LEED Certification Coming to Buildings

The Metro Council passed a law saying it wanted to have greener buildings, but private development is leading the way.

The Pinnacle building, across from the Symphony hall downtown, is being built with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED certification. Architect Gary Everton says the building will be more energy efficient with a green roof, and will even recycle its own water.

“We’re going to capture all that rainwater in addition to the ground water that’s coming in around the site as the ground water throughout the area flows to the Cumberland river. We’re capturing all of that water and we’re using it for flushing toilets and urinals and for irrigation in the building.”

The Metro Council passed a law in May mandating that all new Metro buildings over 5-thousand square feet and 2-million dollars in construction costs be LEED certified. Existing buildings undergoing renovations of the same standards have to as well.

In an ironic twist, three entities are exempt from the legislation because they have authority over their own construction—the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, the Metropolitan Transit Authority and Metro Schools. Still, Councilman Mike Jameson, who sponsored the original bill, says the school system embraced the concept last month, where he says it’s most important.

“LEED certification and sustainable design doesn’t just mean energy savings. It means you’ve got a building that’s oriented towards sunlight, you’re not in dark cavernous classrooms anymore. And also eliminates some pretty noxious chemicals, paint fumes, and everything else you wouldn’t want your kids around.”

The Metro Planning department says no public projects are currently in the works to be LEED certified. However Jameson thinks the new convention center will have to be certified.