Implementation of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEEDS (trademark) as the Army's Green Building Rating System

The United States has more than 76 million residential and nearly 5 million commercial buildings, and the number of Army facilities is also significant. Construction, renovation, and operation of these facilities consumes enormous quantities of raw materials and energy. In 2000, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army established the Army's policy of incorporating Sustainable Design and Development (SDD) principles into installation planning and infrastructure projects, including development of technical guidance for policy implementation to better enable facilities to minimize non-renewable energy use, pollution, and wastes, while increasing occupants comfort, health, and safety. The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL), in coordination with the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management (OACSIM), published the Sustainable Project Rating Tool (SPiRiT), a self-assessment tool that helps quantify and measure the sustainability of infrastructure plans and projects. OACSIM directed the use of SPiRiT to evaluate facility construction and repair projects, and is currently considering whether to continue to use SPiRiT, or to adopt the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System . This work compares and evaluates the two rating systems, and makes recommendations regarding further development and implementation, including the adoption of LEED NC (New Construction) without modification or supplement. This work also reviewed 40 sample projects to reveal patterns of successful LEED use within the Army. The original document contains color images.