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
MFPRO+ News | Dec 11, 2023
U.S. poorly prepared to house growing number of older adults
The U.S. is ill-prepared to provide adequate housing for the growing ranks of older people, according to a report from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. Over the next decade, the U.S. population older than 75 will increase by 45%, growing from 17 million to nearly 25 million, with many expected to struggle financially.
Office Buildings | Dec 11, 2023
Believe it or not, there could be a shortage of office space in the years ahead
With work-from-home firmly established, many real estate analysts predict a dramatic reduction in office space leasing and plummeting property values. But the high-end of the office segment might actually be headed for a shortage, according to real estate intelligence company CoStar Group.
University Buildings | Dec 8, 2023
Yale University breaks ground on nation's largest Living Building student housing complex
A groundbreaking on Oct. 11 kicked off a project aiming to construct the largest Living Building Challenge-certified residence on a university campus. The Living Village, a 45,000 sf home for Yale University Divinity School graduate students, “will make an ecological statement about the need to build in harmony with the natural world while training students to become ‘apostles of the environment’,” according to Bruner/Cott, which is leading the design team that includes Höweler + Yoon Architecture and Andropogon Associates.
University Buildings | Dec 5, 2023
The University of Cincinnati builds its largest classroom building to serve its largest college
The University of Cincinnati’s recently completed Clifton Court Hall unifies the school’s social science programs into a multidisciplinary research and education facility. The 185,400-sf structure is the university’s largest classroom building, serving its largest college, the College of Arts and Sciences.
MFPRO+ News | Dec 5, 2023
DOE's Zero Energy Ready Home Multifamily Version 2 released
The U.S. Department of Energy has released Zero Energy Ready Home Multifamily Version 2. The latest version of the certification program increases energy efficiency and performance levels, adds electric readiness, and makes compliance pathways and the certification process more consistent with the ENERGY STAR Multifamily New Construction (ESMFNC) program.
Architects | Dec 5, 2023
Populous celebrates its 40th anniversary with a photo exhibit of its works
The firm partnered with Getty Images to assemble more than 60 images, many capturing fan ardor.
Office Buildings | Dec 1, 2023
Amazon office building doubles as emergency housing for Seattle families
The unusual location for services of this kind serves over 300 people per day. Mary's Place spreads across eight of the office's floors—all designed by Graphite—testing the status quo for its experimental approach to homelessness support.
Mixed-Use | Nov 29, 2023
Mixed-use community benefits from city amenities and ‘micro units’
Salt Lake City, Utah, is home to a new mixed-use residential community that benefits from transit-oriented zoning and cleverly designed multifamily units.
Giants 400 | Nov 28, 2023
Top 100 Laboratory Design Firms for 2023
HDR, Flad Architects, DGA, Elkus Manfredi Architects, and Gensler top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest laboratory architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Engineers | Nov 27, 2023
Kimley-Horn eliminates the guesswork of electric vehicle charger site selection
Private businesses and governments can now choose their new electric vehicle (EV) charger locations with data-driven precision. Kimley-Horn, the national engineering, planning, and design consulting firm, today launched TREDLite EV, a cloud-based tool that helps organizations develop and optimize their EV charger deployment strategies based on the organization’s unique priorities.
