5 Things Great LEED Plaques Do That Good LEED Plaques Don’t

Good vs Great LEED Plaques

 

Building a LEED certified project is no small feat. Whether a commercial or residential building, the LEED certification process is complex and rigorous. Once you achieve LEED certification, it is important to celebrate the effort and highlight the specific design attributes needed to achieve certification. So, when it comes time to choose LEED plaques to commemorate your LEED certified project, don’t just settle for a good sign. Instead, seek out a sign that goes above and beyond, just as you and your team have in completing your LEED certified project.  Here are five things great LEED plaques do that simply good plaques don’t:

 

1. Recognition of the Builder, Architect, Owner and LEED APLEED Seal Plaque

The most popular LEED Recognition Plaque currently is a circular recreation of the LEED seal that shows only the LEED certification level and the year of a project’s certification. But did you know plaques are available that display more information about your project?  These plaques can feature elements such as the project or building name, as well as the names of the owner, architect, builder, or other key team members.  Some plaques also allow for a short paragraph describing or providing additional information your project. These plaques represent a much more customized and personal recognition option for your organization and LEED certified project.

Great LEED Plaque

 

2. Communicate How the Building Meets LEED StandardsDynamic LEED Plaque

While LEED has certainly gained attention and popularity in recent years, the reality that most of the general public has never heard of LEED and do not know what it entails.  Plaque options that show more information about LEED and its requirements can help educate visitors to your building.  Additionally, these LEED plaques better reflect the enormity of your project earning LEED certification.  One great example of this is the LEED Dynamic Plaque.  Introduced by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in 2013, this plaque is actually a digital scoreboard that displays real-time data about your building’s performance, on a global scale.

The plaque’s interface shows your project’s latest scores in five performance categories—energy, water, waste, transportation, and human experience.  It also displays your project’s total score, from 1 to 100.  The plaque’s API integrates with your project’s energy-monitoring services, and with USGBC’s database, which contains the information for the over 60,000 LEED certified projects worldwide.  This allows owners to compare current and past performance data.  It also enables comparison of your data to other LEED certified projects.

Full Color LEED PlaqueA less complex option to display more information about your LEED certification on your recognition plaque is available from buildingplaques.com.  In addition to displaying a project’s LEED certification level and certification year, these plaques also feature the sector of LEED certification, as well as your project’s LEED scorecard in the form a breakdown of points earned in each credit category of the LEED certification.  Both of these LEED plaque options illustrate some of the key requirements your project achieved to earn its certification.  They also help educate viewers about the LEED program itself.

 

3. Full Color Image Options

Why not show your beautiful, newly completed LEED certified project in the best light possible?  While standard plaques simply show the LEED seal, plaques are available that display the seal along with photo-quality, full-color images of your project printed directly onto the plaque.  This detail can really add some visual punch to your LEED recognition plaque.  In addition, some plaques with full-color options feature the LEED certification level seal printed in the corresponding color, which helps visually re-enforce the achievement of higher LEED certification levels.

 

4. Easy Cleaning and Maintenance

You want to keep your LEED Recognition Plaque looking pristine for as long as possible, right?  Etched, machined, water-jet cut or engraved seal plaques have indentations and recessed areas that are magnets for dirt and debris.  Plaques that are printed on metal however, are smooth and easily wiped down.  Some printed metal plaques are even printed using a sub-surface print method.  This means the image won’t be affected by abrasive cleaning chemicals, scratches, nicks, brushes or other usual wear-and-tear.  If purchasing a printed metal plaque, inquire whether the printing is a surface or sub-surface method; this can keep your plaque looking newer longer, and will save you headaches in the future maintenance of your LEED recognition plaque.

 

5. Included Mounting HardwareLEED Plaque Mounting Hardware

It may seem like an obvious point, but you need some way to mount your LEED Recognition Plaque, right?  You must purchase mounting hardware separately for most standard LEED plaques; moreover, this hardware can cost up to $300 or more depending on the type and material.  Save some money and aggravation by selecting a plaque that comes complete and ready to mount with hardware that matches the plaque.

Your LEED project is a huge achievement that required hard work and dedication.  Selecting a great LEED Recognition Plaque can really show off the magnitude of that achievement. Great LEED Recognition Plaques also better communicate the scope and significance of your LEED certification.  Plus, the affordability of many of these options will surprise you.  To find a plaque that can do everything great LEED plaques do that good ones simply don’t, visit www.buildingplaques.com.

LEED® and its related logo are trademarks owned by the U.S. Green Building Council® and are used with permission.

 

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