The USGBC has added an Operations & Maintenance track to its LEED Volume Program. Designed for organizations looking to certify at least 25 existing buildings, the track takes a prototype approach to a systematic application of green building policies and centralized data management for LEED certification, while keeping costs low.
“Because existing buildings make up the vast majority of the U.S. building stock and the existing building market is nearly 100 times larger than the new construction market, tools like this are essential to reducing energy consumption from this sector,” says Scot Horst, senior vice president at USGBC.
The LEED Volume Program launched in November 2010. (Read ECO-STRUCTURE’s coverage of the initial launch here.) Together, the initial program and new operations track streamline the certification process and maintain consistency in green building improvements for high-volume property owners and managers of existing buildings and construction projects.
The Operations & Management track was formed by 11 commercial real estate firms, national retailers, hospitality providers, colleges and universities, and government agencies, including Cushman & Wakefield, Kohl’s Department Stores, Bank of America, American University, the City of San Jose, and InterContinental Hotels Group.
For more information on the LEED Volume program, visit usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=2278.
