[Equest-users] LEED Review Comment - Exhaust Fans

[Varkie C Thomas]

Check out the article in
http://bepan.info/articles
2 - VCT - Mechanical-Design and Percent-Energy-Savings
The title is misleading.  It is my polite way of saying that USGBC, GBCI, LEED and other idealistic, ignorant and bureaucratic groups are forcing experienced architects and engineers into screwing up building design.   LEED is not mandatory but it cannot be ignored because clients have been brainwashed into believing that it will save the planet.  Here are some extracts:
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Percent energy savings can vary with the type of building and the location. Some types of buildings (like the Middle-School + Community-Center (MCC) in the suburbs example) can exceed Std90 by 50% or more.  The High-Rise Mixed-Use (HRMU) building in an urban area is an example where achieving 5% to 10% energy savings represents good, reliable and safe design that will not cause maintenance and replacement problems in the future.  See
http://bepan.info/proj-bldgs/p12-middle-school
http://bepan.info/proj-bldgs/p13-high-rise-bldg
One fixed percent rating system for ranking all types of buildings and climates is like using the same yardstick to measure the performance of classical violinist and a professional wrestler.
Just because a high rise office building in an urban area does not get a "pass" or "no" certification from LEED based on percent energy savings, does not mean that it is not well designed for optimum energy and functionality compared to a single level school located in a suburban area that receives "platinum" LEED certification.  
USGBC LEED rating system has created the impression among the public, including City, County, State and Federal authorities, that building quality can be measured by the LEED rating system.  Architects, engineers and building developers are now under pressure from the green (meaning ignorant) public and other environmental idealists to get LEED certification.
The building design business is almost 100% labor.  US Architectural-Engineering design fees for large projects have been going down because of increased competition at home and particularly from overseas where wages are lower.  The client and the public now expect every building to be LEED certified otherwise it is not up to standard.  The quality of building design is now measured by the green /ignorant public by its LEED certification.  The design cost has increased because the public has been brainwashed into believing that LEED certifies the level of building superiority in terms of saving energy and the environment. 
The impact of USGBC and LEED on energy (percent energy savings over Std90) and the environment (imported bamboo flooring saves the environment in the US; collecting rainwater regardless of whether the location has wet a climate, with rivers and lakes; roof gardens on top a high-rise building with little roof space, etc.) is questionable.  
 
The LEED regulations and requirements keep expanding and gets more detailed and bureaucratic with time.  AE firms now require a new type of specialized expert called the LEED Professional which did not exist before.  It has added to the time and cost of AE design while design fees keep going down.  It has also added to building construction costs. The end result is a building that is completely screwed.
Increasing social affluence in the way buildings are used, indirectly nullifies the impact of Building Energy Codes.  Building energy use per person in the US is increasing exponentially.  Affluence has also resulted in more indirect building energy use per person by way of transportation.  The following are guesstimates for the US. In reality it might be much worse. Housing in 1950 for a family of 4 was about 1,500 sf.  Today it is about 3,000 sf.  In 1950 the use of public transportation was common and people lived close to the place where they worked.  
Today people live as far away as possible from work and drive oversized large luxury autos (one occupant per vehicle) to and from work during the same rush hour time, resulting traffic jams which add to the commuting time and auto idle time when the vehicle uses fuel but does not move.  Affluence has also resulted in families owning a second vacation home as far away as possible from their primary home.  They might use this home for about a month during the year in summer.  In winter vacation home has to heated to prevent the pipes from freezing.  There is also the cost of transportation to and from the vacation homes.  Those who do not have second homes use hotels.
 
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Hi Paul--  thanks for receiving my comment in the most professional sense of
the term as it relates to the economics of the LEED simulation & Compliance
markets.

I didn't really feel it was unprofessional, but I didn't desire to offend
anyone with the terms that i chose.   I was pretty sure that I wasn't
completely alone with the 'feeling' or sense I was getting from others
comments I've seen with the forum (past & present).

I offer a sincere professional apology if my chosen adjectives offended
anyone.  (were they adjectives?  I don't know I'm not an english major...)
:)

Cheers,
Pasha

On Fri, Jun 17, 2011 at 1:41 PM, Paul Diglio <paul.diglio at sbcglobal.net>wrote:

>  Pasha:
>
> I agree with your 'raping' verb and do not think it is inappropriate for
> the forum.  Dan is out of sync.
>
> Paul Diglio
>
>
>  ------------------------------
> *From:* Daniel Knapp <danielk at arborus.ca>
> *To:* Pasha Korber-Gonzalez <pasha.pkconsulting at gmail.com>
> *Cc:* equest-users at lists.onebuilding.org
> *Sent:* Fri, June 17, 2011 3:32:24 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [Equest-users] LEED Review Comment - Exhaust Fans
>
> Dear Pasha,
>
>   client has already paid them.   DEAR USGBC---please stop raping the
> industry for the money monopoly that you have created.  The sense of GREED
> is oozing from everything that comes out of USGBC/GBCI with a price tag on
> it or a cost associated with it.
>
>
> I hear that you are very frustrated with the review process, however, I
> find this kind of language inappropriate for a public forum and would ask
> that you take more care in the future.
>
> With all best wishes,
> Dan
>
>
> ?
> Daniel Knapp, PhD, LEED? AP O+M
> danielk at arborus.ca
>
> Arborus Consulting
> Energy Strategies for the Built Environment
> www.arborus.ca
> 76 Chamberlain Avenue
> Ottawa, ON, K1S 1V9
> Phone: (613) 234-7178 ext. 113
> Fax: (613) 234-0740
>
>
>
>
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