LEED

The most recent version of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (v4.1) for Building Design & Construction provides three options for assessing the Daylight Credit. The first two options are based on computer simulation, whereas the third relies on physical measurement. Option 1 requires annual simulation of Spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA) and Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE).

With the increasing awareness of sustainable development in the construction industry, implementation of an energy rating procedure to assess buildings is becoming more important. The most representative building environment assessment schemes that are in use today are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) and Green Star. This paper aims to focus on the investigation of energy performance assessment for new office buildings within the LEED, BREEAM and Green Star schemes.

Air leakage test was carried out according to ASTM E779-03, Standard Test Method for Determining Air Leakage Rate by Fan Pressurization to meet the requirements of the LEED-NC v2.2(EQp2). Air leakage tests for quality assurance can be performed once all work on the air barrier has been completed and all windows and doors have been installed in two high-rise residential buildings. Test units selection was carried out in accordance with the following guidance, California’s 2001 Energy Efficiency Standards.