USA LEED
Industry gears up
for system change
LEED
With the new American LEED system due to go live this
The rating
month, Eszter Gulacsy looks at what the shake-up means
process
for the scheme’s accreditation professionals
Some of the new features
of LEED 2009, which
was passed by the US
T
he Leadership in Energy and Environmental The new AP scheme introduces three tiers of
Green Building Council
Design benchmarking system for sustainable LEED accreditation, aimed at professionals with
membership ballot
buildings is set to undergo major changes in varying levels of experience and involvement in LEED
in November and is
expected to go live this
2009. The new set of initiatives, collectively projects:
month, are:
termed LEED version 3, includes major changes to the • LEED Green Associate: this first tier of credentials
rating system and its accreditation scheme. will be available to industry professionals who would • All rating systems within
The new rating system, known as LEED 2009, was like to demonstrate a basic level of knowledge of LEED
the LEED family will
have a maximum score
developed by the US Green Building Council originally and green building practices, but would not necessarily
of 100 + 10 points – this
for use in the United States. However, in recent participate in LEED projects. In the current LEED will harmonise the new
years – along with significant US domestic growth – system, one credit is available for projects, where an
rating systems and make
it easier to relate scores to
interest in the LEED system has been increasing from AP is part of the design team. Green Associates will
each other across rating
international developers and property owners. As of not be LEED APs and thus will not earn LEED project systems
January 2009, projects from more than 90 countries credit. This level of accreditation will be achievable by
• Credit groups will now
have attained, or are pursuing, LEED certification. sitting a two-hour exam.
be weighted in relation to
• LEED AP+: This will correspond to the current
each other with Energy
LEED AP title, but will have five specialist areas:
& Atmosphere being the
most heavily weighted
There are more than 77,000 LEED
building design and construction; interior design and
credit group – this
APs worldwide, for approximately
construction; operations and maintenance; homes; and
weighting exercise has
neighbourhood development. APs will have a speciality
been completed during
32,000 registered LEED projects
the development of the
in the new system, and will be able to receive credit
new rating systems, thus
only for projects within their specialist area. LEED
no actual weighting factors
LEED 2009 is in its final draft form and is expected to AP+ accreditation will require sitting a speciality exam,
are visible to the final
in addition to the fundamental exam required for
user of the LEED system.
go live this month.
Some credits will simply
Until recently, becoming a LEED AP, or Accredited Green Associates. be worth more than
Professional, involved sitting a rather challenging • LEED AP Fellow: the highest tier of recognition will
others
examination, but once accreditation was achieved, differentiate LEED APs with exceptional industry
• The weighting of credits
LEED APs could keep their title indefinitely without knowledge and experience. The details of this reflects the USGBC’s
the need to maintain their knowledge or even programme are still being developed.
efforts to incorporate
Current LEED APs will have two years to opt into
life-cycle assessment
participate in LEED projects. This resulted in many
methodology into future
industry professionals (especially in the US) becoming the new system to avoid losing their qualification, by versions of the LEED
LEED APs to demonstrate a basic understanding of agreeing to CPD requirements and demonstrating
system
green building practices (as a form of “industry best basic experience with one LEED project. Becoming
• Some individual
practice”), rather than to run actual LEED projects. a LEED AP Fellow is likely to require some level of
credits will have more
Curiously, there are more than 77,000 LEED APs industry recognition. l
stringent requirements
for compliance; in some
worldwide (most of them in the US), for approximately
cases new prerequisites
32,000 registered LEED projects (18,000 commercial
Eszter Gulacsy is senior sustainability consultant for
will be introduced
and 14,000 residential). In reality, only a fraction of
LEED/AP at MTT Sustain.
(for example, water
resources) or existing
those 77,000 LEED APs participate in LEED projects.
prerequisites made
There clearly seemed to be a market need for a
more challenging. For
LEED accreditation that recognises the individual’s
many credits, changes
reflect updates made to
knowledge of green building practices, but also
underlying standards
differentiates LEED professionals, who not only know
– for example ASHRAE
about LEED, but also use their knowledge in LEED
standards, which were
updated in 2007.
projects on an everyday basis.
42 CIBSE Journal March 2009
www.cibsejournal.com
CIBSEmar09 pp42 leed.indd 42 6/3/09 14:18:58
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