LEED v4.1 is now available for residential/homes, and cities and communities. LEED v4.1 certification emphasizes performance monitoring, fully integrated design, social equity and human health factors.
For the residential market, LEED v4.1 combines aspects from four previously-existing LEED for homes rating systems (LEED for Low-rise homes, LEED for Midrise Homes, LEED for Core and Shell and LEED for New Construction) into three rating systems – LEED v4.1 Residential: New Single-family homes, LEED v4.1 Residential: New Multifamily homes and LEED v4.1 New Multifamily homes core and shell.
The updated rating system is designed to make the decision to implement LEED easier for residential projects. LEED credits that have a higher value to homeowners and residents, such as health and well-being improved comfort, energy and water savings, green and healthy materials, are prioritized. Options have been added to existing LEED credits that lower both hard and soft costs to achieve certification.
For the LEED for Cities and LEED for Communities rating systems, LEED v4.1 expands on the earlier performance-based approach to support planning, design, operation and performance management phases of new and existing cities and communities.
Related Stories
| Dec 18, 2013
ASHRAE publishes 2013 thermal comfort standard
Major revisions for design and measurement of comfortable spaces are included in a newly published ASHRAE 2013 thermal comfort standard.
| Dec 11, 2013
Texas to require architects to be fingerprinted to get licensed
Starting January 1, 2014, architects who apply for an occupational license in Texas will have to share their fingerprints with the state.
| Dec 11, 2013
Province of Ontario is reviewing bill to require timely payments to contractors
Legislation is under review in the Province of Ontario that would mandate timely payments to contractors.
| Dec 11, 2013
Federal design-build proposal could make it easier for small businesses to land government contracts
The Design-Build Efficiency and Jobs Act, a bill pending in the U.S. House of Representatives, would streamline the bid and proposal process by requiring government agencies to use a two-step process when seeking design-build contracts for projects worth more than $750,000.
| Dec 11, 2013
NIST recommends tougher standards for tornado resilience
Buildings in tornado-prone areas should be constructed to withstand strong winds just as hurricanes are factored into building codes in coastal areas, says a federal report examining the 2011 killer tornado in Joplin, Mo.
| Dec 10, 2013
Whistleblowers can now file complaints online with OSHA
Whistleblowers covered by one of 22 statutes administered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) now will be able to file complaints online.
| Dec 4, 2013
Five U.S. cities leading on climate change initiatives
Houston, Salt Lake City, Miami, New York, and Los Angeles are five cities that are leading the way on preparing for climate change and extreme weather, according to a Center for American Progress report.
| Dec 4, 2013
Philadelphia City Council mulling bill requiring ID cards for construction workers
The Philadelphia City Council has held a series of hearings on a bill aimed at boosting the city's safety regulations in the wake of a deadly building collapse earlier this year.
| Dec 4, 2013
Changes completed on 2015 IECC provisions
The 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC)—the code that serves as the model for states’ codes—has undergone final changes.
| Dec 4, 2013
Design-build makes gains along with more authorizing legislation
In 2009, more legislation authorizing design-build project delivery passed than in any year in Design Build Institute of America’s history.
