WASHINGTON — The U.S. Green Building Council’s membership voted overwhelmingly to adopt a more stringent application of the organization’s sustainable-building rating system.
In a move aimed at improving the energy performance of USGBC-certified buildings, projects will be required to incorporate at least two rating points under the Optimize Energy Performance criterion in order to be eligible for LEED recognition, officials say.
ATLANTA — The DeKalb County School System started construction of a new high school that is expected to achieve LEED silver certification and set new building standards for the district and the state.
Arabia Mountain High School, scheduled to open in January 2009, will be the first LEED-certified public school in the state of Georgia, according to reports.
LANCASTER, Pa. — The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded LEED Platinum certification to the corporate headquarters of Armstrong World Industries.
Built in 1998, the three-story glass-and-steel relies on wind energy for about 75 percent of its power, officials say. The facility has an energy consumption rate of 1.5 watts per square foot, which is half the average rate for comparable buildings in the United States.
SAN FRANCISCO — The $25 million Orchard Garden Hotel became the first hotel in the city awarded LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The 86-room hotel, which is set in the heart of San Francisco’s tourist belt between the historic Union Square and Chinatown, is the third hotel in the United States to receive LEED recognition for environmental sustainability, officials say.
