Sarah Corbitt http://sarahcorbitt.com Intern Architect LEED AP Tue, 08 Feb 2011 05:47:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Why I Decided to Convert My LEED Accreditation http://sarahcorbitt.com/why-i-decided-to-convert-my-leed-accreditation http://sarahcorbitt.com/why-i-decided-to-convert-my-leed-accreditation#comments Sat, 05 Feb 2011 01:30:25 +0000 admin http://sarahcorbitt.com/why-i-decided-to-convert-my-leed-accreditation I recently attended a US Green Building Council Charlotte Region Chapter event on LEED AP credentialing and maintenance, as part of the process of ‘converting’ my general LEED AP credential to the more up-to-date designation of LEED AP With Specialty. As a Specialty, I’ve chosen BD+C, which is the USGBC’s acronym for Building Design + Construction. This is the rating system which is roughly equivalent to the New Construction rating system test that I originally took to become accredited.
Why would a LEED AP do this? As someone who tested under the LEED 2.2 rating system, I can opt (Option 1) to remain a LEED AP under all successive versions of LEED (we’re in LEED 3.0/2009 now) in perpetuity. And the LEED AP BD+C requires 30 hours of continuing education over 2 years to ‘convert’ (Option 2). With continuing education guidelines which are more stringent and also different than the AIA’s CEUs, I am looking at a lot of continuing education. And for what? Well, the benefits aren’t entirely clear right now – there’s no threat the general LEED AP designation will expire in the foreseeable future. But, I believe in trying to quantify the effects of good, green design choices, and it’s worth it to me to stick with LEED, and stay up-to-date. I’m also looking at the conversion process as a bonus for research that I would already be doing – might as well get the credential!
There is a third option for ‘converting’ to a specialty AP designation, and that option is retesting (Option 3). I’m more interested in the continuing education rather the testing, so the continuing ed makes more sense for me, right now. As usual, in design and sustainability, there are choices and trade-offs to be made, and no ‘wrong’ answer.

I’ll keep you posted on how the Credentialing Maintenance Program (CMP) is going – that’s the documentation of my continuing education hours.

For more information: http://www.usgbccrc.org/?page=Credential_Maintenan

]]> http://sarahcorbitt.com/why-i-decided-to-convert-my-leed-accreditation/feed 0 USGBC: The Return of Precedent-Setting CIRs http://sarahcorbitt.com/usgbc-the-return-of-precedent-setting-cirs http://sarahcorbitt.com/usgbc-the-return-of-precedent-setting-cirs#comments Thu, 07 Oct 2010 21:35:58 +0000 elizabeth http://sarahcorbitt.com/?p=87 The USGBC announced recently that it will bring back Credit Interpretation Reports for public use. Long a valuable tool for LEED project teams everywhere, the public, precedent-setting CIRs disappeared with the coming of LEED 2009. And the USGBC says there may be a format improvement, too. Whereas the old CIR database was confusing to use, search and refer to, the new CIRs may be issued on one single, comprehensive, easy-to-search document. This could mean big savings in time, money and emotional distress for project teams and LEED administrators.
More info: http://www.leeduser.com/topic/usgbc-offer-precedent-setting-leed-interpretations-along-cirs

]]> http://sarahcorbitt.com/usgbc-the-return-of-precedent-setting-cirs/feed 0 The Green Code Cometh! http://sarahcorbitt.com/the-green-code-cometh http://sarahcorbitt.com/the-green-code-cometh#comments Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:02:40 +0000 admin http://sarahcorbitt.com/?p=1 If you were wondering when the International Code Council would catch up to the US Green Building Council’s LEED rating systems, well, so was I. But the Code Council has been working on the forthcoming International Green Construction Code in the background, and are releasing the second draft, Public Version 2, in November 2010. Once that draft is commented on, the final version will be approved in 2011, for publishing in 2012. So, here it comes…

The IgCC is an overlay code which works with existing I-codes. Jurisdictions which choose to adopt the code are adopting 3 things: requirements which apply to all projects, optional requirements, and optional electives. The jurisdictions can require up to 14 optional electives to be satisfied, from a slate of about 60 electives. The project owner and design team then choose which electives to pursue.

The IgCC is comprehensive in scope, applying to all commercial, mixed-use and high-rise residential buildings over 5,000 SF (Low-rise residential can meet the ICC 700 code instead). It covers everything from Whole-Building Life Cycle Assessment (extraction to manufacturing to installation to replacement) to how your sump pump is gasketed. And its energy and water reduction tools are more stringent than LEED-2009.

If you’re interested in an IgCC presentation for your office, I’ve got one ready.
More Info: http://www.iccsafe.org/

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