Updated LEED credits addresses regional differences during construction

USGBC releases LEED regional credits as part of the new green building rating system.

By Source: USGBC April 24, 2009

The U.S. Green Building Council released the LEED regional

credits as part of LEED 2009 ; the new version of the LEED Green Building Rating

System. The new LEED credit encourages specific regional environmental

priorities to be addressed during design, construction, and operations of

buildings in different geographic locations.

“Because environmental priorities differ among various

regions of the country-the challenges in the Southeast differ from those in the

Northwest, for example-regionally specific credits give LEED a way to directly

respond to diverse, regionally grounded issues,” said Brendan Owens, Vice

President of Technical Development, USGBC. “The inclusion of these regional

LEED credits is the Council’s first step toward addressing regional

environmental issues.”

USGBC’s regional councils, chapters, and affiliates addressed

six specific environmental issues within a region. For LEED 2009, LEED projects

will be able to earn “bonus points” for implementing green building strategies

that address environmental issues facing their region. A project can be awarded

as many as four extra points; one for each for achieving up to four to six

priority credits.

LEED 2009 is one of the three major components that make up

LEED Version 3; the next version of the LEED green building certification

program, which launches on April 27, 2009. The other components include LEED

Online, which is a tool for managing the LEED registration and

certification  process, and a building

certification model administered by the Green Building Certification Institute

through a network of ISO-accredited certification bodies.