LEED Online Study Guide: LEED Green Associate - What is Green Building?

LEED Online Study Guide for LEED Green Associate or known as LEED GA. 

US Green Building Council: What is green building

Our goal is to provide LEED online study guides that covers LEED AP BD C (LEED AP Building Design + Construction) and LEED GA (LEED Green Associate). 

If you are not familiar with the LEED, please check our previous post that discussed about "what what is LEED, LEED definition, LEED certification, LEED AP BD+C, and LEED GA". 

Click below link to see previous post: 

Steps to get you the USGBC LEED Certificate: What is LEED and how you get to certification from LEED

In this LEED study guide, we are going to define green building and describe the whole building approach.

The Green Building definition:

 

Green building is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource efficient throughout a building's life cycle. That life cycle respectfully analyzes and integrates site selection through design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction. The practice expands and also complements the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort. 

LEED Online Study Guide Facts:

The impacts from commercial construction in the United States include

• 72% of electricity consumption
• 39% of energy use
• 38% of all coarbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
• 40% of raw materials use
• 30% of waste output (136 million tons annually)
• 14% of potable water consumption 

Defining Green Building

Green buildings are specifically designed structures that reduce the overall negative impact of the built environment of human health and natural environment by: 

• Efficiently using energy, water, land, and materials 
• Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity
• Continuously looking for ways to improve performance. 

High-performance green buildings address sustainable development throughout the building's entire life cycle - from the beginning with the building's site selection and design all the way through to the end of the building's life.  

Sustainable buildings are significantly better than standard buildings. They use less energy, save money over time, provide better occupant health and comfort, and are better for the environment. 

To achieve the many benefits of green building, whole building design was developed. 

Whole Building Design

In the traditional planning and design process, building systems were viewed as separate elements - site, structure, systems and use, and design decisions were each based on budget and/or schedule considerations. Changes to a design in order to meet a certain budget or follow an accelerated schedule did not take into account the final performance of the completed building. 

Figure 1.1 The interdependent building considerations of whole building design

The "house as a system" model, a favored approach in the green construction industry today, illustrates interconnectedness. Whole building design views all of a building's systems together as they operate interdependently. Sustainable design begins when projects are first imagined and requires thinking 'green' at every stage in the life cycle. Owners, designers, engineers, and builders play vital roles in reducing the environmental impact of the built environment, starting with the decision to build new or renovate. An issue such as which way the building is oriented would have the project team asking such questions as:

• How is the sunlight going to enter the building? 
• How will the orientation affect the heating and cooling loads?
• What impact will that have on the window glazing? 

Whole building design is integrated design and uses and integrated team. It is this approach that will facilitate sustainable design for the future. 

Today's Free LEED BD+C V4 Exam Prep Questions

Free USGBC LEED BD+C V4 Exam preparation Questions

This is posting will prepare me and you for the LEED exam. It provides the LEED sample questions so we can pass LEED exam. 

Question 1

The boundaries that are focused on in the LEED v4 system include:  (Choose 3)

• A. Project boundary
• B. Property boundary
• C. LEED boundary
• D. District boundary

Answer is (A) and (B)

Question 2

A LEED BD+C specially candidate posses the skills to participate in: 

• A. The design process
• B. Support and encourage integrated design
• C. Streamline the application and certification process
• D. All of the above

Answer is (D)

Question 3

During the sustainable sites process, the site assessment includes: 

• A. topography
• B. hydrology
• C. vegetation
• D. All of the above 

Answer is (D) 

Why Choose Architecture over Interior Design

Why Choose Architecture

Architecture is one of the dreamt courses to take by many. In fact, it is one of the top courses that are offering the best salary for successfully preparing or doing a certain project. This is the same reason why an architect becomes more preferable. In case you are also planning to become one of the professional architects of the generation, it is ideal to know the different considerations in becoming an architect. Learn here the difference of architecture with interior designing, and the benefits of choosing this course to any other courses out there. 

Interior Design vs. Architecture

There are so many similarities and differences between interior designing and architecture. One of this is about the salary. Architects are highly paid so as the interior designers. If it is all about having a big salary, you should really go for either of the two. It is because both surely. Depending on the value that you have in business, you can also take the salary that you expect. However, when it comes to general aspects of learning, they are just similar. There is this wide coverage aspects that both of these two courses come similar with one another. If you are really going to look at each of the course, architecture uses math for having a

Benefits of choosing Architecture

Choosing architecture over other profession is indeed a good decision. It is not just about the salary that you are going to earn but also about applying what you have learned after graduating. Along with your search for the best US best architecture, here are also some of the benefits of choosing architecture for your future.

•  Architecture provides an enjoying and challenging learning experience. If you love challenging yourself with the things you are achieving, architecture may also fit your interest.

•  Learning architecture leads you have an edge over others. It is because architects are indeed practicing skills and knowledge that are applicable

•  Architects perhaps works like inventors. This is one of the reasons that you may want to prove for entering the world of architecture. Building structures, creating new designs, and designing gadgets are only some of the inventions that architects are making.

•  Architecture concerns highly on various fields which can be anything that is beneficial for improving human being and living environment as well. With this benefit, you can always help everyone but also for the improvement of the living environment.

You may become one of the intern architecture students by searching for best US architecture. By starting with such step you may also experience what an architect student life is. However, it is necessary that you know what is to be an architect in case you have made you mind in entering any best school of architecture. From these mentioned reasons above, you can decide whether you will pursue architecture or not. You can also find for more reasons and of course, use your own interest for having this course and possibly earn high salary once you became a real architecture in the future.