4aAA2. Why has it been so difficult to add

acoustics to the criteria of the Leadership

in Energy and Environmental Design green

building rating system?

Ralph T. Muehleisen

Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering

Director of the Miller Acoustics Lab

Illinois Institute of Technology

muehleisen@iit.edu

Outline

• What is LEED?

• Why do we care about LEED?

• What goes into LEED rating?

• Why do we need acoustics in LEED?

• Why is acoustics missing in LEED?

• What can we do to change this?

4aAA2: Why has it been hard to add acoustics to LEED?, Muehleisen

Questions

• How many of you have heard of LEED?

• How many of you have worked on a LEED

project?

• How many of you own a LEED reference guide?

• How many of you work for a USGBC member

company?

• How many of you are members of a local USGBC

chapter?

• How many of you are LEED AP?

• How many of you have attended Greenbuild?

4aAA2: Why has it been hard to add acoustics to LEED?, Muehleisen

What is LEED?

• Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a benchmark performance rating system developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) for the design, construction, and operation of high performance “green” buildings.

• LEED has rating

systems for a variety

of common building

types and for

existing buildings

4aAA2: Why has it been hard to add acoustics to LEED?, Muehleisen

What LEED is NOT?

• LEED is NOT a standard or code. Don’t treat it

as such.

– Most codes are designed for life and property safety

– Energy codes are designed to limit energy waste

• LEED is a rating system designed to encourage

and reward green building design and most

importantly, to transform the way buildings are

designed, constructed and operated so that

“Green” design is the norm.

– The fact that it has become a requirement for the

design of many buildings still does not make it code.

4aAA2: Why has it been hard to add acoustics to LEED?, Muehleisen

Why Should We Care About LEED?

4aAA2: Why has it been hard to add acoustics to LEED?, Muehleisen

From Environmental Information Administration 2008 EIA Annual Energy Outlook and 2000 US Geological Survey

Why Should We Care About LEED?

The Sky Is Burning!!!!!

If we do not change the way we are

building we will destroy the earth. – On the plus side I guess that means we won’t have to

listen to Bad Company songs anymore.

4aAA2: Why has it been hard to add acoustics to LEED?, Muehleisen

What Goes Into a LEED Rating?

• To receive any certification there are a number of prerequisite performance measures that the building design must achieve – The purpose of these are to provide a starting

place for comparison and require a minimum level of performance in areas deemed important

• Points are awarded for outstanding performance in a wide variety of different performance measures. – A building becomes certified as Certified, Silver,

Gold, or Platinum depending upon the number of points awarded

4aAA2: Why has it been hard to add acoustics to LEED?, Muehleisen

Where are the Prereq and Points?

• LEED has prereq

and points in six

categories (five at

right + innovation

points)

• The points are

distributed mainly

between four

categories: EA,

IEQ, SS, MR,

4aAA2: Why has it been hard to add acoustics to LEED?, Muehleisen

Why Do We Need Acoustics in LEED?

• Acoustics is a common problem

in workplace environments

• Most indoor environmental

quality measures have improved

in “Green Buildings” but not

acoustics

– The design changes required for

reduced energy use, better thermal

comfort and indoor air quality, and

for more daylighting have, in many

cases, produced a worse acoustic

environment

4aAA2: Why has it been hard to add acoustics to LEED?, Muehleisen

Contributions to Workplace

Distractions

Lighting

9%

Noise

71%

Air

Quality

21%

From 1995 Report from American

Society of Interior Designers

Why Do We Need Acoustics in LEED?

4aAA2: Why has it been hard to add acoustics to LEED?, Muehleisen

• Data from “Occupant Satisfaction with Indoor Environmental Quality in Green Buildings” S. Abbaszadeh, L. Zagreus, , D. Lehrer and C. Huizenga, Proceedings of Healthy Buildings 2006, Lisbon,

Vol. III, 365-370 .

Where is Acoustics in LEED?

• LEED for Schools 2007 has a relaxed version of ANSI S12.60 Classroom Acoustics Standard as a prereq and 2 available credit points – Closer to Collaborative for High Performance Schools

(CHPS) requirements

– LEED for Schools 2009 is getting watered down.

• LEED for Healthcare will incorporate some speech privacy measures

• No acoustics in any other LEED rating system, including LEED NC, the most popular LEED rating system in use. – Can get LEED points through Innovation Credits

4aAA2: Why has it been hard to add acoustics to LEED?, Muehleisen

Where in LEED Would Acoustics Be?

• Acoustics credits is part of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) in LEED for Schools and Healthcare.

• Here is the breakdown for prerequisites and points for the IEQ section of LEED NC that is lacking acoustics. There are 15 total points available: – EQ Prereq 1: Minimum IAQ Performance (ASHRAE 62)

– EQ Prereq 2: Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control

– EQ Credit 1: CO2 monitoring (ASHRAE 62)

– EQ Credit 2: Increased Ventilation Effectiveness (ASHRAE 62)

– EQ Credit 3: Construction IAQ Management

– EQ Credit 4: Low-Emitting Materials

– EQ Credit 5: Indoor Chemical and Pollutant Source Control

– EQ Credit 6: Controllability of Systems

– EQ Credit 7: Thermal Comfort

– EQ Credit 8: Daylight and Views

4aAA2: Why has it been hard to add acoustics to LEED?, Muehleisen

Why is Acoustics Missing?

• We see things like Air Quality, Thermal Comfort, and Daylighting in the IEQ section, but why no acoustics?

• The initial focus of LEED was energy and resource sustainability. As a result, the initial LEED development involved architects, HVAC, Civil, and Construction engineers and few additional consultants.

• When the LEED developers decided to include IEQ more fully, aspects of IEQ that were covered by the design professionals listed above, were the aspects immediately considered. – Architects and HVAC engineers are involved in IAQ and

Daylighting so those aspects were immediately added.

– How many of the design professionals are trained in acoustics? (Few architects and HVAC engineers get any formal training)

4aAA2: Why has it been hard to add acoustics to LEED?, Muehleisen

Why is Acoustics Missing?

It’s our own fault. • We were off in our own little world when the

USGBC was formed and LEED was first

developed and did not join in.

• When we saw the changes happening we came

back to ASA meetings, complained about the

architects and other engineers but not enough of

us tried to get involved.

• We failed to think about the needs of the other

disciplines given the main purpose of LEED

4aAA2: Why has it been hard to add acoustics to LEED?, Muehleisen

Why it will be Hard to Add Acoustics to LEED?

• We need to convince the design community and

owners of the benefits of improved acoustics

– Improved acoustics = improved productivity or worker

satisfaction

– We need to do research to prove this

• We need to learn the other disciplines better so we

can design acoustic treatments that complement

other design requirements rather than opposing

– Daylighting and natural ventilation are mainstays of LEED

and we need to find ways to work with them

• We need to educate the other professionals about

acoustics

4aAA2: Why has it been hard to add acoustics to LEED?, Muehleisen

What Can We Do Now?

• GET INVOLVED as Individuals

– Learn about LEED (http://www.usgbc.org/education)

– Join a local chapter (http://www.usgbc.org/chapters)

– Become LEED AP (http://www.gbci.org)

– Attend Greenbuild

– Become an Advocate

• GET INVOLVED as a company

– Join USGBC National (http://www.usgbc.org/membership)

– Encourage your employees to become LEED AP

4aAA2: Why has it been hard to add acoustics to LEED?, Muehleisen