LEED v4 Changes for New Construction

image of the construction of a commercial buildingThe U.S. Green Building Council is always trying to improve their LEED Green Building Program; to this end, they have come up with their latest version of the new construction criteria for LEED certification. The newest update of NC LEED v4 is set to be launched at the USGBC’s Greenbuild Conference and Expo in Philadelphia in November 2013. USGBC is offering a two-year grace period after the launch, during which project teams can choose to pursue either LEED 2009 or LEED v4 in order to gradually ease the market into the new changes.

Whereas version 2009 of the LEED rating system only features five main credit categories (Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality), the new version will introduce two additional categories: Integrative Process and Locations and Transportation). Here is a list of all the NC LEED v4 credit categories and their components that will be presented in the fall:

Integrative Process:

  • Integrative Process

Location and Transportation:

  • LEED for ND Location
  • Sensitive Land Protection
  • High Priority Site
  • Surrounding Density & Diverse Uses
  • Access to Quality Transit
  • Bicycle Facilities
  • Reduced Parking Footprint
  • Green Vehicle

Sustainable Sites:

  • Site Assessment
  • Site Development – Protect or Restore Habitat
  • Open Spaces
  • Rainwater Management
  • Heat Island Reduction

Water Efficiency:

  • Water Use Reduction
  • Building –Level Water Metering
  • Indoor Water Use Reduction

Energy and Atmosphere:

  • Minimum/Optimize Energy Performance
  • Building – Level Energy Metering
  • Advanced Energy Metering
  • Demand Response
  • Green Power & Carbon Offset

Materials and Resources:

  • Construction & Demolition Waste Management Planning
  • Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction
  • Building Product Disclosure & Optimization – Sourcing of Raw Materials
  • Building Product Disclosure & Optimization – Material Ingredients\
  • Construction & Demolition Waste Management

Indoor Environment Quality:

  • Enhanced IAQ Strategies
  • Low Emitting Interiors
  • Thermal Comfort
  • Acoustic Performance

LEED’s primary goal is to continuously raise the bar of building standards by showing owners and users a better quality of living and working environments.  It is the need to improve upon current building practices and use of sustainable features that makes LEED so influential and relevant in today’s world. With the addition of the NC LEED v4 changes, LEED has raised the bar another notch.

If interested in the NC LEED v4 changes, please check out the U.S. Green Building Council website at www.usgbc.org.

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