As environmental problems such as global warming and clean water supply have become increasingly serious, the environmentally friendly / sustainable building concept is becoming increasingly popular these days. As a result of the researches, 40 % of the world's energy consumption and 30 % of the water consumption have been resulted from the buildings. In addition, about 90 % of human life passes by the buildings. All of these reasons reveal the need for a more efficient, more livable and environmentally friendly building that consumes less resources. Environmentally friendly buildings do not only save energy and water, but also give great importance to the health and comfort of the occupants. When designing environmentally friendly buildings, elements that directly affect human health such as indoor air quality, natural lighting, temperature and humidity control and waste management are planned and with the methods used in the construction, it is aimed to leave cleaner environment to the end user. According to some studies, it is seen that those who work or live in eco-friendly buildings are less sick and have higher working performances than those in other buildings.
Buildings constructed with traditional methods consume 70% of energy and materials, 17% of water, 25% of forests and 33% of CO2 emissions. Only 5% of recycled materials are used in traditional buildings.
With Green Buildings; it is possible to reduce waste, reduce indoor energy costs, increase the comfort and efficiency of the building users, reduce the health expenses of the employees, low operating and maintenance costs, in particular energy and water saving. On average, Green Buildings consume about 30% less energy than classical buildings. Water consumption of Green Building is also very low; waterless urinals, efficient reservoirs, washbasins and shower baths can be used to save up to 50% water. In green projects, various strategies can be followed in landscaping areas and 50% water saving can be easily achieved.
The LEED(Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) green building certification system is the accepted program all over the world for rating the design, construction and operation of green buildings which is given by The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) since 1998.
The LEED system is a long process starting from the design process to the completion of the building. This process concerns multiple disciplines. The rating systems can be changed for specific building typologies, sectors, and project scopes:
The rating systems evaluate buildings in seven main categories. These are:
Under each sub-title, there are definitions of pre-requisites and credits. First of all, compliance with the pre-condition will be ensured, then the points under each credit will be collected. The project will be awarded at Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum level according to the scores it has collected in these subtitles.
LEED certifications are awarded according to the following scale:
Certified: 40-49 points
Silver: 50-59 points
Gold: 60-79 points
Platinum: 80-110 points
LEED headings include:
NIVO ISTANBUL project aims to certify at GOLD and SILVER level in LEED NC (New Construction) rating system. In this context, many environmental and human friendly features have been integrated into project design and construction phases.
Some of the sustainable strategies and solutions implemented in the NIVO ISTANBUL project under the LEED System are below.