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LEED stands for LEADERSHIP in ENERGY and ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN. It is a leading-edge system for certifying high-performance buildings and sustainable neighborhoods.
Certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building or neighborhood development project meets the highest green building and neighborhood performance measures. LEED certification is the internationally recognized distinction that a building or neighborhood development is environmentally responsible, profitable and a healthy place to live and work.
There are both environmental and financial benefits to earning LEED certification, including:
- Lowering operating costs and increasing asset value.
- Reducing waste sent to landfills.
- Conserving energy and water.
- Developing healthier and safer buildings for occupants.
- Creating compact and walk-able communities with good access to neighborhood amenities and transit.
- Protecting natural resources and farmland by encouraging growth to be located in areas with existing infrastructure.
- Reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
- Possible qualifying for tax rebates, zoning allowances, and other incentives in some of cities.
- Demonstrating an owner's commitment to environmental stewardship and social responsibility.
LEED Rating Systems
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LEED for New Construction addresses design and construction activities for both new buildings and major renovations of existing buildings.
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LEED for Shell and Core is a green building rating system for designers, builders, developers and new building owners who want to address sustainable design for new core and shell construction.
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LEED for Commercial Interiors was designed to work hand-in-hand with the LEED for Core & Shell certification system. LEED for Core & Shell is used by developers to certify the core and shell of a project; it prepares the building for environmentally conscious tenants; individual tenants may seek LEED for Commercial Interiors certification for their spaces whether the rest of the building is LEED-certified or not.
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LEED for Existing Buildings Operations & Maintenance provides owners and operators of existing buildings an entry point into the LEED certification process and is applicable to the building operations, processes, systems upgrades, minor space- use changes, and minor facility alterations or additions.
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LEED for Homes is a consensus-developed, third party-verified, voluntary rating system which promotes the design and construction of high-performance green homes.
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LEED for Neighborhood Development is designed primarily for the planning and development of new green neighborhoods proximate to diverse uses or adjacent to connected and previously developed land.
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LEED for Schools recognizes the unique nature of the design and construction of K-12 schools by addressing the uniqueness of school spaces and children’s health issues.
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LEED for Retail Commercial Interiors was designed to work hand-in-hand with the LEED for Core & Shell certification system.
- LEED for Healthcare is designed to guide and distinguish high-performance healthcare projects, including inpatient and outpatient care facilities and licensed long term care facilities.
Sustainable building strategies should be considered early in the development cycle. An integrated project team will include the major project stakeholders such as the developer/owner, architect, engineer, landscape architect, contractor, and asset and property management staff. Implementing an integrated, systems-oriented approach to green project design, development, and operations can yield synergies and improve the overall performance of a building. An initial LEED assessment will bring the project team together to evaluate and articulate the project's goals and the level of certification sought. Project teams can utilize the resources listed below to identify suitable strategies to achieve desired certification goals.
Green Building Impacts, Why Build?
LEED in Brief 2011
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