Other LEED News

Sixty-one buildings are now certified under LEED™ versions 1.0, 2.0, and 2.1; and nearly 900 projects have registered for certification. There are now over 4,000 LEED-accredited professionals, and more than 10,000 people have participated in LEED training workshops. The pilot programs for LEED for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI) and LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) are well underway, although both are still accepting new participants. (Note that, in spite of the name, not all existing building projects are appropriate for LEED-EB; existing buildings that are undergoing significant tenant improvements are covered by LEED-CI, and buildings undergoing overall renovations are handled under LEED 2.1.) LEED-CI is slated to be formally launched in April 2004; LEED-EB is slated for release this fall.

As these new LEED “products” roll out, the basic LEED Rating System, which applies to new construction and major renovations, has been renamed “LEED for New Construction” (LEED-NC). Work is now under way on a version 2.2 of LEED-NC to be released in 2004, and a version 3.0 will follow. A version of LEED for Core and Shell spec buildings is being finalized, and is expected to begin as a pilot program this fall. LEED for Homes is still in the works, but not yet approaching any kind of release. Working with the Congress for a New Urbanism and others, LEED for Neighborhood Developments is being explored.

To meet the mushrooming demand for certification, USGBC recently hired five new contractors to share the load of reviewing LEED applications and responding to credit interpretation requests. The five new teams join Paladino & Company of Seattle, which had until now been the only outside reviewer for LEED. The five teams are: