The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released a new strategy, “Healthy People in Healthy Places Equals a Healthy Economy,” to use LEED to support buildings and communities in a post-pandemic world.
The program includes launching emergency guidance and upgrades to LEED to ensure that it reflects the realities that buildings and people inside them will face in the near future. “By helping everyone understand the role a LEED-certified building can have in creating healthy spaces, we can help rebuild public trust, stimulate the economy, and ultimately bring about a healthier standard of living for all,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, USGBC president and CEO.
USGBC will update current LEED strategies in LEED v4.1 that support indoor environmental quality, cleaning, occupant comfort, operations, better materials and risk management. The organization will introduce new LEED strategies including pilot credits to support social distancing, nontoxic surface cleaning, air quality, and infection monitoring.
Other USGBC initiatives include forming Regional CEO Advisory Councils to advise and support USGBC’s CEO on how the organization can prioritize sustainability in a post-pandemic world. It will also accelerate the implementation of its USGBC Equity program to better address the social, health, and economic disparities within communities.
USGBC plans to publish a series of best practice guidance reports to help project teams assist their occupants as they reenter their spaces.
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Apr 26, 2022
Investment firm Blackstone makes $13 billion acquisition in student-housing sector
Blackstone Inc., a New York-based investment firm, has agreed to buy student-housing owner American Campus Communities Inc.
Codes and Standards | Apr 25, 2022
Supply chain constraints, shifting consumer demands adding cost pressures to office fit-outs
Cushman & Wakefield’s 2022 Americas Office Fit-Out Cost Guide found supply chain constraints and shifting consumer demands will continue to add pressure to costs, both in materials and labor.
Legislation | Apr 21, 2022
NIMBYism in the Sunbelt stymies new apartment development
Population growth in Sunbelt metro areas is driving demand for new apartment development, but resistance is growing against these projects.
Codes and Standards | Apr 18, 2022
Dept. of Energy has RFI on funding cost-effective updated energy codes implementation
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Technologies Office (BTO) has issued a request for information regarding funding cost-effective implementation of updated building energy codes.
Legislation | Apr 14, 2022
Defense Dept. building largest 3D-printed structures in Western Hemisphere
The U.S. Department of Defense is constructing three barracks at the Camp Swift Training Center in Bastrop, Texas that will each be the largest 3D-printed structures in the Americas.
Wood | Apr 13, 2022
Mass timber: Multifamily’s next big building system
Mass timber construction experts offer advice on how to use prefabricated wood systems to help you reach for the heights with your next apartment or condominium project.
Codes and Standards | Apr 13, 2022
LEED multifamily properties fetch higher rents and sales premiums
LEED-certified multifamily properties consistently receive higher rents than non-certified rental complexes, according to a Cushman & Wakefield study of two decades of data on Class A multifamily assets with 50 units or more.
Legislation | Apr 11, 2022
Dept. of Energy releases RFI for K-12 schools energy upgrade program
The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) released a Request for Information (RFI) to help decide how best to spend $500 million from the recently passed federal infrastructure law for K-12 public school energy upgrades.
Codes and Standards | Apr 8, 2022
Dept. of Energy boosts energy efficiency standards for federal buildings
The Department of Energy’s recently released new energy efficiency standards for federal buildings.
Codes and Standards | Apr 7, 2022
Uptake of low-carbon materials expected to get a boost from federal building plan
Low-carbon materials will get a sizeable boost via purchases through a federal $3.4 billion building plan to modernize U.S. border crossings.
