LEED

For other uses, see Leed (disambiguation).

Taipei 101 has achieved LEED Platinum certification three times, as of 2021.[1]
Washington, D.C., is the first LEED Platinum city in the world.[2] Pictured is 1225 Connecticut Avenue, the first redeveloped office building on the U.S. East Coast to receive LEED Platinum status.[3]

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide.[4] Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings, homes, and neighborhoods, which aims to help building owners and operators be environmentally responsible and use resources efficiently.

As of 2023 there were over 105,000 LEED-certified buildings and over 205,000 LEED-accredited professionals in 185 countries worldwide.[5] In the US, the District of Columbia consistently leads in LEED-certified square footage per capita,[6] followed in 2022 by the top-ranking states of Massachusetts, Illinois, New York, California, and Maryland.[6] Outside the United States, the top-ranking countries for 2022 were Mainland China, India, Canada, Brazil, and Sweden.[7] LEED Canada has developed a separate rating system adapted to the Canadian climate and regulations.

Many U.S. federal agencies, state and local governments require or reward LEED certification. As of 2022, based on certified square feet per capita, the leading five states (after the District of Columbia) were Massachusetts, Illinois, New York, California, and Maryland.[8] Incentives can include tax credits, zoning allowances, reduced fees, and expedited permitting. Offices, healthcare-, and education-related buildings are the most frequent LEED-certified buildings in the US (over 60%), followed by warehouses, distribution centers, retail projects and multifamily dwellings (another 20%).[9] Studies have found that for-rent LEED office spaces generally have higher rents and occupancy rates and lower capitalization rates.

LEED is a design tool rather than a performance-measurement tool and has tended to focus on energy modeling rather than actual energy consumption.[10] It has been criticized for a point system that can lead to inappropriate design choices and the prioritization of LEED certification points over actual energy conservation;[11][12] for lacking climate specificity;[12] for not sufficiently addressing issues of climate change and extreme weather;[13] and for not incorporating principles of a circular economy.[14] Draft versions of LEED v5 were released for public comment in 2024, and the final version of LEED v5 is expected to appear in 2025.[15] It may address some of the previous criticisms.[15][16][17][18]

Despite concerns, LEED has been described as a "transformative force in the design and construction industry".[11] LEED is credited with providing a framework for green building, expanding the use of green practices and products in buildings, encouraging sustainable forestry, and helping professionals to consider buildings in terms of the well-being of their occupants and as part of larger systems.[11]

  1. ^ "Taipei 101 | LEED Lookbook". leed.usgbc.org. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Washington, D.C. Named First LEED Platinum City in the World | U.S. Green Building Council". www.usgbc.org. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  3. ^ Plumb, Tierney (8 October 2009). "1225 Connecticut Avenue gets LEED Platinum". Washington Business Journal. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
  4. ^ "Green Building Facts | U.S. Green Building Council". www.usgbc.org. Archived from the original on 28 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  5. ^ Gibbon, Gavin (6 December 2023). "US Green Building Council to launch new ratings system". AGBI. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  6. ^ a b Verdinez, Deisy (26 January 2022). "USGBC Releases its Top 10 States for LEED, Recognizing Leaders Committed to More Sustainable and Resilient Buildings, Cities and Communities | U.S. Green Building Council". www.usgbc.org.
  7. ^ Verdinez, Deisy (7 February 2023). "The Top 10 Countries for LEED demonstrate that green building is a truly global movement | U.S. Green Building Council". www.usgbc.org.
  8. ^ Verdinez, Deisy (26 January 2022). "USGBC Releases its Top 10 States for LEED, Recognizing Leaders Committed to More Sustainable and Resilient Buildings, Cities and Communities | U.S. Green Building Council". www.usgbc.org.
  9. ^ Stanley, Sarah (9 February 2021). "USGBC Top 10 States for LEED in 2020: Healthcare, Schools, Offices Account for More Than 60% of Green Building Certifications | U.S. Green Building Council". www.usgbc.org.
  10. ^ Ireland, Jeannie (22 February 2018). History of Interior Design: – with STUDIO. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. ?. ISBN 978-1-5013-1990-7.
  11. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Schnaars was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ a b Gerrit-Jan, Knaap; Rebecca, Lewis; Arnab, Chakraborty; Katy, June-Friesen (8 July 2022). Handbook on Smart Growth: Promise, Principles, and Prospects for Planning. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78990-469-7.
  13. ^ Hiar, Corbin (25 September 2023). "'A contradiction': U.S. subsidizes 'sustainable' buildings, but leaves them vulnerable to floods". POLITICO.
  14. ^ Fullerton, Don; Babbitt, Callie W.; Bilec, Melissa M.; He, Shan; Isenhour, Cindy; Khanna, Vikas; Lee, Eunsang; Theis, Thomas L. (5 October 2022). "Introducing the Circular Economy to Economists". Annual Review of Resource Economics. 14 (1): 493–514. doi:10.1146/annurev-resource-101321-053659. ISSN 1941-1340. S2CID 249809041.
  15. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Nadav was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference Holmes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Casey, Chris (13 October 2023). "The Newest Version of LEED Will Focus More on Performance Value and Decarbonization". GreenBuildingAdvisor.
  18. ^ Bates, Liam (3 October 2023). "A Detailed Comparison of Indoor Air Quality in LEED v5 and LEED v4.1 Certification". learn.kaiterra.com.