Have you heard of LEED? At a recent family reunion I was surprised how many of my relatives knew
about the green building rating system. So I’m going to go out on a limb and bet you have too. I’ll even
hazard a guess that the terms FSC, OPR and VOC* are familiar. Terms popularized in part by the LEED
rating system.
There have been several iterations of LEED over the years. Take the first LEED rating system, LEED for
New Construction and Major Renovation, aka LEED-NC. It started out as LEED-NC v2.0. If was followed
by a v2.1 and a v2.2 before we landed at the current LEED-NC v3 (aka LEED-NC 2009). The new versions
were issued to keep up with reference standards, for example changing from ASHRAE 90.1-2004 to
ASHRAE 90.1-2007, and adjusting the credits here and there, but nothing too drastic. All the changes
were relatively modest and quickly accepted.
Enter LEED v4, the newest update to the LEED rating systems. It was originally called LEED 2012, except
it’s still in the works and won’t be released until next year so it has been rebranded to LEED v4. As part
of its consensus-based process, the USGBC goes through a series of public comment periods before
the final LEED rating system is published. And boy did the public speak. Individuals and lobbyists alike
voiced concerns.
To say there are some changes to the LEED rating system is an understatement. There are more brand
new credits introduced than old ones being updated. In all the previous versions of LEED, there were
always five main sections (site, water, energy, materials, and indoor environmental quality) and now
there will be three more (integrative process, locations and transportation, and performance). There
are more rating systems to choose from. Data Centers, Warehouses & Distribution Centers, and
Hospitality are all being added to the LEED roster of rating systems for new commercial buildings. And
there are a slew of new terms to become familiar with and learn: SAN, MLO, EPD, sDA*, just to name a
few.
This is a lot of change. Some of the public sentiment was that this was too much too fast. Instead, keep
the steps small and gradual like it was with the previous versions of LEED. For most of us in the building
industry, LEED has become familiar. If a project is pursuing LEED, not a problem. Finding a specific low-
VOC adhesive option would take days of research even five years ago, now, not a problem. LEED has
become familiar and relatively easy. It could be argued that we have become complacent with LEED. Is
it time for a change? Are the proposed changes in LEED v4 too much?
I remember a slide in a marketing powerpoint the USGBC published years ago, and long gone. It
made the point that LEED was intended for the top performing buildings. The top 10% if I remember
correctly. The USGBC’s intent of LEED was never to have every building be certified. The intent of LEED
was market transformation – to continuously raise the bar. Has the market transformed? You bet!
Material options, low-flow plumbing fixtures and consideration of passive design strategies (i.e. daylight
harvesting) are all more prolific than 12 years ago when LEED first entered the market. Not only have
the product options changed but design and construction approach has changed too. At the core of
LEED is Integrated Design.
For example, as MEP engineers, you can give us an architectural design & space program and tell us to
put in a system that works. No problem, we’re engineers, we can always find a solution. But is this the
best solution for the project? Would we have done things differently? Do we have suggestions that
could have reduced our load calculations and improved the building’s performance? You bet and LEED
has opened the door for a more collaborative approach in early design.
This new version of LEED aims to provide the second wave of market transformation. Is it going to be
challenging? You bet. Is it going to be a bumpy road? Yup. The USGBC addresses these concerns in
part by allowing projects to choose between LEED v3 and v4 until June 2015. LEED isn’t perfect, but
the whole point of LEED is to provide that necessary paradigm shift in the market to allow us to be the
environmental stewards we need to be for future generations. Personally, I think the protests only go
to show that LEED is on the right track. If it was easy we’d all be doing it. And one day, hopefully, we all will.
Suzanne Robinson heads up the Sustainability Department at Vanderweil Engineers. Vanderweil joined
the USGBC back in 1999 and has worked on 85, and counting, official LEED certified projects. *For more
information about the terms referenced, and LEED v4, visit www.usgbc.org.