How to achieve LEED Certification for your commercial interior--and why.

In late 2004, the U.S. Green Buildings Council adjusted its LEED credit system to allow application to interior construction as well as new buildings.

With this new design tool in place, it is now possible to collect LEED points specific to commercial interiors, and ultimately achieve LEED certification for basic items such as the reuse of interior partitions, installation of sustainably-produced office furniture, proper waste management and even long-term lease commitments.

From a specifier's point of view, complying with the new LEED guidelines is not difficult. There's been an explosion in manufacturers that cater to this growing market. At this point, most carpet manufacturers pride themselves in being green. VOC free paints require a little more flexibility as they tend to offer a more limited color palette and fall short on performance in certain applications. However, given the incredible development of sustainable products over the past few years, it's obvious these limitations will soon be overcome.

However, the process of documenting the LEED point system is highly detailed, and involves both energy calculations and a careful description of all building materials used. While the task of specifying LEED compatible materials falls on the architect, documenting the chain of custody for all building components falls on the contractor.

In a recent project for Dagher Engineering--a client strongly committed to sustainable design, who performed their own M.E.P. services--Gran and Dagher used a deep understanding of the LEED certification process to benefit the client by taking a proactive role in ensuring contractor compliance. Phase One was kicked off with a preconstruction conference to inform the lead contractor and all subcontractors on the necessary procedures, Weekly follow up meetings were held to ensure that construction debris was handled correctly, all materials were obtained from the specified sources and documentation was complete.

As a result, the Dagher offices achieved a Silver LEED rating. At this point, the Dagher office is one of only a handful of LEED certified commercial spaces in the New York City, but those numbers are expected to rise significantly in the near future. There are two reasons: In a real estate market where commercial property landlords compete for tenants, sustainable interiors are bound to become an essential differentiating factor.

Furthermore, prospective tenants are becoming more and more aware of the innate benefits of green design--such as improved indoor air quality, increased productivity and reduced absenteeism. As a result, there will be new market pressure to bring more sustainably designed spaces on line.

When it comes to building infrastructure, both prospective tenants and building owners stand to gain from a reduced load or reduced equipment size. As existing buildings are upgraded and retrofitted, equipment cost can be reduced if the landlord can count on reduced tenant demand.

Landlords should see the benefits of incorporating this kind of thinking and it's certainly possible that a landlord could insist on building-wide tenant compliance.

A LEED Certified or Silver rating can be achieved just by designing carefully--for example when it comes to maximizing daylight use--and LEED does give out points for reusing existing construction elements.

Incorporating sustainable thinking from the onset is key to achieving LEED certification in a cost-effective manner. LEED certification cannot be an afterthought. Apart from that, sustainable design requires mostly common sense, and it makes good business sense as well.

BY DAVID KRIEGEL, PARTNER, GRAN ASSOCIATES