WASHINGTON — Bureau Veritas and Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), the certification body for the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building program, recently finalized the terms of its exclusive global agreement to facilitate LEED certification internationally.
LEED, a program for the certification of design, construction, maintenance, and operations of green buildings, certifies more than 1.85 million square feet of commercial building space daily. There are currently more than 69,000 LEED building projects located in more than 150 countries and territories with approximately 44 percent of all square footage outside the U.S.
As part of the agreement, Bureau Veritas teams around the world will review LEED projects for conformity with GBCI’s strict standards for certification. Immediate plans for local LEED review teams have been drawn up for China, Brazil, and India, where Bureau Veritas employs approximately 21,000 individuals. Local review teams will enhance customer engagement and local support for LEED while advancing the goal for future site verification as part of the LEED-certification process.
“GBCI and Bureau Veritas will be able to offer local touch points, local reviews, possible on-site verifications, and other resources for green building teams on the ground,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, COO, USGBC, and president of GBCI. “Through this collaboration, we will be able to more closely connect with our customers, which will help accelerate the adoption of green building practices and deliver their benefits to these key economies.”
The partnership enhances Bureau Veritas’ service offerings in this growing and important market. The first buildings to be certified by Bureau Veritas within this partnership are due to be delivered in late 2015.
“Our objective is a seamless customer experience for LEED users and project teams,” said Gerard Biessy, vice president of building and infrastructures at Bureau Veritas. “We’re investing considerable resources into our local capacity building and the integration of GBCI processes.”
Publication date: 6/29/2015
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