The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently announced the total footprint of commercial buildings around the world certified under its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green-building program now exceeds 2 billion sq ft, with an additional 7 billion sq ft in the pipeline in the form of registered projects.
“In communities around the globe, leaders from every sector of the building industry are reinventing their local landscapes with buildings that enliven and bolster the health of our environment, communities, and local economies,” Rick Fedrizzi, president, chief executive officer, and founding chair, USGBC, said. “The journey to this milestone has energized our economy, funneling $554 billion annually into the U.S. economy alone, and has helped support 7.9 million jobs across the U.S.”
Two million sq ft of commercial-building space in more than 130 countries is certified through the LEED program each day. Nearly 50,000 commercial projects comprising 9 billion sq ft of construction space are participating in LEED.
Notable projects recently receiving LEED certification include a LEED Platinum commercial interior for Google in Mumbai, India; Vestas Technology Center in Lem, Denmark; Ernst & Young Plaza in Los Angeles, which earned LEED Platinum for operations and maintenance of an existing building; and Warrensburg Elementary, a LEED Gold school in Warrensburg, Mo.