U.S. Green Building Council Introduces Rating System for Existing Buildings
On
Oct. 25, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced the
introduction of the next version of the LEED® (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System for Existing
Buildings.
Titled "LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance,"
this version includes fewer program prerequisites, greater emphasis on
facilities operations and maintenance, updated referenced standards and
expanded sections on water efficiency, energy performance, building
commissioning and green cleaning. These changes, while not affecting
the intent of the rating system, will clarify it and amplify the
operations and maintenance scope of the rating system, officials said.
"LEED is all about continuous improvement, finding new and better
processes, incorporating new data and science, and we work hard to
respond to the suggestions and needs of our members and of the
marketplace," said Doug Gatlin, USGBC's national accounts director.
"It's this commitment to continuous improvement that led to this latest
version of LEED."
Gatlin noted that in response to market input, this new version of
the rating system seeks to address concerns about the amount of
documentation required, to clean up some ambiguous language, to
streamline the prerequisites and to resolve some overlap with the LEED
for new construction system.
"Existing commercial buildings in the United States account for 60
billion square feet of space. If we want to make a difference for the
environment, building occupants and our bottom lines, we must get our
existing building stock up to peak green performance," said USGBC Board
member Tim Cole, of Forbo, a member of the Alliance for Sustainable
Built Environments. "LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and
Maintenance is a labor of love by those of us who feel that such a
roadmap is crucial in our efforts to meet that goal.
For more information, contact USGBC at http://www.usgbc.org.