To LEED or Not To LEED? That is a Question for New Hampshire Municipalities Pursuing Sustainable Practices

The information contained in this article is not intended as legal advice and may no longer be accurate due to changes in the law. Consult NHMA's legal services or your municipal attorney.

When the Town of Durham began to envision a new Durham Town Hall, we chose to utilize the LEED process in order to strictly ensure a sustainable design and promote the goal of sustainability for the community.

LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) is a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. Using this process meant not only making the building energy efficient, but also utilizing recycled materials for the building as well as disposing of materials responsibly.

LEED-certified buildings generally have large windows, open spaces, and are built with employee or occupant comfort in mind. Therefore, in repurposing a former bank to serve as Durham’s town hall, the construction team installed high values of insulation on the walls and the ceiling, triple-glazed windows, automatic on-and-off lights, and two rain gardens. The building was also designed to have a large amount of window space in order for a significant amount of natural light to illuminate the building during daytime hours.  Professional commissioning of the facility’s mechanical systems was an important part of the process as well.

Besides offering increased sunlight, LEED buildings have significantly higher air quality and more comfortable workspace for employees. By making work a place where public employees are comfortable, healthy, and happy, productivity should increase.  In addition, studies have been done to measure increased efficiency among LEED buildings. The New Building Institute conducted the largest of these studies in 2008 and found an average decrease in energy consumption of approximately 24 percent in LEED-certified buildings.

LEED-certified projects do typically require a higher initial investment because of the need for stricter standards for construction, materials, and labor, but this initial investment can be recovered over time.  Because municipal buildings will be in use for the foreseeable future, the long-term view is an important consideration.

The goal in Durham was to have a high quality, LEED-certified project that met the Town’s needs today and into the future. At the end of the day, LEED certification is a clear indicator that a municipality cares strongly about good environmental practices and is willing to expend resources pursuing them.   It shows that we aren’t just talking the talk; we’re walking the walk.

Is LEED right for your community’s municipal project?  The first step in answering this question is to begin the process of better understanding the benefits of LEED certification.  More information can be found on the U.S. Green Building Council website at http://www.usgbc.org/leed.  

In order to receive LEED certification, a building needs to have between 40 and 49 points on the LEED scale.  According to the town of Durham’s LEED checklist, the town hall project has 47.  The town of Durham submitted the paperwork to the U.S. Green Building Council, which approves LEED certifications, earlier this year. 

Todd Selig has been the Administrator for the Town of Durham since 2001.