Translating the overhaul of LEED - Charlotte Business Journal:

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The new version of the ’s Leadership in Energyy and Environmental Design program goes into effectJune 27. Developerxs of projects already registeredf under older versions of the program can upgradee to LEED2009 — also known as LEED 3.0. Developersd can obtain LEED 2009 certification infive categories: new core and shell; commercial existing buildings (operation and maintenance); and schools. The new versiom doesn’t yet apply to LEED programs for homes, neighborhooc development, retail or healthy care. LEED uses a point system to scorewa building’s design, constructiob and operation for traits related to energy efficienchy and sustainability.
Those pointe grade the project onfour certified, silver, gold and platinum. The new versiob introduces a weighted system forevaluating Before, developers could get the same amount of credit for addiny a bike rack as they would for installingv a system to conserve water. That could encourage green-washing, some critics say, because some developers simplyychased points. Says Kavita Gupta of design firm : “AA project could achieve a higher leve of LEED certification with only minimal energy savingsz compared toa non-LEEsD building.” Not anymore. Now elements that work together, increaswe conservation and support healthy environments earnmore credits.
Gupta, who works out of the firm’es Charlotte office, praises the added prerequisitre for water conservation as an example of awelcomerd change. “Saving energy and water directly translates into financial benefift forbuilding owners.” LEED 2009 also encourages the use of new innovationzs in design. “It is no secret that LEED is not the perfectf answer to the challenges of climate saysVic Ogburn, a LEED-accredited professional at Charlotte-bases . “But by being open to evaluating and modifying the LEED should be able to remain viablwe asthe benchmark.” Building codes around the countruy are increasingly mirroring LEED standards.
“A s that happens, the LEED criteria have to change in order to stay ahear of being just standardbuildinbg practices,” Ogburn says. Plus, the program introducesa regional credits that recognizelocal conditions. For example, a buildint constructed in the Carolinas faces different environmentakl challenges than a project in the West or New LEED 2009 also change the way professionals are accredited by addingt specialty designations that reflect the differentf categories of greenbuilding standards.
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