Framework To Assist Owners To Use Sustainable Site Design Practices

Many organizations are considering sustainable construction and LEED for their projects. There are two factors that motivate owners to pursue sustainable buildings: intangible benefits such as competitive differentiation or social responsibility, and tangible benefits such as reduced costs or increased revenue. Having a comprehensive understanding of the factors or attributes that affect potential costs, scheduling and quality of construction, environment, human health, safety and comfort will allow an owner to make better choices as to which LEED credits a particular building should pursue. Realizing that every construction project is unique and what might be a better choice for one project may not be for the other, this research has identified decision-making attributes, which influence a decision whether or not to use specific LEED Sustainable Sites and Water Efficiency credits and developed a framework to assist owners in deciding which LEED site related credits his/ her project should pursue.