Sustainable Architecture

The Future of Green Buildings, Sustainable Architecture, and Leed 2009

LEED 2009 is set to begin beta testing in February of 2009, with the full transition and launch of all new tests to happen by summer.
One of the biggest changes to the LEED Rating system is the incorporation of regionalism, where there is a possibility of a project team earning extra points that are prioritized in a project's environmental zone. Also, some of the existing credits will be rewritten and fine-tuned based on user experience and comments about the old rating systems.

Besides the change in the point rating system, there is another change that is affecting those who are on the front line of the green building movement through LEED, the LEED Accredited Professionals.

There are over 65, 000 people who are LEED APs around the entire world, many of which who have helped bring LEED and the USGBC to where it is today in the world of sustainable architecture and green building design.

There is no longer just a LEED AP, as those who will be implementing the LEED rating systems for LEED 2009 will be a part of a three tiered credential system. The first tier is called "LEED Green Associate", the second "The LEED Accredited Professional", and the third "The LEED AP Fellow."

The first tier, the LEED Green Associates, will be for "the people who support the LEED rating system, " as said by Beth Holst, VP of credentials for the Green Building Certification Institute. The exam for the LEED Green Associate will cover basic green building knowledge and will not require the in-depth knowledge that it takes to bring a project to LEED certification. The types of people who are fitted for this exam are the product manufacturers, the marketers, the finance people, customer service, and students. It is unknown how many of these people are already LEED APs, but this exam will be much more suited for their needs, as they will probably never get into the actual details of LEED certification, which is reserved for the next tier, the LEED Accredited Professional.

The second tier, the LEED Accredited Professional, will be specialized credentials that get's into the "in-depth knowledge of the rating system for the area that you work in most." These specialized rating systems will include specializations in New Construction, Interiors, Homes, Operations and Maintenance (previously LEED for Existing Buildings), and Neighborhood Development. The exam and rating systems will be similar to the existing version, with the changes in regionalism and the addition of new Water Efficiency credits, which was commented to be a minor lacking in the current version of the LEED rating system. There will be other changes, all of which will be announced when the new LEED reference guides come out mid to early 2009.

The third and final tier is reserved for the LEED AP Fellow. The LEED AP Fellow is a person who demonstrates great knowledge in the LEED rating system, distinguished with years of experience and leading green building design. This is an elite class of leading professionals that will be of much fewer numbers than the previous tiers of the new LEED credentialing system.

Beta testing for the LEED Green Associate's exam begins in February of 2009, and the entire rating system is planned for launch in mid 2009. This is a great step towards refining the somewhat controversial rating system, which should make it more accepted and specialized for buildings living in certain regions of the world.

Many people are anxiously awaiting the new rating system, and will be curious to see how widely accepted it will truly be. It's a step in the right direction, and we should all thank the USGBC in their efforts to stay current in today's constantly changing green building market and it's technologies.