LEED

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

Increasing numbers of owners, architects, engineers and contractors are becoming more concerned about a building's environmental responsibility, profitability and the health of its occupants, which is leading to more sustainable designs and construction.1

The LEED Green Building Rating System™ is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED was developed by members of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a coalition of more than 2,000 owners, developers, designers, contractors, product manufacturers and other interested entities.

The USGBC developed the standard definition for high-performance, green buildings and offers third-party validation that structures meet the standard. The council aims to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work.

LEED provides a comprehensive system including project certification, professional accreditation, and training resources for evaluating building performance and meeting sustainability goals.

The LEED Mission

To define "green building" by establishing a common standard of measurement
To promote integrated, whole-building design practices
To recognize environmental leadership in the building industry
To stimulate green competition
To raise consumer awareness of green building benefits
To transform the building market

Certification Process
LEED Certification recognizes building projects that have demonstrated a commitment to environmental protection and sustainability. Certification ratings focus on six areas: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation in design.

For more information on the application process, please visit https://www.usgbc.org/LEED/Project/certprocess.asp.

Certified Projects in the area

Project name	Owner	City	State	Country	LEED Rating
Social Security Administration Child Care Center	U.S. General Services Administration	Baltimore	MD	US	Certified
Social Security Administration Annex Building Renovation	U.S. General Services Administration	Baltimore	MD	US	Certified
Blair Towns	Blair-Towers LLC	Silver Spring	MD	US	Certified
Pentagon Metro Entrance Facility	Pentagon Renovation Office	Arlington	VA	US	Certified
John M. Langston High School Continuation & Langston-Brown Community Center	Arlington Public Schools, Arlington County	Arlington	VA	US	Silver
Phillip Merrill Environmental Center	Chesapeake Bay Foundation	Annapolis	MD	US	Platinum

Source & Useful Sources:
US Green Building Council, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, http://www.usgbc.org/LEED

National Capital Region Chapter of the US Green Building Council
http://www.usgbc-ncr.org

Sustainable Building Industry Council
http://www.sbicouncil.org