Description: The sustainable design and construction movement has been called the next marketing boom of the new millennium. The US Green Building Council (USGBC) is at the forefront of this movement. In-depth knowledge of green building practices is not only invaluable in reducing environmental impacts and improving our quality of life but also in developing a long term market share and improving economic performance.This course is composed of independent study and group exercises with proctored weekly discussions/lectures that will cover the technical requirements of nationally recognized LEED Green Building Design and Construction. This course is primarily focused on New Construction & Major Renovations. Additionally, this course will focus on providing an overview of the knowledge required for taking industry recognized Professional Accreditation exams. The course will provide attendees with an understanding of how sustainability is being implemented nationally throughout the design and construction industries to define various levels of sustainable project design, the resources available for successfully achieving green building project certifications, and a review of the LEED Green Building Design and Construction rating system.

Individual and group projects will be administered that identify and move beyond today’s current green building strategies to determine the next steps of Green Building. These concepts include: understanding the process of carbon foot printing; calculating the embodied energy of building materials during extraction, processing, manufacturing and transportation; cyclical processes in the design and construction industries that have negative environmental impacts; demolition versus deconstruction practicesSynthesizing and recognizing the importance of these key concepts will better prepare course participants with a collective understanding of the design and construction industries and our critical role in reducing our impact on the environment.