What’s LEED V4?

If you don’t already know, it’s about time you find out.

LEED is the gold standard for responsible, ethical, efficient design, construction and operation of structures. V4 is the latest iteration of that standard, a completely innovative, forward-thinking set of criteria that reflect how healthy your building is and will be. The hope is that this version further refines the evaluation process, leading to more people pursuing those highest certification levels. In the process of doing that, builders and planners will have to take note of how they do things, and how they could do them better. They’ll have to examine ethical, responsible design, production and implementation.

So what’s different this time around?

A project’s unique character will be taken into account and can be evaluated for how well it does in meeting the standards set out on its own terms. The measure is now more performance-based, meaning that it is guided by how well a structure will evolve over time and impact the environment around it in the process. LEED is looking to reward conscious use of materials, and specifically how those materials will perform over time and how they will be used from beginning build all the way to the end. It’s the same with water usage. V4 looks at water usage and application holistically, considering everything related to it and from all angles. Waste, energy and sustainability have also all been reexamined in terms of how they are evaluated and measured.

You can be sure that receiving this certification means that your project (and your practices) uses the most advanced technology and innovation available to operate in a clean, planet-friendly way.