Your Quest for Gold (LEED that is) Just Got Easier
“Your Quest for Gold” is the first in a series of posts we will be writing about sustainable design, LEED, and the green advantages of modular construction.
Quest for Gold…, or Platinum actually. Sorry, the Olympics have been on our minds lately.
So, you want to build a LEED Rated home and you are looking for some easy points? One sure way to increase your LEED Rating is to use prefab and modular construction methods! For those of you unfamiliar with the LEED Rating system, LEED offers a third-party verification system that certifies buildings as reaching a certain level of efficiency and sustainability. The rating system provides points for various achievements (e.g. high efficiency water fixtures and fittings, or exceptional energy performance). Each point takes you a step closer to being rated as Certified (45 points), Silver (60 points) Gold (75 points), or Platinum (90 points). Greenfab’s Seattle model home was the first modular home in the State of Washington to be certified Platinum (97 total points). Every point is a challenge, and there are no “gimmes”, UNLESS, of course, you build a prefab, modular home.
A key ingredient to the LEED Rating System is the efficient use of materials. According to the LEED for Homes Rating System (page 77), in the “Materials and Resources” Category, section 1.5 states:
1.5 Off-Site Fabrication (4 Points). Use either of the following alternatives to on-site framing:
a. Panelized construction. Wall, roof, and floor components are delivered to the job site pre framed.
b. Modular, prefabricated construction. All principal building sections are delivered to the job as prefabricated modules.
According the Johnny Hartsfield, founder of Greenfab:
“Because of modular’s inherent efficiencies in the ordering of lumber, the cutting of lumber, and the re-use of cut lumber, a LEED Rater will assign 4 points to the project without requiring the Detailed Framing Documents (1 point) or the Detailed Cut List and Lumber Order (1 point), just because it’s a modular project. In effect, the builder or developer of a modular project does not have to document these things and therefore does less work to qualify for the points.
The reason prefab and modular homes fit so nicely into the LEED Rating system is that they inherently generate less waste. Home builders assemble modular homes in a factory, where supplies are stored, protected from the elements (rain and sun), and extra materials are easily implemented into the next home coming down the assembly line.”
For a video of a modular home being assembled in the factory, click here.
If you are serious about building a LEED Certified Home, or a home certified by Built Green or any other organization, Contact Us, and we will walk you through the entire process of building your dream, green home.
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