USGBC Launches LEED v4.1 for City, Community and Residential Projects
- JRH Engineering & Environmental Services, Inc.
- Nov 21, 2019
- 2 min read
Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that the new version of the LEED green building program – LEED v4.1– is now available for cities, communities and homes. LEED v4.1 certification recognizes leadership by emphasizing performance monitoring, fully integrated design, social equity and human health factors.
“LEED v4.1 makes LEED the first green performance standard for buildings, communities and cities,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, U.S. Green Building Council. “It is the most comprehensive, collaborative, accessible and effective LEED system to date. This newest release complements the full suite of LEED v4.1 rating systems that are available today. We are excited and optimistic for the future as we continuously work to ensure that LEED is not only the de facto leadership standard but also a living standard.”
For the residential market, LEED v4.1 combines the familiar and relevant aspects from four previously existing LEED for homes rating systems (LEED for Low-rise homes, LEED for Midrise Homes, LEED for Core and Shell and LEED for New Construction) to deliver three rating systems:
LEED v4.1 Residential: New Single-family homes,LEED v4.1 Residential: New Multifamily homes andLEED v4.1 New Multifamily homes core and shell.
The updated rating system is designed to make the decision to implement LEED easier for residential projects and revitalize our approach to the housing market. Through a streamlined and simple approach, LEED credits that have a higher value to home owners and residents are prioritized, such as health and wellbeing improved comfort, energy and water savings, green and healthy materials. Options have also been added to existing LEED credits that lower both hard and soft costs to achieve certification. And recognizing the unique circumstances of international projects, LEED v4.1 Residential is also now more applicable to international projects, which USGBC envisions as a key growth area for residential in the future. The updated rating system is further localized to meet the unique needs of different markets.
There are more than 480,000 LEED-certified residential units globally, and another 1.1 million currently in the pipeline. Of these units, 30% qualify as “affordable housing” in their markets.
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