LEED-Certified Space Passes One Billion Square Feet

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced that, as of November 2010, the footprint of LEED-certified commercial space has surpassed one billion square feet. (That’s 100 million square feet of space for each of the 10 years of LEED’s existence.)

According to USGBC, another six billion square feet of projects around the world are registered and working toward certification. “This traction demonstrates the transformation of the way we design, build, and operate buildings,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO, and founding chair of USGBC.

Not all projects that register with LEED achieve certification, so not all of the six billion square feet in the pipeline will definitely be certified. But the milestone is still a significant one. “The impact of these one billion square feet resonates around the world,” said Peter Templeton, president of the Green Building Certification Institute (which certifies LEED projects).