The U.S. Green Building Council is changing its LEED certification standards.
The changes, reported by the Washington Business Journal, will take effect in January when LEED 2009 begins.
LEED 2009 will reorganize the commercial rating systems by consolidating, aligning and updating them into one system that is "simpler and more elegant and committed to continuous improvement," says USGBC spokeswoman Ashley Katz.
Points will be allocated differently and reweighed, as well. The entire process will be flexible to adapt to changing technology, account for regional differences and encourage innovation.
"These changes -- giving LEED an umbrella rating system -- will streamline the process and make it less confusing, especially for nonpractitioners," says Anne Jackson, an associate at architecture firm Perkins+Will and founding chair of the Charlotte, N.C.-based USGBC chapter.
LEED certifications are available in eight categories: new construction, existing buildings, commercial interiors, core and shell, retail, schools, health care and homes.
A category for neighborhood developments is in the pilot stage.
More than 1,500 buildings have received LEED certification since the program was introduced in 2000.