Pratice Questions for leed
When you look at the globe one can see that it is composed of mostly water. What percentage is fresh?
3
According to a United Nations study, what percentage of the ecosystem services that have been assessed worldwide is currently degraded or used unsustainably?
60
As humans have progressed over time, they have created indoor micro-atmospheres through mechanical and natural ventilation. We now spend _% of our time indoors:
90
A project team is going through its first LEED application process and is very disorganized. In order to ensure all green building goals are being met, they should use:
A LEED project checklist is a quick list of the credits the project team has decided to pursue in the pre-design phase, based on the project vision and the project's green building goals.
Penn State has many laboratories with sensitive equipment that must be kept uncontaminated. They are going ahead with a renovation plan. What would a sub-contractor need in order to safely handle a product during installation?
A Material Safety Data Sheet
LEED is one of many green building rating systems that are in use today. Some rating systems are more stringent and some are looser. Name three additional green building rating systems: (
BREEAM The Living Building Challenge Green Globes
In LEED v4, credits have been streamlined and numerous standards have been introduced in the Materials and Resources Category. Which credit category is Environmental Product Declarations under?
Building Product Disclosure and Optimization. Environmental Product Declarations (MRc2) is a credit under Building Product Disclosure and Optimization. MRc2 rewards teams for selecting products from manufacturers who have verified they have improved environmental life-cycle impacts.
Which strategy can the project team suggest if the building owner wants to maintain ongoing energy efficiency and performance?
Building automation systems
A project has reduced its water consumptions by 65% from EPA's baseline. The owner can now ensure a healthy work environment by monitoring 2 of the following: (CHOOSE 2)
Carbon dioxide levels Outdoor airflow
If a building owner wants to evaluate the environmental impact of its energy, water, solid waste, materials, and transportation systems as a whole, it would use which metric?
Carbon emissions
Throughout the LEED documentation process, many different stakeholders are involved. Which document establishes the terms and conditions of the LEED Certification program to which the building owner is bound?
Certification agreement
LeadingGreen wants to establish green building goals across the entire design while using stakeholders' expertise. What workshop helps achieve this?
Charrette
When calculating building energy performance, what is included as process energy
Computers• Elevators and escalators (these don't have regular plugs, but are considered process energy for LEED)• Washers and dryers• Office equipment• Kitchen stoves• Kitchen refrigerators
Which of the following items does the commissioning authority not complete to achieve the Enhanced Commissioning credit
Verify SMACNA best practices are followed throughout construction
Used process water
Which type of water is permitted as an alternative water source for indoor water use?
Apple Inc. promotes an open-office concept, but also wants to use daylighting for entire floors, which has a number of trade-offs. How can they ensure that everyone receives adequate light?
Zoned Daylight controls
Selecting a site in proximity to diverse uses is encouraged in LEED. Which of the following are categories of use-types? (CHOOSE 2)
• Food retail• Community-serving retail• Services• Civic and community facilities• Community anchor uses
Commissioning is the process of verifying and documenting that a building and all of its systems and assemblies are planned, designed, installed, tested, operated, and maintained to meet the owner's project requirements. What is its median payback for an existing building?
0.7 years
Adaptive reuse, selecting to build infill, and regenerative design are all items encouraged in LEED and green building in general. What is an example of regenerative design?
A building that generates electricity and sends the excess to the grid Regenerative design is "sustainable plans for built environments that improve existing conditions. Regenerative design goes beyond reducing impacts to create positive change in the local and global environment." - USGBC By generating more electricity than the project uses, the system is considered regenerative.
If a manufacturing company recycles used orange juice cartons for flooring, what would this result in? (CHOOSE 2)
A carpet that contains post-consumer recycled content A reduced need for virgin materials
A company is looking at passive and mechanical methods of lowering the building's energy load, such as:
A company is looking at passive and mechanical methods of lowering the building's energy load, such as:
Open space can contribute to many credits in multiple credit categories. Select the example of quality open space:
A walking/jogging trail around a natural wetland encourages social interaction and physical activity, so it counts as open space. The other options are either off-site or exclusive.
Cork ceiling tiles have the ability to be recycled and completely reused for flooring at the end of their life. Which term describes this approach?
Cradle to cradle. Cradle to cradle is a term used in life-cycle analysis to describe a material or product that is recycled into a new product at the end of its useful life. Cradle to cradle is an example of a closed-loop system, while "cradle to gate (or grave)" is a destructive open-loop system that produces waste.
What must the project team submit via LEED Online in order to verify prerequisite and credit compliance?
Credit Forms
LEED is developed through a consensus-based approach and evolves every few years. What is each LEED rating system composed of?
Credit categories
LeadingGreen is considering using the LEED for Core and Shell rating system for an ice rink complex project. Which of the following is not considered in this specific rating system? (Choose 2)
Furniture, furnishings, and equipment (FF&E) Tenant fit outs
A project leader is trying to determine if its floor-to-area ratio (FAR) is high enough so that it can count which of the following spaces as vegetation for open space:
Extensive green roof
LeadingGreen's enormous parking lot utilizes constructed shading towers equipped with PV panels to generate electricity for vehicle recharging stations. Which credits would be impacted by this? (CHOOSE 2)
Green Vehicles Heat island reduction
Renewable energy purchased as a carbon offset must meet which of the following criteria?
Green-e Climate Certified. For the Green Power and Carbon Offsets credit category (EAc7), a project must purchase 35% of the building's electricity consumption for at least 2 years. The project team can purchase renewable energy certificates (RECs) (or tradable renewable certificates (TRCs)), carbon offsets, or renewable power from a Green-e certified provider. Green-e is a certification program for renewable energy producers. LEED typically recognizes renewable energy if it has been certified by the Center for Resource Solution or meets the Green-e requirements. Green-e Climate certification is for qualifying carbon offsets for LEED.
For the Building Disclosure and Optimization credit that looks at the ingredients of materials, which standards would help earn points?
Greenscreen Cradle to Cradle Certified
Innovert Real Estate Investment Trust is reviewing its current portfolio and notices an immense amount of water being consumed in its older building stock, which is costing a lot due to increasing water prices. It is cost-prohibitive to replace all the plumbing, so the project team suggested alternative approaches to reduce potable water. Which are the most efficient ways to reduce potable water?
Installing new low-flow aerators
The success of a LEED project depends on ongoing performance and a number of backbone concepts essential to the process. Select three which are integral to green building and sustainability: (CHOOSE 3)
Integrative Project Delivery Systems Thinking Approach Life-cycle Approach
. Buildings are becoming more and more unique and require specific items based on their location and space type. How does LEED address this?
LEED rating system adaptation
he Integrative Process is used to identify synergies, which result in short and long term cost savings. What is also true about the IP? (CHOOSE 2)
It reduces change orders during construction It can decrease the likelihood of delays and costs resulting from design changes during the construction documents phase
Which LEED rating system has precertification?
LEED BD+C: Core and Shell
LEED has many tools to assist project teams, including an online feedback button. What is the main distinction between a LEED Interpretation and Project CIR?
LEED Interpretations are precedent-setting
The project team would determine its target certification level through:
LEED Scorecard
Which LEED Rating system has performance periods?
LEED existing buildings
A project is attempting to meet the EQ credit for enhanced air quality. Which of the following would be well suited for an entryway system?
Low VOC rubber mat
What is the overarching goal of the Materials and Resources credit category?
Minimize the embodied life-cycle impacts of the building materials
The LEED rating system only permits certain types of buildings, spaces, and neighborhoods to pursue LEED certification. What defines the most basic restriction?
Minimum Program Requirements
While minimum program requirements are essential to LEED in order to ensure compliance, prerequisites are also mandatory. What do all buildings pursing LEED BD+C: New Construction have to meet?
Must be a permanent structure, use a reasonable site boundary, and have a minimum floor area
Demand response programs are gaining popularity as power authorities attempt to shift peak demands. If an office tower consumes electricity from the grid at night while contributing the same amount of energy back to the grid during the day resulting in electricity?
Net-zero energy
A facility manager is looking for information on how to improve IAQ throughout the life of the building. Which of the following strategies will support this goal?
Outlining green cleaning procedures and goals for custodian
The USGBC and GBCI (Green Business Certification Inc.) are the two main governing bodies of the LEED rating system. What is the GBCI responsible for? (CHOOSE 3)
Overseeing LEED credential maintenance Administration of the LEED exams Third-party technical reviews of registered LEED projects
What type of energy is used by products that are powered by means of an ordinary AC plug
Plug load is the electrical current drawn by all equipment connected via wall outlets. Process energy is the power that resources consume in support of processes other than conditioning spaces and maintaining comfort and amenities for occupants of a building. This may include refrigeration equipment, cooking and food preparation, clothes washing, and other major support appliances. Unregulated load (aka process load) is the load on a building resulting from the consumption or release of process energy.
What does not affect a project's certification fees?
Prerequisites and MPRs must be met regardless so they are not the answer.
Every credit category incorporates various regulations to act as standards for its sustainability goals. What credit category would REACH Optimization assist?
REACH is the Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals. REACH requires companies to register any chemical substances that they are manufacturing or importing into the European Union in quantities of one ton or more per year.
What are different strategies that an urban planning consultant on a LEED for Neighbourhood Development project would suggest?
Reduce hallways Use structural insulated panels Incorporate advanced framing in the design
Looking at the economic side of the triple bottom line, what is the most significant savings that results from water efficiency?
Reduced maintenance costs
When deciding which refrigerant to use in a building's cooling system, a conflict arises between the effects of ODP and GWP. What fact causes this conflict?
Refrigerants that are neutral to the ozone layer are less efficient
ncreased rainwater runoff can lead to detrimental environmental and economic impacts through energy required to pump the excess rainwater and tax dollars required to often treat and pump it as well as:
Sedimentation of adjacent streams Eutrophication
During the integrative process, a team is trying to find the best strategy to protect and/or restore the habitat on a previously developed site. What is one common strategy that helps lead to this credit?
Restore soils and revegetate the site
You are a LEED consultant and a client has asked you how the project can increase its density. What do you suggest?
Shrink the building footprint to maximize the FAR
In the site selection credit, which 2 governing bodies discourage developing on sensitive habitats? (CHOOSE 2)
State/local fish and wildlife agencies The Natural Heritage Program
When does commissioning take place?
Substantial completion phase
Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding occupant surveys?
Surveys identify areas that need improvement
What does not affect a project's certification fees?
The amount of LEED credits pursued
Quadrel Development Inc. is beginning their first LEED project and has contacted LeadingGreen for some consulting services. What obstacles will Quadrel face?
The additional time for the integrative process
. LeadingGreen Development purchased a struggling project mid-way through its design process. As soon as possible after the purchase, they began the integrative approach, and daylighting was the main ticket item. What items could be inexpensively altered to improve daylighting at this point in the project? (CHOOSE 2)
The colors of the surface The types of furnishings
Your team is involved in a LEED Charrette as part of the integrative process and as a LEED consultant you tell them that material selection process should be based on: (CHOOSE 3)
The environmental impact of extracting and manufacturing the material The impact the material has on society The cost of the material
The most significant difference between a conventional linear design process and an Integrative Process is?
The integrative process is an iterative, collaborative approach that involves a project's stakeholders throughout the process, from visioning through completion of construction and during building operation. Both involve all project team members, however the Integrative Process involves all team members meeting as a group at least once. In conventional design, it is not necessary for a team member to engage with all other members (ex. the landscape designer may never speak to the plumber).
The Water Efficiency prerequisite requires an indoor water usage reduction of 20% from a baseline calculated from what?
The number of occupants , and their usage
Which statement is TRUE for a project to qualify for the LEED BD+C: Homes rating system?
The project can be a 3 story or less low-rise multifamily residential project
Your new vacation home will be located in the Alps and you cleverly decide to supply your toilet water with snow from the mountains. How does this decision affect the future of the project?
The project could emphasize water conservation
Looking at the economic side of the triple bottom line, which of the following factors impact the cost of LEED certification?
The square footage of the project is the primary cost consideration for LEED certification. Remember certification and registration fees are not the same. Generally, the bigger the building, the higher the cost and the smaller the building the lower the cost as compared to the other options here.
LEED v4 has seven Impact Categories to accomplish the goals of the LEED rating system and ensure sustainability. How do the Impact Categories work towards a more sustainable building?
They determine which credits are worth more points
Every project must earn a minimum number of points through credits. What is the purpose of minimum program requirements? (CHOOSE 3)
To give clear guidance to customers To reduce certification process challenges To protect the integrity of the LEED program
What provides legal protection of the ozone layer in the U.S.?
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
. A new building is being constructed in the hot climate of Mexico City. The green building design includes a vegetative roof and an air-tight envelope to reduce air changes per hour and increase building efficiency. What will need to be considered due to this design?
bringing in additioanl fresh air for indoor air quaility
How does open space help promote sustainability? (CHOOSE 2)
foster socail interactions and links habitat corridors in urban areas
Conventionally which of the following has been primary used to replace CFC-11?
hcfc-123
The existing TD office towers in downtown Toronto, which were constructed with single-pane windows, is retrofitted to include double-pane glass. This can lead to:
he design of the building envelope (including the glazing) impacts the energy demand of the building. Double-pane glazing is a better insulator than single-pane glazing. It is important to note that while more glazing (windows) increases daylight, the heat gain from allowing more light in may increase HVAC loads. Energy efficiency refers to less energy being used to accomplish the same amount of work, which is not the case here.
The date is January 1 2022. LEED® v4 is outdated and will be replaced by LEED 2022. What is the committee that is responsible for overseeing a consensus based approach in accordance with LEED protocols?
leed steering comittee
A project development team just purchased an entire city on the coast of Oregon. Which of the following is one way that the project developer could successfully complete 'adaptive reuse'?
renovating an old steel mill into an apartment complex