Chapter 3: LEED v4 Core Concepts and Themes

Question 1

Closed System

Answer 1

A system in which materials and resources are reused or recycled.

Question 2

Cradle to Cradle

Answer 2

A term applied to a product if a new use can be applied to it after the end of its first useful life, diverting it from a landfill.

Question 3

Cradle to Grave

Answer 3

A term applied to a product if its lifetime is limited to one application or use, ending in a landfill.

Question 4

Downstream Activity

Answer 4

An activity related to the processing of materials all the way through to the delivery of the final product to the end user.

Question 5

Embodied Energy

Answer 5

The total amount of energy used to extract materials and manufacture, transport, install, and use a product across its life cycle.

Question 6

Feedback Loop

Answer 6

The section of a system that allows for feedback and self-correction and adjusts its operation according to differences between the actual output and the desired output.

Question 7

Integrative Process

Answer 7

A design process in which multidisciplinary teams collaborate to meet sustainable design objectives from the inception of a project to its completion.

Question 8

Iterative Process

Answer 8

A process used in design that involves conducting research, sharing data, receiving feedback, and refining the design repeatedly until all of a project’s sustainable goals are met.

Question 9

Leverage Point

Answer 9

A point in a system in which a small change can yield large results.

Question 10

Life-cycle Assessment (LCA)

Answer 10

An assessment of the environmental impacts associated with a material or product throughout its life cycle.

Question 11

Life-cycle Costing (LCC)

Answer 11

An analytic tool used to determine the most cost-effective option among competing alternatives based on the costs of the options throughout their life cycles.

Question 12

Negative Feedback Loop

Answer 12

A section of a system in which the system self-corrects and stays within a particular set of parameters.

Question 13

Open System

Answer 13

A system in which materials and resources are continually brought in from the outside, consumed, and then removed from the system as waste.

Question 14

Positive Feedback Loop

Answer 14

A section of a system in which the output fo the system is applied to the input, resulting in constant increases.

Question 15

“Prius Effect”

Answer 15

The effect of changed behavior as a result of making information about a subject more visible and available.

Question 16

Regenerative Building

Answer 16

A closed system that uses only as much water and energy as it can produce.

Question 17

Triple Bottom Line

Answer 17

An accounting framework that incorporates the social, environmental, and economic dimensions of an organization.

Question 18

Upstream Activity

Answer 18

An activity related to the extraction of the raw materials used in a product.

Question 19

What, according to the USGBC, has presented the most significant environmental impact on society today?

Answer 19

Climate change

Question 20

What, according to the USGBC, is the largest contributor to climate change, and at what percentage of total energy used?

Answer 20

The built environment, 40% of total energy used.

Question 21

What is the Montreal Protocol, and when was it ratified?

Answer 21

Bans the production of CFCs and began the phasing out of HCFCs. It was ratified in 1987.

Question 22

7 Impact Categories

Answer 22

1) Reserve Contribution to Global Climate Change
2) Enhance Individual Human Health and Well-being
3) Protect and Restore Water Resources
4) Protect, Enhance, and Restore Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
5) Promote Sustainable and Regenerative Material Resource Cycles
6) Build a Greener Economy
7) Enhance Social Equity, Environmental Justice, Community Health, and Quality of Life

Question 23

How much more do green buildings cost, on average, than conventional buildings, if any at all?

Answer 23

2% more on average

Question 24

4 Main Sustainable Goals

Answer 24

1) Conserving energy and water
2) Reducing resource depletion
3) Increasing indoor air quality
4) Reducing transportation emissions

Question 25

What is the intent of the Integrative Process?

Answer 25

To support high-performance, sot effective project outcomes through an early analysis of the interrelationships among systems.

Question 26

2 Preliminary Analyses for Design Teams

Answer 26

1) Energy Modeling Analysis

2) Water Budget Analysis

Question 27

3 Phases of the Integrative Process

Answer 27

1) Discovery Phase
2) Implementation Phase
3) Occupancy Phase

Question 28

What is the Discovery Phase?

Answer 28

The most critical phase of the integrative process. It is where the energy modeling analysis and water budget analysis are performed.

Question 29

What is the Implementation Phase?

Answer 29

Where the data is compiled and analyzed from the studies in the Discovery Phase. It is documented how the modeling has affected the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR) and the Basis of Design (BOD).

Question 30

What is the Occupancy Phase?

Answer 30

The final stage of the integrative process. A performance assessment is done comparing the actual building performance to expectations compiled from the Implementation Phase.

Question 31

5 Steps of the Iterative Process

Answer 31

1) Conduct research and collect data within the scope of work
2) Analyze the data
3) Share data analyses with team members at group workshops
4) Recieve feedback to identify synergies, wastes, and other opportunities for savings and efficiency across all of the disciplines
5) Create / Refine the design

Question 32

What is Systems Thinking

Answer 32

Looking at a problem as a small part of a larger system. This can make it easier to see all of the interrelated parts that may contribute to or be affected by the problem, making it easier to solve.