The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) today announced the opening of the fifth public comment period for the proposed update to its LEED green building program. The comment period, which will close on Dec. 10, enables the building community to view the most recent draft of the rating systems and provide comments where any substantive changes have been made.
LEED v4 continues to push the envelope on energy efficiency, allocating nearly 20% of all points to optimizing energy performance over the stringent ASHRAE 90.1-2010, which would do more to help curb CO2 emissions than any LEED rating system in its 12 year history.
In addition to bringing green building solutions to more market sectors, including data centers, warehouses and distribution centers, hospitality, mid-rise residential, and existing schools and retail, the next version includes more options for projects outside of the U.S., making LEED the common language for sustainability around the globe.
The rating system has long championed innovation, and the LEED v4 draft further encourages innovative thinking and decision making about building materials and design. In this draft, using fewer, better materials will result in up to 9 LEED points, incentivizing product manufacturers that voluntarily report about their product makeup and those who reduce the negative impacts - from extraction of raw materials through the manufacturing process.
When fully launched in 2013, LEED v4 will offer an improved user experience that will make the certification review and documentation process more intuitive and efficient. The simplified reporting requirements will be thoroughly refined and tested by the LEED v4 beta testing group - the first crop of projects to pursue LEED V4 certification. The beta process enables project teams to engage with a pre-ballot version of LEED v4 with guided support from USGBC.
USGBC's Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, taking place Nov. 14-16 in San Francisco, Calif., will give users an additional opportunity to explore LEED v4, including the new technical content and credit language, while learning about the streamlined documentation requirements and submittal forms and the dynamic, mobile education resources being developed.
LEED v4 drafts and the public comment tool are now available on the newly re-launched, re-envisioned USGBC.org website, a platform that engages the green building community and supports an entire ecosystem of websites and apps. The new USGBC.org gives everyone the opportunity to build a rich history of involvement in the green building movement.
In an effort to provide the marketplace a view of the full LEED program experience prior to ballot, USGBC announced an expanded timeline for LEED v4 and committed to a fifth public comment period. Fifth public comment will run until Dec. 10. Ballot period is expected to open June 1, 2013.
Approximately 35 credits are included in the draft open for public comment, and have been revised in response to feedback from previous public comment periods to further improve clarity, increase flexibility and options for project teams, and removing unsuitable requirements from previous drafts.
To view the drafts of LEED v4 visit www.usgbc.org/leedv4. +
Related Stories
Retail Centers | May 18, 2015
ULI forecast sees clear skies for real estate over next three years
With asset availability declining in several sectors, rents and transactions should rise.
Architects | May 17, 2015
NCARB wants the title ‘architect’ confined to those who are licensed
The Council is urging state licensing boards to come up with a substitute for the pre-licensure title ‘Intern.’
Museums | May 13, 2015
The museum of tomorrow: 8 things to know about cultural institutions in today’s society
Entertainment-based experiences, personal journeys, and community engagement are among the key themes that cultural institutions must embrace to stay relevant, write Gensler's Diana Lee and Richard Jacob.
Industrial Facilities | May 11, 2015
SOM-designed Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute opens in Chicago
The new space will be a place for academia, industries, and civic bodies to collaborate.
Sponsored | Roofing | May 11, 2015
How architects can tap into the expertise of their metal roof manufacturer, part 2
Here are three things metal roof manufacturers can do to help the architect
BIM and Information Technology | May 10, 2015
How beacons will change architecture
Indoor positioning is right around the corner. Here is why it matters.
Architects | May 10, 2015
Harness the connection between managing risk and increasing profitability, Part 2
In Part 1, we covered taking control of the submittals schedule and managing RFIs. Let’s move on to properly allocating substitutions and limiting change orders.
Architects | May 10, 2015
Harness the connection between managing risk and increasing profitability, Part 1
AE firms need to protect themselves against vague contractual and procedural situations during all phases of the project in order to minimize their liability and exposure to risk, writes AEC industry consultant Steve Whitehorn.
Building Team | May 8, 2015
Construction industry adds 45,000 jobs in April
The construction industry saw an increase in jobs during the month of April after losing approximately 9,000 positions in March.
Building Team | May 8, 2015
Surety bond forms specifically for design-build projects now available
The documents are the first of their kind to be coauthored by designers and builders.
