LEED v4 wasn’t designed for simplicity, and this has caused some challenges for builders and developers who want to work with LEED certification. To alleviate the difficulties posed in the transition from LEED 2009 to LEED v4, the United States Green Building Council has decided to extend the registration for projects being built under the 2009 regulations. Previously, the deadline was June 15, 2015, but the new deadline is October 31, 2016. It is believed that this will give LEED users and other members of the green building community much-needed additional prep time for adopting the LEED v4 standards.
According to Rick Fedrizzi, the CEO & founding chair of the USGBC, LEED v4 was launched “with one goal in mind–to raise the bar in a way that challenges the building industry to reach higher than ever before. This is our nature and USGBC and its members’ collective mission.” Fedrizzi adds that the extension has been made in response to requests for “additional time to prepare for LEED v4, so we are responding.”
LEED v4 has been on the market for a year, but a survey conducted during the USGBC’s annual Greenbuild conference, showed 61% of respondents indicating a “not ready” or “unsure” status regarding their wherewithal to pursue LEED v4. The stricter code has also met with hesitation among international builders. Fedrizzi explains that “Our international LEED users, which account for some 50 percent of new LEED registrations, have also indicated they would like to have more time to move onto the new rating system,” noting that “This extension will be especially helpful to them.” It is felt that the extension will give the green building industry a longer time frame to pursue meaningful and comprehensive change in green construction practices.
The LEED framework was designed to not only positively impact the environment, but also to give developers dynamic, real-time “building performance data spanning water, energy, occupant satisfaction and more, giving building owners critical insight into how their building is performing,” says Fedrizzi. The LEED framework has driven stunning innovation in building technology and operations practices. It has been credited with facilitating the incredible growth of the green building sector, creating 7.9 million jobs, and contributing $554 billion to the U.S. economy nationally.