Stites & Harbison, PLLC

By now, most construction industry professionals are aware of the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) “LEED” green building certification program.  The LEED system is designed to be flexible and evolving, and on April 29, 2009, USGBC launched “LEED v3”, the latest version of the certification standard.

The new green building standard incorporates the latest advances in green building design and technology, and incorporates those advances into a new LEED project rating system called “LEED 2009."  Beginning in July 2009, all new LEED green commercial building projects are required to use the new rating system.  Those projects registered under the old Version 2 rating system can be upgraded to LEED 2009.

LEED v3 also affects the credentialing of LEED accredited professionals.  There are three significant changes in the credentialing process: First, LEED now offers two levels of credentialing:  “LEED Green Associate,” which requires less technical expertise, “LEED Accredited Professional,” which requires more technical knowledge and must be obtained in one of five sub-specialties: Operations & Maintenance, Homes, Building Design & Construction, Interior Design & Construction, & Neighborhood Development, and “LEED Fellow,” the highest level of expertise, which is still under development.  Second, both the Green Associate designation and the LEED AP designation now require certified experience as a prerequisite for taking the credentialing exam (although the Green Associate designation allows for an education course to substitute for the experience requirement).  Finally, all LEED credentials now have yearly maintenance requirements, to ensure that credentialed professionals stay on top of the latest green building advances.

Stites & Harbison’s Green Law Practice Group, which includes 11 attorneys who are LEED-Professionals, has the experience to assist you with LEED-related matters.  For more information, contact Buck Hinkle at 859-226-2334 or bhinkle@stites.com, or Jamie Cox at 502-681-0576 or jcox@stites.com.

__________
Ron Stay is an Associate in the firm's Atlanta office where his practice focuses on construction law.