For over two decades the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED certification has continuously evolved worldwide. According to USGBC, green building has grown into a trillion-dollar industry, and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) has become the most widely used program of its kind in the world. More than 2.2 million square feet is LEED certified every day with more than 90,000 projects using LEED.
In 2018, USGBC celebrated their 25th anniversary and LEED has been in existence for nearly 20 years. LEED was created to measure and define green building. It established a baseline—a universally agreed-upon, holistic system for reducing environmental impacts, saving resources, impacting human health, reducing carbon emissions and addressing climate change.
The Next Generation of LEED
USGBC also rolled out next generation of LEED which included:
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- LEED v4.1. - USGBC launched LEED v4.1 Building Design and Construction (BD+C), Interior Design and Construction (ID+C), Residential, Cities and Communities in 2019. With LEED v4.1, they transformed the rating system development process to incorporate real-time feedback. Highlights included adding a carbon metric for new and existing buildings, raising the energy reference standard for new construction to ASHRAE 90.1 2016 and making adjustments to prioritize and focus on the most pressing issues of today. Learn More.
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- LEED Zero - Building on LEED v4.1 and inspired by the leadership of those who have committed to net zero across the LEED community, they introduced a new certification that gives the larger green building community a standard to strive for. LEED Zero is a certification for net zero carbon and/or net zero energy, net zero water and net zero waste. Learn more.
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- LEED Recertification - All LEED projects, v1 to v4.1 can recertify by providing 12 months of data. This recertification will be valid for three years and will result in a certification to the newest version of LEED available (currently LEED v4.1). Recertification is available to occupied and in-use projects that have previously achieved certification under LEED, regardless of their initial rating system or version. Learn more.
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- LEED BD+C: Transit - Building on the release of transit guidance for existing stations, USGBC released LEED guidance for the design and construction of new individual transit stations. It has tremendous potential for positive global impact by saving energy and water, and reducing our contribution to climate change. Learn More.
Next Generation of LEED At Schemmer
At Schemmer, green building is important to many of our clients and our team is qualified in the design of energy efficient and sustainable facilities and energy use assessments. Our firm is a USGBC member and we have 17 LEED accredited professionals who are among the many Schemmer employees who have worked at the leading edge of sustainable architectural and engineering design.
Our firm has sustainable design experience utilizing the LEED rating and our projects include:
- Omaha Public Power District Service Center, Omaha, NE | LEED Platinum certified
- Iowa Veterans Home Fox Pavilion, Marshalltown, IA | LEED Gold certified
- Iowa Air National Guard Security Police Facility, Sioux City, IA | LEED Silver certified
- National Parks Service Lewis and Clark Visitors Center, Nebraska City, NE | LEED Silver certified
- Davis Monthan AFB POL Operations Facility, AZ | LEED Silver certified
- Iowa Veterans Home Ulery Nursing Home, Marshalltown, IA | LEED Silver certified
Currently Closing Out/Under Construction:
- Nebraska Air National Guard Squadron Operations Building 2945 Repair, Lincoln, NE | Designed for LEED Silver certification
- Nebraska Air National Guard Main Hangar Building 600 Repair, Lincoln, NE | Designed for LEED Silver certification
Source: USGBC
Design with Purpose. Build with Confidence.
Schemmer is a full-service architecture, engineering and construction field services consultant, providing responsible solutions for complex design and construction-related challenges. Founded in 1959, we are grounded in our past but remain fully committed to the future. Located in three States and six offices throughout the Midwest, Schemmer is providing services to clients from coast-to-coast and border-to-border across the United States.
