LEED Green Building Projects Span 10.6 Billion Square Feet

About 60,000 LEED green building projects across the globe span 10.6 billion square feet, according to a US Green Building Council (USGBC) report.

LEED in Motion: Places and Policies says Canada leads the way in LEED projects outside the US with 4,375 projects, followed by India with 1,586, China with 1,282, UAE with 816 and Brazil with 717 LEED-certified green building projects.

In the US, there are 17,434 certified commercial and institutional projects, representing 2.3 billion square feet, and another 29,599 registered (pursuing LEED but not yet certified) projects, representing 4.4 billion square feet.

Compared to average commercial buildings, the US General Services Administration’s portfolio of LEED Gold buildings consume 25 percent less energy and 11 percent less water, the report says. They also generate 34 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions and experience 19 percent lower maintenance costs.

The GSA requires all of its buildings be LEED certified.

Available exclusively to USGBC’s 13,000 member organizations, the LEED in Motion report series is aimed at helping green building professionals, advocates and proponents make a strong case for sustainable building activity. The second report in the series, LEED in Motion: Places and Policies, details the global, regional and local growth of LEED and outlines the policies and mechanisms supporting it.

The first section of the report includes in-depth statistics and graphics on LEED projects and areas of growth around the world, with a sub-section for projects in the US as well as global projects.

The second section examines domestic and international policies and partnerships that support the framework of LEED and drive global progress. It says more than 400 localities have LEED-specific policies in place. Globally, there are about 100 green building councils in various stages of development, a LEED International Roundtable with members from 30 countries and newly launched Alternative Compliance Paths and Regional Priority Credits for LEED, which provide regionally focused approaches to LEED credits for projects outside the US.

LEED in Motion: Places and Policies also has interviews with green building leaders and advocates and LEED project spotlights, including the LEED Platinum TaiPei 101 tower in Taiwan, the LEED Gold Treasury Building in Washington, DC, and the LEED Platinum King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. The report also showcases policy highlights, detailing key policies driving LEED.

USGBC will release the final LEED in Motion report, Impacts and Innovation, later this year.