Blog 2 - LEED and LEED GREEN ASSOCIATE
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The LEED certification is a green building standard. It is recognized as the most widely known green building rating system in the world. The LEED certification acts as a symbol of sustainability. It offers guidelines and standards that help create positive change in the industry. LEED is a very broad standard and can be used on many types of projects, including residential, commercial, and new construction. They even have a rating system selection guide that can be used by professionals to ensure they are using the correct review system for their project.
LEED doesn’t simply cover one specific category, but acts as a framework that covers many different issues related to sustainability. It covers issues like water and energy conservation, as well as waste and environmental impact. There are also different certifications available under LEED. The LEED certification is for a building or project. There are certain prerequisites a project must meet before it can become LEED certified. It would then earn points and achieve certain credit requirements. LEED certification is split into 4 main levels: Platinum(80+ points), Gold(60-79 points), Silver(50-59 points), and Certified(40-49 points). A project is often showcased after receiving the certification to display the achievement.
The LEED Green Associate is a certification that professionals can achieve. A professional must first meet the prerequisites. To become a LEED Green Associate, you must have some exposure to LEED and green building concepts. This can be from school or work. A professional must then apply online and schedule a time to take the exam. The LEED Green Associate exam is $250, and is reduced to $100 for students. There is also a combined exam to get the LEED Green Associate certification, as well as the LEED AP, but the LEED AP has more requirements in order to take.
One Step Further
For my One Step Further this week, I decided to research some of the most successful projects that are LEED certified. I came across Stefano Boeri’s Vertical Forest design and remembered discussing it in one of our classes last year. I decided to do further research on the building and why it is so successful. The main goal of the project was to connect humans and nature. Stefano strived to create a building that could house not only humans, but also trees, birds, and other wildlife. He focused not only on sustainability but on the integration of nature in all its forms. The project consists of two residential towers in the center of Milan. It possesses 800 trees, 4,500 shrubs, and 20,000 plants. The project is very successful because it produces CO2 absorption, oxygen production, noise pollution reduction, optimized water management, and an overall improvement on the quality of life. The maintenance of the building is very important as it is seen as an asset throughout the city. Flying gardeners are hired to ensure the plants on the building are well taken care of. This project received a Gold-level LEED certification. Stefano hopes to create a similar design in one of the most polluted cities in China, and hopes to receive LEED certification for that one as well. I think this project is fascinating and I can see why it has been so successful. Creating green buildings and sustainable designs is so beneficial and important for us to understand.
References:
Anderson, K. (2024, June 20). LEED certification: Meaning and requirements. Greenly. Retrieved January 25, 2026, from https://greenly.earth/en-us/blog/company-guide/leed-certification-meaning-and-requirements
Stefano Boeri Architetti. (n.d.). Vertical Forest. Retrieved January 25, 2026, from https://www.stefanoboeriarchitetti.net/en/project/vertical-forest/
U.S. Green Building Council. (n.d.). From polluted metropolis to forest city. U.S. Green Building Council. Retrieved January 25, 2026, from https://www.usgbc.org/articles/polluted-metropolis-forest-city
U.S. Green Building Council. (2014, March 10). Interested in becoming a LEED Green Associate or LEED AP? What you need to know. U.S. Green Building Council. Retrieved January 25, 2026, from https://www.usgbc.org/articles/interested-becoming-leed-green-associate-or-leed-ap-what-you-need-know
U.S. Green Building Council. (n.d.). LEED AP with specialty. U.S. Green Building Council. Retrieved January 25, 2026, from https://www.usgbc.org/credentials/leed-ap
Extra Credit Links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTIZBFeF2Nc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXRu_qMhRbs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MFnHT-x1Ak
The comparison you provided is very informative. I hope this will guide you in your decision making for textile selections. We as designers can positively impact the health and wellness of our clients- that is so meaningful!!
ReplyDeleteHi Cara, I really enjoyed your one step further section about buildings that achieve LEED certification. With that being said, I did more research on LEED buildings (specifically commercial applications) and their energy savings. I read a scholarly article that measured energy use data from 100 LEED certified buildings. From this article, I learned that LEED buildings use 13-39% less energy per floor area. But I found it more interesting that 28-35% of LEED buildings use more energy than other buildings. This was very interesting to me because it is not a conclusion I would have predicted. I have attached the article below for you!
ReplyDeleteNewsham, G. R., Mancini, S., & Birt, B. J. (2009). Do LEED-certified buildings save energy? Yes, but…. Energy and Buildings, 41(8), 897-905.