Decarbonizing the built environment is an essential part of achieving national goals to reduce U.S. building emissions by 65% by 2035 and 90% by 2050. The built environment currently contributes approximately 42% of U.S.

The path to decarbonizing the built environment has shifted dramatically in recent years as we’ve learned more about the urgency of embodied carbon.

This quarter’s LEED Addenda for v4 and v4.1 were released by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) on July 26, 2024.

By Nadav Malin and Paula Melton

It’s here. So what’s new?

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released LEED v5 for its first public comment period on April 3, 2024, giving us our first detailed look at the next generation of the program that has defined green building in North America and around the world for more than twenty years.

The seeds of what is now BuildingGreen were planted nearly four decades ago, when Alex Wilson started the company in his home in Dummerston, Vermont. Alex and his wife, Jerelyn Wilson, created this company and have nurtured it ever since.

Both Alex and Jerelyn are retiring from BuildingGreen at the end of 2023. This is momentous—the departure of both our visionary founder, Alex; and Jerelyn, our CEO of the past five years.

LEEDUser guest author Dave Hubka is sustainability practice leader at architecture firm EUA and has been working with sustainable design and LEED for 20+ years. 

Hunting for documents when compiling a LEED application can be quite the adventure. The task requires a seasoned LEED explorer ready to battle the elements while crossing oceans, ascending mountains, and traversing deserts.

This is the fourth post in a series on LEED v5; it focuses on new construction. Part One provides an overview of the philosophy and underlying structure of all the LEED v5 rating systems. Part Two discusses what’s new in the already drafted O+M rating system. 

This is the third post in a series on LEED v5; it focuses on new construction. Part One provides an overview of the philosophy and underlying structure of all the LEED v5 rating systems.

This is the second post in a series on LEED v5. Part One provides an overview of the philosophy and underlying structure of all the LEED v5 rating systems. Part Three looks at energy and operational carbon in BD+C and ID+C.

This is the first post in a series on LEED v5. Part Two provides an overview of the O+M draft. A later series will dive deeper on O+M. Part Three looks at energy and operational carbon in BD+C and ID+C. Part Four is about the proposed EQ approach.

Everyone wants a window.

But the design strategies for ensuring everyone gets one—particularly in a shared open office—are far from straightforward. Plus, that extra glazing is hardly worth it if people see nothing but a brick wall or an acre of parked cars. Human beings who find themselves stuck in buildings all day long typically want a connection to something restorative or inspiring. 

What a pleasure it was hosting Sarah Talkington (LEED Steering Committee chair) and Keith Amann (past chair of the LEED Advisory Committee, past member of the LEED Steering Committee) for our recent LEEDuser coffee talk, What’s up with LEED v5?

Even better: Sarah and Keith generously agreed to answer some lingering questions we didn’t get to during our very lively Q&A period. So I’m listing those answers below. (Note: the “I” in some of the answers below is Sarah. I’ve put any added thoughts from me in parentheses and italics.)

Mindful MATERIALS is partnering with BuildingGreen, a leader in green building knowledge, consulting, and communities, to broaden the building product manufacturing and AEC industries’ understanding of the Common Materials Framework (CMF). The CMF is a common language for sustainability data that will help databases and certification platforms speak to each other. This shared language will help users select the right materials to meet their environmental, social, and health goals.

Buildings produce about 40% of annual CO₂ emissions globally, according to an Architecture 2030 analysis of International Energy Agency data. With awareness of this fact growing in both the real estate industry and the general public, developers are becoming increasingly attracted to the idea of “going green” because they can tackle carbon emissions while also conserving energy and water and improving the marketability of their buildings. 

Climate change is searing us with localized heat waves, and the planet recently reached its highest-ever average temperature—a record that was immediately broken and is sure to be broken again and again in the near future.