The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced that the total footprint of commercial projects certified under its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building program surpassed 2 billion square feet. An additional 7 billion square feet is currently in the pipeline across the globe as registered projects.
‘In communities around the globe, leaders from every sector of the building industry are reinventing their local landscapes with buildings that enliven and bolster the health of our environment, communities and local economies,’ says Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chairman of the USGBC. ‘The journey to this milestone has energized our economy – funneling $554 billion annually into the U.S. economy alone – and has helped support 7.9 million jobs across the U.S.’
According to the USGBC, LEED is certifying 2 million square feet of commercial building space each day in more than 130 countries. Today, nearly 50,000 commercial projects are currently participating in LEED, comprising 9 billion square feet of construction space. Additionally, nearly 23,000 homes across the U.S. have earned certification through the LEED for Homes program, with nearly 86,000 additional units in the pipeline.
Since the beginning of July, over 300 projects have earned LEED certification in more than 20 countries worldwide. Notable projects include a LEED Platinum commercial interior for Google in Mumbai; the Vestas Technology Center in Lem, Denmark; Ernst and Young Plaza in Los Angeles, which earned LEED Platinum for the operations and maintenance of an existing building; and Warrensburg Elementary, a LEED Gold school in Warrensburg, Mo.
(Photo courtesy of USPS.)
