Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2007 - (Page 32)

Red Truck, Green Building MANY CITIES ARE CHOOSING TO BUILD LEED-CERTIFIED, ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS FACILITIES By Wiginton Hooker Jeffry, P.C. Architect he building design and construction industry is constantly changing. New products and systems flood the market. New codes and regulations are adopted each year. Fire departments looking at a new building project are often faced with concepts and terms with which they are unfamiliar. One of the current buzz words is LEED. Will your new station be a “green building” or LEED-certified? The process probably already felt complicated enough with issues like construction management-at-risk and regulations like ADA. Now you may be adding LEED to the list of things to consider. What is LEED? LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a nationally recognized rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council for measuring a building’s energy efficiency and environmental impact. A building can be awarded LEED certification by meeting certain prerequisites and earning credits through the design, construction and operational processes. LEED acknowledges performance in five major areas of human and environmental health: sustainable sites, 32 T water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. Innovation in design, a sixth category, recognizes additional credits for efforts that are not encompassed in the other five areas. Depending on the number of credits achieved, a building can be awarded one of four LEED certification levels: certified, silver, gold or platinum. According to the USGBC, LEED provides building owners and operators with the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on the performance of their buildings. LEEDcertified buildings have reduced operating costs and healthier occupants and conserve natural resources. With energy costs skyrocketing and an ever-increasing need to protect our environment and natural resources, more municipalities are choosing to set an example for their communities by building “green.” Some cities, like Plano, are now committed to building only LEED-certified government buildings. If your department or city is contemplating building a green building, there are several important things to keep in mind. The higher levels of certification can require more sophisticated designs and potentially higher initial costs, but they are more environmentally friendly and energy efficient and bring greater long-term utility-cost savings and benefits to the community. Since LEED is a total-building design approach, the decision to go green needs to be made early, preferably even before a site is selected. Many people understand that LEED involves the use of sustainable building materials, but this is only part of the equation. Once you decide to pursue LEED certification, the right project team needs to be assembled. Architects, engineers, contractors and a commissioning agent with knowledge and experience of the LEED rating system can help guide you through the process. Case Study: Fire Station No. 12/EOC Complex, City of Plano We currently are nearing design completion of Plano Fire Station No. 12/EOC Complex, which will be submitted for LEED silver certification. The first step in the LEED process TEXAS FIRE CHIEF Fall/Winter 2007

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2007

Contents Executive Director’s Report Fire Chief of the Year What is an Emergency Service District (ESD)? Tax-Exempt Financing 101 The Benefits of Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) Southwest Fire Rescue 2008 Preview Membership Application ‘Courage to be Safe’ Program Aims to Save Lives Red Truck, Green Building Index to Advertisers

Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.