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LEED Certification, Decertification, and Downcertification. Be Prepared.

Are you looking for a way to gain tax credits, expedited permitting, or premium rents for an upcoming project? Do you want your project to use energy, water or other natural resources more efficiently? You may want to pursue LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for your project. The widely recognized LEED benchmark provides for third party verification of a project's sustainability performance by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). Using a checklist, projects including new residential and commercial construction, schools, hospitals, and even neighborhoods, are awarded points for measures including site selection, indoor air quality, water conservation, energy efficiency, and use of recycled or sustainably sourced materials. Buildings are rated as Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum based on the number of points achieved.

While the potential benefits of LEED certification are evident, that does not mean that projects seeking LEED certification are without risk.

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