Originally posted 2016-01-14 14:20:31.
For this week’s Guest Post Friday, Musings welcomes back Doug Reiser (@douglasreiser) for the fourth time. Doug is a construction attorney, LEED AP and the principal at Reiser Legal PLLC in Seattle, WA. His office provides construction counsel for businesses in the construction industry. He also runs the Builders Counsel, a blog focused on progressive issues in green building and construction law.
Certification, they all want it. What makes your building look better than your neighbor’s? That plaque, that logo or that sign denoting that a prominent organization said your project is worthy enough to carry their torch.
LEED, Passive Haus, Living Building Challenge, Greenroads – you’ve all heard of them. They are examples of a growing group of third party organizations that are willing to tell you whether your project is exceptional. These organizations aren’t contractors, they’re document reviewers. But, that review can be very valuable to a builder or government agency.
People like to think that you simply line up to the trough and get your certification. But, the reality is that certification is never guaranteed. Are you ready to be told no? Do you even know how the process works? Do you know your remedies against these organizations? Probably not.
