Platinum Building Approvals

[Kerrie Gingrich]

Leadershipin Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide.[4] Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings, homes, and neighborhoods, which aims to help building owners and operators be environmentally responsible and use resources efficiently.

As of 2023[update] there were over 105,000 LEED-certified buildings and over 205,000 LEED-accredited professionals in 185 countries worldwide.[5]In the US, the District of Columbia consistently leads in LEED-certified square footage per capita,[6] followed in 2022 by the top-ranking states of Massachusetts, Illinois, New York, California, and Maryland.[5]Outside the United States, the top-ranking countries for 2022 were Mainland China, India, Canada, Brazil, and Sweden.[7]LEED Canada has developed a separate rating system adapted to the Canadian climate and regulations.

Some U.S. federal agencies, state and local governments require or reward LEED certification. This can include tax credits, zoning allowances, reduced fees, and expedited permitting. Offices, healthcare-, and education-related buildings are the most frequent LEED-certified buildings in the US (over 60%), followed by warehouses, distribution centers, retail projects and multifamily dwellings (another 20%).[8]Studies have found that for-rent LEED office spaces generally have higher rents and occupancy rates and lower capitalization rates.

LEED is a design tool rather than a performance-measurement tool and has focused on energy modeling rather than actual energy consumption.[9] It has been criticized for a point system that can lead to inappropriate design choices and the prioritization of LEED certification points over actual energy conservation;[10][11] for lacking climate specificity;[11] for not sufficiently addressing issues of climate change and extreme weather;[12] and for not incorporating principles of a circular economy.[13] LEED v5 is projected to be published as of 1 January 2024[14] and may address some of the previous criticisms.[15][16]

Despite concerns, LEED has been described as a "transformative force in the design and construction industry".[10] LEED is credited with providing a framework for green building, expanding the use of green practices and products in buildings, encouraging sustainable forestry, and helping professionals to consider buildings in terms of the well-being of their occupants and as part of larger systems.[10]

Many U.S. federal agencies, states, and local governments require or reward LEED certification. As of 2022[update] the leading five states, based on certified square feet per capita were Massachusetts, Illinois, New York, California, and Maryland.[5]

In April 1993, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) was founded by Rick Fedrizzi, the head of environmental marketing at Carrier, real estate developer David Gottfried, and environmental lawyer Michael Italiano. Representatives from 60 firms and nonprofits met at the American Institute of Architects to discuss organizing within the building industry to support green building and develop a green building rating system.[17][18][19]Also influential early on was architect Bob Berkebile.[20]

Fedrizzi served as the volunteer founding chair of USGBC from 1993 to 2004, and became its CEO as of 2004. As of November 4, 2016, he was succeeded as president and CEO of USGBC by Mahesh Ramanujam.[18][22] Ramanujam served as CEO until 2021. Peter Templeton became interim president and CEO of USGBC as of November 1, 2021.[23][24]

A key player in developing the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green certification program was Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) senior scientist Robert K. Watson.[25][26] It was Watson, sometimes referred to as the "Founding Father of LEED",[25] who created the acronym.[26]

LEED has grown from one standard for new construction to a comprehensive system of interrelated standards covering aspects from the design and construction to the maintenance and operation of buildings. LEED has also grown from six committee volunteers to an organization of 122,626 volunteers, professionals and staff.[44]

As of 2023[update], more than 185,000 LEED projects representing over 28 billion square feet (2.610^9 m2) have been proposed worldwide, and more than 105,000 projects representing over 12 billion square feet (1.110^9 m2) have been certified in 185 countries.[5]

However, lumber, chemical and plastics trade groups have lobbied to weaken the application of LEED guidelines in several southern states. In 2013, the states of Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi effectively banned the use of LEED in new public buildings, in favor of other industry standards that the USGBC considers too lax.[45][46][47] LEED is considered a target of a type of disinformation attack known as astroturfing, involving "fake grassroots organizations usually sponsored by large corporations".[48]

Unlike model building codes, such as the International Building Code, only members of the USGBC and specific "in-house" committees may add to, subtract from, or edit the standard, subject to an internal review process. Proposals to modify the LEED standards are offered and publicly reviewed by USGBC's member organizations, of which there were 4551 as of October 2023.[49]

USGBC's Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) offers various accreditations to people who demonstrate knowledge of the LEED rating system, including LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP), LEED Green Associate, and LEED Fellow.[50] GBCI also certifies projects pursuing LEED.

LEED has evolved since 1998 to more accurately represent and incorporate emerging green building technologies. The pilot version, LEED New Construction (NC) v1.0, led to LEED NCv2.0, LEED NCv2.2 in 2005, LEED 2009 (a.k.a. LEED v3) in 2009, and LEED v4 in November 2013. LEED 2009 was depreciated for new projects registered from October 31, 2016.[51]LEED v4.1 was released on April 2, 2019.[52]LEED v5 is expected to be released as of 1 January 2024.[14]

LEED also forms the basis for other sustainability rating systems such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Labs21 and LEED Canada. The Australian Green Star is based on both LEED and the UK's Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM).[53]

LEED 2009 encompasses ten rating systems for the design, construction and operation of buildings, homes and neighborhoods. Five overarching categories correspond to the specialties available under the LEED professional program. That suite consists of:[54]

LEED v3 aligned credits across all LEED rating systems, weighted by environmental priority.[56] It reflects a continuous development process, with a revised third-party certification program and online resources.

Under LEED 2009, an evaluated project scores points to a possible maximum of 100 across six categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environment quality (IEQ) and design innovation. Each of these categories also includes mandatory requirements, which receive no points. Up to 10 additional points may be earned: 4 for regional priority credits and 6 for innovation in design. Additional performance categories for residences (LEED for Homes) recognize the importance of transportation access, open space, and outdoor physical activity outdoors, and the need for buildings and settlements to educate occupants.[c][57]

The aim of LEED 2009 is to allocate points "based on the potential environmental impacts and human benefits of each credit". These are weighed using the environmental impact categories of the EPA's Tools for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and Other Environmental Impacts (TRACI)[59] and the environmental-impact weighting scheme developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Prior to LEED 2009 evaluation and certification, a building must comply with environmental laws and regulations, occupancy scenarios, building permanence and pre-rating completion, site boundaries and area-to-site ratios. Its owner must share data on the building's energy and water use for five years after occupancy (for new construction) or date of certification (for existing buildings).[60]

The credit weighting process has the following steps: First, a collection of reference buildings are assessed to estimate the environmental impacts of similar buildings. NIST weightings are then applied to judge the relative importance of these impacts in each category. Data regarding actual impacts on environmental and human health are then used to assign points to individual categories and measures. This system results in a weighted average for each rating scheme based upon actual impacts and the relative importance of those impacts to human health and environmental quality.[61]

For LEED BD+C v4 credit, the IEQ category addresses thermal, visual, and acoustic comfort as well as indoor air quality.[63] Laboratory and field research have directly linked occupants' satisfaction and performance to the building's thermal conditions.[64] Energy reduction goals can be supported while improving thermal satisfaction. For example, providing occupants control over the thermostat or operable windows allows for comfort across a wider range of temperatures.[65][66]

As of January 2023, USGBC began to develop LEED v5. LEED v5 is the first version of the LEED rating system to be based on the June 2022 Future of LEED principles.[14] The LEED v5 rating system will cover both new construction and existing buildings. A draft version was discussed at Greenbuild 2023.[67][68][69] A final version was published on 1 January 2024.[14]

In 2003, the Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC) received permission to create LEED Canada-NC v1.0, which was based upon LEED-NC 2.0.[71] As of 2021, Canada ranked second in the world (not including the USA) in its number of LEED-certified projects and square feet of space.[72] Buildings in Canada such as Winnipeg's Canadian Museum for Human Rights are LEED certified due to practices including the use of rainwater harvesting, green roofs, and natural lighting.[73]

3a8082e126