[Oona Johnsen]

I chose the BD +C specialty since it includes: LEED for New Construction, LEED for Schools and LEED for Core & Shell. LEED ND is also helpful for LA’s in neighborhood planning specifically. For the type of landscape architecture I am involved with, BD+C is a better fit for me since I can apply it in several applications.

[Oona Johnsen]

I understand your point Joy – in Monterey, CA, where I am now, we don’t have a problem with the urban heat island effect. Cool ocean winds cool our pavements naturally. In fact, usually we want them “warmer” anyway. So you bring up a good point, not just with the glare, but the correct application of strict SRI indices. In an dense, hot, urban environment like LA or Atlanta, I can see this point being extremely important. It just means as educated green savvy professionals or LEED APs, we need to educate our project team and ask is this point really necessary in the grand scheme of things?

[Oona Johnsen]

I have problems with finding SRI values for natural stone and decomposed granite also. The supplier or quarry will need to get it tested. Of course, natural stone tends to vary…but I think you will know if you are within range. The LEED Reference Guide (SSc7.1) lists SRI for standard paving materials i.e. Typical New Grey Concrete SRI = 35, Typical Weathered gray concrete = 19, Typical New White Concrete SRI = 86, Typical Weathered White Concrete = 45, New Asphalt SRI = 0, Weathered Asphalt SRI = 6.

[Oona Johnsen]

One of the biggest complaints I have is the test taking environment. OK, so the surface of the table is bumpy and scratched, it clearly states to bring something smooth to draw on. The table I sat at yesterday for Section E, in addition to a bumpy surface, had a severe bow to it. Even though I brought 2 thick pieces of card board to draw on, I could not use my parallel ruler or long scale because of the curve of the table. Thank goodness I had a pocket scale with me; I just wasted valuable time since it was the only drafting tool I could use. I really think at a minimum, for the graphic sections, the tables provided should be FLAT! Is this issue worth of an official complaint?

[Oona Johnsen]

It seems that SSI is a long way out there…Aren’t they just now starting pilot projects and after that they will then again revise the rating system? Who knows, another 5-10 years before the debut? By that time, it may be too late to integrate LEED and SSI, which I ultimately think should happen. Ultimately what is needed is to integrate a green building with a green site. The two should be hand in hand complimenting each other in terms of effort to meet sustainability.

I like the interdisciplinary approach to a rating system. It kind of sounds like an organizational nightmare, but I guess it could work in the end. I also think rating systems should be somehow regional in nature, so new technologies/design approaches can be used in areas that need them the most in terms of sustainability.

[Oona Johnsen]

I agree, the review process could be very painful. LEED simplified this approach by creating base forms for each point. There is a narrative section on each form which lets you describe the the approach in terms of your specific project. Only a low percentage (5-10% – I don’t remember the exact amount) of projects are actually audited where all backup paperwork and formula calculations are actually checked. I believe if SSI is integrated into LEED, the process will be streamlined and less expensive. Can you imagine the extra costs associated with a project that wanted to achieve a LEED AND SSI rating??

[Oona Johnsen]

Sorry for the late reply. The discussion did not go further. We will only use rainwater harvesting or landscape irrigation at this point. Hopefully tapping into the AC condensate can be an option in the future.

[Oona Johnsen]

It turns out the Mechanical on the project I am working on was not too thrilled with the idea of using the AC condensate; saying it would contaminate the water and it simply would not produce a adequate amount of water. Even the Civil Engineer thinks rainwater harvesting is a bad idea. I am at a loss on this project!

[Oona Johnsen]

I am looking into this now for a project (A/C water & harvested rainwater system). I have only done some basic research and it seems that the amount of water from A/C units varies per application. For instance, a grocery store typically maintains a certain temperature, so you can be guaranteed a certain amount of water on a fairly regular basis. An office building, on the other hand, will have varied use based on the time of year (season) and holiday schedule. I am also going to research the type of filter you would need for such applications going to an irrigation system. If anyone has any info on that, I would be interested. Great topic!

[Oona Johnsen]

Along the central coast of California we have an extreme water shortage. As professionals, not capturing rainwater in this area would be a complete loss, therefore I argue that green roofs would be more effective in a different environment. To make green roofs worthwhile in this type of climate would be to capture the excess runoff from the green roof and put it into a harvesting cistern for reuse. Has anyone ever seen this built?

[Oona Johnsen]

This is an interesting topic. Should LEED and SSI be integrated together or separate at rating systems? I will continue that as a topic as another discussion.

[Oona Johnsen]

Thanks for letting us know about this…I will have to look into SSI more closely. I really haven’t had the time lately. You bring up a good discussion point – green roofs in dry climates – I will start a different discussion and we can continue it there.

[Oona Johnsen]

I am sorry you feel so pessimistic about LEED. If you are on the right project team and you are given a scope that includes planting, irrigation, coordination with grading, site hardscape, site features, and/or green roof, a landscape architect can really have a big impact on the site design of a LEED project today. I agree that LEED could do much more regarding project site sustainability including sustainability on a regional level, but for know it is really heading in the right direction, so that means it will just improve over time.

Being a LEED AP as a landscape architect means that you understand the LEED process, where to put in your efforts, and you know how to coordinate with the project team. Some companies pay for their employee’s testing fees and some even pay for continuing education of sorts. I for one am interested in the LEED process, therefore I find it beneficial to my career. Someone else on the other hand may choose to take a different continuing educational opportunity.

I heard that SSI might become a part of the LEED certification process. Not sure if this is true yet. Do you know anything about it?

[Oona Johnsen]

I very seldom worked on any “green building” or project where some sort of sustainability was a common goal among the project team until LEED came along. So far I have worked on/managed as an LA four LEED projects directly, therefore I am no expert, but I thoroughly enjoy the multidisciplinary aspects LEED brings to a project and it is amazing to see the outcome with all the efforts made. Of course, not all LEED project have worked like this. One LEED project I have has the LA role as only planting and irrigation. No coordination with the team at all! LEED has its ups and downs, but it seems to be a great way to integrate the essence of landscape architecture into a project. I am studying for the LEED AP test now…taking it in a couple weeks. How about you? Do you have any issues, positive or negative, with LEED?

[Oona Johnsen]

LEED is focused on buildings; it is a “system to define and measure green buildings” (Reference Manual). The rating system effects their design, construction, and operation since buildings annually consume for than 30% of the total energy and 60% of the electricity used in the US (Reference Manual). If you take LEED and relate it to the profession of landscape architecture, I completely agree, it does not take the same effort to bring sustainability to the outside as it does the inside of the project. But, LEED is undeniably a success. It is the start to a new type of building which developers are taking to. It is a great movement and a fantastic start! Now this is our chance as landscape architects to address the issues you have mentioned above and more in order to make the exterior fit into the same sustainability standards as the buildings themselves. LEED is not going away anytime soon, so lets raise the exterior standards!
1. Integration between exterior systems and building systems: Yes, this is not apparent enough and this also has to do with the fact that there is a lack of interdisciplinary teamwork from the start on some projects. Though one of the goals of LEED is to promote this teamwork, there is no way to force this to happen. I find it frustrating on one of the LEED projects I am working on now. I am hoping the new designations of LEED professionals will encourage interdisciplinary design, which brings about one of my issues I have in that the role of LEED AP needs to be defined more clearly with a stronger role on the team.
2. Cost: Yes it costs, but all the extra costs going into the building seem to pay off in the end. LEED registration and certifications costs vary – min. being $2,859 and max. being $23,100 based on building SF. In context of the total building cost, these don’t seem like big numbers to me. If your building achieves a Platinum rating, all the registration and certification costs are waved.
3. Regionalism: This aspect I also agree with, being from California, it makes no sense at all to build a green roof. Rather, it should be mandatory to have rainwater collection for all projects located within areas with limited potable water supply. Invasive species is an issue I have seen with project also, but part of this makes me wonder why a landscape architect would be planting invasive species in the first place. I heard a rumor that the SSI would eventually be integrated into LEED…not sure if this is true.
In short, you bring up great points and I could add a few more to it, but why would this deter you from working with LEED to make it better? There are public comment periods on all LEED rating systems. I am not sure how the ASLA has weighed in their thoughts with LEED, but I bet the AIA has.
I have had great experiences working on a LEED project where the design team really took everyone’s knowledge into consideration and worked well together; mainly this was part of the initiative of the Owner and Architect. Those experiences have really pumped me up and gave me hope that LEED can do amazing things.

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