The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Honeywell have announced they are working together to deepen facility sustainability by integrating USGBC’s new LEED Dynamic Plaque, a near-real-time monitoring tool with integrated building automation technology from Honeywell to measure and provide performance feedback to help optimize operations.
The LEED Dynamic Plaque assesses facility performance in the categories of energy use, water consumption, waste output, occupant transportation and human experience, aggregating data to provide an overall performance score that reflects the LEED rating system — the world’s most widely utilized green building rating system and recognized standard for leadership in sustainability. The plaque is an appealing, easy-to understand display ideal for mounting in a prominent location so tenants and guests can view and better understand the building’s ongoing rating. It also features an app for anywhere access, helping further incentivize occupants to engage in actions that can positively impact sustainability.
“Buildings are alive, always changing and evolving, and optimizing technology and operations requires a solid handle on performance at any moment in time,” said Scot Horst, chief product officer, USGBC. “Honeywell’s track record of innovation and leadership complements our efforts with the LEED Dynamic Plaque, and will allow us to reach new heights in changing the way facilities and communities are designed and managed.”
By integrating with Honeywell technology, the plaque automatically receives information from core building systems that contribute to a facility’s LEED performance score, in addition to input from occupant surveys and waste tracking information. The score updates as data feeds in and can raise awareness of likely issues — and potential fixes — that could affect operations.
“Given our mutual focus on developing smart, intelligent buildings and improving the user experience through technology, working with USGBC is a natural pairing,” said John Rajchert, president, Honeywell Building Solutions. “Together we’re helping transform the possibilities and expectations of facility performance and sustainability.”
The USGBC headquarters in Washington, D.C., and the San Francisco office of DPR Construction, a national building contractor that specializes in technically complex and sustainable projects, are the first two locations to pilot the LEED Dynamic Plaque powered by Honeywell building systems. DPR is using the tool not only to assist in the recertification of its LEED building, but also to help meet its commitment to becoming a net-zero energy facility, meaning the total amount of energy it uses on an annual basis is roughly equal to the amount of renewable energy it creates onsite.
“To practice what we preach, we need high-performing buildings. The LEED Dynamic Plaque helps us better understand our facility in an industry-forward way, holding us accountable,” said Eric Lamb, executive vice president, DPR Construction. “Seeing the implications of our everyday actions helps make sustainable behavior permanent, as opposed to occasional scoring, and helps us build smarter for our customers.”
The USGBC and DPR offices use Honeywell Enterprise Buildings Integrator (EBI), a building management system, and Attune Services to automate data collection and integration with the plaque. Facility personnel can also see the score through the system interface. And EBI provides added analysis and insight, helping identify optimization strategies. DPR says it views this level of detail as an extremely effective way to improve service and support for its customers and their projects.
