How To: Become a LEED AP with a Specialization in Building Design and Construction

Step one to becoming LEED Accredited Professional (AP) is to first become a LEED Green Associate. Click here to access a recent blog post describing how to reach Green Associate Status.

Candidates wishing to move beyond the Green Associate (Tier 1) level are those who will be directly involved with the design, construction or certification process of a green building. 

Ideal backgrounds for LEED AP+ candidates would include:

• Architects
• Engineers
• Contractors
• Developers
• Interior Designers
• Landscape Architects
• Facility Managers
• Energy Raters

One important benefit of reaching the AP level (Tier 2) is that APs working on a registered project will gain that specific project one point toward certification. A team needs to collect the remaining 39 points by demonstrating the sustainable features within the building. Candidates wishing to become a LEED AP must not only demonstrate Green Associate Status, but they must also confirm that they have project experience working on at least one LEED registered project. That’s right - the project must have been registered (not necessarily certified), and your last date of involvement needs to have taken place within the past three years prior to applying for an exam appointment.  Click here to access the blog post describing how to document this experience.

Once the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) approves your application, you can select an appointment at a local Prometric testing center. As long as candidates have LEED project experience, they can schedule an appointment to sit for both GA as well as the AP exam at the same time. If a candidate fails either portion, they will not obtain any credential, but will only be required to retake the portion that was failed at a later date. If you do not have LEED project experience, you’ll have to start just by taking the Green Associate exam, and take the BD+C exam at a later date once you have gained the required experience.

At the AP level, candidates will decide which specialization they want to test under. At the GA level, candidates were not expected to specialize in a rating system, and were tested on general LEED concepts. Rating systems include Building Design and Construction (BD+C), Interior Design and Construction (ID+C), Homes, Operations and Maintenance (O+M), and Neighborhood Development (ND). ND is still a pilot program and won’t be a testing option until later in 2010.

The most common specialization is LEED BD+C. This LEED rating system is for new construction and major renovations of commercial, institutional, and high-rise (4 or more stories) residential buildings. Within BD+C, candidates will be expected to understand the difference between the scopes of three sub-categories. These include LEED for Schools, LEED for New Construction, and LEED for Core and Shell.

To assist as many candidates to successfully pass the challenging LEED AP exams, Green Education Services has launched a comprehensive exam prep program specifically for the GA and AP for BD+C exam. Candidates can attend the GA and BD+C training in two back-to back sessions or they can space out their trainings. Discounts are available for students who sign up for the GA and BD+C trainings under one ticket type.  For our previous students, call or email us and we will be glad to honor the discounted rate for your second LEED course attendance.  :)

Click here to find a Green Associate or BD+C training near you.

Regards,
Zach Rose, LEED AP, LEED Green Associate
CEO
Green Education Services
www.GreenEdu.com