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LEED AP as integral team member
You can easily earn this point, simply by including a LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) as an integral member of the project team. Since the LEED certification process relies on detailed understanding of LEED, having a LEED AP on board benefits the project and can save significant time and effort, while earning your project a point with this credit.
The LEED AP needs to be involved as a “principal participant” from the start of the project, according to the credit language.
LEED AP specialties
The LEED AP credential program was overhauled in spring 2009. Anyone who received LEED AP recognition before then is equally eligible to contribute to this credit.
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Step-by-step credit help
Got the gist of the LEED credit but not sure how to actually achieve it? LEEDuser gives step-by-step help. Members get:
- Checklists covering all the key action steps you'll need to earn the credit.
- Hot tips to give you shortcuts and avoid pitfalls.
- Cost tips to assess what a credit will actually cost, and how to make it affordable.
- Ideas for going beyond LEED with best practices.
- All checklists organized by project phase.
- On-the-fly suggestions on useful items from the Documentation Toolkit, Resources, and Credit Language.
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Credit language straight from USGBC
Need to check up on the exact LEED credit language from the LEED Rating System on the fly? LEEDuser includes the verbatim language. Members get:
- Easy access to the official LEED credit language with just a couple of clicks.
- On the jobsite without your bulky LEED Reference Guide? Check up on the credit language details here.
- Credit language content is used by permission of the U.S. Green Building Council.
Your credit-by-credit reference library
Why waste time chasing down referenced standards and supporting resources when LEEDuser links you directly to the ones you need? LEEDuser has gathered all the best tools out there and organized them by credit for easy reference. Members get links to:
- Organizations that can give information or help on a credit.
- Standards or studies that are key reference points for credits and prerequisites.
- Articles that help explain important topics.
- Key documents or references for credit inputs.
- Software tools you can use to run calculations or simulations.
Documentation Toolkit
In the end, LEED is all about documentation. LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit saves you time and helps you avoid mistakes with:
- Calculators to help assess credit compliance.
- Tracking spreadsheets for materials purchases.
- Spreadsheets and forms to give to subs and other team members.
- Guidance documents on arcane LEED issues.
- Sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions.
- Examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects.
33 Comments
LEED AP
How to upload my LEED AP certificate to earn the point ?
Tey, I believe you do need to upload a copy of your certificate. I think it is in the LEED AP credit form area on LEED-Online.
Tey, I believe you should check your personal profile in LEED Online and thought it upload the certificate, if it is not already linked. Than you need to assign yourself as the LEED AP for the credit.
Let me know if this works.
Becomming LEED AP BD+C during LEED project
I,
Is it ok for LEED IDc2 if i become LEED AP BD+C just before the start of the project or late in the project. I am the administrator of the project.
Thank you.
I believe you just need to provide a copy of your AP certificate when it's time to upload the documents to LEED Online; I haven't seen any requirements for how long you need to be accredited.
MPR 2
According to MPR 2, buildings should be constructed on already existing land. On the supplemental guide it states that cantilevered buildings over water, highways, etc, are acceptable. So it is not clear to me if a tree-house is acceptable for LEED certification. It is a permanent building, it is not technically on ground but it is cantilevered, and I think the intention of the MPR is the building not moving to other environment, which is not the case. Sorry, I didn't know where to put this question. Hope you can help me out to clarify.
Thanks.
Your question is not an easy one to answer - I'd be surprised if anyone has dealt with this situation or would know for sure. Without more information, it's a little hard to imagine how a tree house would meet the MPR for minimum floor area of 1000sf (93 sq meters) but I suppose in theory it's possible.... It might also be hard to convince the reviewers that you are permanently attaching a building of that size to one or more trees without damaging them. Very unusual situations like this probably need a CIRCredit Interpretation Ruling. Used by design team members experiencing difficulties in the application of a LEED prerequisite or credit to a project. Typically, difficulties arise when specific issues are not directly addressed by LEED information/guide to get a clear answer.
Thanks a lot. Yes the house would meet the minimum floor area MPR, I agree it is a very unusual situation, I guess you are right probably we would need a CIRCredit Interpretation Ruling. Used by design team members experiencing difficulties in the application of a LEED prerequisite or credit to a project. Typically, difficulties arise when specific issues are not directly addressed by LEED information/guide in order to proceed.
Thanks anyway
When to submit documentation
I didn't know where to put this question. I would like to know when is the deadline for submitting documentation. I'm participating in a small office building job that will take just 4 months for construction, so I'm interested in knowing when, after completion, am I able to submit documentation.
Xavi, there is no specific deadline for submitting LEED documentation relative to the completion of the construction project. You can submit whenever the documentation is complete.
Tristan, how about going for a split review design-construction, after construction is completed. Is that possible? I know it may seem it doesn't make a lot of sense, but in such a way you may have more chance of getting the faulty or lack of information required for some design credits in time. What would be your recommendation?. Can you approximate typical milestones for documentation-certification. I remember when studying for LEED AP that GBCI has like 10 or 15 businesses days after each submission to respond and so the submitter for delivering the information. Is that the case on this days? I ask this because I've heard of projects that have earned their certificate a year after completion, so I don't know if that's because of the certification process itself or is just that the documentation was put together like 10 months after completion.
Best
Xavi
Xavi,
Yes, there should be no problem in submitting a split review after construction is complete. There's no posted deadline.
Here are the typical timelines from GBCI in the past, which are approximate and can sometimes take longer:
Once you submit your design phase credits, GBCI usually takes 45 business days or a bit longer to provide the preliminary design review with requests for clarification.
Project teams are expected to respond to those requests for clarification within one month, but I've heard of projects taking longer or requesting an extension.
Once you submit those clarifications, GBCI typically takes at least 15 business days to provide the final review of design phase credits.
The next milestone is submitting Construction Phase credits; there is no specific timeline requirement between Design Phase and Construction Phase. I've heard that projects are expected to complete certification or at least be making progress towards it within 5 years.
Here again, for Construction Phase credits the preliminary review by GBCI takes 45 or more business days, the team then has a month to respond to clarifications, and the final review takes 15 business days. Appeals can extend the process even longer, but this should give you an idea of what you might expect. Hope that helps!
Helps a lot. Thank you very much.
Is it possible to submit construction credits for review without finalizing the design review process. The issue is that the construction will end prior to the design review so I could submit construction credits to save some time. Is that possible or I have to wait until design review is ended.
Thanks.
Xavi, I am not sure whether that is possible, but I doubt it. It also doesn't seem like a good idea—you'd want to use any feedback from the design review to adjust your construction submission.
Thanks Tristan. When you submit construction credits do you have to submit design credits again??
Credits documentation responsable
Can the LEED project administrator be responsible for the documentation of all, of many of the credits, including commissioning (if completely fulfill the requirements, of course)?
To some extent, yes. However, there are many places in the LEED Online forms where the signature of a specific project team member, such as the engineer or owner, is required, and the LEED AP can't sign off on these indiscriminately.
Video on understanding LEED CMP program (GBCI)
Hi, the free webinar that I mention in a couple of the comments on this credit is now posted on LEEDuser, here. Enjoy—and you can also use the forum on that page to discuss the CMP.
Cannot afford $$ to obtain CEUs
Please provide a medium resolution downloads for the webinar.
Out of work for 9 months & counting. Also retaking exam is not an inexpensive option for persons from developing countries.
We will be posting the webinar for FREE on our site. It will provide orientation to this topic but not CEUs.
Good luck Green Horn.
I aggree with Mr. Horn. Developing countries, in my opinion, should recieve free access to all required norms and standards required to conform to by the local, legally binding, state required building and engineering codes. Or their state should buy them in such a way as to make them freely accessable to nationals. Afterall the state is getting all this finacial support from 1st world countries to help the planet.
Cheaper to re-write the exam
It looks like it's cheaper to re-write the exam, than do the required credit maintenance. Pitty, because even if you do all sorts of wonderful qualifications in the field of energy consulting, you have zero, because they're not recognized by the USGBC.
I've done a ITC Level 1 infra-red camera training, as well as energy simulation and they count zero.
Jean, do you mean cheaper to "re-take" the exam, as one of the paths available to maintaining your LEED AP+ credential?
A lot of people have similar complaints right now, from what I hear. Have you been able to find any methods to obtain CEUs that would work for you? I have heard that a variety of methods including self-study or giving presentations are available. We are planning a webinar on this topic for Feb. 23rd -- stay tuned.
Yip. I do mean re-take (as writing and mouse clicking are not equivalent). If you think LEED has high expectations, you should check out the new ASHRAE Building Energy Modeling Professional (BEMP) certification's ASHRAE Contiuous Education (ACE) units required. 45 units are required every three years. Several options are outlined to achive units, but to give you an Idea...1 Semester higher education gives 15 units, and a peer reviewed journal publication gives 2 units. It looks like you'd have to study full time for half of the 3 years to maintain the credential. Here, re-taking is the only realistic option. (this credential is required to certify buildings for the new Building EQ energy labling program for buildings)
I couldn't disagree more. Continuing education is critical to keeping up with what's happening in the trade. If you think that taking the exam will help you, you must've forgotten what the exam was like. Remember, the CMP program will still exist for you even if you re-test. You will just avoid the first prescriptive program. You still need to have the 30 hours etc. As an Architect, I'm required 18 credits a year...So what, it's not a big deal..
Neil - I don't think this is true. You can do Credential Maintenance through retesting - see page 6 of the CMP Guide. Note: you only have a 9 month window each 2 years in which to do so.
I do think the cost will be an issue, as well as the time to document (which it seems has gotten a bit easier over the last few months on the website). In my job, I will have no problem getting enough CMP hours, but it probably will be cheaper and easier for me to retest every two years.
There are ways to earn inexpensive or free hours, but only about 24 (assuming you have LEED projects you can work on). The remainder will have to be earned through paid classes. Doesn't take many of those to equal the cost of retaking the exam.
Obviously none of this speaks to the general value of continuing professional education - but it's important to figure out how we're supposed to dot the i's and cross the t's.
Another interesting implication - advanced professionals will likely take advanced classes. These are less likely to be free or inexpensive. Seems like there's a situation where the more advanced a practitioner you are, the more expensive it is to maintain your LEED credential.
Re-testing will work the first time to bring you up to the current level, you can't just retake the exam every two years to meet your CMP requirements...
Neil, if I'm not mistaken you can retest every two years to maintain your credential. This is covered in the CMP guide.
Regarding the cost of CEUs:
There is an HVAC equipment manufacturer that provides free CEUs to anyone. Some are even LEED specific. After the webinar you take a short quiz online. Upon successful completion you can download a completion certificate. All their webinars have been approved by the USGBC. Currently they have (15) Free CEUs, (6) of which have been approved as LEED specific.
David, please share the link where we can find the webinars you mentioned.
Thanks.
Here's the link Anu:
http://www.trane.com/COMMERCIAL/ContinuingEducation/ContinuingEducation....
Thanks David..a very useful link.
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