What is LEED?

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) provides a complete framework for assessing building performance and meeting sustainability goals. LEED emphasizes state of the art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. LEED recognizes achievements and promotes expertise in green building through a comprehensive system offering project certification, professional accreditation, training and practical resources.

A brief history of LEED

Back in the early 90’s, there were several different rating systems that existed for determining how sustainable a building was. However, these systems were normally slanted towards a specific goal. It was hard to compare a building that was highly energy efficient to a building that used sustainable building materials.

And thus LEED was born. The goal of this new system was to be able to provide an apples-to-apples comparison for sustainable building. What was so novel about the LEED concept is that from the onset, the founders choose not to reinvent the wheel. With industry experts already developing standards that reflected sustainability, this new system would incorporate this work. The LEED system would reference existing standards with additional measurement criteria, and serve as an umbrella incorporating sustainability standards across the board.  

And this is also the main strength of LEED. Volunteer based and consensus- driven; the LEED system is ever-changing and constantly being updated to reflect the newest standards in the industry. Currently at version 2.1, LEED has taken the industry by storm in just over ten years, and is now recognized world-wide as a measurement of sustainability.  

LEED Certification

There are four different levels of certification available for any LEED project - Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Each LEED system is made up of individual credits for which a building can apply. It is not possible to achieve all credits, as some of the credits negate each other depending on the use.  

While each LEED product has a different number of credits, certification is based upon the percentage of credits achieved. This percentage remains consistent throughout each of the products. The four different degrees of certification are rated as follows: Certified level represents 40% of the credits, Silver represents 50% of the credits, Gold represents 60% of the credits, and Platinum represents 75% of the credits.  

LEED Products 

LEED currently has six products in use. Read below for an up-to-date status on each:  

LEED-NC

When most people refer to LEED, they are referring to LEED-NC, the flagship product from which most of the other products are derived. LEED for new construction and major renovation projects addresses commercial construction, major renovation and high-rise residential buildings; typical building types include office buildings, schools, laboratories, and others. There are currently over 250 buildings certified, and over 2100 building registered.  

LEED-NC v2.2 is currently being publicly balloted for acceptance until Thursday October 27, 2005, with it’s final release anticipated at this year’s Greenbuild in November. To view the upcoming changes and vote, click here

LEED-EB

LEED for existing buildings addresses operations, maintenance, and systems retrofits. EB complements the LEED-NC system and is used for ongoing certification of building performance.  

The main factor to remember with EB is that is addresses not only the design and construction methods (Architect’s and Contractor’s responsibility) but also addresses the ongoing use and maintenance of the building (Owner’s responsibility). Eventually, the goal is that all buildings certified under a LEED product will require ongoing recertification through EB.  

Even though EB reflects existing buildings, NC can also be used for major renovations. Prior to deciding which rating system is best suited for a building, a thorough review of both rating systems should occur, on a case by case basis.  

LEED-EB v2.0 was recently released this last summer. The reference guide and credit templates are also now available.  

LEED-CI

LEED for Commercial Interiors addresses the specifics of tenant spaces primarily in office, retail and institutional buildings and where the tenant has little direct influence over the shell/site design. CI is derived from NC, with the major difference being simplification of the site credits through which CI Owner’s typically have little influence. The remaining credits were also refined to be more relevant to a CI project.  

LEED-CI v2.0 was also recently released this last summer, and the reference guide and credit templates are now available.  

LEED-CS

LEED for Core and Shell addresses speculatively developed new commercial construction and residential buildings over four stories. CS can be said to be the other side of the coin to CI. It is also derived from the NC system, with the major difference being the refinement of the MR and EQ credits. It is anticipated that CS will pave the way for CI projects.  

LEED-CS v1.0 is currently in pilot stage, and still being developed. One of the most interesting facet’s of CS is that it allows for a pre-certification prior to construction. This certification is to be used for marketing purposes, and is used as a precursor to final certification.  

LEED-H

LEED for Homes initially addresses single family new construction, and will eventually be expanded to include townhomes, duplexes, and multifamily residential under four stories.  

Recently released as a pilot, LEED-H is being developed by the USGBC with input from local and national stakeholder groups, and will provide a much-needed tool for homebuilders, homeowners, and local governments for building environmentally sound, healthy, and resource-efficient places to live.  

In a new approach for LEED, the USGBC has selected 12 LEED for Homes Providers to service some of the country’s leading housing markets.  These Providers are local and regional organizations that have been chosen to provide technical, marketing and verification support to builders.  They have demonstrated outstanding abilities and have a proven record of supporting builders in the construction of high performance, sustainable homes.  Only these select Providers will be eligible to work with the builders in the delivery of LEED for Homes during this first phase of the pilot.  

LEED-ND

LEED for neighborhood development addresses development of larger projects, such as neighborhood-scale subdivisions, mixed-use developments, and urban infill projects.

LEED-ND is being developed through a partnership between the USGBC, the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and is currently in preliminary pilot stage. The draft is by no means final, and is being used as a framework from which to solicit comments and opinions. The comment period on the preliminary draft closes on October 27, 2005, which once reviewed and incorporated will lead to a LEED-ND pilot.

 

For more information on LEED, please visit the LEED homepage here