LEED – Don’t Follow

In the early 1990’s, Rolf Eligehausen, Professor at the University of Stuttgart’s Institute of Construction Materials, published a research on anchorage in concrete construction.  He had developed a theory related to cracked concrete in building structures.  The theory states that should a crack form near a mechanical wedge anchor in a concrete structure, the crack will grow until it reaches the anchor, diminishing the anchor’s design strength.  Eligehausen’s research, eventually, became a part of International Building Code (IBC) 2003, now IBC 2006. 

One mechanical wedge anchor manufacturer, Hilti, bought into the standard, while others fought it.  The naysayers’ stand was that, for many years, there had been no problems related to the holding strength of an anchor and the existence of cracks in concrete structures.  These companies watched as IBC 2006 was adopted in California, and, soon, throughout the United States.  Suddenly, Hilti found itself as the sole provider of IBC 2006-compliant mechanical wedge anchors.  They were on the train and the other major manufacturers stood at the station and watched them leave.  Of course, it soon became apparent that fighting the standard was the wrong move.  These recalcitrant manufacturers began to hurry to develop IBC 2006-compliant products – a very time-consuming, and costly, process.  Of course, these companies lost a large amount of revenue while their products remained out of compliance to the code.

Another commercial construction-related train is now embarking, LEED.  LEED stands for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design.  LEED, developed by the US Green Building Council, has become an internationally recognized green building certification system.  It was created with the intent to improve energy savings, water efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and management of resources and their impacts. 

The Green Building Certification Institute was formed to develop certification exams for architects, engineers, and construction project managers.  Today, almost every construction-related firm has LEED Accredited Professionals on staff.

As well, construction projects earn LEED credits in the following areas: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in design.  Project certifications range from “Certified” to “Platinum.”  While LEED is not the law of the land, almost every commercial construction project seeks LEED certification.

As the train is already leaving the station, construction professionals must LEED and not follow – get on the train or become irrelevant.