Healthy Development Measurement Toolkit

Indicator ES.1.h Number of buildings that are LEED certified

Download PDF map.

Data Source

LEED Certified Buildings accessed from Certified Projects database at USGBC.org on June 8, 2009 - http://www.usgbc.org/LEED/Project/CertifiedProjectList.aspx

Map and table created by San Francisco Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Section using ArcGIS software. Table data is presented by planning neighborhood. Detailed information regarding census data, geographic units of analysis, their definitions, and their boundaries can be found in the HDMT at the following links:

http://www.thehdmt.org/etc/Geographic_Units_of_Analysis.September_2009.pdf

http://www.thehdmt.org/data_map_methods.php

Explanation and Limitations

The map shows buildings that are LEED certified as of June 2009. There are currently 58 known LEED Certified buildings and over 275 registered LEED buildings in San Francisco. The map does not include buildings which are in the design or construction phase. For more information regarding about the individual LEED buildings, visit the US Green Building Council at http://www.usgbc.org

The US Green Building Council defines Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System as a third party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings' performance.a In order to become legible for LEED certification the LEED Checklist must be completed where there is a point system to determine the LEED status of a project (Certified = 26-32 points, Silver = 33-38 points, Gold = 39-51 points, Platinum = 52-69 points).^a

Also, not seen here, San Francisco defers to the GreenPoint Rated (GPR) system for smaller construction projects. GreenPoint Rated is a community-based program, specifically designed for California, examining building systems, structures, materials and components to assess energy and water efficiency, indoor air quality, resource efficiency of materials and construction methods, and construction quality. The points in GreenPoint Rated correspond to recommended green building measures in Build It Green's New Home Construction and Multi-Family GreenPoint Checklist. Point values are assigned based on their benefits to the homeowner and the environment and reflect construction practices that exceed California's building and energy code requirements.^b

In 2006, The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection, the Planning Department and the Department of Environment, established a priority permitting process for LEED Gold certified, or equivalent, building projects.

Effective November 2008, The San Francisco Green Building Ordinance, Chapter 13C of the San Francisco Building Code will require new buildings constructed in the city to meet green building standards, which were developed by the Green Building Task Force. There are a multitude of new requirements for new construction. The table below only outlines the LEED and GreenPoint Rated (GPR) requirements:

 
The following are definitions of the various development building types: New Large Commercial is an new development zoned as commercial over 25,000 square feet or over 75 feet in height (e.g. hotels and offices); New High-Rise Residential is residential zoned development projects over 75 feet in height; Mid-Size Commercial is commercial zoned buildings over 5,000 and less than 25,000 square feet and less than 75 feet to the highest occupied floor; Mid-Size Multi-Family is residential zoned buildings with more than five units and less than 75 feet in height; and New Small Residential is residential zoned buildings with one to four units under 75 feet in height.^c

According the Mayor’ s Green Building Task Force , the following benefits could accrue cumulatively over the five-year span of the San Francisco Green Building Ordinance:

Cumulative Effect of Proposed Green Building Measures: 2008-2012

• Electrical saving 220,000 megawatts power
• CO2 reduction 60,000 tons (120 million lbs)
• Drinking Water savings 100 million gallons
• Waste/storm Water Reduction 90 million gallons
• Construction C&D waste reduction 700 million lbs
• Recycled Material value 200 million dollars
• Car Trips Avoided (Alt. transport) 540,000 auto trips
• Green Power Generation 37 thousand megawatt-hours

Why is this a Community Health Indicator?

Sustainable building design encompasses the energy and water resources, management of material resources and waste, protection of environmental quality, protection of health and indoor environmental quality and reinforcement of natural systems. LEED and Green Point Rated Certified, along with other sustainable building practices can have a significant reduction in CO1 emissions, waste and storm water, vehicle trips, construction and demolition waste, as well as increased energy and drinking water savings, green power generation, and recycled materials valuations, all of which contribute to improving public health. Sustainable building 1) protects the health of building occupants, through physical and mechanical design and choice of building materials; 2) protects the health of surrounding neighborhoods, through land use and transportation planning; 3) protects the health of other neighborhoods and ecosystems, through sustainable production, which can limit the release or persistent of bioaccumulative toxic compounds, carcinogens, endocrine disruptors and other toxic substances, and limit climate change.