What LEED Needs

Established in 2000, the LEED rating system has been greatly successful in bringing sustainable building practices into mainstream construction. An article in the Fast Company website describes the LEED rating system as a simple concept where buildings are given points under six categories that include: site design, water use, energy consumption, materials, indoor air quality and innovative design. [1] Nearly 6,500 projects have so far registered for LEED certification from the USGBC.

The Aldo Leopold Foundation Headquarters, located in Wisconsin is the first LEED-platinum carbon-neutral building.
Source:http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/11/08/first-leed-platinum-carbon-neutral-building/

But, LEED has its shortcomings and with many cities now requiring certification for new building proposals; improving the system would only make it more beneficial. One of the drawbacks of LEED is the cost involved in getting a development certified. Reports suggest that it can cost around $100,000 to document a buildings performance for the certification process. [2] These high costs have kept the low budgeted development proposals from applying for a LEED rating.

The LEED system has also focused on being an architectural attempt at sustainable buildings rather than an urban design solution. A commentary by Philip Langdon in the September issue of New Urban News magazine points out that green buildings are insufficient if they are in locations that require users to consume more fuel to get there. [3] The new LEED-ND program could provide the focus on contextual design that the rating criterion lacks otherwise.

Other aspects that the rating system needed to focus on was CO2 emissions from buildings and life-cycle assessment of building performances in terms of energy savings. In June this year, USGBC launched a campaign to improve LEED strategies and address these issues. [4]

LEED has played a key role in promoting sustainability and I believe it will continue to be an important platform for green buildings. The system needs to be consistently upgraded to ensure it doesn’t become a piecemeal approach. Bringing down the costs required to rate a development is a challenge that the USGBC must tackle. Such high costs only make green building practices seem very expensive and could deter developers from embracing them.

Bibliography
1. The Green Standard
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/119/the-green-standard.html
2. Langdon, Philip. “Commentary: What's right and wrong with LEED”
http://www.newurbannews.com/CommentarySep07.html
3.Can LEED Survive the Carbon-Neutral Era? http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=3051
4. New Improved LEED Underway
http://www.interiordesign.net/id_newsarticle/CA6456970.html