From LEED to LID: A green-building primer

New Year’s resolutions tend to fade by February, but Los Angeles County’s resolve to green-up home and commercial construction has the permanence and force of law.

On January 1, major elements of the green-building ordinance approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2008 go into effect, requiring new construction in unincorporated areas to be more sustainable and less polluting. Together with mandates that went into effect in 2009, the county’s new rules are among the nation’s most comprehensive, affecting projects from single-family homes to office high-rises.

The rules are complex and filled with language best understood by builders and planners. But the rest of us need not sit in the dark. So here’s a quick primer to shed a little (energy efficient) light on the subject:

• Upcoming projects will increase energy efficiency, cut greenhouse gas emissions, utilize sustainable construction materials and cut water use.

• Requirements govern both buildings and landscaping, but vary according to the size and type of the project.

• The ordinance requires builders to use LID, or Low-Impact Development, practices to save and recycle rainfall. Rather than shunting run-off to storm drains, the rules that went into effect in 2009 mandate the use of materials such as porous pavements. These let rainwater seep into the water table, thus increasing the drinking water supply while keeping dirty run-off away from our beaches.

• All commercial development must follow LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, building standards. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED rules force builders to use efficient building methods and materials to reduce energy use, greenhouse gases and other pollution. Under the new restrictions, the bigger the project, the tougher the LEED standards. Small projects need only meet basic LEED benchmarks. Projects over 25,000 square feet have to follow LEED Silver standards. Residential projects with more than four units can choose between following LEED or two other stringent sets of standards.

• To slow the flow of construction debris to county landfills, builders must reuse or recycle at least half of the waste materials.

• Unlike other green building codes, L.A. County’s ordinance applies to single-family homes. For example, new homes must be 15 percent more energy-efficient than required by the prevailing state standards. Outdoors, the new codes limit the use of grass to 25 percent of a lot’s area and require the use of drought tolerant plants and low-flow irrigation.

High-profile projects that, if approved, are expected to seek building permits under the new rules include expansions at Pepperdine University and Universal City as well as a large residential development at Tejon Ranch.