LEED Intros Commercial Interiors Rating System

Washington, D.C., November 18--The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has introduced the brand new LEED Green Building Rating System for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI). Previously in pilot, the rating system has been balloted by the USGBC membership and is now a fully launched product. LEED-CI is the third green building rating system that has been developed by the USGBC following the LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) and LEED for New Construction (LEED-NC) green building rating systems. LEED-CI serves building owners and occupants as well as the interior designers and architects who design building interiors and the teams of professionals who install them. LEED-CI addresses performance areas including: selection of sustainable tenant space; efficiency of water usage; energy performance optimization including lighting and lighting controls; resource utilization for interior building systems and furnishings, and; indoor environmental quality including comprehensive emissions criteria. The USGBC’s Annual Conference and Expo Greenbuild, which was held in Portland, Oregon last week, previewed the rating system during a Certification Ceremony, which recognized certified LEED-CI pilot projects. "The long-awaited launch of LEED-CI has been met with much anticipation," said Rick Fedrizzi, USGBC president, CEO & founding chair. "The commercial interiors market is 16 times larger than the new commercial construction market. With the challenge of taking on the commercial interiors market, also comes a unique opportunity to shape this sector." A companion rating system, LEED for Core & Shell developments (LEED-CS), is currently under development. Together, LEED-CI and LEED-CS will establish green building criteria for commercial real estate for use by both developers and tenants.

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