The U.S. Green Building Council launched LEED v5, the latest version of its flagship Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building program. LEED v5 registration is available for new construction, interior and existing commercial building projects.
Highlights include:
Decarbonization accounts for half the points for LEED v5 certification. The new rating system provides clear, actionable steps to deliver ultra-low-carbon buildings by targeting emissions reductions across all aspects of the building lifecycle. All LEED v5 projects will complete an operational carbon projection and will be given tools to craft a comprehensive, long-term decarbonization strategy.
Quality of life credits focus on human-centric strategies that address the health and well-being of occupants and the communities in which buildings are located.
Resilience is another major theme, addressing both human and natural systems to strengthen communities. All LEED v5 projects will complete climate resilience assessments to enhance awareness of hazards, increase transparency of risks, reduce vulnerabilities and ensure long-term safety and sustainability. Once projects conduct assessments, LEED v5 offers a variety of strategies that can be incorporated at every stage of the building lifecycle to reduce risk and enhance resilience.
All projects certified under LEED v5 will receive impact reports to communicate their strategies and performance to internal and external stakeholders. In addition, the new project priorities category allows customization of LEED to meet the unique opportunities across all global regions and market sectors.
