The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that a fifth public comment period on proposed updates to the LEED (Leadership and Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating systems will run from October 2, 2012, to December 10, 2012, with submission of the proposed changes to a vote by the USGBC membership scheduled for June 1, 2013.
As noted in a prior blog post, LEED v4 was previously known as LEED 2012. LEED 2012 had been scheduled for a vote in June 2012, with a launch to take place by the end of the year. However, balloting was deferred first to August 15, 2012, and then to June 1, 2013. In announcing the delay, the USGBC President commented that "we have heard repeatedly that while our community continues to fully embrace our mission, they need more time to absorb the changes we're proposing and to get their businesses ready to take the step with us."
The USGBC website summarizes the anticipated changes as follows:
- New market sectors: data centers, warehouses and distribution centers, hospitality facilities (i.e. hotels), existing schools and existing retail, and LEED for Homes Mid-Rise.
- Increased technical rigor: revisions to credit weights, new credit categories focusing on integrated design, life cycle analysis of materials, and an increased emphasis on measurement and performance.
- Streamlined services: An improved LEED user experience that makes the LEED Online platform more intuitive and introduces tools to make the LEED documentation process more efficient.
Thirty-seven credits are up for comment, including several relating to "Building Product Disclosure and Optimization" that are characterized as "major changes." Some of the materials credits have been particularly controversial. There will undoubtedly be a number of public comments.
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