Investigations of Two Residences (Leed Certification)

Abstract

Today, environmental pollution is increasing. Construction and operation activities of the buildings have an essential share of this pollution. Green buildings have become widespread as the severity of pollution increases. Green buildings are evaluated within the building’s life cycle framework starting from the land selection (Akca, 2011). It is defined as sustainable structures suitable for climate data and conditions specific to that location, consuming as much as their needs, oriented towards renewable energy resources, using natural and non-waste producing materials, sensitive to the ecosystem (Sur, 2012). A measurement system can only determine the environmental performance of a building. These measuring systems expressed as green building certification systems, are defined as rating systems that try to provide a measurable reference to revealing the environmental impacts of building-based projects and their sensitivity to protecting natural resources (Bulut, 2014). LEED Certificate system is one of these rating systems. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) was established in 1993 due to the Green Building Council (USGBC) in America seeking a system for green building identification and evaluation. LEED’s primary goal is; to ensure that all persons and organizations that have a share in the building sector carry out their activities considering the environmental impacts they create in the life cycle process of the structures (Sev, 2009).