Hinweis der Redaktion

1. We believe green buildings are the foundation of something bigger: helping people and the communities and cities they reside in—safely, healthily and sustainably thrive. The heart of our green building community’s efforts must go well beyond construction, efficiency, and the materials that make up our buildings. We must dig deeper and focus on what matters most within those buildings: human beings. Everyone should have safe and healthy places to live, work, learn and play. Leading long and healthy lives is not a privilege—it’s a right for everyone. Shouldn’t the places where we spend 90% of our time support our health and well-being? Improved health and productivity benefits play a more significant role in driving companies to invest in green buildings.
2. We work towards better buildings for better lives through the LEED green building rating system and certification. LEED is a global, regional and local green building rating system, that provides a framework for high preforming, healthy and sustainable buildings, communities and cities around the world. LEED, the most widely used and trusted green building rating system in the world, is a key solution to current environmental challenges and a tool that improves human health.
3. We work towards better buildings for better lives through the LEED green building rating system and certification. LEED is a global, regional and local green building rating system, that provides a framework for high preforming, healthy and sustainable buildings, communities and cities around the world. LEED, the most widely used and trusted green building rating system in the world, is a key solution to current environmental challenges and a tool that improves human health.
4. Today, we are excited to say that LEED is a full-scale global movement. The numbers speak for themselves—LEED is everywhere, with projects in 180 countries and territories…and growing.
5. Our vision at USGBC is simple—Healthy people in healthy places equals a healthy economy.
6. Our vision at USGBC is simple—Healthy people in healthy places equals a healthy economy.
7. Our vision at USGBC is simple—Healthy people in healthy places equals a healthy economy.
8. The top triggers driving future green building activity: client demands (34%), environmental regulations (33%), and healthier buildings (27%). Source: World Green Building Trends 2018 SmartMarket Report
9. The top trigger driving future green building activity is healthier buildings (27%). Creating healthier spaces is now one of the top reasons for building green. It's also listed as the leading social reason, even ahead of motivators like promoting sustainable business practices and worker productivity. Source: World Green Building Trends 2018 SmartMarket Report
10. Why certify? We stand for accountability, and we translate that accountability through the LEED third-party certification process. Behind LEED is an infrastructure developed by industry leaders that supports project teams as they innovate and create high performing buildings, homes and neighborhoods. USGBC invests more than $30 million annually to maintain, operate and improve LEED and its customer delivery. The LEED plaque stands for leadership, and demonstrates that a building has been designed, built and is operating as intended. Being "built to LEED” or “LEED equivalency” doesn’t exist—there is no substitute for LEED certification.
11. Why certify? We stand for accountability and translate that accountability through the LEED third-party certification process. Behind LEED is an infrastructure developed by industry leaders that supports project teams as they innovate and create high-performing buildings, homes and neighborhoods. USGBC invests more than $30 million annually to maintain, operate and improve LEED and its customer delivery. The LEED plaque stands for leadership and demonstrates that a building has been designed and operating as intended. Being "built to LEED” or “LEED equivalency” doesn’t exist—there is no substitute for LEED certification. Now, today we are here to show the Value of LEED and show how LEED can be integrated into your current and future building portfolio so that you can company can become the latest to commit to LEED and, consequently, raise the bar for what we can expect from our buildings, cities and communities. Projects pursuing LEED certification earn points for various green building strategies across several categories based on the number of points achieved; a project earns one of four LEED rating levels: Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum.
12. LEED is a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations & maintenance strategies and solutions.
13. The rating system works for all buildings at all phases of development, from new construction to existing buildings, and all building sectors, from homes to hospitals to corporate headquarters. LEED addresses homes, offices, hotels, hospitals, schools, retail spaces, banks, factories, stadiums, college campuses, neighborhoods… every building type at every lifecycle phase in any climate or region.
14. What are the benefits of pursuing LEED certification? LEED-certified buildings save money, consume less energy, use less water, use fewer resources and provide better indoor environmental quality than traditional buildings. And pursuing LEED and the strategies the rating system employs facilitates better product and material choices in a building and helps to drive innovation.
15. LEED-certified buildings also enjoy a lifetime of returns. They cost less to operate, reducing energy and water bills by as much as 40%. Buildings and organizations across the globe use LEED to increase the efficiency of buildings, freeing up valuable resources that can be used to create new jobs, attract and retain top talent, expand operations and invest in emerging technologies.
16. LEED-certified buildings also enjoy a lifetime of returns. They cost less to operate, reducing energy and water bills by as much as 40%. Buildings and organizations across the globe use LEED to increase the efficiency of buildings, freeing up valuable resources that can be used to create new jobs, attract and retain top talent, expand operations and invest in emerging technologies.
17. Projects pursuing LEED certification earn points for various green building strategies across several categories based on the number of points achieved, a project earns one of four LEED rating levels: Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum
18. LEED building owners report reduced operating costs, lower employee absenteeism and turnover, higher resale value, less time on the market, faster lease up rates and reduced risks compared to traditional buildings.
19. Populous, which has been a USGBC member since 2008, and has worked on LEED-certified projects worldwide, reports that pursuing LEED has allowed them to enjoy significant payback. Heather Stewart states: “Our data proves that the cost of pursuing LEED adds less than 1% of the total project costs while accounting for significant water and energy savings and subsequent payback.” Stat from USGBC’s LEED in Motion: Venues report, https://www.usgbc.org/resources/leed-motion-venues
20. The University of North Texas President reports that the sustainable features of their LEED-certified football stadium pay for themselves within eight years. In 2011, their 31,800-seat football stadium because the first LEED Certified sports arena in the world. President V. Lane Rawlins said afterward: “By building in this manner, the sustainable features of the buildings pay for themselves through their efficiencies within eight years.” Stat from University of Texas press release, https://www.cdrecycler.com/news/university-north-texas-stadium-leed/
21. Leaders across the globe understand that LEED works by enhancing a company’s triple bottom line, helping manage business operations and creating a more sustainable and resource efficient built environment.
22. Leaders across the globe understand that LEED works by enhancing a company’s triple bottom line, helping manage business operations and creating a more sustainable and resource efficient built environment.
23. A survey of Fortune 200 companies conducted by USGBC in 2015 found that the world’s top-performing companies prioritize sustainability as part of their corporate social responsibility efforts, and most of them are using LEED to achieve their goals. 82% of survey respondents said they were likely to continue to use LEED over the next three years for new construction or retrofit projects, 60% believed LEED positively impacts their ROI, 70% said they pursue LEED as a means to save money by being more energy efficient and 80% agree that LEED is a crucial way their company communicates sustainability efforts.
24. Skanska Sweden, one of Skanska AB’s subsidiaries and a Fortune 500 company, has long been a proponent of LEED. Skanska has been a Platinum Member of USGBC since 2000 and has certified over 100 projects to LEED. Pierre Olofsson, CEO of Skanska Sweden states “In contrast to what most people in the industry think, building Green doesn’t necessarily need to cost more. The key to success is to make green an integrated and natural part of the process from the first day of planning and through the entire life of a building.”
25. The choice to pursue LEED is often a question of risk management. Klaus-Peter Hesse, Managing Director of the German Property Federation (ZIA), said “Meanwhile, the certification of the real estate details whether a property is sustainable or not. This is not an image of improvement to the sector, but a market transformation that makes a building's qualities transparent and understandable. Not having a property certified constitutes a question of risk management.”
26. Today’s version of LEED, LEED v4.1, is the next generation standard for green building design, construction, operations and performance that raises the bar on building standards to address energy efficiency, water conservation, site selection, material selection, day lighting and waste reduction. LEED v4.1 is a series of upgrades that improve our standards, encourage leadership and make our platform more user-friendly, more accessible—and most important—more collaborative than ever before. This is not a full version change, but rather an incremental update to the LEED rating systems. LEED v4.1 is our most inclusive and transparent platform to date. 
27. When we take lessening the impact of buildings on the environment to the next level we arrive at LEED Zero. For more than two decades, LEED has provided a framework for high performance buildings and spaces, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions through strategies impacting land, energy, transportation, water, waste and materials. Building on that work, USGBC has developed LEED Zero, a complement to LEED that verifies the achievement of net zero goals in carbon, energy, water and waste.
28. Many companies—from Fortune 500s to the federal government and small businesses—and some of the most iconic buildings in the world are using LEED as an essential tool to validate investments and outcomes in their real estate. These case studies below all tell unique sustainability stories and show how companies and buildings around the world are implementing LEED to generate impressive savings.
29. The Citibank Mumbai India project is the headquarters of Citi in India and one of 5 Citi India offices that are LEED certified. By implementing the strategies in LEED, this project has been able to decrease potable water usage by 42% and reduce energy consumption by over 600 thousand kWh per year, saving more than 7.65 million INR per year on energy bills.
30. In the United States, one of the oldest federal buildings in DC, the Treasury Building received LEED Gold certified under the Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance rating system in 2011. At the time of certification, it was the world’s oldest building to certify to LEED. The 510,000 square foot building has decreased potable water usage by 43%, electrical usage by 7% and steam usage by 53%. And the sustainability strategies it employed through pursuing LEED certification are saving American taxpayers an impressive $3.5 million every year.
31. The (Ja – wah – har – lal) (Ne – Roo) (Ba – wan) office of Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi is the first ministry office in India to receive LEED Gold Certification. The facility, covering 7.8 acres, was designed to promote daylight and ventilation. Insulated building envelope and energy efficient cooling systems have all been integrated. The project’s key features include decreasing potable water usage by 100% and reducing energy consumption by 1.6 million kWh annually, saving more than INR 9.7 million per year.
32. When TAPIEI 101 originally certified in 2011 as LEED Platinum under our existing building rating system it was big news. As one of the tallest buildings in the world with 101 floors and over 2 million square feet, it has become an icon and set the quality and performance benchmark for supertall buildings in Asia. From 2008 to 2010, TAIPEI 101 invested in significant energy efficiency retrofit projects to generate energy and water savings, including an annual reduction in energy consumption by 3341 million kWh, cost savings of more than US $2 million per year and savings of about 28 million liters of potable water annually. The building is also a model for resiliency and was designed to withstand typhoons and earthquakes. All of this has ensured the building’s leadership in the green building sector: The ENERGY STAR® database reported that TAIPEI 101 ranks in the top 30% of high-rise office buildings in the world.
33. When TAPIEI 101 originally certified in 2011 as LEED Platinum under our existing building rating system it was big news. As one of the tallest buildings in the world with 101 floors and over 2 million square feet, it has become an icon and set the quality and performance benchmark for supertall buildings in Asia. From 2008 to 2010, TAIPEI 101 invested in significant energy efficiency retrofit projects to generate energy and water savings, including an annual reduction in energy consumption by 3341 million kWh, cost savings of more than US $2 million per year and savings of about 28 million liters of potable water annually. The building is also a model for resiliency and was designed to withstand typhoons and earthquakes. All of this has ensured the building’s leadership in the green building sector: The ENERGY STAR® database reported that TAIPEI 101 ranks in the top 30% of high-rise office buildings in the world.
34. The Manitoba Hydro Place Winnipeg project in Manitoba, Canada is considered one of the most energy efficient office towers in North America. Even though Winnipeg is one of the coldest cities in the world, with temperatures as low as -50 C, the project still manages to reduce energy use by over 70% compared to traditional office towers as a result of certifying to LEED. This has resulted in an estimated annual energy savings of over $500,000.
35. Certified as LEED Platinum in 2010, Suzlon One Earth in Pune, India is a three-story structure on a sprawling 10-acre campus. When designed it pledged to be the greenest office in India and, using LEED certification as a benchmark, the project has achieved impressive results, reducing energy consumption by 2.2 million kWh and saving more than INR 12.8 million per year.
36. With a locally vegetated sky level lobby, pedestrian corridors and a green wall covering 3,228 square feet of the building's main entrance, Torre Vistral directly connects people to nature in downtown Mexico City. All of the aforementioned features are irrigated with onsite treated water, saving the building 5,700 gallons of potable water every year. As for energy efficiency, Torre Vistral's environmental features save the building $57,884 US dollars per year.
37. 815 Connecticut Avenue is a beacon of innovation and sustainability in Washington, D.C. Originally constructed in 1964, the building completed a major renovation from 2008 to 2013 that consisted of two phases. The result was a LEED Platinum certified space that saw 90% building reuse, 75% waste diversion during construction and approximately $350,000 annual savings in utility expenses.
38. LEED applies to all building types and at all phases of development—even residential projects, industrial facilities, sports stadiums, community centers and much, much more. Certified under the LEED for Homes rating system at the Gold level in 2012, the project team for the Sterling Alvarado Student Housing Project in San Diego focused mainly on energy efficiency and ventilation strategies as their chief sustainability goals for the project. As a result, the building has seen a 30% savings in utility expenses and a performance improvement of 25.1% over California’s 2008 Title 24 Energy Code.
39. In 2011, the Orlando Magic’s Amway Center became the first NBA arena to earn LEED Gold under the LEED BD+C: New Construction rating system. By pursuing LEED certification, the facility was able to save nearly a million a year, including close to $700,000 in annual energy costs alone.
40. A LEED credential denotes proficiency in today’s sustainable design, construction and operations standards. More than 204,000 professionals have earned a LEED credential to help advance their careers.
41. Register your projects by accessing our state-of the-art Arc platform to help lead you closer toward LEED certification! This recently launched digital platform helps you work toward LEED certification. Arc allows any project—whether a single building, community or even an entire city—to enter the platform, measure improvements and benchmark against itself and projects around it. You can use Arc to make incremental sustainability improvements to your projects and eventually achieve LEED certification.
42. How does Arc work? The platform calculates a performance score out of 100, based on global building data and action-oriented strategies across five categories: water, waste, transportation and human experience. Project owners can leverage this score to monitor and make improvements, and work toward certification for their buildings.
43. And you’ll also want to join us and become a member of USGBC! USGBC Membership includes reduced rates for LEED registration and LEED certification, as well as reduced rate for access to Arc. You’ll get access to an expert Account Manager from USGBC who will be your direct contact for anything you need and to help you grow your sustainable brand. You’ll also receive award-winning support for all your buildings from world-class LEED experts as your portfolio moves forward to LEED certification.
44. Here’s a complete breakdown of a 12 Month timeline to achieve LEED certification: 1. Join USGBC as a member today and choose your level of Membership based on your company’s corporate goals 2. Identify your existing and future building portfolio. During this phase, you’ll work directly with your USGBC Account Manager to register your buildings on the Arc Platform. 3. Partner with USGBC, GBCI and Arc to work towards certification. Your USGBC Account Manager will facilitate support for all your projects as they progress towards certification and open avenues with USGBC Marketing and Education teams to promote your corporate sustainable footprint and brand further. 4. Submit your projects for LEED Certification: With all the prerequisites completed and 12 months of data reported, your projects can submit for LEED Certification. 5. Certify to LEED!
45. Next, you’ll get started on the path to certification using the Arc platform through these five simple steps...
46. Cushman & Wakefield reported that LEED-certified buildings have consistently achieved higher rents than their non-LEED counterparts, averaging $4.13 or 11.1% higher rent than non-LEED certified buildings. Cushman & Wakefield (2021). Green Is Good: Sustainable Office Outperforms in Class A Urban Markets.
47. Cushman & Wakefield’s report also found that since 2018, LEED-certified assets held a 21.4% higher average market sales price per square foot over non-LEED buildings. Cushman & Wakefield (2021). Green Is Good: Sustainable Office Outperforms in Class A Urban Markets.
48. LEED-certified building inventory continues to grow rapidly, making up 46% of urban deliveries in the last 10 years. Cushman & Wakefield (2021). Green Is Good: Sustainable Office Outperforms in Class A Urban Markets.
49. The LEED-certified office has consistently performed at a premium when it comes to pricing across quality classes and geographies. Cushman & Wakefield. (2021). Green Is Good: Sustainability’s Impact on Office Investment Pricing.
50. Keeping quality and class constant, LEED-certified Class A urban office sales generated a 25.3% price per square foot premium over non-certified buildings. In comparison, LEED-certified Class A suburban offices achieved a 40.9% premium over non-certified assets. Cushman & Wakefield. (2021). Green Is Good: Sustainability’s Impact on Office Investment Pricing.
51. LEED-certified Class B office achieved the highest premium, 77.5% over its non-certified comparable set. Cushman & Wakefield. (2021). Green Is Good: Sustainability’s Impact on Office Investment Pricing.
52. According to the USGBC/GBCI 2021 Community Report, community members see many opportunities stemming from the challenges of 2020, including the focus on health. Members see more demand for buildings to promote a healthy environment for occupants and more people understand the link between buildings and the environment and how the connection impacts individual health and wellness.  USGBC/GBCI 2021 Community Report. 20 Apr. 2021. ‌
53. According to the USGBC/GBCI 2021 Community Report, indoor air quality and the health of people living and working inside buildings are issues that have become MORE important to the green building community due to the COVID-19 pandemic/ USGBC/GBCI 2021 Community Report. 20 Apr. 2021.
54. LEED-certified assets outperform during recession-recovery periods, having lower vacancies than their non-LEED counterparts in the wake of COVID-19. Cushman & Wakefield. (2021). Green Is Good: Sustainable Office Outperforms in Class A Urban Markets.
55. The pandemic accelerated tenant demand for ESG assets. Since 2020, the occupancy rate for LEED-certified assets has increased from 90% to 92% in the U.S., while non-LEED occupancy in the U.S. has fallen from 90% to 88% over the same period. Cushman & Wakefield. (2021). Green Is Good: Sustainable Office Outperforms in Class A Urban Markets.