“LEED sits at the core of the green building movement, and is critical in realizing our collective mission,” said Scot Horst, senior vice president of LEED, USGBC. “LEED’s strength comes from its continuous evolution. This continuous improvement is the outcome of thousands of technical volunteers working to develop the program and the adaptability of the program to technological and market changes.”

USGBC said the current draft of LEED has been refined to address technical stringency and rigor, measurement and performance tools, and an enhanced user experience. The technical changes have incorporated market data, stakeholder-generated ideas, expert engagement, and advances in technology.

Additional performance-based management features will help projects measure and manage energy and water usage, site and building material selection, and indoor environmental quality, said the organization.

“LEED 2012 is the next step towards a global, performance-based application,” said Horst. “In LEED 2012, a project’s engagement with LEED will represent an ongoing commitment that is supported by a suite of performance management tools.”

The third public comment period documents, including technical refinements, scorecards, and responses to comments from the previous public comment period will be available at usgbc.org/LEED2012 beginning March 1. Members of the public can comment on any substantive changes made since the second public comment period, which ran from Aug. 1 through Sept. 14, 2011.

Once the comment period process concludes, LEED 2012 will be balloted in June and will launch in November.

To learn more about LEED 2012, visit usgbc.org/LEED2012.

Publication date: 02/20/2012