A Brief Overview of LEED Certification

The former CEO of Starkey Construction, William Starkey is a Montgomery, Texas resident who spent more than 35 years at the helm of the Texas-based construction company. Responsible for all operations at the company, William “Bill” Starkey and his team implemented several green building techniques when designing custom homes, churches, hospitals, and other buildings.

A part of the United States Green Building Council, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the world’s most widely used green building program. Designed for helping people and communities thrive, the program denotes that buildings are energy and resource-efficient. Having a LEED-certified building leads to buildings' improved financial performance by granting them differentiation in the market. LEED certification also increases employee recruitment and retention rates, attracts tenants most often, and reduces building operating costs.

LEED certification is granted in one of four ratings: certified, silver, gold, and platinum. These ratings apply to buildings in all phases of development. However, certification is generally reserved for more completed projects, particularly in certifying building design and construction techniques. For these buildings, at least 60 percent of a project's gross floor area must be done by the time certification is granted.

Basic Principles of Sustainable Site Selection

A former CEO of Starkey Construction in Montgomery, Texas, William “Bill” Starkey emphasized green building principles in water and energy efficiency. Another aspect of this sustainability commitment for William Starkey was proper planning for site and structure design.

Selecting a sustainable site, whether a residence or business campus, starts with minimizing the impact on areas of ecological and cultural importance. These include wildlife habitats, prime farmland, and prehistoric and historic sites. In addition, sustainably developed structures should be no closer to wetlands than 100 feet. Ideally, developments should take advantage of in-fill opportunities when they arise, from vacant lots to parking areas. Remediated brownfields and industrial sites, as well as disused rail yards, also offer redevelopment potential.

With the site-sensitive approach, the community can address sprawl and maximize already existing development footprints. Infill locations are often closer to amenities, such as shopping, public transportation, and recreation, which also limits resource waste and excess car use that occurs when developments are spread too far away.