Sustainable Design
Lauryn P. | Laura G. | Kiarra W.
What is Sustainable Design?
The purpose of sustainable design is to decrease negative impact on the environment which means using less non-renewable resources and waste products.
Sustainable Design Principles
- Optimize Site Potential
- Minimize Non-Renewable energy consumption
- Use Environmentally Preferable Products
- Protect and Conserve Water
- Enhance Indoor Environmental Quality
- Optimize Operational And Maintenance Practices
GSA and LEED
GSA uses the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building certification system as a tool for evaluating and measuring achievements in sustainable design. LEED consists of a set of prerequisites and credits with specific requirements for obtaining points in order for a building to become LEED certified. GSA uses LEED to ensure that sustainable strategies are considered in the development of all GSA building projects. GSA requires, at a minimum, new construction and substantial renovation of Federally-owned facilities to be LEED Gold.