What is a LEED Certified Home?

What is a LEED Certified Home?

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What is a LEED Certified Home?

Posted: 09 Oct 2014 06:58 AM PDT

Modern interior What is a LEED Certified Home?

Is a LEED home right for you? Image Source: Jeffers Design Group

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a certification program for green building. There are numerous levels and ratings within this certification program that recognize best-in-class building strategies for homes, offices, new construction, schools, hospitals, retail and much more.

LEED is designed to be flexible and far-reaching, opening the doors to ALL development projects and allowing them to become more environmentally friendly and lessen their carbon footprint. The US Green Building Council developed this classification system in order to promote green building practices, and the response seems favorable. Without even realizing it, you may have already step foot into one of the famous LEED buildings. If you have been to Chicago’s Sears Tower, New York’s Empire State Building, Olympic Villages in Beijing/Vancouver, or the Boston Logan Airport (to name a few), then you have been in a LEED building.

Would you like to save money, make your home more valuable, and make the world a better place for your children? Of course you would, so let’s read why LEED certification is a route you should consider for your home:

zero energy home What is a LEED Certified Home?

Save the world and your pocket book with a LEED home. Image Source: Zero Energy

Why Would You Want A LEED Certified Home?

Selfishly, why wouldn’t you want a LEED certified home? Forget about the environment for a minute and let’s discuss all the personal benefits that you can acquire from a LEED home:

  • Every part of a LEED home is sealed and insulated, saving you a ton of money on home heating and cooling.
  • Low-flow shower heads, faucets and toilets in LEED homes means lower water bills and less energy to heat the water.
  • The air you breathe is better thanks to LEED’s dedication to not use toxic chemicals in your home.
  • Allergens are brought to a minimum with indoor moisture controls that prohibit the growth of common molds.
  • Air quality is also improved with use of ventilation that brings outdoor air in.
  • LEED homes are built in close proximity to walking and bike paths
  • LEED homes have a much higher resale value and sell more quickly
  • Overall, LEED homes are less expensive to live in.

We are convinced, how about you? Let’s look at the rating system to learn more about LEED certification for your home:

kitchen1 What is a LEED Certified Home?

There are so many reasons to love in a LEED home. Image Source: Niche Interiors

LEED Rating System For Homes

In an attempt to reach all possible projects, LEED certification has 5 rating systems—Building and Design, Interior Design and Construction, Building Operations and Maintenance, Neighborhood Development, and Homes.

Then there are 4 certification levels— Silver, Gold, Platinum and Certified. You earn credits for specific items, projects or additions that are included in your home,  and the number of credits/points that you get equals the certification level your home achieves.

Essentially, it is up to you as to how far you would like to go. If you want a fully Certified home, then implement the tools within your home to earn the credits needed. But here’s something to remember, every LEED home is green no matter where it sits on the rating system— it is up to you to weigh the cost benefit of how far up the ranks you wish to go.

green modern home What is a LEED Certified Home?

There are many levels of LEED homes. It is up to you how far you would like to go. Image Source: New Theme

How is LEED Different From a Green Home?

A green home may have low-flush toilets or solar panels on the roof , thereby dubbing it, Green, while a LEED home is all-encompassing. A LEED home is one that is green from top to bottom and inside and out.

Rather than focusing on one aspect such as heating and cooling, a LEED home is exemplary in energy efficiency, water use, air quality, building materials, land placement and use—essentially everything!  LEED certification is also rigorously tested and hard to achieve, unlike other green certification programs.

In fact, every LEED home is throughly inspected and tested to ensure it meets the tough standards. Essentially, reaching a LEED status brings your home to the pinnacle of green certification—it’s the best there is.

modern black and white interior What is a LEED Certified Home?

LEED homes are different that normal Green homes, as they are all-encompassing when it comes to green technologies and products–inside and out. Image Source: DNM Architect

How to Get Started

With all this information, you may feel overwhelmed and left asking, how do I achieve this superlative status? Here is the great thing— you don’t have to do it on your own, there are certified LEED professionals that have the in-depth knowledge and training to help you acquire LEED certification for your home.

It’s best to search the directory to find a properly certified LEED consultant.  There are a lot of people attempting to become certified as LEED architects, builders etc…so do your research and find the one that has the most experience in your type of project. You wouldn’t want to make any costly mistakes.

Also, as knowledge increases and technology advances, new building characteristics and installments appear, therefore be sure to hire someone who stays abreast of all advancements in green technologies.

If you plan to remodel your existing home into a LEED certified home, be aware that it can be extensive and messy. Green Compliance Plus, warns that LEED for home remodels may involve a total gutting of the home—walls, ceiling, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) and water systems— so be prepared and willing to live through these intrusive steps of the program.

bathroom1 What is a LEED Certified Home?

Look to a LEED certified professional for advice. Image Source: Hill Construction Company

Is a LEED home for you? There are a lot of things to weigh before deciding. Do you want a home with cleaner air, better efficiency, and lower living costs? Do you want to lessen your imprint on the world? If you said yes to these questions, then maybe you should look into getting your home LEED certified.

Remember, getting an existing home LEED certified is a long, messy and arduous  task. Maybe it is best to look into building one from the ground up? Do your research and look for professionals with LEED certification to guide you in your decision making process, and consider looking to other Green homes for inspiration.

Would you go through these steps to get your home LEED certified? Does it seem worth it to you?

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Your Luffa Sponge Paved the Way to Modern 3D Acoustic Tiles

Posted: 09 Oct 2014 01:04 AM PDT

accoustictile2 Your Luffa Sponge Paved the Way to Modern 3D Acoustic Tiles

What do you get when you mix a natural material used in a new way with a conscious choice of saving the eco-system? You get that distinctive feeling of being part of the solution, instead of the problem. Brazilian born designer Mauricio Affonso of LuffaLab found a way to create acoustic tiles from the tropical vine plant providing raw material for the beauty industry. The recent graduate from the Design Products program at the Royal College of Art in London explores new applications for the luffa material with his INDIGO Acoustic Tiles made of molded Luffa.

acoustictiles1 Your Luffa Sponge Paved the Way to Modern 3D Acoustic Tiles

Decorative and functional, these geometric 3D tiles are an artistic portray of reality, as well as an innovative and creative  solution for the reality it portrays: “The indigo color is achieved by reusing waste water from the denim-dyeing industry. Like most textiles, denim-making starts with plain white cotton. What many people don't realize is that blue-jean process is poisonous to water supplies in communities such as Xintang, China. Luffa's highly absorbent fibbers can be used to soak up these harmful dyes that would otherwise be discharged. The result is a series of beautiful indigo wall tiles suitable for home and office interiors.”

Luffa or loofah is not only a popular beauty product, but also a vegetable eaten in its early development stage. Once a luffa fruit is fully ripe, it becomes fibrous and means it can be molded into functional or sculptural objects. We’ve seen the sustainable, eco-friendly cork being used to create curvaceous sofas or push-pin resembling tables easily flipped to become stools. Will we be seeing more Luffa products with a will to change the world in the future?

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Expansive Rotterdam Market Hall Shaped Like A Giant Horse Shoe by MVRDV

Posted: 08 Oct 2014 10:06 AM PDT

design Rotterdam market Expansive Rotterdam Market Hall Shaped Like A Giant Horse Shoe by MVRDVFrom nine o’clock in the morning, until eight o’clock in the evening, the inhabitants of Rotterdam will have a chance to evaluate fresh food and other goodies inside a new massive arch-shaped venue. The Rotterdam Market Hall was described by the architects at MVRDV as “a sustainable combination of food, leisure, living and parking, fully integrated to celebrate and enhance the synergetic possibilities of the different functions. A secure, covered square emerges beneath an arc, conceived as an inversion of a typical market square and its surrounding buildings. During the day it serves as central market hall, after hours the hall becomes an enormous, covered, well lit public space”.

architecture Rotterdam market Expansive Rotterdam Market Hall Shaped Like A Giant Horse Shoe by MVRDV
Markthal Rotterdam is part of the new inner city heart of the Laurens Quarter, the pre-war center of Rotterdam. A combined market hall and housing unit, the project accommodates 228 apartment units and 100 market stalls. Color and personality is added through a vast mural along the market’s ceiling (by Dutch artists Arno Coenen and Iris Roskam). If you’re ever in the area, drop by and enjoy the culinary diversity, “from fresh fish to specialized poultry, from cappuccino to cheese, from Surinam to Zaandam, from ice cream to biological vegetables”. The establishment also hosts restaurants and cafes on the ground floor and the first floor, plus a supermarket and a large car park in the basement. Check out the video below for the tour:

Rotterdam market 3 Expansive Rotterdam Market Hall Shaped Like A Giant Horse Shoe by MVRDV Rotterdam market 4 Expansive Rotterdam Market Hall Shaped Like A Giant Horse Shoe by MVRDV Rotterdam market 5 Expansive Rotterdam Market Hall Shaped Like A Giant Horse Shoe by MVRDV Rotterdam market 6 Expansive Rotterdam Market Hall Shaped Like A Giant Horse Shoe by MVRDV Rotterdam market 7 Expansive Rotterdam Market Hall Shaped Like A Giant Horse Shoe by MVRDV

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