Cardinal Points

Issue date: 11/14/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Jennifer Stiles Although Macdonough Hall would have been the first building in New York state to be LEED certified, it fell short due to miscommunication. Keith Tait, director of environment, health and safety, said PSUC's future Hudson Hall annex will be built to meet silver LEED standards. [Click to enlarge]

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design has become the standard for environmentally friendly buildings, new and old. And Plattsburgh State, as well as other SUNY schools is catching on.

According to the group's Web site, the organization - also known as LEED - is, "A third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings." LEED was established in 2000 by The Green Building Council.

The organization is still in its infancy and its rating system has not yet been perfected, said Keith Tait, director of environment, health and safety at PSUC. For example, Tait said, LEED will certify a building initially, but will not return in the future to re-inspect and make sure the building still meets LEED's standards.

"They (LEED) don't address things like durability and reliability …. They don't come back and make sure everything works five to 10 years down the road," Tait said.

Tait called LEED the "guiding force" in terms of what makes for an environmentally friendly building. Executive Order No. 111 - "Green and Clean" State Buildings and Vehicles, prepared by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and The Advisory Council or State Energy Efficiency - mandates that all new buildings in the SUNY system must be built to the basic "certification" LEED standard.

LEED has four standards of certification: certified, silver, gold and platinum.

There is also LEED certification available for existing buildings but currently there is no mandate for LEED certification for older buildings in the SUNY system, just a list of recommended energy efficiency practices.

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