Search Results (93)

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is increasingly used to support green building design practices, yet its alignment with established green building assessment (GBA) tools remains underexamined. This study evaluates the extent to which Autodesk Revit, as a BIM tool, supports the calculation of energy-related indicators in GBA tools such as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) method. A quasi-empirical, multi-method approach was employed, combining content analysis, a Revit-based simulation of a residential building, and structured evaluation by a panel of four experts. Using both subjective and objective measures, the experts assessed Revit’s effectiveness and the role of Revit’s media channels—modeling, simulation, data integration, and text documentation—in supporting and calculating LEED Energy and Atmosphere (EA) indicators. Results reveal that Revit is capable of effectively supporting 7 out of 11 LEED EA indicators. The highly supported indicators included minimum energy performance, building-level energy metering, optimized energy performance, advanced energy metering, renewable energy production, and enhanced refrigerant management while the fundamental refrigerant management indicator was evaluated as a moderately supported indicator. These highly supported indicators are core energy-related indicators; three of them are prerequisite indicators, while the remaining are credit indicators that cover 66.7% of the weight assigned for the EA indicators. The results also demonstrated that the remaining four indicators—fundamental commissioning and verification, enhanced commissioning, demand response, green power, and carbon offsets—were evaluated as poorly supported by Revit. The consistency of results across two rounds of survey, along with the expert’s consensus on 73% (8 out of 11) of the examined indicators, provides empirical validation of Rivet’s capacity to support LEED GBA. Findings also showed that modeling and simulation, followed by data integration, are the most impactful channels in supporting and calculating LEED EA criteria and requirements, with significant statistical correlation confirmed through Kendall’s Tau correlation. The findings have theoretical and practical implications for designers, green building practitioners, and BIM developers and suggest areas for further research. Full article

This study conducts a simulation-based assessment of a recently commissioned office building in the Republic of Korea, representing a typical public office facility. The building was modeled using EnergyPlus 23.1.0 after construction, although no validation was performed due to the absence of metered consumption data. Previous approaches relying on simplified methods such as the Radiant Time Series (RTS), which neglect dynamic building behavior, have often led to overestimated cooling and heating loads. This has emerged as a major obstacle in designing energy-efficient buildings within the context of compact and smart cities pursuing carbon neutrality. Consequently, the trend in building performance analysis is shifting toward dynamic simulations and digital twin-based design methodologies. Furthermore, electrification of buildings without adequate thermal load assessment may also contribute to overdesign, irrespective of urban environmental characteristics. From an urban planning standpoint, there is a growing need for performance criteria that reflect occupant behavior and actual usage patterns. However, dynamics-based building studies remain scarce in the Republic of Korea. In this context, the present study demonstrates that passive design strategies, implemented through systematic changes in envelope materials, HVAC operational standards, and compliance with ASHRAE 90.1 criteria, can significantly enhance thermal comfort and indoor air quality. The simulation results show that energy consumption can be reduced by over 36.21% without compromising occupant health or comfort. These findings underscore the importance of thermal load understanding prior to electrification and highlight the potential of LEED-aligned passive strategies for achieving high-performance, low-energy buildings. Full article

There is a gap in the research on LEED-certified projects that has arisen from combining the “old” LEED system and “new” LEED version in green building practice. This study is focused on gold-certified office projects under LEED for Existing Buildings version 4.1 (LEED-EB v4.1). Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney and Cliff’s δ tests were used to conduct a pairwise comparison of six countries (Sweden, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Israel) in terms of five performance indicators (transportation, water, energy, waste, and indoor environmental quality). The results show that Sweden and Germany outperformed Italy (p = 0.002 and 0.018, respectively) in transportation performance. Ireland outperformed Italy and Israel (p = 0.015 and 0.032, respectively), and Germany outperformed Italy and Israel (p = 0.003 and 0.009, respectively) in water performance. Germany outperformed Sweden, Ireland, and Israel (p < 0.001, respectively) and Sweden, Spain, and Italy outperformed Israel (p < 0.001, p = 0.008, and p = 0.009, respectively) in energy performance. Italy outperformed Sweden, Ireland, Germany, and Israel (0.001 < p ≤ 0.013) and Spain outperformed Germany and Israel (p = 0.015 and p < 0.001, respectively) in waste performance. Israel outperformed Sweden, Germany, and Italy (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p = 0.006, respectively) and Spain, Ireland, and Italy outperformed Sweden (p < 0.001, p = 0.002, and p = 0.004, respectively) in indoor environmental quality performance. The findings of this study show that each of the six selected countries has an individual LEED-EB v4.1 certification strategy. This study contributes new knowledge that can support LEED professionals in developing LEED certification strategies for each country. Full article

Despite the widespread adoption of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, there is limited empirical research examining how different sustainability categories are implemented in practice or how methodological patterns influence certification outcomes. This study contributes to this understanding by analysing LEED v4 Building Design + Construction certification patterns across 1252 newly constructed buildings in the United States to understand the methodological foundations and identify improvement opportunities for the LEED framework. Using credit achievement degree (CAD) analysis, regional variation assessment, and correlation analysis, we examined category adoption patterns across nine US climate regions, investigated relationships between LEED categories, and analysed certification level influences. The analysis reveals significant disparities in category adoption, with innovation (80.7%) and regional priority (66.6%) achieving high implementation rates while the category of material and resources (41.1%) consistently underperforms. Statistically significant regional variations exist across eight of nine categories (p < 0.05), with location and transportation showing the highest variability (CV = 20.1%). The category of energy and atmosphere demonstrates the strongest relationship with overall project performance (R² = 0.38), explaining 43% of total score variation and serving as the primary driver of higher certification levels. Most critically, inter-category correlations are weak (typically R² < 0.05), indicating that projects treat sustainability domains as separate challenges rather than integrated systems. Positive skewness across all certification levels (z-scores > 1.96) provides statistical evidence of strategic “point-chasing” behaviour, where teams target minimum thresholds rather than maximising comprehensive sustainability performance. These findings reveal fundamental methodological patterns that may limit LEED’s effectiveness in promoting holistic sustainability approaches. The compartmentalised implementation patterns and threshold-focused strategies suggest opportunities for structural refinements, including enhanced integration incentives, region-sensitive benchmarking, and certification frameworks that reward comprehensive rather than minimal compliance. This research contributes empirical evidence for evidence-based improvements to green building certification methodology and provides insights for more effective sustainability assessment tools. Full article

This study investigates the influence of façade-design parameters on daylighting performance in hot arid climates, with a particular focus on Egypt. A total of nine façade configurations of a residential building were modeled and simulated using Autodesk Revit and Insight 360, varying three critical variables: glazing type (clear, blue, and dark), Window-to-Wall Ratio (WWR) of 15%, 50%, 75%, and indoor wall finish (light, moderate, dark) colors. These were compared to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) daylighting quality thresholds. The results revealed that clear glazing paired with high WWR (75%) achieved the highest Spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA), reaching up to 92% in living spaces. However, this also led to elevated Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE), with peak values of 53%, exceeding the LEED discomfort threshold of 10%. Blue and dark glazing types successfully reduced ASE to as low as 0–13%, yet often resulted in underlit spaces, especially in private rooms such as bedrooms and bathrooms, with sDA values falling below 20%. A 50% WWR emerged as the optimal balance, providing consistent daylight distribution while maintaining ASE within acceptable limits (≤33%). Similarly, moderate color wall finishes delivered the most balanced lighting performance, enhancing sDA by up to 30% while controlling reflective glare. Statistical analysis using Pearson correlation revealed a strong positive relationship between sDA and ASE (r = 0.84) in highly glazed, clear glass scenarios. Sensitivity analysis further indicated that low WWR configurations of 15% were highly influenced by glazing and finishing types, leading to variability in daylight metrics reaching ±40%. The study concludes that moderate glazing (blue), medium WWR (50%), and moderate color indoor finishes provide the most robust daylighting performance across diverse room types. These findings support an evidence-based approach to façade design, promoting visual comfort, daylight quality, and sustainable building practices. Full article

Rising temperatures are one of the most severe consequences of climate change, and the built environment plays a significant role in exacerbating heat, particularly in urban areas. In densely populated cities with hot climates, buildings release heat generated from cooling their interiors, contributing to the urban heat island (UHI) effect. Global research actively seeks ways to reduce UHI and promote a more sustainable built environment. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is among the most widely used sustainability assessment systems. Additionally, digital technologies, especially Building Information Modelling (BIM), are increasingly used to assess and improve energy performance in buildings. While there are frameworks that apply LEED and BIM separately to address UHI strategies, there are potential LEED–BIM integrations which need to be investigated. This study investigates how LEED and BIM can be integrated to support UHI mitigation efforts. A systematic literature review was conducted to examine existing integrations, analyzing trends by publication year, country, and building type. The study identified approximately thirty examples of LEED–BIM integrations supporting ten UHI mitigation strategies. However, it also highlighted underutilized BIM technologies and gaps in addressing certain strategies. The study proposes a framework to help practitioners and policymakers apply LEED–BIM integrations more efficiently, reducing the effort required to implement UHI mitigation strategies while enhancing their practicality and effectiveness. Full article

As sustainability becomes an essential approach in the USA hospitality sector, green certifications like Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) are increasingly adopted by hotel developers. However, the extent to which different LEED certification levels influence guest satisfaction remains unclear. This study investigates how the LEED certification level interacts with the relationship between a hotel’s sustainability performance and guest satisfaction in the United States. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining Random Forest Regression and the Process macro on a dataset of LEED-certified USA hotels with normalized guest satisfaction scores. The Random Forest model identified Energy and Atmosphere (EA) and Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ) as the most influential LEED categories in predicting satisfaction. Additionally, the results reveal that the positive effect of sustainability on satisfaction is strongest at the lower LEED levels (Certified and Silver), but shows diminishing returns at higher levels (Gold and Platinum), suggesting that an increased sustainability performance does not uniformly improve guest experience. These findings support all three hypotheses and offer practical insights for hotel developers, operators, and certification bodies seeking to align sustainability strategies with guest expectations. Full article

Architectural design influences both environmental outcomes and occupant behaviors. Green buildings convey environmental responsibility through formal (e.g., signage, tours) and informal means, including natural materials, daylighting, and energy-efficient features. These choices contribute to overall building “atmospherics” that can foster occupant awareness of sustainability. To explore how atmospherics contribute to occupant perception of building sustainability, we surveyed (n = 250) and interviewed (n = 16) occupants of two LEED-certified university buildings—the Green Building and the Green and Biophilic Building—focusing on their awareness of sustainable features and sources of this awareness. The results showed that occupants of the Green and Biophilic Building were significantly more likely to recognize its sustainable features. The diversity and frequency of features identified varied significantly between buildings, with the broader range in the Green and Biophilic Building. Content analysis revealed occupant misconceptions about the sustainability of features like automatic toilets, aesthetic elements, and biophilic patterns, with some assumptions based solely on appearance. These findings highlight how occupants develop green building awareness without formal instruction, underscoring the value of visible design elements in fostering engagement. This study offers practical recommendations for architects and designers to enhance green messaging through non-verbal cues and interpretative educational features. Full article

As the global community struggles with pressing environmental challenges, the field of architecture finds itself at the forefront of sustainable innovation. The multidisciplinary nature of architectural education curriculums covers a wide range of ecological topics; however, the tangible impact of these courses in the design process has not been well explored. Accordingly, this study attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of an “Ecological Conscious Building Design” (ECBD) course in enhancing architectural design education and promoting ecological consciousness among future architecture practitioners. To this extent, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method was employed as a systematic framework for evaluating the impact of the course on students’ knowledge, abilities, and attitudes towards sustainable architectural practices. This study explored the benefits and drawbacks of integrating ecologically conscious building design techniques into architectural education through a comprehensive analysis of students’ feedback, performance assessments, and course outcomes. The research also examined the alignment between the course curriculum and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification system criteria, assessing whether the course equips students to contribute to environmentally responsible architectural solutions. This research provides insights into academia and the architecture industry by exploring the nexus between architectural education and sustainable design. The results indicate that both students and experts prioritize “energy and atmosphere” and “indoor environmental quality” as critical components of sustainable design education. However, experts place greater emphasis on “innovation” and forward-looking approaches. These findings highlight a gap between pedagogical goals and practical readiness, offering actionable insights to align curriculum with industry standards and long-term sustainability strategies. Full article

Identifying factors that influence the choice of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification strategies for existing office building projects in the United States is a pressing issue requiring attention as it will help LEED professionals select the optimal certification strategy for each project. In this context, a quantitative research methodology with purposive sampling was used in this study to evaluate the impacts of project/building characteristics in LEED for Existing Buildings version 4 (LEED-EB v4) gold-certified projects in the U.S. LEED-EB v4 project/building characteristics include the project size and the number of buildings built before and after the 1973 energy crisis. LEED-EB-certified projects include a score for Location and Transportation credit (LTc1, “alternative transportation”) and scores for Energy and Atmosphere credits (EAcs) (EAc6, “renewable energy and carbon offsets”, and EAc8, “optimize energy performance”). From 112 LEED-EB v4 projects, the two following groups of projects with specific achievements were selected: Group 1 (n₁ = 13), which included high achievements in LTc1 and low achievements in EAc6 and EAc8, and Group 2 (n₂ = 13), which included high achievements in LTc1, EAc6, and EAc8. Exact Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney and Fisher’s exact 2 × 2 tests were used to estimate significant differences between the two groups. The results of the selection of LEED-EB-certified projects in Groups 1 and 2 were that Group 2 outperformed Group 1 in EAc6 and EAc8 (p < 0.0001), while there was no significant difference between Groups 1 and 2 in LTc1 (p = 0.199). As a result, Group 1 outperformed Group 2 in LEED-EB v4 project size (p = 0.017). Group 2 outperformed Group 1 in the number of LEED-EB v4 gold-certified projects in buildings constructed after the 1973 US energy crisis (p = 0.005). It is concluded that, when choosing a LEED certification strategy for existing office buildings in the United States, LEED professionals should consider the 1973 energy crisis and the size of the LEED project. Full article

Achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification is a key objective for sustainable building projects, yet targeting LEED credit attainment remains a challenge influenced by multiple factors. This study applies machine learning (ML) models to analyze the relationship between project attributes, climate conditions, and LEED certification outcomes. A structured framework was implemented, beginning with data collection from the USGBC (LEED-certified projects) and US NCEI (climate data), followed by preprocessing steps. Three ML models—Decision Tree (DT), Support Vector Regression (SVR), and XGBoost—were evaluated, with XGBoost emerging as the most effective due to its ability to handle large datasets, manage missing values, and provide interpretable feature importance scores. The results highlight the strong influence of the LEED version and project type, demonstrating how certification criteria and project-specific characteristics shape sustainability outcomes. Additionally, climate factors, particularly cooling degree days (CDD) and precipitation (PRCP), play a crucial role in determining LEED credit attainment, underscoring the importance of regional environmental conditions. By leveraging ML techniques, this research offers a data-driven approach to optimizing sustainability strategies and enhancing the LEED certification process. These insights pave the way for more informed decision-making in green building design and policy, with future opportunities to refine predictive models for even greater accuracy and impact. Full article

Water, a fundamental and indispensable resource necessary for the survival of living beings, has become a pressing issue in numerous regions worldwide due to scarcity. Urban areas, where the majority of the global population resides, witness a substantial consumption of blue water, particularly in commercial buildings. This study investigates the potential for enhancing water efficiency within an ongoing high-rise office building construction situated in a tropical climate. The investigation utilizes the green building guidelines of leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) through a case-study-based research approach. Strategies included using efficient plumbing fixtures (such as high air–water ratio fixtures and dual-flush toilets), the selection of native plants, implementing a suitable irrigation system, introducing a rainwater harvesting system (RWHS) and improving the mechanical ventilation and air conditioning (MVAC) system. The results showed a 55% reduction in water use from efficient fixtures, a 93% reduction in landscaping water needs and a 73% overall water efficiency with a RWHS from the baseline design. Additionally, efficient cooling towers and the redirection of condensed water into the cooling tower make-up water tank improved the overall water efficiency to 38%, accounting for the water requirements of the MVAC system. The findings of this study can contribute to more sustainable and water-efficient urban development, particularly in regions facing water scarcity challenges. The significance of these findings lies in their potential to establish industry standards and inform policymakers in the building sector. They offer valuable insights for implementing effective strategies aimed at reducing blue water consumption across different building types. Full article

The construction industry is responsible for a significant share of global material consumption, including natural resources. Therefore, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.2 on sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources cannot be achieved without significant advances and contributions from the construction sector. Furthermore, various materials used by the construction industry contribute to the development and expansion of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) system. LECA (Light Expanded Clay Aggregate) is one such material that enhances LEED performance through its key benefits, including lightness, thermal insulation, sound insulation, and fire resistance. One of the most effective methods for reducing the weight of concrete is the incorporation of lightweight aggregates, and the advantages of LECA include lessening loads and enabling reduced cross-sections, directly improving the sustainability of the built environment via reduced materials consumption. This study aims to develop a prediction model for the compressive strength of LECA-incorporated concrete through a meta-analysis. More than 140 data points were compiled through literature via 15 separate studies, and results were analyzed to conduct the meta-analysis. Moreover, an experimental program was carried out to verify the model and evaluate its accuracy in predicting compressive strength. Results from the developed model and the experimental program were in accordance with concrete having lower compressive strengths compared to those at high strength values. Likewise, more accurate results were obtained for concrete mixes that have w/b ratios of 0.5 or higher. Concrete mixes that have higher amounts of LECA by volume of concrete yielded more accurate results when using the prediction model. A sensitivity analysis was carried out to quantify the impact of several parameters on the compressive strength of LECA concrete. Full article

Over the past five years, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Commercial Interior version 4 (LEED-CI v4)-certified office projects have been intensively studied in the USA and China, but they have not yet been studied in the Mediterranean region. The purpose of this study was to explore office building certification strategies for LEED-CI v4-certified projects in the Mediterranean region. The study design included pairwise comparative analyses between Spain (number of projects (n) n₁ = 14), Türkiye (n₂ = 13), and Israel (n₃ = 11). Cliff’s δ and exact Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney tests were used to process ordinal and discrete data, while the natural logarithm of the odds ratio and 2 × 2 Fisher’s exact tests were used to handle dichotomous data. It was found that Spain and Türkiye outperformed Israel in the Location and Transportation (LT) category due to their desire to reduce the use of private transport. Spain and Türkiye were ahead of Israel in the LTc5 “reduced parking footprint” credit (p = 0.008 and 0.0005, respectively). Israel outperformed Spain and Türkiye in the Energy and Atmosphere (EA) category due to the sum of all six EA credits (p = 0.086 and 0.010). Spain overtook Türkiye and Israel in the Materials and Resources (MRs) category due to Spain’s increased use of environmental product declarations. Spain and Türkiye were ahead of Israel in the following four MRs credits: MRc1 “long-term commitment” (p = 0.030), MRc2 “interiors life cycle impact reduction” (p = 0.037), MRc3 “building product disclosure and optimization—environmental product declarations” (p = 0.029), and MRc5 “building product disclosure and optimization—material ingredients” (p = 0.034). Spain, Türkiye, and Israel showed similarly low levels of achievement in the Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ) category (p ≥ 0.405). However, Spain and Türkiye outperformed Israel in the following two credits: EQc1 “enhanced indoor air quality strategies” and EQc2 “low-emitting materials” (p = 0.001 and 0.060, respectively). In parallel, Israel outperformed Türkiye in the EQc3 “construction indoor air quality management plan” (p = 0.026), and Israel outperformed Spain in the EQc8 “quality views” credit (p = 0.066). As a result, a pairwise comparison of the three Mediterranean countries showed that each country has a unique LEED certification strategy. Knowledge of the above green building strategies will be helpful for LEED professionals. Full article

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) version 3 (v3) and version 4 (v4) gold-certified office space certification strategies in Spain have not yet been studied. The two purposes of this study were to evaluate (1) the impact of high or low achievements in the energy and atmosphere (EA) “optimize energy performance” credit (EAc1 for v3 and EAc8 for v4) on the compensation strategy for LEED “compensation group” credits and (2) the impact of EAc1-v3 or EAc8-v4 on the monotonic change in LEED “compensation group” credits. Data on a total of 77 LEED-EB v3 and 43 LEED-EB v4 gold-certified office space projects were collected. In the v3 group, 26 LEED-certified projects had the highest EAc1 achievements (v3 group 1), and 26 LEED-certified projects had the lowest EAc1 achievements (v3 group 2). In the v4 group, 15 LEED-certified projects had the highest EAc8 achievements (v4 group 1), and 15 LEED-certified projects had the lowest EAc8 achievements (v4 group 2). The exact Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test and Fisher’s exact 2 × 2 with Lancaster’s correction test were used to estimate the difference between groups 1 and 2. Spearman’s rank-order correlation was used to assess monotonic change in LEED credits. The results show that v3 and v4 group 1 outperformed v3 and v4 group 2 in EAc1 and EAc8 (p < 0.0001, respectively). However, v3 and v4 group 2 outperformed v3 and v4 group 1 in “renewable energy” (EAc4 for v3 and EAc6 for v4, p = 0.0039 and 0.0088, respectively) and “building commissioning” (EAc2.2 for v3, p = 0.0015; EAc3 for v4, p = 0.0560, respectively). EAc1-v3 and LEED v3 “compensation group” credits showed a moderate negative correlation (r_s = −0.53 and p < 0.0001). EAc8-v4 and LEED v4 “compensation group” credits showed a strong negative correlation (r_s = −0.74 and p < 0.0001). As a result, increasing the share of renewable energy and performing building commissioning in LEED-EB v3- and v4-certified projects occurred only as a compensation strategy in response to the low achievement in the “optimize energy performance” credit. Full article