Sustainable development is a whole-system approach to best utilize design and building techniques that diminish environmental impact and lessen energy consumption of a building, while contributing to the health of its occupants.
But, most important, sustainable development contributes to the bottom line for both the developer and the tenant. To identify standards that result in sustainable development, the US Green Building Council established a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System. This voluntary national standard supplies a framework for assessing building performance and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies for sustainable site development.
Since 2000, 6% of new construction in the United States--or nearly 563 million sf--adheres to LEED standards. Communities, cities and states across the nation, along with the Federal government, are embracing the sustainable or green movement and calling on developers to produce properties that meet a minimum LEED standard.
Recommended For You
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.
Once you are an ALM Digital Member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
*May exclude premium content© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
