Green Accreditations

Hi Meyer! 1. We don't formally "recognize" accreditations, but they are often goals an individual sets for their personal employee reviews -- which then get acknowledged by their reviewer/manager. It probably doesn't hurt for their salary reviews but there is no set calculus for that. We don't limit any staff from any internal effort. The more the better. 2. We give a lot of support: we have an up-to-date supply of study guides, and reimbursement for the passed exam. We currently are in a two-year cycle of offering in-house training classes in LEED GA, BDC, ND and IDC; and WELL.  We encourage Fitwell training (self-training and online testing), and are beginning to learn about Passive House and more training in that. 3.We don't have tiers of support -- just helping/encouraging each in their own way. 4. We are in a 2-year push for more LEED and WELL and Fitwel accreditations. We want diversity, but also want all of our designers to have a better/deeper "sustainability" basis from which to talk, think and work. 5. We don't consciously assign LEED staff to LEED projects, but nevertheless projects would benefit from having more of the them. The specificity of WELL and Fitwel designs requires that the team have trained staff, so we are trying to train more of them as we (hope to) expand into more of these projects. To sum it up, I'd say our current philosophy is to make the trainings free, easy and available; and to make all staff realize that they must keep learning -- whatever aspect they choose -- both for their own career development as well as for the development of our firm. Regards, Harry

Myer and all, We have just revised our policies on this for our new Sustainable Action Plan that will be uploaded to the AIA site in the next few weeks. 1. We put accreditations in the email signature area. We mention people that have recently received accreditation at weekly all-office meetings. They are not required for promotion. We assign project sustainability coordinators to all (major) projects – the PSC is required to have LEED or WELL accreditation or be pursuing it actively unless they are also taking the ARE. Being a PSC is recognized as part of the review process. 2. We reimburse the cost of the test plus allow billing of some amount of studying. We also have study guides to the extent they are available, and offer classes. We provide a few hundred dollars a year in CE money that can be used for this sort of thing. We recently surveyed staff and found that around 1/3rd are interested in taking a LEED course and roughly the same amount are interested in WELL study course…so obviously we have a long way to go to provide the requested training. 3. We have one PH, 3 WELL, and lots of LEED. We haven’t had a conversation on equivalency but they all show dedication and education. 4. We have a formal goal of 20% WELL accredited by 2023. We have not set a LEED goal. 5. We often do our own LEED certification but since PSCs are now required to pursue that we expect no issues. LEED studying is still a decent way to get sustainability concepts, terminology, and measurements education whether one works on a project going for certification or not. Kjell ................................................................. Kjell Anderson AIA, LEED AP Director of Sustainable Design LMN 801 Second Avenue, Suite 501 Seattle, WA 98104 T 206 682 3460 lmnarchitects.com<%20lmnarchitects.com%20> From:

This from EwingCole: 1. There is no specific recognition, although we do recruit LEED Aps to our focus group, Thrive @ EC. 2. We reimburse candidates who pass a Specialty LEED AP exam, and provide whatever training and reference material they may need. We will also reimburse those who pass WELL AP or other accreditations, including CEM. Once LEED or otherwise accredited, their biennial renewals are up to them ($85.00 being an affordable – and arguably tax deductible expense). Our memberships in the USGBC and our local organization give us access and discount to programs, which we share. I should note that the company reimburses half of annual AIA dues. 3. We’d like more WELL, CEM, Fitwel and Green Globes professionals. The GBI credential GPCP (Guiding Principles Compliance Professional) is useful for our US government work. 4. The diversity of markets and project types we do makes it necessary for us to entertain folks’ desire or need to be certified or accredited in various ways: LEAN and Six Sigma come to mind. 5. We would like it if, when a LEED project starts, a LEED AP is always assigned to lead the effort. If that person is inexperienced, the more senior of us can support them. Don M. Jones, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C PRINCIPAL, DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABLE DESIGN EwingCole Federal Reserve Bank Building 100 N. 6th Street Philadelphia, PA 19106-1590 DIRECT 215.625.4115 TEL 215.923.2020 MOBILE 610.529.5297 FAX 215.574.9163 EMAIL djones@ewingcole.com ewingcole.com From:

A minimum LEED GA or BREEAM Associate is required for all professional staff and senior firm leaders within 6 months of employment. LEED or BREEAM credentials are articulated as expectation/requirement in new hire offer letters and the candidate must agree to it and sign it. Credentials may be required for experienced professionals in a job posting, but for new or recent graduates credentials are preferred, but we definitely give them a chance to get the credential after hire. Lack of credential comes up at annual review and will impact opportunities for promotion or salary increase. It’s not the only criteria but it is definitely a part of the discussion. HOK pays for exam prep course, exam registration, seat time to take the exam, unlimited CEUs (through specific online course platforms) and credential renewal fees. HOK pays for at least 1 LEED or BREEAM credential and may pay for a specialty credentials depending on the person’s role on projects. HOK does look at credentialing as a % of each office, market sector and leadership board. this may impact performance evaluation and compensation for senior leadership. HOK pays for WELL credential and it is encouraged, but not required. We pay for exam prep course, exam registration, seat time to take the exam, unlimited CEUs (through specific online course platforms) and credential renewal fees. HOK may also pay for additional credentials such as Passive House, fitwel, SITES, LBC, regional/national green building programs, etc. based on person’s role on projects. This is handled on a local-approval basis. This issue really gets to me on the Architect 50 survey because we don’t give ‘bonuses’ to credentialed professionals, we expect them to obtain and maintain their credentials as it serves as a baseline for knowledge on sustainability and wellness issues. But we DO pay for all credentialing related expenses with the exception of study time. Thank you, Anica ANICA LANDRENEAU Associate AIA, LEED® AP BD+C, WELL AP, BREEAM Senior Principal | Director of Sustainable Design HOK anica.landreneau@hok.com t +1 202 944 1490 m +1 202 250 1779 Canal House, 3223 Grace Street, N.W. | Washington, DC 20007 US hok.com | connect From: Kjell

I’d be curious what this costs per year. Don M. Jones, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C PRINCIPAL, DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABLE DESIGN EwingCole Federal Reserve Bank Building 100 N. 6th Street Philadelphia, PA 19106-1590 DIRECT 215.625.4115 TEL 215.923.2020 MOBILE 610.529.5297 FAX 215.574.9163 EMAIL djones@ewingcole.com ewingcole.com F

I can find out! most relevant on a per person cost, I would imagine? Thank you, Anica ANICA LANDRENEAU Associate AIA, LEED® AP BD+C, WELL AP, BREEAM Senior Principal | Director of Sustainable Design HOK anica.landreneau@hok.com t +1 202 944 1490 m +1 202 250 1779 Canal House, 3223 Grace Street, N.W. | Washington, DC 20007 US hok.com | connect

That would be awesome. We have a decent budget, but I get a lot of requests for CE’s and other stuff. Don M. Jones, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C PRINCIPAL, DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABLE DESIGN EwingCole Federal Reserve Bank Building 100 N. 6th Street Philadelphia, PA 19106-1590 DIRECT 215.625.4115 TEL 215.923.2020 MOBILE 610.529.5297 FAX 215.574.9163 EMAIL djones@ewingcole.com ewingcole.com F

Myer, Moody Nolan position on your questions:  

1. ​How does your firm "recognize" accreditations:      A plus in hiring and moving up in the firm but not 'required' for anything specific
2. How does your firm support accreditations:   We provide study materials, pay for 50% of the exam, provide 4 hrs for preparing and taking the exam, do not cover renewal fees, continuing education is not specifically covered but many of the seminars / conferences that people attend on behalf of the firm are covered and count toward continuing ed. 
3. If you are a firm that has done #1 and #2 for LEED AP, what other accreditations are now considered "equivalent"?           We have not had many requests for other accreditation until this year but so far it seems that all accreditation exam cost and requirements fall into our non-professional licensing exam policy.  Licensing exam policy is a bit more robust in what the firm covers.
4. Do you have a short and long term strategy for accreditations?           One of our firm goals for 2018 is to increase the number of non-LEED AP BD+C accreditation in the firm, we need more ID+C, O+M AP's along with the other non-LEED.  We created a list of the accreditations that fit best with our strongest markets, then targeted staff that we felt would be most interested and tried to sell them on the value to the firm, clients and their professional development.   So far that has worked fairly well, at least we have a good group of people that have committed and are studying (at least that is what they tell me) we'll see if they actually take the exam.  
5. How critical is it that architects/designers in your firm have accreditations that are directly applied (e.g. a LEED AP BD+C is actively working on BD+C project types)?​  See answer for #4.

  Thanks for asking this is good info. I found a conversation about this topic back in 2013, not sure how valuable that is at this point but uploaded the e-mails that I captured from that conversation.    Allen 

Hi all, We are taking a deep look at green accreditations within our firm. Gone are the days when we could say: "our staff is XX% LEED APs!" as a metric of firm progress. Here are a few questions we are asking ourselves, and I'm wondering how you approach this in your firms:

1. ​How does your firm "recognize" accreditations: are they a prerequisite for promotion, a "plus" in annual/salary reviews, prerequisite to join certain internal efforts, etc.?  Accreditations aren't a prereq for promotion - or even for hiring right now as we look to fill a number of positions pretty quickly.  People who become accredited while at the firm are recognized at an all-office meeting and receive an Amex gift card for a small amount.  We don't make accreditation a prereq to join our Green Team or other sustainability efforts as we try to encourage the younger staff to get involved in those efforts, and often, they're studying for the ARE or NCIDQ exams.  We don't want to "formally" link LEED with sustainability by making it a requirement for getting involved.
2. How does your firm support accreditations: study materials, cost of exams, time for exams/studying, continuing education, renewal fees, etc.?  We provide study materials and reimburse for the cost of the exam when passed.  No paid time is granted for taking the exam or for studying, but we do pay the biannual renewal fees for staff. 
3. If you are a firm that has done #1 and #2 for LEED AP, what other accreditations are now considered "equivalent"? Are there "tiers" of accreditation with different levels of support (e.g. CPHC is a heavier lift than LEED AP in terms of time and cost, while Fitwel is a lighter lift)  There are no "tiers" of accreditation.  In addition to LEED APs, we have two WELL APs (including me).  We've got one other person studying for the WELL exam and a few others who are interested, but as we haven't had a WELL project yet, we're trying to balance the exam cost with the demand.  We also have some staff interested in Fitwel.
4. Do you have a short and long term strategy for accreditations? Do you prefer to have a wide diversity of accreditations, so that you can be nimble and offer services, support, and knowledge in lots of certifications; or do you focus on one accreditation at a time to build up a "niche" and deep expertise?  We don't really have a formal on-paper strategy at this point.  We encourage staff to get an accreditation, and while there's a lot of interest in it from younger staff, many of them are also in the process of taking their ARE and NCIDQ exams, and LEED, WELL, Fitwel, etc. takes a back seat to those credentials. 
5. How critical is it that architects/designers in your firm have accreditations that are directly applied (e.g. a LEED AP BD+C is actively working on BD+C project types)?​ Do project types align with other firm marketing strategies (i.e. you want to build up new work in green commercial TIs, therefore you encourage staff to earn LEED ID+C, WELL, and Fitwel accreditations?)  We prefer that designers with a LEED AP specialty credential work on their specific project type but depending on the types of projects we have, that's not always the case.  And generally, the staff is happy to work on any LEED project type as they get to put their skills to use and learn how to apply what they've learned.

While we still encourage becoming LEED accredited, we're also gauging how are clients are - or aren't - moving forward with LEED v4 projects and whether other accreditations like WELL, Fitwel may be more relevant in the market. I feel like this topic has been discussed on the forum before, but I could not find it with a search; apologies if I'm repeating a conversation. Thanks as always for your insights, Myer

Some input from the world of HKS. * We support and advocate for staff to become accredited. This is voluntary and at the initiative of staff. We do track it, but it is not built into any promotion or advancement policy. We do celebrate this with announcements and recognition. * We support LEED with specialty (we are not picky about which one, but do want the specialty designation), WELL and BREEAM. We also support PHIUS on a case by case basis. There are other “one-off” but useful certifications like PEARL or BEMP that we support, but are addressed when they come up. We provide a stipend that is essentially the cost of taking the exam twice and study material. When an individual shows that they have passed they are presented with a check by office leadership. If they pass the first try they get a little “bonus”. If they don’t pass the first time, not all is lost because they get a second attempt and are them made whole. * We do not have a specific program at the moment, but advocate for what is right for the individual based on their interests and role. In 2017 we had a concerted effort to build knowledge around health & wellbeing. As a result, WELL accreditation was a strong push. We went from 1 to 130 in a single year. That was rather a big investment. Rand From: Mye

See responses below: 1. How does your firm "recognize" accreditations: are they a prerequisite for promotion, a "plus" in annual/salary reviews, prerequisite to join certain internal efforts, etc.? Mandatory requirement after first 6 months. Cannot be promoted to Associate without it (some exceptions have been made) 2. How does your firm support accreditations: study materials, cost of exams, time for exams/studying, continuing education, renewal fees, etc.? All of the above except time for studying. We support some continuing ed through lunch and learns and buildinggreen subscription. 3. If you are a firm that has done #1 and #2 for LEED AP, what other accreditations are now considered "equivalent"? Are there "tiers" of accreditation with different levels of support (e.g. CPHC is a heavier lift than LEED AP in terms of time and cost, while Fitwel is a lighter lift) WELL, PHI/PHIUS 4. Do you have a short and long term strategy for accreditations? Do you prefer to have a wide diversity of accreditations, so that you can be nimble and offer services, support, and knowledge in lots of certifications; or do you focus on one accreditation at a time to build up a "niche" and deep expertise? We are at 80%+ LEED and have 7 CPHD’s so focusing on WELL right now. 5. How critical is it that architects/designers in your firm have accreditations that are directly applied (e.g. a LEED AP BD+C is actively working on BD+C project types)?​ Do project types align with other firm marketing strategies (i.e. you want to build up new work in green commercial TIs, therefore you encourage staff to earn LEED ID+C, WELL, and Fitwel accreditations?) This typically happens naturally by choice of the employee. Most are BD+C but interior studio is ID+C/ WELL and Urban Design ND Ilana Judah, AIA, OAQ, LEED AP BD+C, CPHD Principal, Director of Sustainability FXCollaborative Architects LLP D +1 646 292 8116 | T +1 212 627 1700 Reply: https://www.buildinggreen.com/forum/green-accreditations#comment-53039

Our responses: 1.  Recognition - we do not require accreditations across the boards.  The company has a recognition award program that is aimed at professional development overall, and explicitly can be used to recognize sustainability accreditations.  This ends up being a one-time bonus, not a salary adjustment (we do offer salary adjustment for professional licensure, but not accreditation).  The program is designed to be for a single accreditation, but we've been adjusting that to encourage new accreditations strategically - e.g. WELL, Envision for example. 2. Supporting accreditations - we reimburse for successful passing of the exam, and provide resources through BG/LU and USGBC unlimited education webinar subscriptions.  We also don't reimburse for study time. 3.  Equivalent?  We've been evaluating the idea of "tiers," e.g. Green Associate, Fitwell at a lower tier than LEED AP or WELL. Having the official policy apply to a single accreditation encourages the employees to focus on the less affordable ones. 4.  Short-term / Long term plan:  We do not have a specific plan for accreditations other than wanting to develop expertise in regions that fit our project mix.  We are now very skewed in terms of LEED, developing a cadre of WELL AP folks, and then also diving into international accreditations and infrastructure accreditations such as Envision. 5.  How critical is it to align architects / designers in accreditations directly applied - we also find that this ends up being self-directed.  For LEED v4 projects we make sure to have a project-type-specific AP on the team, but aside from that we feel the discipline of learning and applying oneself to the system is a good indicator - if we have a BD+C AP on an interiors project, we can help bridge any distinctions pretty easily.

On request, I followed up with HR and the policies I described below costs us < $160/design professional per year. To be fair, we have a large number of design professionals and have negotiated bulk rates for CEUs and test prep courses. Thank you, Anica ANICA LANDRENEAU Associate AIA, LEED® AP BD+C, WELL AP, BREEAM Senior Principal | Director of Sustainable Design HOK anica.landreneau@hok.com t +1 202 944 1490 m +1 202 250 1779 Canal House, 3223 Grace Street, N.W. | Washington, DC 20007 US hok.com | connect

I don’t know why that cut off but will try again! On request, I followed up with HR and the policies I described below costs us less than $160 per design professional per year. To be fair, we have a large number of design professionals and have negotiated bulk rates for CEUs and test prep courses. Thank you, Anica ANICA LANDRENEAU Associate AIA, LEED® AP BD+C, WELL AP, BREEAM Senior Principal | Director of Sustainable Design HOK anica.landreneau@hok.com t +1 202 944 1490 m +1 202 250 1779 Canal House, 3223 Grace Street, N.W. | Washington, DC 20007 US hok.com | connect Fr