Green Cincinnati

The next Green Cincinnati LEED AP Exam class will start March 22. The class is 12 three hour sessions with the first hour being a tour of one of the LEED Certified or Registered projects in the Cincinnati area. The class fee is $850.
You will also need the LEED Reference Guide for Green Building Design and Construction $195 +S&H
Green Building and LEED Core Concepts Guide, First Edition $55 +S&H
An online subscription to LEEDuser.com $9.95 per month and
An online subscription to GreenExamPrep.com Silver Package $64.95
The total for the class materials is $324.90. Class includes participation in Green Cincinnati’s LEED 2009 CI office project, to comply with actual LEED project experience requirements. You will be assigned part of the documentation and design/engineering responsibilities for the LEED v3 project.

The class includes a case study of Ohio’s first LEED Platinum project – the Fernald Preserve Visitors Center in Harrison, OH. Many of the tours include GBCI Final Review analysis for the projects. These courses will use Reference Guide for v3 2009 NC/CI/CS and Schools. The class will also prepare you to take the two-hour, LEED Green Associate test. The v3 2009 Reference Guide is much improved over the NC and CI Reference Guides and includes related credit information as well as better LEED process and track selection. Class members will be eligible to join Green Cincinnati’s LEED project team to meet the new LEED Associate/AP requirements. Contact Chuck Lohre or 513-260-9025 for more information.

Here’s what our members have written to us about the class:

Hi Chuck,
I found your class both informative and helpful in my process to learn about LEED and to prepare me for the LEED AP exam. I received equitable value for the time invested and learned a great deal about a very broad subject.
Sincerely,
T.J.
T.J. Ackermann, LEED AP, Thomas J. Ackermann Company, Inc., 33 Glendale Milford Road, Loveland, Ohio 45140, 513-382-0012 Cellular, 513-936-9000 Office, 513-936-9992 Fax, tj@ackermanncompany.com

From: Joan A. Davidson, SRA, a 2009 student of Chuck Lohre’s LEED AP Exam class
RE: Letter of Recommendation
To Whom It May Concern:
It is with pleasure that I write this letter, as I have had a very positive experience with Chuck Lohre and his educational class presentations.  He is very organized and helpful, especially in giving the guidance needed for the process of attaining a LEED education.  Chuck has been available for personal consultation as well as the scheduled class/tour group study time.  His regular e-mails with updates regarding the various locations for tours and ongoing local USGBC chapter activities are interesting and informative.
Chuck’s approach to studying for the LEED AP exam is helpful in preparing you for the down-to-earth understanding of the LEED concepts and applications located in the real world.  Seeing this practical side of LEED helps you to form the basis for understanding the Green Building Design and Construction LEED Reference Guide published by the USGBC.
It is with a genuine heart that I fully recommend your participation in his class if you want to attain a basic understanding of ‘going green’.
Sincerely,
Joan A. Davidson, SRA
Davidson Appraisal Service, Inc.

I found Chucks class to be very open to all facets of the LEED process, from the basics of terminology to actual site visits where you are able witness and learn by first hand account about certified projects. The class time presents the detail and allows for learning the specifics of each category and credit. Chuck has done an excellent job of gathering and presenting actual documents and real instances of  what works and why it worked to gain the credit. I highly recommend Chucks class for anyone who is interested in learning the LEED process, the sessions will prepare you for the certification test and the support from Chuck will help you pass.
David H. Blevins, CEM, LEED AP
Perfection Group Inc.
513- 326-2377 Service Line
513-354-2869 Office Direct
513-326-2383 Fax Line
513-200-9073 Cell

Typical class schedule with major LEED highlights
1. Cincinnati Zoo
- Water conservation with waterless urinals
- Solar PV
- Solar Thermal
- Native plantings and rain garden demonstration
- Rapidly renewable materials: agrifiber board, linoleum, bamboo flooring
- Walk off entry aluminum entry grid
- Great paper LEED documentation and educational materials
- Green roof on Giraffe House
- Pervious pavers
- Pervious concrete
- Great story about how the Schott Center came about and Mark Fisher’s efforts
- Light colored concrete with leaf impressions

2. Cincinnati Art Academy
- Development Density
- Building Reuse: combined a warehouse and a printer’s buidlings
- Innovation Credit for Urban Revitalization
- Project Boundary definition
- Bringing daylight down into the building via Light Monitors
- Walk over to the pervious paver parking lot

3. Firehouse No. 9
- Light colored brick finish on the south side
- Solar shading devices
- Light shelves inside
- Clerestory lighting in main bay
- Light colored concrete pavement

4. UC CARE/Crawley Building
- Extreme sun shade on west side of cafeteria
- Partially heated or cooled atrium
- Conference Room Huts in partially tempered space
- Round ducts
- FSC cherry finishes
- Extensive aluminum walk off mats
- Computer controlled windows for natural ventilation
- Clear walkway bridges to allow day lighting

5. UC Joseph Steger Student Center
- Long narrow east/west orientation
- Extensive external sun shading
- Light colored roof material
- Final Review - adhesive and caulk lesson
- Comprehensive educational posters

6. Green Cincinnati, Lohre & Assoc. offices
- Low flush water closet replacements
- Fixture modifications for reduced lighting loads
- Occupancy and daylighting sensors
- Energy Star plug loads
- Electric monitoring at the circuit breaker box with CTs and digital meter
- Reused materials: carpets, glass display cases, LCD screens
- Rapidly Renewable and Recycled cork wall covering
- Low Emitting Agrifiber decorative wall
- Day lighting, views and operable windows

7. SHP Leading Design offices
- Day lighting with computer controlled shades
- Sloped ceilings to bring daylight deeper into interiors
- Dimming florescent lighting
- Ergonomic seating

8. Emersion Design with presentation on their LEED Red Cross Project
- Simple entry mat required for IAQ credit
- Reused partition panels from an earlier project
- Modular construction for reduced waste, used full 4′ x 8′ boards and bamboo tables
- Balance between new chairs dollar value and other MR Credits
- Unique vertical ceiling tile glare control

9. Pleasant Ridge School
- Under floor plenum air distribution for very quite HVAC
- Day lighting building shape and orientation.
- Thermal pane windows with encapsulated blinds
- Light colored roof and solar PV
- Water retention pond
- Environmental Camp eco-activities class held every day after school

10. 2801 Erie, Hyde Park Condos

11. Fernald Preserve Visitors Center

12a. Neyer Properties Offices in Keystone Parke
- Structured parking
- Open space
- Public Transportation
- Full cut off way finding lighting
- Bamboo flooring
- Case study in recycled gypsum board mix up.
10b. The Frank Lloyd Wright Boulter Residence in Clifton LEED Platinum case study. Final class reception for members only.

Individual Tutoring – Four day course that includes tours of all Cincinnati LEED projects open to the public on the first day. The second day will be at the Fernald Preserve Visitors Center where we will review all of their LEED documentation. The third day will be at the student’s home, office or other site selection where we will prepare basic LEED documentation and strategy for that location. The last class is a review of the Colorado Study Guide test (provided) that the members have taken with suggestions for continued study to pass the exam.

Who Should Come: Anyone studying to become a LEED Accredited Professional. The course uses the actual class location as well as all the regional LEED projects as examples. Through in-depth research into the Reference Guide’s resource sections, We pull out the visual illustrations and historical examples that help you learn. You will be able to experience first hand the guidelines and principals. Touring LEED projects is the best way to learn about the rating and credit achievement process. You will leave the course with an in-depth knowledge of the Green Buildings in the Cincinnati Region and have a through understanding of what sustainability and environmental benefits can be achieved by Green Building techniques.

Instructor: This training is led by Chuck Lohre, LEED AP and 2009 Board Member and PR/Media Chair of the Regional Cincinnati Chapter of the USGBC. Chuck has extensively toured and promoted many national and regional LEED projects since 2006. The new Chapter web site Chuck managed for the Chapter will assist in home work, links to resources in the Reference Guide and practice tests. LEED Credit Checklists for many regional projects will be used for the class. These include all regional LEED Registered and Certified projects including: Fernald Preserve Visitor Center LEED Platinum; Neyer Properties’ Keystone Parke LEED CS Silver and CI Gold offices; Schott Education Center Cincinnati Zoo LEED NC Silver and the new entrance on track for LEED Platinum; Firehouse No. 9 LEED NC Certified; Pleasant Ridge School LEED NC Registered; Cincinnati Magazine Design Home, Great Traditions Builder, LEED Residential Gold home; the two Northside LEED Silver homes and more everyday.

FAQ’s

Q: Should I register for this training?
A: This training is intended for anyone who wants assistance preparing for the LEED Accredited Professional (AP) exam, especially those without an architectural or engineering background. It will provide an interactive method to learning the material that is required to pass the LEED AP exam. The LEED AP exam is primarily focused on the LEED Rating System. While it does cover general green building principles through the lens of LEED, much of the exam is about learning the LEED credits, documentation process and other LEED-specific knowledge.

Q: Will I need to do anything besides participate in the training to pass the LEED AP exam?
A: Study time outside class is essential. How much will depend on the individual. The training will provide guidance and structure, tips and techniques, sample questions and homework exercises to help you prepare. It will also be necessary to study the entire LEED Reference Guide because that is the primary material tested on the exam. The USGBC and GCBI web sites and LEED On-Line are also covered. Only about 40% pass the exam. You will be encouraged to do the complete documentation for your own LEED mock project. Knowing exactly what is needed and how to document for a LEED project is one of the easier parts of the exam. The interrelated and multi-credit questions are much trickier. Finally the LEED design, management and construction process is very difficult. You will have to study the Final Reviews provided for many of the toured projects to understand the process.

Q: After participating in the training, when should I take the LEED AP exam?
A: You should allow sufficient time after the last session to review the material and prepare for the LEED AP exam. It is recommended you take the test within a month after finishing the class depending on your familiarity with LEED, your test-taking skills, and the amount of time you spend studying between classes. You have to be achieving 80% on your practice tests to pass.

Good luck and contact me any time for questions and encouragement.