Jan. 17, 2006: USGBC Streamlines LEED Green Building Certification
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has unveiled a series of improvements to its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system, including what it says is a significantly streamlined documentation and certification process that is now 100 percent online. A result of market surveys and dialogue with the organizations and individuals who use LEED, the USGBC anticipates the changes to the LEED process will reduce the time and cost of LEED certification.
"The LEED process innovations are the culmination of a year's work carried out by a lot of dedicated people," said Tom Hicks, vice president of LEED, USGBC. "Gone are the days when project teams were required to submit binders of documentation, requiring hours of manual preparation. The biggest advancement is that now the LEED process is entirely online, making it easier for project teams to manage."