1. Specifying Sustainable Design

2. Rating Systems Supported
BSD SpecLink-E supports the following Green Building Rating Systems:
LEED v4 BD+C:
New Construction and Major Renovations
Core and Shell Development
Schools, Healthcare
Data Centers
Warehouses and Distribution Centers
Hospitality, Retail

3. Get Started Early
Achieving a sustainable design certification will depend heavily on early design decisions, including site selection
Waiting until the construction documents phase to begin making green decisions may make achieving certification difficult or impossible

4. Sustainable Design Criteria
Designing for sustainability can’t be delegated to a Design-Bid-Build Contractor
A Design-Builder can be given a target rating with as little or as much direction as desired
BSD SpecLink-E includes sustainable design criteria in Section DC0 Facility Design Criteria, which can be used for both Design-Build projects and early design documentation on Design-Bid-Build projects

5. Specifying Strategy Types of Issues
No matter which rating system is used, all issues fall into one of these categories:
Intrinsic to Location
Design Phase Activity
Post-Construction Activity
Embodied in Overall Design
Explicitly Shown In Contract Documents

6. Specifying Strategy Intrinsic to Location
The specification cannot address issues that are completely dependent on site location:
Avoidance of sensitive lands
Brownfield site
Surrounding density and diverse uses
Availability of alternative transportation

7. Specifying Strategy Design Phase Activities
The specification cannot address:
Project planning
Design process
Site environmental assessment
School campus master plan
Life cycle analysis of design

8. Specifying Strategy Post-Construction Issues
The specification cannot address:
Purchasing Green Power
Provisions for Recycling
Prohibition of Smoking
Operational Issues: cleaning, pest control
Joint use of facilities
Tenant guidelines

9. Specifying Stategy Issues Embodied in the Design
No particular, immediately identifiable specification solution:
Parking capacity, reduced parking footprint
Design for water and energy conservation
Optimization of energy performance
Ventilation design
Design for flexibility

10. Specifying Strategy Solutions in Contract Documents
For each issue, determine where it should be shown or specified:
Only shown on the drawings
Only indicated in the specifications
Partly shown and partly specified
Now you know what needs to be included in the specifications

11. SpecLink-E Provides Contractor Procedures
Temporary Erosion & Sediment Control
Indoor Air Quality Controls
Execution and Closeout Requirements (site drainage, pollution prevention)
Construction Waste Management & Disposal
Underground Storage Tank Removal
Polychlorinate Biphenyl (PCB) Remediation
Site Clearing (limits on site disturbance)

12. SpecLink-E Provides Commissioning Procedures
General Commissioning Requirements
Commissioning Authority Responsibilities
Commissioning of HVAC

13. SpecLink-E Provides 01 3329 - Sustainable Design Reporting:
Explanation of project goals
What the Contractor is required and not required to do to aid the certification process
A method for collecting information about “green materials”
Procedures to be followed
List of sections where particular sustainable design issues are specified

14. SpecLink-E Provides Sections related to “Green Materials”
Product Requirements (definitions)
VOC Content Restrictions
Forms for Submittals
– Material Content Form
– Prohibited Content Installer Certification

15. SpecLink-E Provides 02 Existing Conditions
– Demolition: Removal of existing pavements and other impervious surfacing; partial demolition for preserving existing construction
– Polychlorinate Biphenyl (PCB) Remediation: Abatement of PCBs, mercury, & other substances regulated under U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act

16. SpecLink-E Provides 03 Concrete 05 Metals
– Cast-in-Place Concrete (and 4 other Division 3 sections): Option to replace some Portland cement with recycled content
05 Metals
– Metal Fabrications: Custom- fabricated entrance mat frames
– Metal Gratings and Floor Plates: Custom-fabrications entrance gratings

17. SpecLink-E Provides 06 Wood, Plastics, and Composites
Rough Carpentry (and 9 other Division 6 sections): Prohibition on old growth timber, sustainably harvested wood, salvaged and re- used wood
07 Thermal and Moisture Protection
Vegetated roof solutions:
Sheet Waterproofing
Fluid-Applied Waterproofing
Vegetated Roof Components

18. SpecLink-E Provides 07 Thermal and Moisture Protection
Rain water collection surfaces:
– Metal Roof Panels
– Sheet Metal Roofing
White or light colored roof membrane:
– Elastomeric Membrane Roofing:
– Thermoplastic Membrane Roofing:
Emissions-compliant sealants:
Firestopping
Joint Sealers: Plus sealing between residential units if not firestopped

19. SpecLink-E Provides 08 Openings 09 Finishes
Many sections for daylighting and views
09 Finishes
– Gypsum Board Assemblies: Deck- to-deck sealed partitions around rooms where hazardous gases or chemicals are used
– Carpeting: GreenLabel Plus certified
Carpet Tile: GreenLabel Plus certified
Painting and Coating: VOC limits

20. SpecLink-E Provides 10 Specialties 11 Equipment
– Lockers: For bicycle entrance
– Fixed Sun Screens
11 Equipment
– Residential Appliances: Energy Star rated appliances
– Waste Compactors: For recycling

21. SpecLink-E Provides 12 Furnishings 14 Conveying Equipment
– Window Shades: Motorized shades
– Entrance Floor Mats and Frames: Manufactured grilles and gratings for high volume entryways
– Bicycle Racks
– Bicycle Lockers
14 Conveying Equipment
– Facility Chutes: For recycling

22. SpecLink-E Provides 21 Fire Suppression 22 Plumbing
– Clean Agent Fire Extinguishing System: Non-Halon extinguishing agent
22 Plumbing
– Meters and Gages for Plumbing Piping: For metering subsystems
– Plumbing Piping: Documentation of regulatory lead-content restrictions; certification of proper soldering of copper piping

23. SpecLink-E Provides 22 Plumbing (cont.)
– Plumbing Equipment: Pumps for potable and non-potable water
– Plumbing Fixtures: WaterSense- labeled fixtures; documentation of regulatory lead-content restrictions; high-efficiency and dry toilet fixtures
– Healthcare Plumbing Fixtures: WaterSense-labeled fixtures; documentation of regulatory lead-content restrictions

24. SpecLink-E Provides 23 HVAC 23 0800 - Commissioning of HVAC
– HVAC Air Duct Cleaning
– Instrumentation and Control Devices for HVAC
– Direct-Digital Control System for HVAC
Ground-Loop Heat-Pump Piping
– HVAC Water Treatment: To reduce cooling tower water usage

25. SpecLink-E Provides 23 HVAC (cont.)
– HVAC Ducts and Casings: Emissions-compliant duct sealers
– HVAC Air Cleaning Devices: MERV-compliant air filters
– Condensing Boilers
23 6xxx – Chiller and Refrigeration Equipment sections: Low-GWP refrigerant
– Water-to-Water Heat Pumps

26. SpecLink-E Provides 26 Electrical
– Minor Electrical Demolition: Removal of abandoned cables containing lead; minor removal of mercury-containing lamps and PCB- and DEHP-containing ballasts
– Low-Voltage Electrical Power Conductors and Cables: Limitations on lead content of cable insulation
– Lighting Control Devices
– Network Lighting Controls: Integrated lighting and window shade controls
– Wiring Devices: Manual lighting controls.

27. SpecLink-E Provides 26 Electrical (cont.)
– Wiring Devices: Manual lighting controls
– Photovoltaic Collectors: With related equipment and supports
– Interior Lighting: Limitations on mercury-content of lamps; minimum lamp life
– Exterior Lighting: Limitations on mercury-content of lamps; minimum lamp life; fixtures selected to reduce light pollution

28. SpecLink-E Provides 31 Earthwork 32 Exterior Improvements
Site Clearing: Vegetation protection; site clearing waste management
– Grading: For restoring site water flows
– Rip Rap: For erosion protection
32 Exterior Improvements
– Operation and Maintenance of Planting: First year maintenance
Turf Surfaced Roadways
Precast Concrete Unit Paving: Open- grid pavers

29. Step-by-Step 01 3329 – Sustainable Design Reporting Project Tree
Select and open the section
Choose the Rating System
Review the automatically activated text, X-out if not relevant to your project
Review inactive text, select if relevant
In PART 3, select all sections having solutions relevant to your project
Project Tree
Green status box indicates sections activated
Review each section for further decisions

30. Section
First select Section in the folder tree, open it and check the status box at the title.

31. Section
Next, activate the relevant Rating System and click on the blue text to see further choices

32. Section
The PART 3 checklist may have some items already highlighted in green. Activate their parent heading to activate them.
Each section selected, and each option below it, automatically turns on the relevant section and text elsewhere in the spec.

33. Section 01 3329 The final section covers scope and procedures
and a list of all the other sections with an indication of what the requirements are.

34. Step-by-Step Submittal Report
Automatic report lists all sections in project that require sustainable design documentation submittals
Properly tagged user-added submittals also show

35. Specifying for LEED LEED v4 BD+C:
As of May 2014, BSD SpecLink-E supports the following LEED Rating Systems:
LEED v4 BD+C:
New Construction and Major Renovations
Core and Shell Development
Schools, Healthcare
Data Centers
Warehouses and Distribution Centers
Hospitality, Retail

36. Specifying for LEED
Review the rating system document to classify prerequisites and credits into categories
Intrinsic to Location
Design Phase Activity
Post-Construction Activity
Embodied in Overall Design
Shown on the Drawings
To Be Specified

37. Specifying for LEED Identify the Goal And the Facility Type
Certified: 40 points
Silver: 50 points
Gold: 60 points
Platinum: 80 points
Plus regional priority credits possible
And the Facility Type
New Construction, Schools, Healthcare, etc.

38. Specifying for LEED Decide whether to pursue:
Building Material Disclosure Credits
Building Material Optimization Credits
Low-Emitting Materials Credits
Make appropriate selections in
If pursuing any of them, include:
Section – Material Content Form

39. Specifying for LEED
The Material Content Form is automatically tailored to the types of credits being pursued
Disclosures, like EPDs
Content types, such as recycled, certified wood, VOCs
Cost information, for performing the calculations

40. Specifying for LEED Low-Emitting Materials Credits:
Very possible to write an impossible spec
The thresholds are very high (90-100%)
The indoor-emissions test is relatively new
But this credit is divided into 5 categories of products that can be pursued separately as long as at least 2 categories are achieved (3 for Schools, Healthcare)
Edit Section – VOC Content Restrictions, to suit your decisions

41. Specifying for LEED
If desired, use the Prohibited Content Installer Certification form reduce the likelihood that installers ignore the low-emitting material specifications
Instructions
Assertions that they did not use any products with prohibited content, whether specified or not
Certification signature

42. Coming Soon
In the coming months, the following additional rating systems will be added:
LEED v4 ID+C: Interiors Design & Construction
LEED v4 Homes
GreenGlobes for New Construction
Federal Guiding Principles for New Construction and Major Renovations
LEED v4 ND: Neighborhood Development (with construction)

43. Specifying Sustainable Design with BSD SpecLink-E
Questions?
Building Systems Design, Inc.
888-BSD-SOFT
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Thank you for your interest!