Building on the 25-year legacy program, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has launched LEED v5. The new version includes updates to strengthen the most widely recognized sustainability standard and adds user-friendly tools to pursue certification through enhanced technology updates.
"Since its public launch 25 years ago, LEED has profoundly impacted millions of people in cities and communities around the world,” says Peter Templeton, president and CEO of USGBC. “LEED v5 raises the bar, further defining and evolving best practices and giving stakeholders across the building industry clear pathways to address today’s challenges to our health, climate, and communities.”
Developed with input from more than 7,000 green building professionals, LEED v5 further defines what makes a high-performance building today and focuses deeper on impact areas of decarbonization, resilience, and human and ecological health.
Half of all points for LEED v5 are toward decarbonization. The new system gives actionable steps to deliver ultra-low-carbon building by reducing emissions across all aspects of the building lifecycle. Each LEED v5 build will complete an operational carbon projection equipped with tools to create a comprehensive, long-term decarbonization plan.
As a constant theme across the rating system, resilience will address both human and natural systems to strengthen communities. Climate resilience assessments will be completed on all LEED v5 projects to enhance awareness of hazards, increase risk transparency, and reduce vulnerabilities to ensure long-term sustainability and safety.
Sarah Zaleski, chief products officer of USGBC says, “Investors, owners, occupants, and policymakers are asking for high-performing buildings that reduce emissions, mitigate climate risk, provide healthy, productive spaces, positively impact communities, and protect natural systems. LEED v5 provides the best practices and accountability to drive performance across all these dimensions, delivering tangible benefits to building owners and their stakeholders.”
Additionally, quality of life credits focus on human-centric strategies that benefit the health and well-being of occupants and the communities in which buildings are located. Demand for healthier and greener spaces has grown globally in recent years, with occupants increasingly wanting more transparency and accountability around sustainability and health in the built environment.
Registration for LEED v5 is now available for new construction, interior, and existing commercial building projects through the LEED platform.
