LEED Certifies 10,000th Project
WASHINGTON — In the midst of ongoing discussions on the program’s merit, the Green Building Certification Institute announced that the 10,000th commercial project has been LEED-certified, according to the U.S. Green Building Council.
The Live Oak Family Resource Center in Santa Cruz, Calif. was awarded LEED Platinum by the institute, — a community center providing families with guidance, information and referrals on childbirth and parenting, health education and services, youth and senior programs, food distribution and other community needs.
"It seems an appropriate reflection of USGBC’s mission of ‘green buildings for everyone within a generation’ that a LEED Platinum community center providing support services to local families would earn this special distinction," said Peter Templeton, president of the institute. "LEED registered and certified projects now number more than 100,000 globally. This number underscores the confidence people have in LEED for saving water, energy, resources and money, and for delivering healthier and more comfortable buildings for the people who occupy them."
The program, created in 2000, certifies more than 1.4 million square feet of new and existing buildings per day, according to the institute.
"Business leaders around the globe are using LEED to design, build, maintain and operate their buildings," said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of the council. "Ten thousand commercial certified buildings stand as a powerful example that a strong triple bottom line translates to real, tangible success."
The council also offers the LEED Volume program for new and existing building owners seeking to certify multiple projects like retail and hotel chains, bank branches and other similar project groupings.
Fedrizzi said the council has only ‘scratched the surface’ of what is possible in the green building field.
"In 10 short years, we’ve fundamentally changed how we construct and operate buildings and communities, and during that time LEED has continued to evolve, pushing sustainable building practice forward with each evolution,” he said. “But there’s much more to do. The market continues to embrace LEED as the leadership standard it was meant to be and our kids deserve the outcomes that green buildings contribute to their future."