The buildings in which we live, shop, study, eat and work have an impact on the environment. More and more, we are recognising the impact of our built environment on the natural environment, human health and the economy. This has led to the development of green buildings, aiming to change the built environment by creating buildings that are energy efficient, healthy and productive. This trend of Green building is quickly turning into a revolution, with consumers, builders, communities and governments becoming more sensitive to the impact of buildings on urban life and the local, regional and global environment.

With the increase in the number of Green building initiatives, the need for a certification system became apparent. A certification system was needed to demonstrate that building was truly ‘green’ and more importantly, to give building owners the tools to have a measurable impact on their buildings’ performance.

The LEED Green Building Rating System was established by the U.S Green Building Council to certify green buildings. Though this program began in the United States, it has now gained worldwide recognition.

About the U.S Green Building Council

The U.S Green Building Council is a non-profit organisation that promotes sustainability in the way buildings are designed, constructed and operated. It has approximately 15,000 members from all sectors of the building and construction industry. In its efforts to promote environmentally responsible and healthy places to live and work, the U.S Green Building Council’s most notable contribution has been the development of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System in 2000.

About LEED Green Building Rating System

The LEED Green Building Rating System is a voluntary third party certification program that validates a building’s ‘green’ features and verifies that the building operates in accordance with its design.

The benchmarks of the LEED system are set through a transparent, consensus-based process. This process is led by LEED Committees that are made up of a cross-section of experts from the building and construction industry. LEED also has technical advisory groups to ensure that LEED systems are scientifically consistent.

 LEED Credit Categories

The LEED System is a point based system. The building projects earn points based on their satisfying Green building criteria. They must satisfy certain prerequisites and earn credit points based on six different categories. The six categories are:

• Sustainable sites
• Water efficiency
• Energy and atmosphere
• Materials and resources
• Indoor environmental quality
• Innovation and design process

Depending on the number of points the building project earns, it is awarded a certification level. There are four LEED certification levels – Certified, Silver Gold and Platinum. For more details on the LEED point system please see LEED Certification Primer

Buildings that can use the LEED

The LEED system is structured so that different types of buildings can opt for LEED certification. Currently, the LEED system allows for:

Who Uses the LEED System?

The LEED system is used by designers, architects, engineers, construction managers, government officials among others to make sustainable buildings. Many U.S state and federal agencies are adopting LEED certification. The LEED certification has gained worldwide acceptance as a benchmark for sustainable buildings with LEED certified projects in 41 different countries including Canada, Mexico, Brazil and India.

Source: Copperwiki