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Greenest Buildings in the Triangle
Kermit the Frog said it best: “It’s not easy being green.”
And for those responsible for getting their construction projects certified in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, that statement certainly rings true.
Devised by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2000, the LEED rating system is developed through a consensus-based process led by LEED committees.
LEED points are awarded on a 100-point scale, and credits are weighted to reflect their potential environmental impacts. Ten additional bonus credits are available, four of which address regionally specific issues.
A project must satisfy all prerequisites and earn a minimum number of points to be certified. There is a total of 110 possible points in LEED certification in a variety of categories, such as sustainable sites, water efficiency, and indoor environmental quality. There are also bonus points for things such as innovation in design.
LEED certification is broken down as such: Platinum = 80+ points, Gold = 60+ points, Silver = 50+ points, and Certified = 40+ points.
There are quite a few LEED certified buildings right here in the Triangle. Click on the slideshow to the right to see the top three in platinum, gold and silver in the local area.