LEED

Photo © Ana Ka’ahanui

The LEED Rating Systems make up a voluntary program meant to objectively measure how sustainable a building is in several key areas:

  • impact on site and location

  • water efficiency

  • energy efficiency

  • material selection

  • indoor environmental quality

The system also encourages innovation.

The LEED standards are maintained by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a nonprofit, non-governmental, membership-based organization. While participation in LEED is voluntary, the program owes some of its growth to municipal and state ordinances that have mandated it for public buildings and have offered incentives for private buildings.

LEED

Deep Dives

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  • Your Guide to the New Draft of LEED

    Feature Article

    USGBC is accepting comments on what will become LEED in 2012-EBN walks you through key changes as they appear in the current draft.

  • Retrocommissioning: Big Savings for Big Buildings

    Feature Article

    Retrocommissioning or RCx can be a valuable tool for commercial building owners. RCx addresses the same scope as new building commissioning but is performed on existing buildings. RCx can improve building performance, save energy and money-especially for large buildings.

  • Thinking Beyond Buildings: LEED for Neighborhood Development

    Feature Article

    LEED for Neighborhood Development is not yet final, but it's already clear that it's a different type of rating system. Lessons from the pilot projects show that cooperation among team members and with the local government is essential to a successful project.

  • How Six Affordable Housing Projects Got to Green

    Feature Short

    Stories of designers and developers who overcame the challenges of building affordable housing that is also green, sustainable, and healthy.

Quick Takes

Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.

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  • The Cost of LEED Certification

    Primer

    How much does LEED certification cost in commercial construction? Earning LEED certification involves several types of costs, and you have to consider each separately to get an accurate picture.

  • Upgrade to LEED 2009?

    Primer

    Projects currently registered under LEED-NC 2.2 can transfer to LEED 2009 before certifying. Should your project switch?

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In The News

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Perspective

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