What is LEED?

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) (www.usgbc.org) defines green buildings as ones that have significantly reduced or eliminated negative impacts on the environment and their occupants. In 2000, this organization launched the first formal framework for rating these buildings: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

Only a project can be certified and carry a LEED designation. In other words, LEED criteria apply to the entire building, not to individual components. The building team is responsible for submitting it for certification, ensuring they consider all aspects of the design reviewed during scoring.

Does LEED cover acoustics?

Most people think that LEED simply means ‘green,’ but it is also about creating environments that are healthy and nurturing to occupants. As Christine Evan, president and CEO of USGBC, says, “The best sustainable designs are not just environmentally responsible. They also produce buildings where employees can thrive and productivity can soar. We call those high-performance green buildings.”

Though numerous studies show that noise and conversational distractions are the most prevalent source of annoyance in offices, LEED does not explicitly provide scoring for acoustic performance. As a result, this aspect of the design can be overlooked.

In fact, LEED-rated/green buildings often rank below the industry average in this area. Survey respondents are typically dissatisfied with the level of sound privacy in their workplace and feel that poor acoustic quality interferes with their ability to work.

Fortunately, the LEED initiative has recently begun crafting LEED for healthcare environments, which will include scoring for acoustics. Once an understanding of acoustics has been integrated into LEED for healthcare, the results can migrate into the broader LEED system.

Attention to acoustics is not at odds with the LEED commitment. In fact, acoustic products can account for a large percentage of the materials used in your space, including the ceiling, flooring and wall surfaces. There are many recycled and sustainable acoustic products that work - as well as non-recycled products - and all can help you achieve your Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) goals.

How does the LogiSon Acoustic Network contribute to the green commitment?
  • Improves IEQ by increasing speech privacy and acoustic comfort.
  • Often, a building’s most significant environmental impact is its energy consumption. The LogiSon Acoustic Network has low energy requirements. Running an installation of approximately 13,500 ft2 uses as little energy as a light bulb.
  • When sound masking is included in the facility design from the outset, the need for extra insulation or layers of drywall, plenum barriers, and high-spec or permanent walls around private offices is reduced or eliminated.
  • Because sound masking reduces construction requirements, it also decreases the amount of waste produced during facility reconfiguration. Less construction waste - such as gypsum wallboard, rigid fiber panels, stud tracking, insulation and transfer ducts, and other components used in conventional construction - end up in landfill sites.
  • The LogiSon Acoustic Network also helps maintain the flexibility of the space for future renovations and changes, increasing the ability to occupy the same facility for a longer period of time. In open plan spaces, masking can help maintain a level of acoustical control as density increases and workstation partitions become lower.
  • Facilities with natural ventilation often have noise problems due to the absence of any sound from force-air ventilation systems. Sound masking can enable the use of this type of ventilation while maintaining an effective acoustic environment.
  • The LogiSon Acoustic Network has a long lifespan and can easily be expanded or relocated to new premises. The products’ enclosures, most components, and packaging, are recyclable.
Additional Reading

Occupant Satisfaction with Indoor Environmental Quality in Green Buildings
http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1036&context=cedr/cbe

The Human Factors of Sustainable Building Design: Post Occupancy Evaluation of the Philip Merrill Environmental Center, Annapolis, MD
http://www.wbdg.org/pdfs/human_factors_cbf.pdf