of local materials, suppliers and manufacturers. Builders can achieve LEED
credits by purchasing regional materials.
Buildings built to high-performance standards experience a higher rate of occupancy and per-square-footage rental
rates, and are increasingly featured in the
news media.
LEED 2009, the newest version of the
LEED rating system, harmonizes and sim-plifies previous versions. The eight previous rating systems are now streamlined
to five programs, and many of the intricate nuances that characterized previous
systems have been eliminated. For details
about the LEED 2009 rating system, go to
www.usgbc.org.
LEED 2009 will also usher in significant changes to the LEED Accredited
Professional (AP) program. LEED APs are
the professionals who help usher a development or building renovation project
through the LEED program. The Green
Building Certification Institute (GBCI),
the organization that administers the
LEED AP credential, has added new continuing education requirements for existing LEED APs and adopted more rigorous
accreditation requirements for aspiring
LEED APs. GBCI first announced the
changes in November 2008 at Greenbuild, the USGBC’s annual conference
and exposition.
Background on LEED AP
The LEED AP credential does not define
the green professional, as do the titles
CIH, PE, AIA, and MD. Professionals with
the title of LEED AP run the gamut of occupations and include architects, engineers, general contractors, manufacturers,
developers, consultants, and others. Each
LEED AP adds his or her expertise to the
design, development and ongoing maintenance of a building to help it perform
at the highest and most sustainable level
possible.
According to the USGBC website, over
75,000 people have become LEED APs
since the program began in 2001. The ini-
tial purpose of the LEED AP designation
was to recognize individuals who were
knowledgeable of the LEED rating sys-
tem. Three years ago, for example, the
LEED accreditation process consisted of
paying a testing fee and getting 70 ques-
tions correct on an 80-question exam.
Those first LEED APs did not have to
submit an application, participate in con-
tinuing education, or provide their work
history. Anyone who paid the fee and
passed the test would become a LEED AP.
LEED Tiers
The old LEED AP credential did not distinguish among the three LEED exams,
which corresponded to the LEED rating
systems for new construction (NC), existing buildings (EB O&M), and commercial
interiors (CI). Nor did the old LEED categorize APs according to their LEED project experience; in fact, no experience was
required.
LEED 2009, however, introduces three
levels of accreditation: LEED Green Associate, LEED AP Plus and LEED AP Fellow.
Each level implies a different skill set
and/or experience. The new tiered credentialing system allows the marketplace
to distinguish between practitioners with
basic, advanced and extraordinary levels
of knowledge.
LEED Green Associate. This credential is
intended for anyone involved in the
green building field, including product
manufacturers, marketers, support staff
and students, but mainly those who
have limited working exposure to LEED
projects.
