flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Comment period for update to USGBC's LEED Green Building Program now open

Comment period for update to USGBC's LEED Green Building Program now open

This third draft of LEED has been refined to address technical stringency and rigor, measurement and performance tools, and an enhanced user experience.


By By BD+C Staff | February 20, 2012
This article first appeared in the March 2012 issue of BD+C.

The USGBC announced that the third public comment period for the proposed 2012 update to its LEED green building program will open March 1, 2012. The comment period, which will close on March 20, marks the start of the LEED 2012 program delivery process.

This third draft of LEED has been refined to address technical stringency and rigor, measurement and performance tools, and an enhanced user experience. The technical changes have been informed by market data, stakeholder-generated ideas, expert engagement and advances in technology. Additional performance-based management features will help projects measure and manage energy and water usage, site and building material selection, and indoor environmental quality.

LEED 2012 extends itself as a long-term engagement tool for organizations and projects, enabling a focus on continuous improvement. Programs aimed at helping organizations use LEED to benchmark building performance in preparation for certification and for tracking performance of their buildings post-certification provide opportunities for ongoing engagement between project teams and USGBC both before certification and after the plaque is awarded.

For LEED projects outside of the U.S., LEED 2012 will offer a new global perspective. Through modified language, new requirements and options that increase flexibility, LEED 2012 makes it easier for the international community to engage.

In an effort to redefine and enhance the user experience, LEED credit requirements have been rewritten to better align with documentation already required by the architecture and construction fields. Improvements to submittals, documentation paths and LEED Online improve LEED usability.

As the LEED program evolves to address the dynamic needs of the building industry, the development process is based on principles of transparency, openness, and inclusiveness, and includes multiple comment periods where input received is incorporated into LEED. The third public comment documents, including technical refinements, scorecards, and responses to comments from the previous public comment period, will be available on usgbc.org/LEED2012 beginning March 1. Members of the public can comment on any substantive changes made since the second public comment period, which ran from Aug. 1 through Sept. 14, 2011.

Once the comment period process concludes, LEED 2012 will be balloted in June and launch in November. To vote in the ballot, USGBC members must opt-in to the Consensus Body beginning April 2. The Consensus Body is made up of employees of USGBC national member organizations in good standing, and ensures ballot participation from the full diversity of members who are using LEED in the marketplace. To be eligible to join the Consensus Body and vote in the LEED 2012 ballot, members must be in good standing by March 1, and be maintained throughout the balloting period.

Members of the media are invited to a press-only webcast on Thursday, March 1, 2012 at 2 p.m. ET.

To register, visit bit.ly/LEED2012mediawebinar.

To learn more about LEED 2012, visit usgbc.org/LEED2012. BD+C

Related Stories

| Dec 16, 2013

Construction materials prices remain stable in November

Overall, construction materials prices fell 0.5 percent in November and are up only 1.1 percent year over year, according to the Department of Labor’s Dec. 13 Producer Price Index.

| Dec 16, 2013

Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA, inaugurated 2014 AIA President

Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA, executive director of the Virginia Center for Architecture, was inaugurated as the 90th president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) during ceremonies held on December 12th at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium.  She succeeds Mickey Jacob, FAIA, in representing nearly 83,000 AIA members.

| Dec 13, 2013

GRW acquires West Virginia design firm Chapman Technical Group

GRW is expanding its capabilities through the recent acquisition of Chapman Technical Group, a 36-person West Virginia-based firm.

| Dec 13, 2013

AIA, MIT issue joint report on impact of design on public health

The research looks at the health of eight U.S. cities and lays out a path for translating the research into meaningful findings for policy makers and urban planners. 

| Dec 11, 2013

Wyndham unveils hotel prototype for its Hawthorn Suites chain

The extended-stay hotel prototype reduces development costs by 46% for franchisees and enhances the overall guest experience.

| Dec 10, 2013

16 great solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors

From a crowd-funded smart shovel to a why-didn’t-someone-do-this-sooner scheme for managing traffic in public restrooms, these ideas are noteworthy for creative problem-solving. Here are some of the most intriguing innovations the BD+C community has brought to our attention this year.

| Dec 9, 2013

Tips for designing higher education's newest building type: the learning commons

In this era of scaled-down budgets, maximized efficiencies, new learning methods and social media’s domination of face time, college and university campuses are gravitating toward a new space type: the learning commons.

| Dec 9, 2013

Does technology help or hinder innovation?

Whether digital technology will help or hinder workplace insights remains a topic of ongoing debate. FastCo.Design features insights from business scholars on both sides of the issue.

| Dec 6, 2013

French concert hall includes integrated musical elements [VIDEO]

La Métaphone, a concert hall in Ognies, France, is a 1,980-sm facility with the unique characteristic of being a structural musical instrument. The solar-powered building incorporates musical elements in its walls, which can be played by musicians inside or outside the facility.

| Dec 6, 2013

Goettsch Partners selected 2013 AIA Chicago Firm of the Year

Architecture firm Goettsch Partners (GP) has been named the 2013 Firm of the Year, as conferred by the Chicago chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Chicago). The award is the highest honor a firm can receive from the chapter.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Warehouses

California bill would limit where distribution centers can be built

A bill that passed the California legislature would limit where distribution centers can be located and impose other rules aimed at reducing air pollution and traffic. Assembly Bill 98 would tighten building standards for new warehouses and ban heavy diesel truck traffic next to sensitive sites including homes, schools, parks and nursing homes.




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021