LEED Green Building Certification of the Puig Tower, Barcelona

Motivation

LEED-NC Environmental Certification is a global and independent planning, assessment and auditing tool launched by United States Green Building Council. This tool evaluates the environmental quality of buildings, awarding “eco-points” for objective and measurable values.

This Certification provides a precise framework to identify and implement practical and measurable sustainable solutions in each phase of a building’s life: design, construction, operation and maintenance.

In the case of the Puig Tower, the work undertaken consisted of three phases:

• Pre-evaluation of LEED-NC v.3 Certification
• Strategy to obtain LEED-NC v.3 Certification
• Environmental project management and consultancy in order to obtain LEED-NC Certification.

The building's architects were Rafel Moneo & Lucho Marcial Architects and the interior designers were GCA Arquitectes Associats.

In December 2013, the project was awarded LEED GOLD certification under the LEED for New Construction Rating System, with a total of 64 points.

LEED certification identifies the Puig Tower as a showcase example of sustainable design and demonstrates its leadership in transforming the building industry.

Results

• Preparing for Pre-evaluation. Target: to determine the level of certification that the building can obtain.
• Setting the strategy. Target: to achieve the expected level of certification.
• Continuous monitoring and review. Target:  to ensure compliance with the requirements established by pre-evaluation in all phases of the building’s construction: earthworks, foundations, building structure, air conditioning facilities, sewerage, ventilation, interior finishes, etc.
• Managing communication with the United States Green Building Council. Target:  to send all the appropriate documentation for each credit or eco-point visa the specialised web platform: https://www.usgbc.org/leedonline/