LEED arrives after design freeze.
Credits that cost nothing at concept now cost a redesign.
Rating LEED v4.1 BD+C
Model 890 panels · Jeddah
Sun 06:00
Altitude 0°
LEED Certification & Sustainability Consulting The sun is modelled before the façade is fixed.
We take projects in Saudi Arabia and the GCC to LEED certification: façade heat maps and energy modelling, daylight, water, materials and the documentation behind every credit.
Scroll to the façade heat map
AIM United · In short
What does a LEED consultant do?
A LEED consultant guides a building through the LEED green building rating system, from the credit strategy to the final submission. AIM United's sustainability team uses the BIM model for energy modelling, daylight studies and credit documentation. We take projects in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the GCC to LEED certification.
Gold in the brief. Silver at submission.
The glass is drawn before the sun is checked.
East and west façades in Jeddah take the low sun head-on, and the chillers pay for it.
The energy model follows the plant selection.
It reports the result instead of shaping it.
Water is counted fixture by fixture, too late.
Irrigation, cooling towers and reuse were never in the design.
The evidence is rebuilt at the end.
Submittals, data sheets and calculations scattered across five consultants.
The ESG report asks for numbers nobody measured.
Investors want energy, water and materials data the project never tracked.
Stage 1 · Sun, façade heat and energy
Every façade panel, coloured by the sun it takes.
A 14-storey office on a two-level podium in Jeddah: 890 façade and roof panels, each run through a clear-sky sun model for the whole year, with the neighbouring buildings casting their shadows. Pick a season, move the sun, then switch on the strategies and watch the heat map and the energy estimate change.
Heat map period
0123.5+ kWh/m²·day
0°Sun altitude
EAzimuth
—Shadow / height
Design strategies
Energy · early-stage estimateASHRAE 90.1 Appendix G
0%better than the ASHRAE 90.1 Appendix G baseline
- Cooling
- Fans and pumps
- Lighting
- Equipment and other
- Solar PV
Clear-sky sun model for Jeddah (21.5° N), solar time, 30-minute steps on a representative day of each month. The white tick on each bar is the same face without the strategies. Energy use intensity in kWh/m² per year; the baseline uses 40% glazing at a solar heat gain coefficient of 0.25. This design-stage estimate steers the options; the LEED energy model is a full annual simulation.
Stage 2 · Daylight · LEED v4.1 EQ Daylight, Option 1
Cut the tower at level 08. Read the daylight.
The floor plate is cut at the 0.85 m work plane and gridded at 0.5 m. Each cell shows the share of occupied hours, 08:00 to 18:00, with at least 300 lux of daylight: the cells lit for half the year or more count toward sDA300/50%. Yellow cells take direct sun above 1,000 lux for more than 250 hours a year: that is ASE1000,250, the glare side of the same glass.
Glass and shading
0%50%: counts toward sDA100% of hours
- ASE: over 1,000 lux of sun for more than 250 h
- Core
0%sDA300/50%
0%ASE1000,250
0 / 3EQ Daylight
LEED v4.1 BD+C, EQ Daylight Option 1: average sDA300/50% over the regularly occupied floor area of 40% earns 1 point, 55% earns 2 and 75% earns 3. ASE1000,250 is reported, and spaces over 10% need their glare control documented. The grid here is a design-stage estimate on this floor; the credit is documented from an annual simulation of every regularly occupied space.
Stage 3 · Materials, EPDs and embodied carbon
Tap the building. Read the product behind it.
The tower is cut at level 13 to show the slab, the core and the fitted-out floor. Every model element carries its product: the Environmental Product Declaration, its global warming potential from cradle to gate (A1–A3), the recycled content, whether it is regional, and the credits it feeds. Quantities come from the model, so the embodied carbon is counted, not guessed.
Products with an EPD0 / 20
Suppliers0 / 5
Embodied carbon, A1–A3, listed products0 kgCO₂e/m²
Product-specific Type III EPDs with third-party verification count as one and a half products, industry-wide EPDs as one. Suppliers are coded until the specification is issued. Four products have a lower-carbon option: open their card to switch the specification.
Water balance · a July day
Count the water before the plumbing is drawn.
Indoor fixtures, irrigation and cooling-tower make-up, in cubic metres on a July day. In Jeddah's humidity the cooling coils give back condensate every day of the summer: send it to the irrigation or to the cooling tower, and it replaces potable water.
Measures
Condensate goes to
- Baseline
- Potable, this design
- From condensate
0%Less potable water
0 / 10WE credits
5 m³Condensate a day
Stage 4 · LEED v4.1 BD+C scorecard
Every credit, Yes, Maybe or No. Then export it.
The scorecard for LEED v4.1 BD+C: New Construction, laid out as the team works it: prerequisites, every credit with its points, and the Yes, Maybe and No columns. The credits marked from the model follow the energy, daylight, materials and water results above.
Target rating
0/ 110Not yet certified
+0 possibleYes Maybe
Points follow LEED v4.1 BD+C: New Construction, 110 in all. Certified 40–49, Silver 50–59, Gold 60–79, Platinum 80 and above, with every prerequisite met. The final score depends on the registered rating system and the GBCI review.
From the first scorecard to the certificate.
CSLEED Core and Shell
For developers delivering the envelope, structure and base systems, with tenants fitting out later.
NCLEED New Construction
For new buildings and major renovations where one owner delivers the whole building.
CILEED Commercial Interiors
For tenant fit-outs: offices, retail and hospitality spaces inside an existing building.
Feasibility and scorecard
The rating system, the target and the credits worth chasing, before the design is fixed.
- Credit-by-credit scorecard
- Effort and cost per credit
- Integrative design workshop
Energy modelling
Whole-building energy models that shape the façade, shading and plant while they can still change.
- ASHRAE 90.1 Appendix G baseline
- Façade heat maps, glazing and shading options
- sDA and ASE daylight simulation
Water
Indoor, outdoor and process water, counted and reduced.
- Fixture and flow calculations
- Irrigation and planting strategy
- Cooling tower and metering
Indoor environmental quality
Air, light and comfort for the people inside.
- Ventilation and air quality
- Low-emitting materials
- Daylight, views and thermal comfort
Materials and documentation
The evidence behind every credit, in one place.
- EPD register and whole-building LCA
- Sourcing, ingredients and waste
- LEED Online submissions and review responses
Construction-phase support
The credits that are won or lost on site.
- Construction IAQ and waste tracking
- Site audits and photo records
- Commissioning coordination
LEED in Saudi Arabia and the GCC
One set of evidence for the code, the local rating and LEED.
Many projects in Saudi Arabia pursue LEED alongside Mostadam, the Kingdom's own green building rating system, and in the UAE alongside Estidama in Abu Dhabi or Al Sa'fat in Dubai. All of them sit on top of the energy code: in the Kingdom, the Saudi Building Code's energy conservation requirements, SBC 601 for non-residential and SBC 602 for residential buildings. AIM United plans the credits so that one set of BIM-based evidence serves the code, the local rating and LEED.
Jeddah's climate shapes the strategy. East and west façades take the low sun, so shading and glazing are settled with the sun model before the elevations are drawn. Humidity makes dehumidifying fresh air a large share of the cooling load, and the condensate from the cooling coils is a free source of water for irrigation or cooling-tower make-up.
Commissioning and embodied carbon complete the picture: fundamental commissioning is a prerequisite, enhanced commissioning earns points, and a whole-building life-cycle assessment counts toward the materials credits. Massing options can be compared on sun and energy from the start with generative design, and after handover a digital twin keeps tracking the performance the energy model promised.
Commissioning, carbon and the Jeddah climate
The credits that are decided after the design is drawn.
| Topic | What we do | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| East and west sun | Brise-soleil and fins sized on the sun model, glass chosen on solar heat gain as well as light, so the cooling plant is sized on a façade that already works. | EA Optimize Energy Performance · EQ Daylight |
| Humidity | Fresh air is dehumidified at a dedicated unit with energy recovery; the condensate is piped to irrigation or cooling-tower make-up instead of the drain. | EA Optimize Energy Performance · WE Outdoor and Process Water |
| Commissioning | Owner's project requirements and the basis of design at concept, a commissioning plan in the specifications, functional tests before handover and a review ten months after. | EA Fundamental Commissioning (prerequisite) · EA Enhanced Commissioning |
| Embodied carbon | Quantities from the BIM model and global warming potential from the EPDs give a whole-building life-cycle assessment, compared with a reference building of the same size and use. | MR Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction · MR EPDs |
| Roofs and hardscape | High-reflectance roof membranes, PV over the plant and light-coloured paving keep the roofs and the podium deck cooler. | SS Heat Island Reduction · EA Renewable Energy |
Commissioning is where a certified building keeps its promise. The fundamental commissioning prerequisite checks that the energy systems are installed and work as designed; enhanced commissioning adds a design review, monitoring-based commissioning and the envelope. We write the owner's project requirements with the client at concept, so the tests at the end measure what was asked for at the start.
Embodied carbon is counted from the model. Every element carries its quantity and its product, so a change from ordinary concrete to a mix with ground granulated blast-furnace slag, or from primary to recycled aluminium, shows up as a number in the life-cycle assessment the same day. The same records feed the product disclosure credits, and the Mostadam materials requirements on projects that pursue both ratings.
Proof
Gulf projects, documented credit by credit.
v4.1
Credit strategy and documentation to the current LEED v4.1 rating systems, from Core and Shell to Commercial Interiors, with Mostadam and SBC 601/602 evidence from the same model.
250+
Engineers across BIM, MEP and contracting, so the energy, daylight and materials data come from the same model the building is built from.
ISO 14001
AIM United is certified to ISO 14001:2015 for environmental management, alongside ISO 9001, ISO 45001, ISO 41001 and ISO 19650.
Sustainability work that lines up with Saudi Vision 2030 and with the ESG reporting investors and giga-project clients now ask for.
LEED & Sustainability · AIM UnitedThe AIM United method, credit by credit.
01
Assess
Rating system, target and a scorecard costed credit by credit.
02
Model
Energy, daylight and water models that test the design while it can change.
03
Integrate
The chosen strategies go into the BIM model, the specifications and the tenders.
04
Document
Design-phase submission in LEED Online, with every calculation traceable.
05
Certify
Construction-phase evidence, review responses and the final certificate.
FAQ
What is LEED certification?
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a green building rating system from the U.S. Green Building Council. A project earns points across categories such as energy, water, materials and indoor environment, and GBCI reviews the evidence before awarding a rating.
What is the difference between LEED CS, NC and CI?
Core and Shell is for developers who deliver the envelope and base systems while tenants fit out later. New Construction covers a whole new building or major renovation. Commercial Interiors covers a tenant fit-out inside an existing building.
How many points do you need for LEED Gold?
Under LEED v4.1 there are 110 points available. Certified is 40–49 points, Silver 50–59, Gold 60–79 and Platinum 80 and above. All prerequisites must also be met.
When should LEED consulting start?
At concept, before the façade, the orientation and the plant are fixed. Many energy and water credits are cheap early and expensive late.
Do you do energy modelling for LEED?
Yes. We build whole-building energy models against an ASHRAE 90.1 Appendix G baseline and use them to compare façade, shading, glazing and plant options before they are fixed. Under LEED v4.1 the Optimize Energy Performance points are earned on both energy cost and greenhouse gas emissions.
How is the energy improvement on this page worked out?
It is an early-stage estimate: the façade heat from the sun model, the glazing, the roof, the cooling plant, the lighting and the PV, compared with a baseline building of the same shape with 40% glazing. It steers the design options; the LEED submission uses a full annual energy simulation.
What are sDA and ASE?
Two daylight measures used in LEED v4.1. Spatial daylight autonomy (sDA300/50%) is the share of floor area that gets at least 300 lux from daylight for at least half of the occupied hours. Annual sunlight exposure (ASE1000,250) is the share that gets more than 1,000 lux of direct sun for more than 250 occupied hours, a sign of glare and heat. A good design raises sDA and keeps ASE low.
What does an EPD prove?
An Environmental Product Declaration is an independently verified report of a product's life-cycle impacts, such as its global warming potential, prepared to ISO 14025 and the product category rules. It discloses impacts rather than proving a product is green, and LEED rewards both the disclosure and products whose declared impacts are lower.
How is embodied carbon counted in LEED v4.1?
Through a whole-building life-cycle assessment of the structure and enclosure, compared with a reference building, under MR Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction, and through the EPDs of the products themselves. We take the quantities from the BIM model, so the assessment follows the design as it changes.
Do you provide commissioning?
Yes. Fundamental commissioning and verification is a prerequisite for every LEED project, and enhanced commissioning earns points. We set the owner's project requirements at concept, write commissioning into the specifications, witness the functional tests and review the building after occupancy.
LEED or Mostadam: which should we choose?
It is often not one or the other. Mostadam is the Saudi rating system, written around local climate and regulations; LEED is international and recognised by global investors and tenants. Many projects in the Kingdom pursue both, and much of the evidence, from the energy model to water calculations and materials data, serves both.
Does LEED help with Vision 2030 and ESG reporting?
LEED measures energy, water, materials and indoor quality with documented evidence. That evidence supports Vision 2030 sustainability aims and gives ESG reports numbers that were actually measured.