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

| Sep 18, 2012

MKK opens office in North Dakota

MKK is currently working on seven projects in North Dakota, including a hotel, restaurant, truck stop, office building, and apartment complex.

| Sep 18, 2012

Firestone Building Products launches new website

Deep product information and innovative customer support tools are highlights.

| Sep 13, 2012

Leo A Daly Company promotes Kraskiewicz to senior vice president

Kraskiewicz, who most recently served as chief operations officer for the Leo A Daly division, will guide brand management, business development, operations and financial performance for 18 offices worldwide.

| Sep 13, 2012

Acentech adds audiovisual expertise to Trevose, Penn. office

Artese focuses on advising, overseeing, and maintaining the client’s vision for the project from the initial kick-off meeting to the final commissioning of the completed systems.

| Sep 13, 2012

Margulies Perruzzi Architects completes office design for Pioneer Investments

MPA updated the office design and additional support space consisting of five floors at Pioneer’s Boston office located at 60 State Street.

| Sep 12, 2012

Harvesting new ways to eliminate waste at the USDA

After installing 20 high-speed, energy-efficient hand dryers in restrooms throughout the USDA headquarters; the USDA reports seeing an immediate 50% reduction in the use of paper towels.

| Sep 11, 2012

RTKL appoints Lance Hosey as Chief Sustainability Officer and Senior Vice President

Author and authority on green design to spearhead RTKL Performance-driven DesignSM initiative.

| Sep 11, 2012

McQuade appointed CEO of Tishman Construction

McQuade will focus on driving the growth of the company into new markets and expanding market share in its current areas of operation.

| Sep 11, 2012

Ecosystem Management & Associates joins HDR

EM&A staff will do business as part of HDR Engineering and HDR Environmental, Operations and Construction.

| Sep 10, 2012

Specialty door types—plenty of functional variety

In the MasterFormat section 08 30 00, Specialty Doors and Frames, a number of door types are listed for special functions, access locations, sliding and folding hardware, and even pressure-resistant types.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




Resiliency

U.S. is reducing floodplain development in most areas

The perception that the U.S. has not been able to curb development in flood-prone areas is mostly inaccurate, according to new research from climate adaptation experts. A national survey of floodplain development between 2001 and 2019 found that fewer structures were built in floodplains than might be expected if cities were building at random.

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