September 2009
The Future of Green Buildings: An Aggressive Focus on Measurable Performance
Next week, USGBC’s newly announced Building Performance Initiative will be in full swing with the first of five summits planned to raise the level of discussion about how we can ensure that all green buildings perform the way they are intended and that our entire building stock – new and existing buildings alike – is upgraded for measurably better energy, water, human health and natural resources outcomes.
The first Building Performance Initiative summit, in Chicago on Sept. 29, will be followed by an Oct. 6 summit in San Francisco, an Oct. 8 summit in Los Angeles, an Oct. 15 summit in New York City, and an Oct. 21 summit in Washington, D.C. These summits will convene between 75 and 100 people each, and attendees will bring the experience and expertise of a diversity of sectors, including representatives from local, state and federal governments, USGBC chapters, LEED project teams, developers, architects, engineers and many others.
The summits will combine lessons learned from the current state of building performance – both success stories and signs that improvement is needed – and USGBC’s proposals for raising the bar on performance. They will provide an opportunity for participants to view USGBC’s data collection agenda and proposed analysis methodology and to provide feedback and share their own ideas and insights. USGBC will report on these summits at the 2009 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Phoenix, Ariz., Nov. 11-13.
For nearly a decade, LEED has been driving a change throughout the building industry that has led to a new consciousness about the way our buildings are designed, constructed and operated. This new focus on building better buildings has meant great potential for increased efficiency and sustainability, but USGBC has recognized that there is a difference between intention and actual performance.
For the vast majority of well-designed and well-built buildings, the performance advantages are clear. However, when building occupants fail to understand or fully take advantage of their green buildings, there can be a performance gap that we must fill if we are to truly transform the built environment. And without an aggressive, proactive campaign to address performance, the gaps will not be filled.
So the summits are only the first part of the Building Performance Initiative. They begin an essential national discussion about buildings and will guide the continued evolution of a program that is committed to real performance in all buildings through rigorous data collection and analysis, feedback loops and continuous searching for better ways to design, build, manage and occupy buildings.
Quality data about building performance is key to this initiative and will serve two vital purposes. First, the LEED-certified buildings that participate – initially, between 300 and 500 pilot participants dating back to the very first version of LEED – will receive detailed information on how they are performing, what’s working, and where there is room for improvement. This will allow those buildings’ owners, facilities managers and occupants to make crucial changes to their own protocols and may lead to upgrades, repairs and other efforts to fill the gap.
And USGBC’s ultimate goal is that one day, every owner or manager of a LEED-certified building will be actively engaged in measuring, analyzing and improving that building’s performance. USGBC took the first step toward that goal by announcing that, under LEED 2009, LEED certification will require project teams to collect and submit ongoing performance data, either through their own measurement or by allowing USGBC access to utility bills and other information.
The second outcome of this data-collection campaign will be its ability to drive the ongoing evolution of LEED, USGBC’s strategic planning, future breakthroughs in green building science and technology, improvements in public policy and private-sector initiatives, and an overall better understanding of how we can continue to work toward our goal of green buildings for all within a generation. Green buildings are living labs, and the Building Performance Initiative aims to ensure that all buildings contribute to the body of green building research and knowledge, gaining a better understanding both of how their individual buildings are performing and how we can use that information to improve performance industry-wide.
Learn more about the Building Performance Initiative »
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USGBC Community
![]() USGBC wants to know: What have you done today to make you feel proud?
As part of Greenbuild, we want to celebrate all the exceptional and extraordinary things we’ve all done to advance the green building movement: certifications, AP designations, products, training, successful advocacy events, chapter events, news coverage, product innovations, anything that’s made you proud.
If you have any photos or video, we’d like you to send it along for potential inclusion in an important part of our Greenbuild celebration.
Download the submission form »
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Survey: Future Greenbuild Cities
Help us plan the next decade of the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo by letting us know where you’d like to see the conference held.
Take survey »
Nominate a Person or Organization for 2009 Leadership Awards
USGBC is seeking nominations for the 2009 USGBC Leadership Awards, to be announced at Greenbuild 2009 in Phoenix. Nominees may be an individual or organization in the public, private or non-profit sector.
Read more »
Earn LEED Credentialing Maintenance at Greenbuild
Educational sessions at Greenbuild will earn current LEED Professionals GBCI-approved Continuing Education hours toward maintaining their credential, and GBCI has announced that the online tool LEED Professionals will use to record their CE hours will be live on GBCI.org on Nov. 1.
Share Your Economic Recovery Success Story
USGBC is seeking the success stories of professionals, organizations, companies and governments that have participated in green building, retrofit or renovation projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Your experiences could help your colleagues nationwide in their efforts to use economic stimulus funding to promote energy and cost efficiencies in their communities’ buildings.
Share your story »
National Real Estate Investor Surveys
National Real Estate Investor is conducting a survey on the state of green building within the industry. These surveys are open until Sept. 21. Please take the appropriate survey for your sector:
Government »
Corporate »
Developers »
IFMA’s World Workplace 2009 Conference & Expo
Workplace professionals from around the world will meet in Orlando, Fla., to analyze the trends and new products impacting today’s built environment during the International Facility Management Association’s World Workplace 2009 Conference & Expo, Oct. 7-9 at the Orange County Convention Center. The event will feature more than 75 educational sessions and new product demonstrations by manufacturers from around the globe. As part of an ongoing collaboration between USGBC and IFMA, USGBC members are eligible for IFMA-member registration pricing.
Learn more and register »
West Coast Green, San Francisco, Oct. 1-3
West Coast Green will attract thousands of the brightest minds in green building, business, and technology, including 300-plus exhibitors and more than 125 speakers. You are invited to join this active community to learn, collaborate and turn brilliant ideas into action!
Register today with an exclusive USGBC 20% discount off a full-conference pass »
LEED News
![]() Public Comment on Certified Wood Products in LEED
USGBC has begun gathering the second round of public comments regarding proposed changes to the USGBC Forest Certification Benchmark and the LEED Materials and Resources credits that recognize the use of certified wood products.
Learn more and submit your comments »
Green Office Guide: Integrating LEED into Your Leasing Process
The U.S. Green Building Council has released a new guide designed to help tenants and landlords collaborate throughout all phases of the leasing process by providing practical information and tools, including project team and site selection, negotiations and lease language, and green build-out and operations within the leased space.
Order now »
Minimum Requirements for LEED EBOM Have Changed
The LEED Steering Committee has approved a change to the Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs) for LEED for the 2008 and 2009 versions of LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance. The occupancy rate required for certification has been lowered from 75% to 50%.
Read more »
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