points to be had, to achieve certification requires achieving more points than the EBOM version (32).

There is also a new version of LEED Online.  I used it today for the first time registering a project in Coral Gables.  Although different, it seems to be more user friendly once used to the formatting.  The submittal templates are also modified from the previous version making it more cumbersome.

In conclusion I believe the USGBC and GBCI need to stick with the same version of LEEDOnline and the Submittal Templates in order for people to be efficient and effective.  Changing these every year or two makes it much more difficult for LEED AP’s to master.

July 29, 2009:

LATICRETE has made specifying tile and stone installation materials for projects seeking LEED certification faster and easier than ever before with the launch of the LATICRETE LEED Project Certification Assistant, an innovative online tool that automatically generates all of the information required for LATICRETE products on a specific LEED project. This easy to use online tool quickly produces an Adobe Acrobat file for each LATICRETE product selected stating its VOC content, recycled content, manufacturing location, raw material sources, GREENGUARD for Children & Schools certification, technical data sheets, and a map showing the location of your project with a 500-mile radius circle depicting its relation to LATICRETE manufacturing facilities. The LATICRETE LEED Project Certification Assistant eliminates the time-consuming challenge of obtaining and quantifying the necessary data for LEED-compliant installation materials, producing detailed, accurate information in just a few moments. For LATICRETE product details, simply visit www.laticrete.com and click on “LEED Project Certification Assistant” on the homepage, or click on “Architects” and then “GREEN/LEED.”

“We recognized a need in the industry to provide this type of comprehensive information,” said Art Mintie, LATICRETE Director, Technical Services. “The data that’s provided is necessary for any project seeking LEED certification and we found it extremely time consuming to manually gather the required information. This was driven by a need in the industry as the green building movement continues to grow. Architects, specifiers, installers, distributors, anyone, can have this information in their hand in seconds instead of the weeks it might take otherwise. Having this type of information upfront aids all parties involved in projects seeking LEED certification.”

 LATICRETE International, Inc. is a family owned business dedicated to innovative, high quality tile and stone installation systems. Based in the USA, the 50-plus year old company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers in its field. It’s well known brands LATICRETE®, LATAPOXY® and SpectraLOCK® are manufactured and sold worldwide. USA /Canada: 1.800.243.4788, outside USA: +1.203.393.0010, www.laticrete.com.