(H03) Leveraging version 4.1 to Achieve LEED Platinum Certification in Schools

As LEED continues to evolve to challenge and integrate sustainability within the construction industry, Version 4.1 is moving out of beta version into general use. This session will discuss opportunities and lessons learned from two LEED Platinum-pending projects that have leveraged Version 4 alongside Version 4.1 since the first drafts of beta testing in 2018. With its responsiveness to market realities, Version 4.1 has allowed teams to utilize innovative documentation strategies across a variety of project typologies. Attendees will be provided real-world strategies for increasing their success within the rating system, and learn how to effectively utilize design and construction credit categories to make LEED and sustainability more accessible. The case studies in this session will profile two LEED BD+C registered schools (Platinum certifications pending). First, Solomon Solis-Cohen Elementary School, the largest K-5 school for The School District of Philadelphia, opening its doors to 1,400 students in 2021. The building has become a prototype for the city to incorporate sustainability. Moving beyond certification, the school utilizes air scrubbing technology to improve air quality and energy efficiency (planned before the onset of COVID). Second, William Wirt Middle School on the outskirts of Washington D.C. in Prince Georges’ County, Maryland is a 3-story neighborhood school serving 1,200 students. Knitted into a wooded nature preserve that incorporates reforestation to blend the school into the environment, the building incorporates extensive use of renewables with a holistic approach to sustainability. The discussion will be led by two LEED Fellows from Crabtree, Rohrbaugh Associates (architect) and Verdacity, LLC (sustainability consultant) involved with both projects throughout design and construction. Their project-wide approach to combining the strengths of Versions 4 and 4.1 have resulted in innovative solutions to common LEED credit implementation issues, including renewable energy, green power, material credits (EPDs), sourcing of raw materials, and material ingredients.