What is LEED?

The USGBC developed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System to rate buildings according to their environmental attributes and sustainable features. The LEED system utilizes a list of 34 potential performance based “credits” worth up to 69 points, as well as 7 prerequisite criteria, divided into six categories:

      1. Sustainable Sites
      2. Water Efficiency
      3. Energy and Atmosphere
      4. Materials and Resources
      5. Indoor Environmental Quality
      6. Innovation & Design Process

LEED allows the project team to choose the most effective and appropriate sustainable building measures for a given location and/or project. Four levels of LEED certification are possible, depending on the number of criteria met, and indicate increasingly sustainable building practices:

      1. LEED Certified 26-32 points
      2. LEED Silver 33-38 points
      3. LEED Gold 39-51 points
      4. LEED Platinum 52+ points