Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a rating system from the United States Green Building Council to evaluate a building’s environmental performance and encourage market transformation toward sustainable design. The credit-based system allows projects to earn points for every eco-friendly action taken from construction phase to actual use.
As the most widely adopted green building rating system worldwide, LEED is available for practically all building project types, from homes and schools to retail and commercial interiors to neighborhood development and the maintenance of existing buildings. There are various LEED certification levels: Certified (40-49 points), Silver (50-59 points), Gold (60-79 points), and Platinum (80-110 points).
LEED is a voluntary project, but obtaining certification gives off a positive environmental image to the community that a project is operating in. The green building practices espoused in LEED, too, can result in energy and cost savings throughout the life of the structure. Workers in LEED buildings have also been shown to have greater labor productivity, days worked, and job retention. Students in LEED buildings have also demonstrated higher test scores as well as lower absenteeism.
LEED is generally organized by different broad concepts, including location and transportation, sustainable sites, energy, water, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality.
The U.S. government is adopting LEED or similar standards for certain offices including the U.S. Army and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Many cities and states in the country, too, either offer tax credits or grants for green buildings or require certification for green building among public buildings. Support for these buildings has risen rapidly in recent years and hopefully in the future.
Abraham Cababie Daniel is the CEO of Gicsa, a Mexican real estate development company founded in 1989. Through the years, the company has been involved in land acquisition, construction, development, property management, rental, and selling. Visit this blog to learn more.
Abraham Cababie Daniel 