In 1993, the U.S. Green Building Council formed as a non-
profit organization. Their mission was
to “transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built, and
operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy and
prosperous environment that improves the quality of life.”
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design. LEED was developed by USGBC to
serve as a system for certifying high-performance buildings and sustainable
neighborhoods. Also, the LEED Green
Building Rating System began as one standard for new construction to now a comprehensive
system of interrelated standards that cover all facets of development and
construction. Currently, there are
13,000 member organizations and more than 52,000 projects that are
participating in LEED. This makes for a total
of 9.8 billion square feet of construction space.
There are different LEED systems available to use for your
project which include LEED for New Construction, LEED for Commercial Interiors
and LEED for Core and Shell to name a few. The rating system focuses on the following
main areas:
-sustainable sites
-water efficiency
-energy and atmosphere
-materials and resources
-indoor environmental quality
-innovation in design
In the following months, we will go into more detail about
the main areas above. At NKB Design and Management, we can help you
achieve your sustainable goals. Keep a
look out and go green!
