Certify your property with BIO-SY-MO
BIO-SY-MO
Bridging Our Built Environment With Earth
What is LEED?
Stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It was created by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). It is a Green Building Certification System that through third party verification can attest for a project’s sustainability level. It is the Sustainability framework found more often around the globe. It gives a guidebook for projects to improve in user’s health, energy and water efficiency, as well as operational costs, all of which help with the environmental, social and governance processes. Due to its worldwide spread it is widely recognized helping in adding value to its certified projects.
As of the moment there are:
- 197,000 LEED projects worldwide
- 186 countries and territories
- >2 billion+ m2
How can BIOSYMO help in a LEED certification process?
In BIO-SY-MO we have been part of more than 15 projects that have achieved LEED certification.
We strongly believe that this certification is a team effort, while having a strong background on how to manage teams, we can undertake any project from a single home to a large scale mixed-use project and help it achieve the desired level of certification.
Lastly, all of our team members are LEED AP professionals of various designations, making sure we have the theoretical knowledge to tackle any project at any phase or provide educational services to your team.
Why should a project be certified using LEED?
The standard offers the opportunity for a project to prove their sustainability level through third-party verification. As LEED is becoming the equivalent of sustainability achievement, having a USGBC medal at your building’s entrance can communicate the building’s commitment to sustainability without much effort.
Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design also provides a framework for engineers to use as a tool in the endeavor towards creating a more sustainable project.
It also guides buildings in lowering their operational costs. Within the certification process, dynamic modeling in Daylight, and Energy are required for points achievement. These models provide insight so that the engineering team can take the most informed decisions towards optimization of using sun for its light and its energy. As we read at USGBC “LEED buildings use, on average, 25% less energy than conventional buildings.”
Most importantly, LEED, through its structure, helps in the conservation of resources. From directing towards material that provide disclosure in GHG emissions all the way to health, to materials that have recycled content or are produced by producers with verified responsible practices, it helps the professionals involved in the built environment in making the right choices.
As stated by USGBC “A University of California–Berkeley study found that LEED-certified existing buildings contributed 50% fewer greenhouse gases (GHGs) than conventionally constructed buildings due to water consumption, 48% fewer GHGs due to solid waste and 5% fewer GHGs due to transportation”
What are the rating systems under LEED and how are they used?
There are five major rating systems within which there are subcategories. These six rating systems are: Building Design and Construction (BD+C), Interior Design and Construction (ID+C), Operations and Maintenance (O+M), Neiborhood Development (ND), Communities and Cities. Also, within the BD+C rating system there is LEED Homes, that also is used as a different rating system.
These rating systems are used by different kind of properties i.e. a neighborhood(ND), a community or a building (BD+C, ID+C, O&M). But in the case of buildings the rating systems refer to the phase of the project, BD+C is used for new buildings or major renovations, ID+C is used for interior renovations and O&M is used for operating buildings.
What are the credentials required for LEED professionals?
The first credential available is the LEED Green Associate (GA). This entry-level credential demonstrates a solid understanding of the LEED certification system and its basic principles.
Beyond this, professionals can pursue the LEED Accredited Professional (AP) credential, which is offered in several specialized rating systems:
LEED AP BD+C (Building Design + Construction)
LEED AP Homes
LEED AP ID+C (Interior Design + Construction)
LEED AP O+M (Operations + Maintenance)
LEED AP ND (Neighborhood Development)
While the LEED standard itself does not require project teams to hold credentials, having a LEED AP (with the relevant specialization) on the team can contribute an additional point towards certification.
To maintain any LEED credential, professionals must complete 30 hours of continuing education every two years.
In addition, there are two advanced designations:
LEED Green Rater: Required for LEED for Homes projects, this role represents GBCI and is responsible for conducting on-site verification and inspections.
LEED Fellow: The highest professional honor within the LEED community. This designation recognizes outstanding contributions and at least ten years of impact in green building. LEED Fellows are celebrated for their expertise, leadership, and advocacy in advancing sustainability worldwide.
What are the important roles required in LEED certification process?
- Project Οwner/Project Manager: The most imperative role is that of the project owner/project manager. The owner decides upon the level of certification and appoints the rest of team members.
- Engineering team: It is the team that designs the project. Hand-in-hand with the LEED Consultant they co-define the credits to be pursued so that the desired level of certification is reached. It is the team that is required to compile the necessary documentation according to guidance of the Consultant.
- LEED Consultant: This party educates the entire team on how to implement the rating system’s credits within the design and execution of the project. Responsible for evaluating the documentation provided from the rest of the team, and for providing necessary corrective actions. This party is in charge of making sure the project folder for the certification is complete. Is accountable for delivering the documentation to GBCI for final review and approval.
- Construction team: It is the team that executes the design study of the project. Implementing the approved design this team indirectly ensures that the design points are secured. It is the team responsible for meeting the construction prerequisites and credits needs.
- LEED Coordinator: He/she is responsible for ensuring the design study is followed and design credits are secured. Conducts and completes on-site inspections during the entire construction phase. He/she collects the required documents regarding the prerequisites and construction credits. He/she is accountable for training the general contractor team and its subcontractors regarding the requirements of the rating system during construction.
- GBCI: Third-party verification body of LEED. It is the party that checks all the documentation from each and every credit and prerequisite and awards projects the points. It is GBCI who certifies the projects. It is also the party that accredits all the professionals with credentials (LEED GA, LEED AP etc).
How can LEED help streamline the EU taxonomy process?
EU Taxonomy and LEED overlap each other on many aspects. Even thought EU Taxonomy provides a framework to guide decision making on whether a financial investment addresses environmental policy objectives, making it a classification tool rather than a rating system or certification standard as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is; due to the fact that the standard’s goals align with the principles of the EU Taxonomy, especially in the real estate and construction sector, projects can take advantage of the certification to establish their alignment with EU Taxonomy. Thus, by providing the necessary documentation towards Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, a project can cover most aspects of the EU Taxonomy from Energy Consumption, Commissioning, and Water Conservation to construction activity pollution prevention, restoration of ecosystems and more.
To read more click here.
What are the related fees and extra cost with a LEED certification process?
On the contrary to what most believe, according to USGBC, the additional cost for certification is less than 1% of the overall cost of the project.
Most of the additional costs are inferred from hiring a Consultant, a Construction Coordinator and the certification fees that depend on the size of the project.
In terms of additional cost for materials and equipment, the earliest the standard is emerged into the design process the least additional costs are generated. In today’s market there are plenty of sustainable options in both materials and equipment that do not involve additional costs.
Which are the main credit categories of LEED?
The main credit categories of the standard are the nine following:
- Integrative Process, Planning and Assessments (IP)
- Location and Transportation (LT)
- Sustainable Sites1 (SS)
- Water Efficiency (WE)
- Energy and Atmosphere (EA)
- Materials and Resources (MR)
- Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ)
- Project Priorities (PP)
The only rating system that uses different categories is LEED ND. The credit categories for this rating system are:
- Smart Location and Linkage (SSL)
- Neighborhood Pattern & Design (NPD)
- Green Infrastructure & Buildings (GIB)
- Innovation (IN)
- Regional Priority (RP)
1. This category is not included in the ID+C rating system
How does LEED address the evolution of sustainability and the climate crisis needs?
Sustainability is a field that constantly changes with time and/or place. As LEED is a sustainability standard, staying up to date with the technology evolution and the changes required by the climate crisis is of eminent importance.
As such Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design launches new versions approximately every five years. Within each version, adaptations are also released quarterly i.e. four times a year. In the versions the rating system changes its structure, and content, credits and requirements. While in the adaptations, the changes are within the contents of the credits, in an effort to adapt towards the changes of the Global markets, as well as sustainability needs.
In April of 2025 the standard’s version 5 has been launched. As we read within USGBC “LEED v5 isn’t just about today’s buildings; it’s about building a better future. It’s a comprehensive framework designed to drive the market towards a near-zero carbon reality that is equitable, resilient, and promotes the wise, safe use of all resources. At its core, LEED v5 focuses on three key impact areas: Decarbonization, Quality of life, Ecological conservation and restoration”
For a comprehensive timeline of the standard’s versions and other important dates visit here to read on the History of USGBC.