Guest Blog: The Road to LEED Green Associate

by Felix Zayas
May 14, 2010

There aren't too many conversations in my industry these days that don't at some point make mention of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), green design, or some other LEED-related topic. I recently completed my LEED Green Associate exam and would like to give you a brief overview of what went into the preparation for it.

First let me give you a little history. The USGBC is a non-profit organization, committed to building a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation. The Green Building Certification Institute manages the professional credentialing programs, including the LEED Green Associate and LEED AP BD+C credentials, which assess one's knowledge of green building design and the LEED rating systems for new construction and building renovations.

The latest version of the LEED AP examination (version 3.0) requires you to pass two exams. The first exam is the LEED Green Associate, followed by a specialty exam. If you are reading this blog post, most likely your specialty exam will be Building Design and Construction. After successfully passing the building design and construction exam you would be considered a LEED AP BD+C.

When studying for the LEED Green Associate, you should go to the GBCI website and download the LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook. This PDF is roughly 30 pages in length and is the perfect tool to help you along the way. The document is updated frequently, so always be sure to download it directly from the website. The handbook covers such things as how to register, what to study and things you should know about the exam. The "preparing for your exam" section includes a list of primary and ancillary references with direct links to study material on the Internet, most of which is free.

In addition to the primary and ancillary references you can study from, many third-party companies have put together comprehensive study packages, ranging in price from $35 to $80. Some offer audio study guides in MP3 format, flash cards and even practice test questions.

It is important to be up on the latest trends in green building and green design. In 2008 BICSI created an alliance called the Green Building Technology Alliance. Members from BICSI, TIA, InfoComm and CABA are part of the alliance. Theya re working toward creating technology-related credits for the next version of LEED.

Felix Zayas is a technology designer for BVH Integrated Services Inc., a multi-disciplined engineering firm based in Blooomfield, CT that provides MEP, civil, structural, sustainable design, commissioning and technology services to clients in the educational, health-care, corporate, governmental and research markets.

With more than seven years of telecommunications engineering experience, Felix has earned the Registered Communications Distribution Designer and Network Transport Systems designations from BICSI. He is a Certified Technology Specialist as designated by InfoComm and is licensed in the State of Connecticut as a Telecommunications Layout Technician. As he indicates in this blog post, he is also a LEED Green Associate as designated by the Green Building Certification Institute. He can be reached at felixz@bvhis.com or 860-286-9171.