| Leed stands for Leadership in environmental and | | | | Pre-requisites and credits are important because they |
| energy design and is considered to be the premier | | | | will determine whether you become Leed certified or |
| green building or green construction rating system in | | | | not. Leed credits will get you points that will |
| the world. Developed by USGBC or US Green Building | | | | determine your certification level in the Leed rating |
| Council in 1998, the Leed certification has been given | | | | system. The minimum points for certification are 26 |
| to over 14,000 buildings across 30 countries including | | | | and the maximum is 69. On the other hand, |
| the USA. In order to get your project Leed certified, | | | | pre-requisites are mandatory requirements or baseline |
| you will need to clear the Leed new construction NC | | | | requirements. You need to ensure that your |
| v2.2 exam. Once you have got your Leed rating for | | | | construction project or building is in accordance with |
| a project, you can use the Leed AP (Accredited | | | | the pre-requisites in order to get the Leed |
| Professional) after your name. | | | | certification. One of the important things to |
| The most common question that all future Leed AP's | | | | remember here is that if your project fails in |
| ask is: How tough is the LEED GA Green Associate | | | | qualifying for a particular pre-requisite then the |
| v3 ? The Leed exam is not really tough but you | | | | project will not get the Leeds certification at all. |
| need to be thorough in your work, in understanding | | | | In order to understand the concept, let's take a look |
| each of the categories mentioned by USGBC and | | | | at a sample Leed exam question. A project team is |
| you need to practice some of the calculations that | | | | working on the design of a 20,000 square foot office |
| are taken into account. | | | | building. This team wants to achieve the stormwater |
| The Leed Exam Requirements | | | | design: quality control credit. The question is: which |
| LEED GA Green Associate v3 exam is one of a kind | | | | green building strategy out of the following 4 will help |
| and consists mostly of pre-requisites and credits that | | | | the team to achieve its target? Choose three |
| will actually help you to get the rating you desire. | | | | options. |
| Pre-requisites and credits are considered to be very | | | | The five options include solar hot water system, |
| important as they hold the key to your projects | | | | constructed wetland, vegetated roof, high-albedo |
| Leed rating and Leeds certification. Each of the | | | | concrete, and infiltration basin. |
| pre-requisites and credits consist of seven parts, | | | | You might feel that the answer is easy but you need |
| which are intention, implementation, referenced | | | | to read and re-read the question carefully so that |
| standards, exemplary performance, decision makers, | | | | you get the right options. For example, 20,000 |
| submittal phase, and calculations. There are certain | | | | square foot has been used to throw you off track |
| pre-requisites and credits that don't require any | | | | because the stormwater design: quality control credit |
| calculations and some of them don't have referenced | | | | doesn't have any area calculations so this information |
| standards or exemplary performance. When | | | | is of no use. The correct options are actually |
| preparing for the LEED GA Green Associate v3 | | | | infiltration basin, vegetated roof, and constructed |
| exam, you need to be aware of the pre-requisites | | | | wetland. |
| and credits that don't require calculations and those | | | | The crux of the matter is that you need to be very |
| that do. | | | | well prepared in order to get Leed certification! |
| Why are prerequisites and credits so important? | | | | |