by Brianna Crandall — November 8, 2010—The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is upgrading the requirement for new federal building construction from LEED Silver to LEED Gold certification. The new requirement will also apply to substantial renovation projects. GSA announced on October 28 that the higher rating would be reflected in GSA’s Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service by the end of calendar year 2010.
GSA uses the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or “LEED”, Green Building Rating System of the U.S. Green Building Council to evaluate and measure achievements in sustainable design. For projects funded prior to FY 2010 that are now being designed, GSA is requiring that LEED Gold prerequisites and other specific requirements be incorporated into ongoing designs whenever possible after considering budget and schedule constraints.
For GSA’s leased properties, the requirement remains at the LEED Silver certification for new construction lease projects of 10,000 square feet or more. For leases in existing buildings, LEED for commercial interiors is optional at the request of the tenant agencies. GSA administers more than 361 million square feet of space in 9,600 federally owned and leased facilities.
For more information see the GSA Sustainable Design Program Web site.
