The U.S. Green Building Council, the organization that creates and manages the LEED system for green construction, is developing LEED 2009/LEED v3, the next version of LEED. According to a May 21 Webinar led by Scott Horst, chair for the LEED Steering Committee, there are three main changes up for consideration:
- Aligning the commercial rating systems. The rating will include a core group of credits that can be expanded to allow for building specifics. For instance, if a grocery store wants to be certified, LEED could use the core group of credits but also create more specific factors for the grocery store to address.
- Moving to a 100-point scale that weights item ratings according to their environmental impact, as based on categories from the EPA's Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and Other Environmental Impacts (TRACI).
- Awarding points for regional concerns. Regional chapters provide six local issues, and builders may choose up to four to address. For instance, one of the Phoenix area's issues is water management. If a builder addressed water issues as recommended by the Phoenix chapter, it could get up to four additional LEEDs points.
USGBC hopes to launch LEED v3 in January 2009. Information about public comment can be found in this news release.
Comments will be accepted until June 22, 5 p.m. PDT.
