by Brianna Crandall — November 22, 2013—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced on November 20 that LEED v4, the newest version of its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building program created in 1998, was officially launched at the annual Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Philadelphia.
LEED v4 builds on the fundamentals of previous versions of the program, which has become a premier benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings around the world, while offering a new system that prepares all LEED projects in a portfolio to perform at a higher level.
Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of USGBC, calls LEED v4 a “quantum leap for LEED,” and says the update is “as much a testament to the achievements of LEED project teams around the world as it is to the green building community’s ambition to create significant global and local change through resource-efficient, cost-effective green buildings.”
LEED v4 encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria. Already, 122 beta projects from around the world are using LEED v4. (See “Nearly 100 diverse building projects test next version of LEED” on FMLink.)
Highlights of LEED v4 include:
- New market sectors: New adaptations for data centers, warehouses and distribution centers, hospitality, existing schools, existing retail, and mid-rise residential projects;
- Time-saving support tools and resources: Simplified LEED credit submittal requirements, descriptive step-by-step reference guide materials with videos and tutorials, and a more intuitive technology platform;
- Building performance management: Focused on outcomes so that building owners have a better understanding of how to manage their buildings to meet full performance potential; and
- New impact categories: Climate change, human health, water resources, biodiversity, green economy, community and natural resources.
“LEED v4, at its core, provides insight into the synergies within the building system, providing solutions for optimizing performance, and ultimately achieving better environmental, economic and social outcomes in our buildings,” said Scot Horst, senior vice president of LEED, USGBC. “LEED v4 is the LEED of the future, where we challenge the marketplace to go further, to make the next great leap toward better, cleaner, healthier buildings where people live and work.”
The first LEED v4 project certifications were recognized at Greenbuild this week: the Haworth Beijing Organic Showroom located in Beijing, China, achieved LEED v4 Gold for Commercial Interiors. The project is owned by Haworth, and the LEED process was administered by Bisagni Environmental Enterprise (BEE) Inc. Also, 1800 K St. in Washington, DC, was awarded LEED v4 Silver for Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance. The building is owned by Deutsche Asset and Wealth Management, and administered by Transwestern. Additionally, three Core and Shell projects earned LEED precertification: University Place in Philadelphia; 10 Emery St. in Bethlehem, PA; and Capitol Tower Complex.
