RATING SYSTEM: LEED BY Sahil Siddique

Tarun Srivastava
WHAT IS GREEN
BUILDING?
Green building is a holistic concept that starts with the understanding that the
built environment can have profound effects, both positive and negative, on the
natural environment, as well as the people who inhabit buildings every day.
Green building is an effort to amplify the positive and mitigate the negative of
these effects throughout the entire life cycle of a building.
While there are many different definitions of green building out there, it is
generally accepted as the planning, design, construction, and operations of
buildings with several central, foremost considerations: energy use, water use,
indoor environmental quality, material section and the building's effects on its
site.
These elements make up the basic parameters for the different credit
categories within the LEED green building rating system. LEED acts as a
framework for decision-making for project teams in all of these areas,
rewarding best practices and innovation and recognizing exemplary building
projects with different levels of LEED certification.
WHAT IS LEED?
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
is a voluntary, market--driven program that provides
third-party verification of green buildings.
From individual buildings and homes, to entire
neighborhoods and communities, LEED is
transforming the way built environments are
designed, constructed, and operated. Comprehensive
and flexible, LEED addresses the entire lifecycle of a
building.
It provides building owners and operators with a
framework for identifying and implementing practical
and measurable green building design, construction,
operations and maintenance solutions
WHAT ACTIONS ARE USGBC CONSIDERING GIVEN
COVID-19?
USGBC has outlined a series of actions and priorities that will support the global recovery effort
and leverage the power of our community to shape a healthier future for all. Under the new Healthy
People in Healthy Places Equals a Healthy Economy strategy, USGBC will update current LEED
strategies in LEED v4.1 that support indoor environmental quality, cleaning, occupant comfort,
operations, better materials and risk management, while finding opportunities to introduce new
approaches given the current public health crisis. USGBC will also be taking the following actions:
Introduce new LEED strategies: In the next two weeks, LEED will launch new pilot credits to support
social distancing, nontoxic surface cleaning, air quality and infection monitoring.
Form CEO Advisory Councils: USGBC will form Regional CEO Advisory Councils to advise and
support USGBC’s CEO on how the organization, its programs and the building and construction
industries can prioritize sustainability in a post-pandemic world.
Accelerate USGBC Equity: Announced at Greenbuild Atlanta in 2019, USGBC will accelerate the
implementation of its USGBC Equity program to better address the social, health and economic
disparities within communities. A listening event is scheduled for May 28-29 to kick start this effort.
Call for ideas: USGBC will launch a call for ideas next week to hear perspectives from the broader
market on how LEED and healthy spaces can evolve given the current public health crisis.
Adapted review process: GBCI, the certifying body for LEED and other green business certification
programs, will amend its LEED review process immediately to incorporate the lessons learned over the
last two months from COVID-19, to ensure projects that are currently undergoing LEED certification can
dynamically transition and make their spaces healthier. Guidance will be published this week.
Guidance reports: USGBC will publish a series of best practice guidance reports to help project teams
assist their occupants as they reenter their spaces.
HISTORY
LEED began in 1993 spearheaded by Natural Resources
Defense Council (NRDC) senior scientist Robert K. Watson who,
as Founding Chairman of the LEED Steering Committee until
2006, led a broad-based consensus process which included
non-profit organizations, government agencies, architects,
engineers, developers, builders, product manufacturers and
other industry leaders. Early LEED committee members also
included USGBC co-founder Mike Italian, architects Bill Reed
and Sandy Mendler, builder Gerard Heifer, builder Myron
Kibbe and engineer Richard Bourne. As interest in LEED grew, in
1996, engineers Tom Paladino and Lynn Barker co-chaired the
newly formed LEED technical committee.
From 1994 to 2006, LEED grew from one standard for new
construction to a comprehensive system of six standards covering
all aspects of the development and construction process. LEED
also has grown from six volunteers on one committee to more
than 200 volunteers on nearly 20 committees and over 200
professional staff in Washington, DC.
LEED was created to accomplish the following:
Define "green building" by establishing a common standard of measurement
Promote integrated, whole-building design practices
Recognize environmental leadership in the building industry
Stimulate green competition
Raise consumer awareness of green building benefits
Transform the building market

Green Building Council members, representing every sector of the building industry, developed
and continue to refine LEED. The rating systems addresses eight major areas:
Location and Planning
Sustainable Sites
Water Efficiency
Energy and Atmosphere
Materials and Resources
Indoor Environmental Quality
Innovation and Design Process
Regional Priority
THE RATING SYSTEM
Five overarching categories correspond to the specialties available under the LEED
Accredited Professional program. That suite currently consists of:
Green Building Design & Construction
LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations
LEED for Core & Shell Development
LEED for Schools
LEED for Retail New Construction (planned 2010)
Green Interior Design & Construction
LEED for Commercial Interiors
LEED for Retail Interiors (planned 2010)
Green Building Operations & Maintenance
LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance
Green Neighborhood Development
LEED for Neighborhood Development
Green Home Design and Construction
LEED for Homes
HOW LEED
WORKS?
For commercial buildings and neighborhoods, to earn LEED certification, a project must satisfy all
LEED prerequisites and earn a minimum 40 points on a 110-point LEED rating system scale.
Homes must earn a minimum of 45 points on a 136-point scale.
Projects earn points to satisfy green building requirements.
Within each of the LEED credit categories, projects must satisfy prerequisites and earn points.
The number of points the project earns determines its level of LEED certification.
WHY
LEED?
LEED-certified buildings are designed to:
Lower operating costs and increase asset value
Reduce waste sent to landfills
Conserve energy and water
Be healthier and safer for occupants
Reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions
MAIN CREDIT CATEGORIES:
Sustainable sites credits encourage strategies that
minimize the impact on ecosystems and water resources.
Water efficiency credits promote smarter use of water,
inside and out, to reduce potable water consumption.
Energy & atmosphere credits promote better building
energy performance through innovative strategies.
Materials & resources credits encourage using
sustainable building materials and reducing waste.
Indoor environmental quality credits promote better
indoor air quality and access to daylight and views.
HOW LEED CONTRIBUTES :
LEED for New Construction & Major Renovations addresses design and construction activities for both new buildings and major
renovations of existing buildings, which includes major HVAC improvements, significant envelope modifications, and major interior
rehabilitation.

LEED for Existing Buildings helps maximize the efficiency of your operations while minimizing the impact on the environment by:
•exterior building site maintenance programs
•water and energy use
•waste stream management
•environmentally preferred products and practices for cleaning and alterations
•ongoing indoor environmental quality.
•sustainable purchasing policies

LEED for Commercial Interiors is the recognized system for certifying high-performance green tenant spaces that are healthy,
productive places to work; are less costly to operate and maintain. INTERIOR OF MCAMI/CT SCAN SUITE HOW LEED
CONRTIBUTES:
LEED for Core & Shell can be used for projects where the developer controls the
design and construction of the entire core and shell base building (e.g., mechanical,
electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems) but has no control over the design and
construction of the tenant fit-out.

LEED for Homes promotes the design and construction of high-performance homes –
energy efficient, resource efficient, and healthy for occupants. A home that achieves LEED
certification has been designed to maximize fresh air indoors, minimizing exposure to
airborne toxins and pollutants. It also has the potential to use 20-30% less energy.

LEED for neighborhood contributes towards Thoughtful neighborhood planning can

limit the need for automobiles and their greenhouse gas emissions. Mixed-use
development and pedestrian-friendly streets encourage walking, bicycling and public
transportation.
LEED RATING IN INDIA
IGBC has licensed the LEED Green Building Standard
from the U.S. Green Building Council and currently is
responsible for certifying LEED-New Construction and
LEED-Core and Shell buildings in India. There are many
energy efficient buildings in India, situated in a variety
of climatic zones.
Indian Green Building Council, is continuously striving
towards wider adoption of eco-friendly / green
building concepts in the Indian Industry.
IGBC promotes a whole-building approach to
sustainability, based on the principles of 5 elements of
nature [ earth, water, fire, air & sky] by recognizing
performance in the following five key areas:
Sustainable site development
Water savings
Energy efficiency
Materials selection
Indoor environmental quality