Page 52 - CCD Magazine - Winter-Spring 2019 Issue

Patti Mason Patti Mason is the Mountain West Regional Director, U.S. Green Building Council. Colorado Building Green The Evolution of LEED by Patti Mason COLORADO Created nearly two decades ago as a way to measure and define green building, LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, provides a framework to create healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings. LEED has become the world’s most widely used green building rating system, with more than 96,000 commercial projects participating in LEED in more than 167 countries and territories. LEED continues to evolve and improve as changes in technology push the building industry toward a more transparent, sustainable and prosperous future. Originally launched in 2000, the original version of LEED went through incremental changes. LEED v3, also known as v2009, was released in 2009 and resulted in a substantial increase in the adoption of the rating system, partially due to a streamlined documentation process and the advent of local policies encouraging LEED buildings. LEED v4 followed in 2013 and continued to push the market. In 2017, USGBC initiated a technical development process to deliver LEED v4.1, a series of incremental updates to make the rating system more accessible and collaborative. A part of our work with LEED v4.1 was to make it easier to incorporate feedback and make changes to the rating system. LEED v4.1 encourages project teams to operate beyond the status quo and emphasizes ongoing performance monitoring and human health. In March 2018, USGBC opened registration for existing buildings with LEED v4.1 O+M, and in January 2019, opened registration for new construction and interior spaces with LEED v4.1 BD+C and LEED v4.1 ID+C. Updated versions of the residential and LEED for Cities and Communities rating systems will be open for registration later in 2019. As green building strategies and practices evolve, and as new versions of LEED are released to keep up with 52 | Colorado Construction & Design the continual innovations and advancements in the green building industry, individual states are using LEED as a tool to advance green building across cities and communities. USGBC recently announced the Top 10 States for LEED, recognizing states with the greatest amount of certified square feet per person in 2018. As it has for the past 9 years, Colorado once again made the list. Colorado ranked sixth in the nation for LEED in 2018, a four-place jump from its tenth ranking the year before. Colorado is one of only two states, along with Illinois, which ranked first in 2018, to make USGBC’s Top 10 list every year since its inception in 2010. In 2018, Colorado certified 114 projects, an increase of 38 projects over 2017, equaling more than 17 million square feet and representing 3.39 square feet of certified space per person. With LEED v4.1, we hope that buildings and LEED users will continue to demonstrate leadership and find new ways to improve quality of life. USGBC’s vision is for all people to have access to green buildings within a generation. The updates in LEED v4.1 will help us deliver our vision while ensuring that all LEED- certified buildings perform and fulfill the promise of their design. With each new version of the rating system, LEED challenges the building industry to be more resource efficient and sustainable. LEED is a leadership standard, an international symbol of excellence. The evolution of LEED with v4.1 raises the bar and broadens the reach of the rating system, inviting the global green building market to advance and expand in pursuit of a more sustainable future.