The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Washington, D.C., has opened the newest version of its LEED green building program for registration of new construction projects and interior spaces. The new version, LEED v4.1, includes changes to help improve energy performance and emphasizes human health and integrative building design.
"The hallmark of LEED is ‘continuous improvement’ – and that is exactly where we are going with LEED v4.1," said Mahesh Ramanujam, president & CEO, USGBC. "LEED v4.1 is set to raise the bar. It is the most comprehensive, collaborative, accessible and effective LEED system to date. From improving energy performance to emphasizing human health and integrative building design, LEED is encouraging project teams to operate beyond the status quo."
USGBC’s goal for LEED v4.1 was to make the rating system more accessible to more projects based on lessons learned from LEED v4 project teams, the organization said in a release. This newest beta version updates performance thresholds and referenced standards for improved performance throughout the life of buildings and incorporates performance reporting to enable building owners to track progress towards environmental, social and governance goals.
Currently, there are more than 96,200 commercial projects participating in LEED in 167 countries and territories.
