LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an internationally recognized green building certification system used to verify that a building or community was designed using strategies that improve energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.
Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED provides building owners with a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.
LEED is flexible enough to apply to all building types from commercial to well as residential. It works throughout the building lifecycle from design and construction to operations and maintenance and event tenant fitout.
Buildings are awarded credit/points based on the extent various sustainable strategies are achieved. Credits are developed through several rounds of public comments and in collaboration with the USGBC board, broader membership and staff. As market readiness increases and new technologies become widely available, credits adapt to improve the value and environmental integrity of building projects. The more points awarded the higher the level of certification achieved from Certified, Silver, Gold, to Platinum.
This information was sourced from the U.S. Green Building Council website.