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BSD SpecLink-E automated construction specifications
BSD SpecLink-E and LEED®

SpecLink-E takes a strategic, straightforward approach
to specifying LEED® requirements in construction documents.

Click on the thumbnail slides below to see them full size.

<<< 5 LEED checklists automate the selection of sections and text to address specific credits.

<<< 8 LEED submittal sections provide submittal forms for data needed for certification application.

<<< Automatic LEED submittals report lists all specified LEED submittals in one report.

 

 

 

The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating Systems are voluntary, consensus-based standards for rating and certification of the performance of buildings with regard to energy and water conservation, impact on the environment, indoor environmental quality, and conservation of resources. Members of the U.S. Green Building Council representing all segments of the building industry developed the LEED Rating Systems and continue to contribute to their evolution. The LEED Rating Systems give credits for individual measures taken in the design, construction, and operation of a facility. The credits involve site location, design issues, material and equipment selection, and construction procedures. Most of the site location and design issues cannot be addressed directly via the specifications but achievement of many other credits is directly dependent on the specifications. Visit USGBC's website for more information and free copies of the Rating System documents.

SpecLink-E currently addresses the following LEED® Rating Systems:

  • LEED-NC, for New Construction and Major Renovations, 2009 edition (v3) and version 2.2
  • LEED for Schools, 2009 edition (v3) and First Edition, Updated November 2007
  • LEED-CS, for Core & Shell Development, 2009 edition (v3) and version 2.0
  • LEED-CI, for Commercial Interiors, 2009 edition (v3) and version 2.0
  • LEED-EB, for Existing Buildings, Upgrades, Operations and Maintenance, version 2

LEED® in Design Criteria

The Design Criteria sections of SpecLink-E reference the LEED Rating System documents for environmentally responsible design criteria; certification is optional. For RFP's and early design documentation, the design criteria can identify which credits are required, which are desirable, and which are not required. The Design-Builder can be given the responsibility of performing the Certification documentation, or the Owner can assume that responsibility.

LEED® in Construction Specifications

The Construction Specifications of SpecLink-E take a strategic, straightforward approach to specifying LEED requirements in the construction documents. Two sections with non-printing, automated checklists activate the appropriate specification provisions when the project manager or specifier determines which credits will be pursued. In addition, one of the checklists helps the specifier identify the credits that are easiest to achieve and easiest to specify, although not necessarily the lowest cost - the credits are presented in groups based on their importance and ease of achievement, not simply similar issues as the Rating System does.

Section 01 3514 — LEED CREDIT SUMMARY is used to document the project team's intentions in regard to LEED certification and particular credits, referencing LEED-NC, -for Schools, -CS, -CI, or -EB at the specifier's option. For each credit, a status of "Required," "Preferred," or "Not Required" may be set, as a record of intentions. Following the statement of each credit is a brief description of pre-defined possible solutions, taken from the LEED Rating System itself, each linked to the specification sections which address the credit.

When one of the pre-defined solutions is selected, the appropriate specification section is highlighted in the Project Tree and the LEED-related provisions in that section are activated by links. For instance, if your project team has committed to using only “certified” wood, you can select any or all of the Division 6 carpentry sections as solutions to MR Credit 7. When you do, the requirement for certified wood (which SpecLink-E refers to as "sustainably harvested wood") is activated in each selected section along with its LEED Report submittal option. In addition, the basic specification provisions and submittal requirements for sustainably harvested wood are activated in Section 016000 – Product Requirements. Similar provisions are activated for each pre-defined solution that involves the specifications. For further coordination, the specification sections that have been activated are also listed in Section 01 3515.

Section 01 3515 — LEED CERTIFICATION PROCEDURES. This section is intended to inform the Contractor about the LEED certification that the project's owner is aiming to achieve and draw his attention to specific sections of the Project Manual that address LEED prerequisites and credits. The LEED-related specification sections are listed in Masterformat 2004 section number order — as opposed to LEED credit order in the LEED Credit Summary section. When the Credit Summary section is prepared first, it will activate all the relevant sections in the LEED Requirements section.

Although the LEED CREDIT SUMMARY is explicitly intended for making a summary document early in the project, the LEED CERTIFICATION PROCEDURES section can also be used to "build" the Credit Summary document, by means of links from the section-number-ordered list back to the credit-number-ordered list. This will be especially useful where the same specification section addresses issues that arise under different credits – all the credits relevant to a particular section are grouped under the section listing. Reviewing the list of relevant sections in both section number order and credit order will give the most complete picture.

Read more about it in our Specifiers' Library.