Part of the point of LEED certification is that it should incentivize all the right things. No need to second-guess the requirements: just fulfill those requirements and hang the plaque.

But here at LEEDuser, we’re all about digging in, making sure we understand the context, the nuances, and sometimes the critiques that come with LEED certification. One of those critiques is that people are encouraged to “chase points” without really caring about or fully understanding the intent of the credits.

This quarter’s LEED Addenda were released on Monday, August 1. Outside minor corrections to rating system and reference guide language, here are a few highlights.

We hear a lot about the sustainability commitments and plans of large architecture firms, but the reality is that the vast majority of firms—about 75% in 2019, according to research done by the American Institute of Architects (AIA)—are small (by their definition, “small” means ten or fewer employees). Although these small firms represent a modest share of architecture billings, their work is essential, particularly since they dominate the single-family residential market.

You are running a LEED for Commercial Interiors charette, you are deep into the scorecard, and the Advanced Energy Metering credit comes up. At first glance, it’s easy—just install meters—but then you dig in deeper. Many questions now arise:

Last week during a USGBC Live event in Washington, D.C., we got a glimpse of what the technical development staff and LEED Steering Committee are thinking about for the future of LEED. You can gain your own insights from the recently published presentation found at USGBC.org. 

Several things seem clear.

Project: Infosys Indianapolis Technology and Innovation Hub

Size: 160,585 ft²

Owner: Infosys

Owner’s Representative (Sustainability): Point Energy Innovations

Architect, LEED Manager (Design), and Landscape Architect: Browning Day

MEP Engineer: Ross & Baruzzini

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In this blog post, we provide a rundown of the v4.1 credits to help you navigate the opportunities and drawbacks to pursuing v4.1 compared to v4. Remember: for Operations and Maintenance (O+M) projects, teams must choose between the entire v4 and v4.1 rating systems.

2021 was a year in a string of years of unprecedented weather-related events: mega tornados, record-shattering heat domes, and ever-expanding forest fires. But even in a year like this, the Marshall Fire stands out as something new: a grass fire that turned into an urban firestorm--destroying entire suburban communities on Colorado’s front range between Denver and Boulder. 

Does LEED encourage planting trees? It’s a strange question to be asking 23 years into the rating system. Sure, we know trees are good; they provide shade and wildlife habitats, stabilize soils, and create oxygen, but there is no LEED credit that simply encourages design teams to plant more trees—until now. The publishers of Pilot Credit 158, Assess and Increase Onsite Carbon Sequestration Through Plantings, seem to feel the point needs to be hammered home: PLANT MORE TREES (and shrubs)!

Project: Google Store–Chelsea tenant fit-out

Size: 8,900 ft²

Owner: Google

Architect: REDDYMADE Architecture + Design

MEP Engineer: Rosini Engineering

Contractor: Michilli Construction + Consulting

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Seriously, what are we thinking? Lush golf courses, thirsty almond groves, and huge metropolises in the desert. More sprawling cities built on flood plains. And we wonder why water is dangerously scarce in some places and destructively abundant in others.

We are out of balance with natural water cycles, and we pay for it—billions of dollars per year—when wildfires and floods result.

But it’s not just wildfire- and flood-prone areas that need to practice resilient, sustainable water management. Here’s why:

At 7 Bryant Park in New York City, a plaque from 2016 proudly displays a rating of LEED 2009 Gold. To its left is the building’s current “energy grade,” whose display is required by a recently enacted NYC law. For actual energy use, the building gets a C—an Energy Star score of 60, which means it’s only slightly above average. What gives?

In a surprising announcement, Mahesh Ramanujam let the community know yesterday that he will be stepping down as president and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and its sister organizations GBCI and Arc as of November 1.

Project: citizenM South Lake Union Hotel

Client: citizenM Hotels

Executive Architect: Gensler Seattle

Architect/Interior Designer: concrete Amsterdam

Construction: Mortenson

At first glance, the citizenM South Lake Union Hotel in Seattle is a cheerfully colored building lit up with contemporary artwork. Inside are 264 tiny but sleek guest rooms. What you can’t see is how the hotel was put together from 228 modules.

Project: L’Avenir Living condominiums

Type: Multifamily residential

Architect: Davis Davis Architects

MEP engineer: Group 14

Contractor: Philgreen Construction