January 2012 – Mondays and Thursdays – Green Associate Exam Study Group starts – Four week class that will prepare you to pass the Green Associate exam. Former GCEA class members may audit this class at no charge. Contact Green Cincinnati for more information.
You will need this study package for the class: An online subscription to GreenExamPrep.com Silver Package (Study Guide, Flash Cards, On-Line Practice Tests) $64.95 http://www.greenexamprep.com/
The first hour of the classes, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., are Green Building tours and are open to the public at no charge. Typical Green Associate class and tour schedule:
1 – Belmain Condos, the first LEED renovation in Over The Rhine that combines street level retail, Park+Vine, with residential. We’ll check out their dedicated alley way garden plans.
2 – Messer Construction, the first regional building contractor to have one of their offices LEED certified. We’ll learn all about the Energy Star Portfolio system and how it can help all buildings be more energy efficient.
3 – KZF Design, the first downtown architectural firm to Certify their free standing office building. It’s amazing how they went sustainable from uncovering the top floor skylight to the bottom basement doors-to-tables reuse.
4 – Labbe Residence, the first modern design traditional home to be Certified in the region. This architect/owner demonstrates how to integrate luxury and sustainability.
5 – Cincinnati Zoo, the first large scale integrated parking lot solar electric installation in our region. You would have to go to Las Vegas to see another at the Spring Preserve.
6 – UC Teacher’s College, tentative, the first UC classroom hall to be renovated to LEED standards. This compliments the other 5 LEED projects on campus.
7 – Cincinnati Fire Station No. 9, the first LEED project by the City of Cincinnati.
8 – Green Cincinnati Education Advocacy, the first LEED Platinum in Cincinnati, may be the first branding, marketing communications firm in the world to achieve this level at about $4 per square foot.
9 – Art Academy of Cincinnati – The first LEED project in downtown Cincinnati. The Academy took two buildings and combined them to start the redevelopment of OTR.
10 – Fernald Preserve Visitors Center – The first LEED Platinum project in the region. The DOE took an equipment building and transformed it into a museum and visitors center for the native landscaping and nature center there today. Fernald was a uranium mineral processing foundry for nuclear weapons during the Cold War.
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Here’s what our class members have written to us about the LEED AP for New Construction 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. 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, [email protected]
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 Chuck’s 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, 513-200-9073 Cell
Chuck,
Thanks once again for your assistance with helping me attain LEED AP status and for all your efforts towards a sustainable future.
David M. Quilligan, LEED AP, CDT, Senior Field Advisor TREMCO, (513) 231-9683 office, (513) 509-5578 cell
Chuck,
The only continuing education classes which even come close to the value of information you offer are Building Code related or, of course, collecting of fees related. Not since I studied for and sat for my registration exam has my brain received more exercise than taking your class and passing the LEED exam. This intense effort has been worth the “sweat”. Not that I have received LEED projects but I can look more in depth at design and construction decisions and how they affect the earth and the people using with care what the earth has to offer. Yes, your class is a lot of time but you don’t get something for nothing. Yes, you could have the class without being on a job site but when I think of sustainable sites, water efficiency, or any other of the tabular explanations, I don’t visualize the table; I visualize an example of what you pointed to that I could physically touch. Thanks again. Respectfully,
John R. Grier, AIA, Architect, LEED AP, John R. Grier, Architects, 11309 Deerfield Road, Cincinnati, OH 45242, 513-489-3690, [email protected]
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Typical class building tours with major LEED highlights
Cincinnati Zoo
– Water conservation with waterless urinals
– Solar PV
– Wind turbine
– 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
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
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
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
Green Cincinnati Education Advocacy offices
– Low flush water closet replacements
– LED and CFL lighting
– Occupancy and daylighting sensors
– Energy Star plug loads
– Sawdust wood waste pellet stove renewable energy
– Reused materials: carpets, glass display cases, LCD screens, blinds
– FSC sink cover with shellac finish
– Dual flush toilet with integrated hand washing station
– Views and operable windows
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
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FAQ for the LEED AP for New Construction class:
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 2009/10 Board Member and Communications 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.
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.
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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.
(11-27-19 301 redirect done)