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LEED and Public Health
by Laura Case, Southface Energy Institute
The indoor environment has a significant impact The credits for the indoor environmental quality
on human health. According to the U.S. category include high-quality air filtration,
Environmental Protection Agency, Americans increasing the outside air provided, reducing
spend an average of 90% of their time indoors. In volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) found in
order to ensure that building design, construction, building products as well as other harmful
and maintenance team members provide a high- chemicals, and providing daylight and views to the
quality environment for the occupants of a outside. In K-12 schools, requirements include
building, several sustainable building programs and providing low noise levels along with high
tools are available. The most recognized building acoustical quality in classrooms, so that children
certification program is the Leadership in Energy can hear their teachers.
and Environmental Design, or LEED, developed by
the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council Additional credits are available for using low
(USGBC). The LEED programs are designed to fit VOC cleaning products, using low impact
in several building types and conditions, including landscape materials, such as using mulch for weeds
K-12 schools, hospitals, new construction, major instead of spraying with chemicals, and
renovations, and existing buildings operations and implementing an integrated pest management
maintenance, to name a few. system for insect control. Green procurement is
another method of assuring that an organization
All of the LEED programs have five main credit purchases products that align with sustainability
categories. Each category has a number of goals, including low VOC products.
requirements and credits. Credits have a point
value associated with them, and a team must The USGBC’s goal is to provide a program that
provide documentation and be awarded credits in gives building teams tools to develop high-
order for the building to be certified. There are performance, healthy living spaces. Southface
levels of certification, depending on how many utilizes this tool to provide technical assistance and
credits are awarded. The levels are certified, silver, sustainability consulting services for many clients
gold and platinum. A building team chooses which interested in providing healthy environments in
credits to pursue for their building in order to reach their homes, school, offices, and clinics. All of
the level of certification that they set as their goal. these efforts are most effective when building
teams work with occupants to develop a holistic
The indoor environmental quality category is approach to health and wellness that is
focused on human health and wellness. For this incorporated into building design, construction,
credit category, there are requirements that must be maintenance and procurement.
met, such as providing the ASHRAE building
standard calculated amount of outside ‘fresh’ air Helen Talley-McRae
that the mechanical system provides to the spaces, Communications Manager, Southface
and either no smoking in or within 25 feet of the voice: 404/604-3625 | fax: 404/872-5009
building entrance or air intakes, or a properly Email: htalleymcrae@southface.org
ventilated and sealed smoking room within the Web: www.southface.org
building.
*Also printed in the Southface Journal, May 01, 2014 , available at http://journal.southface.org/2014/05/health
-aspects-of-leed-certification/
Examples of LEED design in public health buildings around Georgia:
Chatham County Public Health Building, Savannah (Gold Rating)
Emory Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta (Silver Rating)
Georgia Department of Public Health Labs, Decatur (Case Study for Labs 21)
Georgia Environmentalist Volume 36 15
by Laura Case, Southface Energy Institute
The indoor environment has a significant impact The credits for the indoor environmental quality
on human health. According to the U.S. category include high-quality air filtration,
Environmental Protection Agency, Americans increasing the outside air provided, reducing
spend an average of 90% of their time indoors. In volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) found in
order to ensure that building design, construction, building products as well as other harmful
and maintenance team members provide a high- chemicals, and providing daylight and views to the
quality environment for the occupants of a outside. In K-12 schools, requirements include
building, several sustainable building programs and providing low noise levels along with high
tools are available. The most recognized building acoustical quality in classrooms, so that children
certification program is the Leadership in Energy can hear their teachers.
and Environmental Design, or LEED, developed by
the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council Additional credits are available for using low
(USGBC). The LEED programs are designed to fit VOC cleaning products, using low impact
in several building types and conditions, including landscape materials, such as using mulch for weeds
K-12 schools, hospitals, new construction, major instead of spraying with chemicals, and
renovations, and existing buildings operations and implementing an integrated pest management
maintenance, to name a few. system for insect control. Green procurement is
another method of assuring that an organization
All of the LEED programs have five main credit purchases products that align with sustainability
categories. Each category has a number of goals, including low VOC products.
requirements and credits. Credits have a point
value associated with them, and a team must The USGBC’s goal is to provide a program that
provide documentation and be awarded credits in gives building teams tools to develop high-
order for the building to be certified. There are performance, healthy living spaces. Southface
levels of certification, depending on how many utilizes this tool to provide technical assistance and
credits are awarded. The levels are certified, silver, sustainability consulting services for many clients
gold and platinum. A building team chooses which interested in providing healthy environments in
credits to pursue for their building in order to reach their homes, school, offices, and clinics. All of
the level of certification that they set as their goal. these efforts are most effective when building
teams work with occupants to develop a holistic
The indoor environmental quality category is approach to health and wellness that is
focused on human health and wellness. For this incorporated into building design, construction,
credit category, there are requirements that must be maintenance and procurement.
met, such as providing the ASHRAE building
standard calculated amount of outside ‘fresh’ air Helen Talley-McRae
that the mechanical system provides to the spaces, Communications Manager, Southface
and either no smoking in or within 25 feet of the voice: 404/604-3625 | fax: 404/872-5009
building entrance or air intakes, or a properly Email: htalleymcrae@southface.org
ventilated and sealed smoking room within the Web: www.southface.org
building.
*Also printed in the Southface Journal, May 01, 2014 , available at http://journal.southface.org/2014/05/health
-aspects-of-leed-certification/
Examples of LEED design in public health buildings around Georgia:
Chatham County Public Health Building, Savannah (Gold Rating)
Emory Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta (Silver Rating)
Georgia Department of Public Health Labs, Decatur (Case Study for Labs 21)
Georgia Environmentalist Volume 36 15
