Date of Award

6-2014

Document Type

Open Access

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Department

Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

Rebecca Cortez

Language

English

Keywords

leed, building, certification, achieved, center

Abstract

This report discusses the Leadership in Environmental & Energy Design (LEED) Gold certification of the Peter Irving Wold Center, located in Schenectady N.Y. The credits that the Wold Center achieved in the LEED process are discussed as well as what credits were not achieved. Each credit is described in detail and the feasibility of implementing the credits that were not achieved is considered. The feasibility of achieving Platinum certification is discussed. It is important to note that this analysis, while post-construction, is determining whether or not the building could have achieved Platinum certification during the planning and building process. A discussion of the shortcomings in the LEED credits assignment is included. Note that much of the information in this report is from LEED documents obtained from EYP, the engineering & architecture firm involved with the LEED certification of the Wold Center. Additionally, data from the Wold Center is compared to aggregate U.S. building data. The LEED certification is also compared to the Energy Conservation & Construction Code NYS 2010. Through these comparisons it is concluded that LEED certification is not an accurate prediction of the energy efficiency of the building, as compared to a non-LEED certified building. If a specific building system is directly addressed by a LEED credit, achieving this credit means that this building system will outperform a similar system in a non-LEED building. As a whole, LEED reflects only small pieces of the building’s efficiency, rather than the entire building.

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