LEED CERTIFICATION
LEED (acronym of Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) is a certification system for sustainable buildings developed by the United States Green Building Council. It was initially introduced in 1998, and has been implemented by a number of countries since.
It comprises a series of norms concerning the use of
strategies aimed at ensuring sustainability in buildings of all kinds. It is
based on the project’s taking into consideration aspects related to energy
efficiency, use of alternative energies, enhancement of indoor air quality, efficient
water consumption, sustainable development of open spaces at the site, and
choice of materials. There are four levels of certification: LEED Certificate,
LEED Silver, LEED Gold, and LEED Platinum.
Certification, which is voluntary, seeks to further the
use of strategies that lead to overall improvements in the construction
industry’s environmental impact.
Rating: 91*
* Provisional rating, currently
undergoing certification
GREEN CERTIFICATION
Devised by the Green Building
Council of Spain (GBCe), the Verde tool
is a mechanism for environmental evaluation and certification of buildings.
The GBCe technical committee has
laid down a series of accepted benchmarks and rules to set out the limits and
requirements necessary for a building to be awarded the GBCe VERDE Certification.
In line with the philosophy of Spanish Building Regulations (CTE) and European
Directives, evaluation is primarily outcome-based. It is grounded on the principles
of energy efficiency, bio-architecture, and of the building having been constructed
respecting the environment, being compatible with its surroundings, and affording
high levels of comfort and standards of living for users and occupants.
Rating: 4.25*
* Provisional rating, currently undergoing certification
ENERGY CERTIFICATION
This is performed through the CALENER computer programme.
The programme carries out a study of the building’s energy consumption, and
provides a final result in the form of: An Energy
- Rating of the building studied, expressed as a percentage compared to the reference building, said percentage being codified through a letter for easy interpretation.
- An Administrative Document consisting of a description of the building’s energy characteristics and listing the energy efficiency of its component parts, systems, and sub-systems. This document describes the technical bases (detailing the energy features and energy efficiency) that justify the Energy Rating awarded to the building.
For non-residential buildings, in which it is extremely
difficult to create standard types with their corresponding estimated consumption
and emissions, the comparison is made with a fictitious building, known as a reference
building, which has the same design as the building to be rated and which meets
the minimum requirements set out by the CTE.
The energy rating is given as the building’s percentage
improvement compared to the reference building.
ENERGY SIMULATION
E-QUEST is a sophisticated programme
that enables simulation and subsequent analysis of a building’s energy use. The
programme has been designed such that it allows a detailed comparative analysis
of a range of designs by simulating the latter’s performance. This is possible
because E-QUEST comprises two main drivers, one involving the building’s design
and its facilities, and another gauging energy performance, all of which is
reflected through a series of graphs for easy interpretation and comparison of
outcomes.
It provides a highly detailed simulation of features such
as the impact of sunlight, windows, indoor and outdoor construction materials (facades),
natural light, and lighting requirements.
