The LEED Rating Systems

This is Page 4 of 8 in the Getting Started with LEED series.

The LEED rating systems are grouped into five main categories: Building Design & Construction, Interior Design and Construction, Operations & Maintenance, Homes, and Neighborhood Development (These categories also correspond to the LEED professional credentials).

The first category, Building Design and Construction, contains five LEED rating systems.  These rating systems are guidelines for new buildings and old buildings undergoing major renovations.  Schools, Hospitals, Office Buildings, and Apartment Buildings are all examples of buildings that would fall into this category.

The second category is Green Interior Design and Construction, which includes LEED Commercial Interiors and LEED Retail Interiors.  These rating systems were designed specifically for tenants leasing a portion of a larger building.  For example, they could be used for a company leasing commercial office space or for a Starbucks in a strip center.

The third category is Green Building Operations and Maintenance, which includes LEED for Existing Buildings and LEED for Existing Schools.  The rating systems for existing buildings can be used by building owners and operators to measure operations and maintenance as well as make minor improvements.

The fourth category is LEED for Homes, which was specifically designed for single and multi-family residential structures that are three stories or less.  LEED for Homes is modeled after the Environmental Protection Agency’s successful Energy Star for Homes program and became available to the public in 2008.  It applies to single and multi-family residential units up to three stories tall.

The fifth and final category is LEED for Neighborhood Development, which integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism and green building into the first national program for neighborhood design.

Continue Reading - Page 5 of 8: The LEED Credential Process.