Decision model for public sector assessment of sustainable buildings in Florida

My study examines first costs and design outcomes in pursuing a United States Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) certification for new commercial construction in the state of Florida. My study notes the two greatest drivers determining first costs are project specific LEED credits selected and the degree to which current building standards and practices meet those required by the USGBC.; The model incorporates a Logical Scoring of Preferences (LSP) method that evaluates decision makers' preferences and cost separately and then combines preference rankings and costs to provide a range of costs and sustainable impacts. Each LEED credit is automatically conceptually estimated based on a limited number of project specific inputs. The resulting output presents certification benchmarks and cost ranges for the evaluation of LEED alternatives.