What Is LEED Silver Affordable Housing?
Last Updated: Mar 29, 2025From Renaissance style to Gothic Revival to Mid-Century Modernism, Grand Rapids is well-known for its storied architectural history. The Michigan city is also where such design-industry innovators as Steelcase and Herman Miller (now closed), the West Michigan chapter of the United States Green Building Council, and the sustainability-oriented Wege Foundation are located.
Western Michigan has always been progressive in its design thinking and application of sustainability concepts. "Everyone here knows what LEED is," says Brett Little, program manager, Green Home Institute in Grand Rapids. "West Michigan, at one point," he argues, "had the most LEED buildings per capita until several other states came online."
Today, in Grand Rapids, LEED is still a way of ensuring buildings are sustainably constructed. But, certification isn't just for homeowners who are perceived to able to afford it.
Table of Contents
- What Were the Goals of the LINC Up Project?
- Sustainability and Durability
- Achieving LEED Silver
- Awards and Equity
In 2020, LINC UP, a nonprofit that creates affordable housing in Grand Rapids, collaborated with the Grand Rapids Affordable Housing Program, the GreenHome Institute. With support from a Wege Foundation grant, the team finished a 2,320-square-foot, two-bedroom house in Grand Rapids' Seeds of Promise neighborhood on the city's southeast side. The home earned LEED Silver certification under the US Green Building Council's version 4.1 rating system for a single-family residence.
What Were the Goals of the LINC Up Project?
"In working on this home, our goal was two-pronged," Little says. "We wanted to show affordable-housing developers that what they're currently building is getting most of the way to LEED. We're not asking developers to do anything crazy or break the budget. We want to demonstrate how we can work together to get affordable housing LEED certified. We wanted to show how, by focusing on two or thing sustainably aspects, they can adjust systems, products, or materials and move the needle on sustainability."
"Second," he continues, "we wanted to show, with our success, how the next time they can aim higher and build better. This project will help us identify developers that are trying to build sustainably, where we can move the needle on them, get those projects LEED-certified to build more LEED-certified inventory, and build appraisals in the area. Even if this project wasn't the most technologically advanced house on the block."
Sustainability and Durability
Durability and low maintenance, in addition to sustainability, were vital in building the home. Materials used for the wood-frame building were, according to certification standards, "non-tropical, reused or reclaimed, or certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, or USGBC-approved equivalent." Fiberglass batts were used for wall insulation.
Achieving LEED Silver
During a Green Rater test midway through construction, says Adam Vanderlaan, LINC UP's construction manager, the team learned the home needed improved ventilation. According to Little, "The ERV was sized to meet the code, but didn't have enough power to get the house to the LEED standard." The solution, says Vanderlaan, was to convert the upstairs bath fan to run more consistently; in doing so, they met the LEED requirements.
The LEED certification process also requires a Home Energy Rating System Score (HERS) to determine the home's energy efficiency compared to other houses. The score includes air-leak testing and water-conservation reviews. The home was also inspected for durability. LEED now also includes a point if a building qualifies as affordable housing, which helped the house earn Silver Certification.
Camille LeFevre
Camille LeFevre is an architecture and design writer based in the Twin Cities.
